Getting Picky. Cool picks from Randy Bretz.

I started talking with Randy Bretz (via CBN messages) about pick making. I made six red oak picks and they are... okay.I got these lucky 7 picks from Randy today. His are made with some interesting woods and they are better made than mine. The northern Osage pick is my fave - partly because it has nice finger 'canyons' on both sides. I just played some with it and it sounds good, and feels secure in my grip. I am guessing that Randy used a dremel tool to make those 'canyons'.I think wood picks sound good. They are good for strumming, but only the thinner ones work well for picking single notes. Randy's do better than mine. I really like these from Randy and I am going to go back into my shed and thin down the picks I made and try to create some better finger holds.Pick making is a pretty cool. I think that some of you other folks may enjoy making your own.I may try to use a grinder and make a pick our of a quarter too.Have a good week. August and every month is the month for small acts of kindness.

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Comments

Uncle John August 5, 2020 at 7:37am

I need to make mine thinner too, Bernie.
Bernie Edwards August 5, 2020 at 2:46am

I have made quite a few in the past from veneer off-cut 'sandwiches'. I generally incorporate american walnut as the top and bottom layer as have a huge stock of it. A three-layer pick comes out at 1.8 mm (.15 in) approximately.

I'm not really a player myself but a guitarist friend of mine took some and found them a bit too thick for him. I don't have any photos of them to put up at the moment.

After creating the sandwich I cut the blanks out on my scroll saw and then sand the to final shape and curvature on a hobby sander. Finally I dunk them in Danish oil.
Uncle John August 4, 2020 at 3:11pm

That's what I said, B.Q!
BrianQ. August 4, 2020 at 12:59pm

Hubba hubba :D

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