Dunlop Green .88mm Tortex Picks

[roadbiker]

I wanted to try out some new picks and bought some Dunlop Tortex .88mm picks - the green ones with the turtle on them (a tortoise, I guess). Anyway, have you ever tried these picks? They give the guitar a completely different sound. I can't put my finger on the right adjective, but tinny is close. I'm not quite sure that I like them. I've been using the Dunlop .71mm pick and I like it (purple with a Gator on it). I also like the Cool Medium pick (.75mm), the yellow Dunlop Tortex (.73mm) and DAVA Control picks.

What is your impression of the .88mm Dunlop? Have you noticed the same thing?

Jim

[thedak]

To thick for me. 

.60s and .71 are all I use.

I use the dark red .58s on my GS Mini.

[roadbiker]

They are kind of thick. I wonder if the unique sound from them is a result of the thickness, the material used, or both (I suspect both)...

Jim

[Steely Glen]

I use a lot of the same picks as you.  My "go to" is currently the purple Dunlop Gator Grip (0.71).  I find that the Ultex picks are noisy on the strings and seem to produce to an effect heavier than their actual weight, so a 0.88 Ultex might sound like a 1.04 in the Gator Grip.  They're not my favorite on acoustics....

[cjd-player]

Pick thickness and material will definitely make a difference in the tone of the guitar.

As a generalization, a thinner pick will give more string noise and a brighter, thinner sound.
A heavier pick will give less string noise and a warmer, fuller sound.

Or as some say, with a thinner pick you hear the strings and with a thicker pick you hear the wood (of the guitar).

Personally, I don't like thin picks because of the string noise.  For my 814ce, the 0.88 green Dunlops you refer to are probably my second favorite pick.   I like the 1.0mm Dunlop Ultex pick the best.  Third place goes to the Ultex 0.73mm. 

The 0.88 green Tortex Dunlops are my favorite picks for my electric guitars.

[mea1970]

I think pick choice is such a personal preference thing, no right or wrong. I've moved around over the years, currently liking the jazz-3 sort of smallish, but heavier picks.

I think the thickness makes a difference, but I'm guessing you're also hearing that scrape-y sound you can get from picks that have some rough edges. Not all picks are perfectly smooth. Also the angle with which you hold the pick can change the tone. Lots of factors to consider.

[sachi]

I like my picks thick, and I like to try all sorts. I've bought Gravity and V-picks (both acrylic) in a few thicknesses but the ones that work the best for me are the thickest ones they make. I have some Fender picks and prefer the heavies. I've used Claytons, Dunlops, and Ultra Cool (nylon) picks, and again prefer the heavy. But the ones I like the best are Blue Chips. I think they give my GC-5 in particular a very warm and inviting tone.

[Edward]

Yup, highly personal ...right up there with string choice!

I prefer Gatorgrips in .91 (purple) for acoustic, and the 1.1 (blue) for electric.  It's all about your own personal tone and comfort level

Edward

[Satsuki]

Blue Chip TD 35 plays like butter!

[Saxacat]

When I took up guitar a few years ago, I was gobsmacked how much you could change the sound of the guitar, simply by using different strings and different picks.

I settled on Delrin 0.71(pink); although they are very smooth and shiny, they seem to stick to the fingers.

[DMBfan41]

For most of my guitar playing days I've used the Dunlop Tortex orange (not sure of the mm).  Over the past couple weeks I've grown to love the sound and feel of the Tortex green.  I like the thickness and feel.  As far as sounding tinny, I don't get that sound on my 414 w/ Nano lights.  In fact I'd have to say the complete opposite.  I sense more bass and mids coming out when I use the green.  I've also grown to perfer this when playing my new strat leads.

[Jannie]

I'm new to using picks but of the tortex, the blue 1.0 is my favorite. I also like the black Cool .8. Yesterday I received a new Blue Chip TD35 and my first impression was bleh. I felt like after all the research, I'd chosen poorly. But they guarantee them and I thought I'd give it a try. The first thing I liked was the way it with just a little warmth, gets this almost but not quite sticky feeling and I really feel like I have control, after awhile I found I could hold it very loosly, strum gently or hard, pick with attack or very gently which I like.

I must have played off and on about 4 hours last night and the other things I noticed is that it did seem to move across the strings quite smoothly. I mostly found that I'd improved my picking by the end of the evening, actually a big encouragement as I was just about to give up trying to use a pick when I ordered the Blue Chip and it was kind of a last ditch effort as daddy used to say.

I'm commiting to stick with this pick for at least a month, to just do all of my playing with it and see what I can achieve, what I can learn. I gained that much impression by the time the night was done. This morning I had the same feeling, granted I wasn't as warmed up but I'm looking forward to playing with it more today.

If is just wasn't that dull brown, I'm afraid I'll loose it.

[lmacmil]

To thick for me. 

.60s and .71 are all I use.

I use mostly the orange and yellow too.  I keep reading posts that say you must use a thick (1 mm or more) pick to get a great sound but that hasn't been my experience.

[michaelw]

i started with the red gator grips 0.58 when i used custom light .011 - .052 Nanoweb 80/20 & PBs
then the tortex yellow 0.73 on custom gauge .011 - 054 (light E, A, D, custom light G, B, e) DR Extra PBs &
ultex 0.73 on light gauge .012 - .054 GHS Inifinty Bronze & EB Regular Slinky PBs

finally settled on green tortex 0.88 & navy gators 0.96  with .012 - .056 EXP19s -
i thought that there was an ultex pick in the 0.88 to 0.96 range, but if there was,
they are no longer made, but i still use the ultex 0.73 every once in a while too

overall, my tonal preference has changed as well, to one that has more depth & warmth,
while still having a good individual note definition with articulate & shimmering trebles -
like many other things, pick & string preference is subject to change without notice
ymmv

play on

[dangrunloh]

Most of you posters using thin picks must be strummers. The 88 Tortex is the thinnest pick I can use on either of my acoustics and that is only when strumming. For playing melody, arpeggios, or flatpicking, I prefer a Gator 1.14 or anything thicker.

Another difference might be the venue. I'm playing in my living room and do not have to heard over a mix of other instruments and voices. For mellow ballads I play the round shoulder of the green 1.5 gator. Have done so for years.

P.S I wonder if the original poster was asking about something else.  The heavier Tortex (88 and up) will produce a slight chiming buzz when played too low on the sound hole. Ultrex and Ultem do it less. It maybe related to the chiming harp-like overtones that may occur with many picks if you pick too low.  I love the feel of the blue 1.0 Tortex
but it's better in the upper half of the sound hole.  It's not pick scrape. It's strongest on the middle strings and strongest when picked flat (not angled).  I can hear it so strongly with PB's that it almost sounds like a structural buzz, when picked too low.