# How long do your picks last you before they are too worn out?



## Santuzzo (Feb 9, 2010)

Hi,

I play Ibanez Plaul Gilbert picks at the moment (I usually change back and forth between these and the JazzIII's/JazzIII Ultez/JazzIII Tortex), and they don't seem to last me very long: I usually have to take a new pick after two weeks or even sooner. When they are too worn out I prefer a new pick.
The regular black jazz III's last me much longer, so do the Tortex Jazz III's, but the Ultex Jazz III's also won't last me any longer than 2 weeks maximum.
And I don't even think I hit the string very hard

How long do you play with the same pick until they are too worn out and you need to use a new one? Please also add which pick you are referring to.

Lars


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 9, 2010)

I use the lexan 2.0 Stubby from Dunlop and they last me forever. I usually lose them or give them away before I wear them down enough to need a new one. Lexan is a very string material so it's not surprising. 

Usually, the lighter the pick and the softer the material, the faster you'll go through them. From what I've found, Lexan and Nylon last just about the longest as far as conventional picks go. 

If you can't bend it in half with your bare hands then chances are, it'll last pretty good.


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## Maniacal (Feb 9, 2010)

I use Jazz III XLs and they seem to last forever. I have never worn one of mine out.


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## Ckackley (Feb 9, 2010)

Maniacal said:


> I use Jazz III XLs and they seem to last forever. I have never worn one of mine out.



I was gonna say the opposite. I don't use XLs but the real sharp little point on the regular Jazz3 doesn't seem to last but a few practice sessions at the most. Then you have a small stubby pick with a stubby point. Not good. That's why I'm itching to try those Dura Grips .Everyone raves about them lasting forever. My cat usually steals 'em before they wear too much though . So no biggie.


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## jymellis (Feb 9, 2010)

i use dunlop tortex .88 i keep a hufschmid bowl of them handy. so i rarely use the same one 2 times in a row sorry lol. they last a while though


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## davidian29 (Feb 9, 2010)

Maniacal said:


> I use Jazz III XLs and they seem to last forever. I have never worn one of mine out.


 
Ditto, they're like the twinkies of the guitar world


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## El Caco (Feb 9, 2010)

I have not worn out the either of the 2 metal tipped Dava's I have, I haven't worn out my Jazz III XL's but then I don't really like them, my Jazz III Ultex wear out too quickly which pisses me off because I like them, I think I'll just stick with the Dava's.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Feb 9, 2010)

I use Dunlop Big Stubby 2.0 (purple) for both guitar and bass. They take ages to wear down for guitar but they get blunt pretty quickly for bass, because of the thick strings and I play very aggresively for both bass and rhythm guitar. Though I play light on leads.


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## splinter8451 (Feb 9, 2010)

I have those Paul Gilbert picks and they die really fast  one practice session and they are done for. 

Red Jazz III's last a few practice sessions before really dulling down and Ultex Jazz III's I have never even worn down (but I do not really like the feel of them )

But lately I have been using the Eric Johnson Jazz III's and they seem to be the best. They have a way better grip and seem to show less wear after constant use.


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## Demeyes (Feb 9, 2010)

I use the green tortex picks, I usally have a few lying around or in my wallet that I use all the time and then I keep a spare bag at home and in my gig bag. I've never thrown away a pick due to wear but some have gotten fairly worn down on the edges and tip.


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## TonalArchitect (Feb 9, 2010)

I use V-Picks acoustic, screamer, and medium V models, and they seem to never wear out.


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## JJ Rodriguez (Feb 9, 2010)

I use the red Nylon Jazz III's, and they wear out after about a week or 2, depending how much I'm playing.

Also, I bought a Redbear pick (the supposedly unwearable ones) and it lasted less than 2 months. Shaped really nice and I liked the feel of it though, it's a damn shame, but I'm not spending $20 on a pick every month and a half to 2 months


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## synrgy (Feb 9, 2010)

I don't think I've managed to keep a single pick long enough to wear it down. After a few sessions, they're taken by the Pick Gnomes and I never see them again.

Basically, every time I buy new strings I buy several packs of picks.

But the ones I use take a severe beating before wearing, anyway. Dunlop Nylon, FTW. Non-nylon picks break in about 3 minutes for me, every single time.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Feb 9, 2010)

I haven't thrown a dunlop tortex out due to wear yet, and it's been more than three years on my oldest set of them.


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## PeteyG (Feb 9, 2010)

It's only recently that I've been grasping the idea that people seem to change their picks due to them being worn down. I'll be honest with you I have never been able to keep track of my guitar picks for long ever since I began playing so a) this has never been an issue for me, and b) I got used to playing with whatever was around me at the time that could be classed as a suitable pick. Hell I've even used a pebble from a beach before without too much issue, didn't sound good or do my strings too much health, but it did the job.


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## Takse5050 (Feb 9, 2010)

I usually play with dunlop .96mm, im not sure of a more specific name for this pick, but I occasionally use the M3 tortex too. I haven't played enough with the tortex to have to go get a new one but with the purple dunlop .96mm I usually use a different one every 2 months. Keep in mind I usually play alot of shred and practice at least 5 hours a day plus I usually pick hard when I'm just jamming out to riffs so all of that goes into it. Basically if you feel like you aren't able to play quite the same and you see that the pick is pretty rounded at the tip then generally a pick change will fix the problem. Well it always does for me anyway


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## Janiator (Feb 9, 2010)

I've never worn out a pick. I pick very lightly and use Jazz III or some jackson picks (that I love even more). I don't get why people need to torture their strings.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Feb 10, 2010)

I actually prefer the tips on my picks to be rounded out a bit.


