Thumbpick review....well kind of.

tommym

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I decided to pick up one of the highly regarded Kelly Slick Picks to compare it to my go-to Dunlop Medium White.

Sound - It's a draw.
For me and my old ears, it is a draw as there are very slight differences between the two materials but not enough for me to recommend one over the other.

Initial Fit - It's a draw,
I do not expect any out-of-the-box thumbpick to fit my thumb in any case. The only thing I can add to this is that if you use the Dunlop Medium White, you need to order one size larger when you order the Kelly Slick Pick shown in the images below. Not sure if this applies to all of the Kelly thumbpicks.

Adjustability - This one goes to the Dunlop Medium White.
Out of the box, my Dunlop Medium White thumbpicks need adjustments via the hot water soak and fit technique found in this youtube video.

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The Dunlop Medium Whites are supremely adjustable via this method; The Kelly Slick Pick.....forget about it. It took some (I do Alpha Male @#$%) manhandling to adjust the Kelly Slick Picks to fit my thumb comfortably. I did get them to eventually provide an acceptable fit, but I am not so sure that I can readily replicate the fit via the (I do Alpha Male @#$%) method.

Thumb Wrap-around - It's a draw, except as noted below.
Both the Dunlop Medium White and "Large" Kelly Slick Pick have a contoured thumb wrap-around termination (refer to the third photo) which I find very comfortable. The "Regular" size Kelly Slick Pick has a more squared-off wrap-around termination (refer to the second photo) and I found that the leading edge squared-off corner dug into my thumb creating a pressure point that I could not adjust out.

Cost - This one goes to the Dunlop Medium White.
Realistically, the Kelly Slick Picks do not cost all that much more especially if you only use a couple a year. You can purchase them individually from Strings by Mail.

Color - This one goes to the Kelly Slick Pick.
HEY, it's that great Gretsch Orange which I love. :)
I really miss my old Gretsch 6120 Nashville; my old neighborhood and the police department don't miss it at all.:p

With the Kelly Slick Pick, the color determines the gauge of the pick:

Yellow = Light gauge
Orange = Medium gauge
White = Heavy gauge

Hand to Hand Combat - Yeah, this one also goes to the Kelly Slick Pick hands down!
Riddick could do some serious damage to an army of Necromongers with this thumbpick. It's that brutal tough! Aside from loss or theft, this Kelly Slick Pick might last you the rest of your life.

Tommy

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dreadnut

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An old Earl Scruggs trick to keep his thumbpicks from flying off during a performance: use your pocketknife to score some cross-hatches in the flat part of the pick that contacts your thumb.
 

Stuball48

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Tommy
I like Black Mountain Thumb pick. The spring loaded tension fits most.
 

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tommym

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An old Earl Scruggs trick to keep his thumbpicks from flying off during a performance: use your pocketknife to score some cross-hatches in the flat part of the pick that contacts your thumb.

Yeah, I heard about Earl Scruggs' trick a while back and find that works best for me too.

Tommy
 

HeyMikey

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I prefer the FK speed pick. The smaller pick surface seems to give me a less harsh sound and glides pretty nicely across the stings.

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geoguy

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Very nice review!

I assume that the Slick Pick is Delrin, and not a softer type of plastic like the Dunlop pick? That might help explain why it was harder for you to shape to your thumb.
 

HeyMikey

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tommym

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Very nice review!

I assume that the Slick Pick is Delrin, and not a softer type of plastic like the Dunlop pick? That might help explain why it was harder for you to shape to your thumb.

Yes, the Slick Picks shown in my review are Delrin; they make them in Polycarb too. I knew this ahead of time but had no clue as to how each of the different plastics would react to the hot water soak treatment. My friend has since told me that the light gauge (yellow) Slick Pick is definitely easier to adjust than the medium gauge (orange) Slick Pick, but still not as easy as the Dunlop Medium White. Something to think about.

The heavy gauge (white) Slick Pick must be brutally tough, something everyone should have in their survival kit.

Tommy
 

tommym

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Remember when I told you folks about skateboard grip tape in another thread? Yes, it works great on thumb picks too!

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Skateboards!
My first wood skateboard had an abrasive anti-slip stair tread (with adhesive backing) and metal roller skate wheels. All the good stuff came later.

Tommy
 

Shakeylee

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I buy thumb picks by the dozen or so. I constantly try new kinds .
I find elderly instruments to be the best place for my buying style of “two of these,one of these, three of these “
I might use golden gate for a month, then , ivoroid Dunlop for a few months, then FK regular ,etc.
For plugged in play, I often use blue hercos or red dunlops.

I never could settle on one thumb pick like most pickers do
 

Tom O

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I like the FK speed picks since they are shorter. The FK Bumblebee is like the Black Mountain without the spring. Elderly has them both. Still use National thumb picks when using fingerpicks..
 

tommym

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Just a follow-up on the Thumb Picks....

I thought it would be nice for you to see the approximate pick lengths relative to each other.

Left to Right:
Slick Pick (size: Regular), Dunlop White and Dunlop Zookies (size: Medium), Slick Pick, Slick Pick, and Speed Pick (size, Large)

Tommy

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tommym

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Follow-up on Delrin......

(y)

I found a thread on a banjo site where one of the posters said that you need to place something inside the thumbpick (like a round socket) before you insert it into the hot water and kept on when you insert it into the cold water ice bath. I tried it with a 1/2" diameter socket on the heavy gauge white Delrin Slick Pick first. My thought being if this works on the heavy gauge Delrin, it should work on the medium and light gauge Delrin too. The images below are the results of the "Regular" size, heavy gauge white Delrin Slick Pick:
2 minute hot water soak (I took the boiling water out of the microwave, and then placed the socket / thumb pick into the hot water and let it sit on the countertop.)
2 minute cold water soak with ice cubes.

It works!

As with anything else, you may need to experiment with the soak times and socket diameter to better suit your needs. But there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel.

Tommy

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