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## techcoreriffman (Feb 10, 2010)

I use the Fender heavy triangle picks, so it takes me about 6-7 months to wear them down.


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## troyguitar (Feb 10, 2010)

JJ Rodriguez said:


> I use the red Nylon Jazz III's, and they wear out after about a week or 2, depending how much I'm playing.



I use the red Jazz III's and have used the same 2 bags for the last 5 years. I've never worn one out nor have I lost one... the 2nd bag is still unopened in my parts drawer


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## powergroover (Feb 10, 2010)

i have a dunlop gel xh (the yellow one) which i've been using for more than a year


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## Santuzzo (Feb 11, 2010)

Thanks everyone for your input.

It looks like some of you hardly ever wear out your picks, but on the other hand I'm not the only one who wears them out in about 2 weeks, especially the Paul Gilber picks and the Ultex jazz III's.


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## TomAwesome (Feb 11, 2010)

Picks used to wear out pretty quickly for me, but since I switched over to Dunlop Ultex, they seem to last quite a bit longer. I've also recently gotten some stainless steel picks I kind of like, and they'll supposedly keep the same edge and tip for as long as I own them. They shred the coating on my Elixirs, but that's not surprising.



s7eve said:


> I have not worn out the either of the 2 metal tipped Dava's I have, I haven't worn out my Jazz III XL's but then I don't really like them, my Jazz III Ultex wear out too quickly which pisses me off because I like them, I think I'll just stick with the Dava's.



I've worn those Dava picks without much effort, but IIRC, there were two versions of them: nickel and steel. I was probably wearing down the nickel tipped version.


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## Murmel (Feb 13, 2010)

They last until I drop them.
1.5mm Dunlop Crocs. The one I use now has lasted 4 years


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Feb 13, 2010)

I rarely wear out picks. The lightest that I usually use are 1mm, but most of the time, I'm using 1.5mm New York Pro's. In the five or so years I've been playing, I've only rounded the tips on some .88mm's, and maybe broken the tips off of some Fender Mediums. However, I've been using thick picks for four years, so it's not a problem.


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## JJ Rodriguez (Feb 13, 2010)

troyguitar said:


> I use the red Jazz III's and have used the same 2 bags for the last 5 years. I've never worn one out nor have I lost one... the 2nd bag is still unopened in my parts drawer



Is it your underwear drawer? Sell them to me.


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## Origin (Feb 13, 2010)

I wear out my .88s pretty fast but it's because I pick really hard and squeal at an angle that shreds up the one side of the tip


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## ugg im kyle (Feb 13, 2010)

Until I lose it, or chew it up.


Dunlop ultex 1.0 & Tortex .88ss are the shnay! I don't htink i've ever gotten rid of one because of them becoming worn out.


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## stryker1800 (Feb 14, 2010)

I usually lose my pick before it wears out, though I'm not exactly sure what i would consider worn out. I have two ultex jazz's because they are hard to find in my area so I have done a good job of not losing them so far so I guess ill find out what I'd call worn out sometime soon


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## Evil7 (Feb 14, 2010)

dunlop green and orange picks.... They wear slowly.. good picks.... If you are having problems with your picks wearing down quickly, it may just be your picking technique (grinding your pick on an angle) you get a clear less scratchy sound with less of an angle...


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## Santuzzo (Feb 14, 2010)

I guess I could keep playing with my picks longer thna 2 weeks, but once the tip is too rounded or worn I prefer taking a new pick, otherwise I get used to the worn/rounded pick and a new pick feels more difficult to play, if this makes any sense.


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## Harry (Feb 14, 2010)

I pick lightly for lead guitar, but for rhythm guitar I absolutely punish my picks because I pick very hard.
My picks seem to last a few weeks, and I buy them in sets of 12 so I guess I buy a new pack every year or so, or every 8 months or whatever


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## atimoc (Feb 14, 2010)

The Paul Gilbert signatures really do get disintegrated fast, which is a shame since size-wise they're great picks. A PG with a durable Jazz3-ish tip would be perfect. I've bought a couple of dozen Jazz 3's along the way and haven't worn any to an unplayable condition yet.


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## synrgy (Feb 15, 2010)

techcoreriffman said:


> I use the Fender heavy triangle picks, so it takes me about 6-7 months to wear them down.


 
It used to take me about 30 seconds to break those.


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## djpharoah (Feb 15, 2010)

I loose mine way before they wear down


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## loktide (Feb 15, 2010)

Jazz IIIs definitely are the longest-lasting picks i've had. i've never used them down to a point they're rounded up, but the tip gets sharper and starts sounding different. i usually pick a new one by that time, but you could still keep using them for a LONG time in principle


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## JJ Rodriguez (Feb 15, 2010)

Evil7 said:


> dunlop green and orange picks.... They wear slowly.. good picks.... If you are having problems with your picks wearing down quickly, it may just be your picking technique (grinding your pick on an angle) you get a clear less scratchy sound with less of an angle...



I only find Tortex picks to have a scratchy sound. The nylon Jazz picks aren't scratchy at all. Everyone picks at an angle, I just happen to play fast and hard (that's what she said).


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## minusthemonkey (Feb 15, 2010)

Been using those Ultex Sharp picks lately. Awesome for about a week, then that sharp tip wears down to a nub. Love the feel, but they last for shit.


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## quasarwaves (Feb 17, 2010)

3mm big stubby... invincible - except when my cat steals them


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## Origin (Feb 17, 2010)

Tortex .88's but lately I've been converting to Jazz III's for the benefits and ...well....they kinda...don't die.


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