OpenTube

Use A Thumbpick! Pt.1 - Make it fit, make it easy to use! How to modify your thumbpick...

bensmithguitar

15,106 views

Using a thumbpick can be a bit awkward and uncomfortable when you start out, but with a couple of easy, customisable, mods you can make them a lot easier to use, and also a lot more comfortable. Go on, give it a try, you'll enjoy it! 👍😁

0:00 - What am I doing today?
0:34 - Find a thumbpick that's the right size for you...
1:15 - What shape should you cut it down to? The same as your favourite flatpick is a good starting point...
1:55 - Cutting it!
2:44 - Rough shaping with a file.
3:40 - Fine shaping with a nail file...
4:55 - Test it out.
5:18 - Make more adjustments.
6:12 - Buffing...
7:08 - Test it again.
7:52 - More Buffing.
8:01 - Make it non-slip! Using violin rosin
8:58 - Scratching up the inside.
10:01 - Preparing and applying the rosin.
11:40 - Testing the finished pick.
13:00 - Tips for flatpickers.
13:14 - Adjusting the fit of the band using steam.
14:45 - Alternative options - The Ord, by DaveDave Picks, my custom resin pick, available here - https://www.heavyrepping.com/shop/pro...
15:55 - Summing up
16:14 - Playing out..

Let me know how you get on! B

20 Comments

@jtrom 2 weeks ago

A 17 minute video on modifying a thumbick. I love it! We're lucky to get a 5 minute video on triads! I've tried thumb picks but find them to be too long. I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to alter them because that's the way they are supposed to be used. Now you've given me the legal OK to hack away at them. Thank you!

@aperezdeal 2 years ago

Finally. Some one just says it, “yeah it’s uncomfortable. Life is uncomfortable. Deal with it.”

@stevebutton4112 2 years ago

Thanks Ben - works a treat. I've gone from a cack-handed thumb picker to slightly less clunky in an hour! And suddenly the volume difference between thumb pick and fingers is not so pronounced :-)

@ricklovell2484 2 months ago

Thanks so much! I have used thumb picks for many years and dealt with lots of frustration, too long, too tight, etc. No one has ever shown how easy it is to make it what you want for yourself.

@grahamC55 5 months ago

You kindly referred me to this yesterday and I'm very grateful for a lot of tips I picked up. Thank you!!

@wilsonandcheatle 9 days ago

Awesome video :)

@professorwhoopee 3 months ago

Thankyou. This has helped a lot.

@joszefrviz398 2 years ago

Far out. Hated thumb picks because they feel weird. But now I think there is no reason not to modify one and give it another go. Thanks for posting!

@chazy101460 4 months ago

Thanks for this video Ben! I totally enjoyed this and found the information incredibly useful.

@robertnewell5057 3 weeks ago

Nice picking. Bumblebee? You can change the attack angle as my might with a flatpick. Irritatingly, I made a similar thing to the BB for myself about 40 years ago (!) by snipping the end off a fingerpick and gluing a flat pick to it at my desired angle.

@PaulAshley 10 months ago

As a 50 year plus bare finger picker, for me it' not just the length of the the pick that's the issue but the strike point relative to the end of the thumb. The natural strike point - which can be seen in the frame where you held your flat pick - is not the middle of the nail area where all thumb picks have it, but closer to the end of the nail. It's also not below the pad but in the middle of it. I'd like to see while new design of a thumb pick that puts the strike area in a much more natural place.

@markfilippone3845 2 years ago (edited)

Thank you Brother, for your excellent very informative video. I very recently gotten back to playing my 12 string Guild after a hiatus of fifty years (!). I am almost 77 years old and only had 43 years left to perfect my technique. I possess an American size 9 hand and was totally unable to use even XL thumb picks Your excellent tutorial is totally enlightening and in my case is a life changer!
I am literally blown away at your mastery of the guitar! Wow!
Thank you!

@zues2013 1 year ago

Great tutorial I couldn’t find any thumb pick that was shaped the right way or short enough to mimic a jazz pick. This did the trick. Thank you!

@rowbags3017 2 years ago (edited)

This is such a handy video! Thanks for posting it. I bought a budget lap steel a while ago that included a set of fingerpicks - all of which are clumsy and too tight. I'll have a tinker! 😉

@Sharpened-Stick 3 years ago

Cool, love this as I was looking to mod some thumb picks I just bought..

Would also be great to get a video from you on nail care and shaping.

@davedavem 3 years ago

This is my kind of content! 🙌

@kevdennis4884 3 years ago

Great video Ben. If I cut my pick down too much, I then cut it all off and stick a normal pick between my thumb and thumbpick and then shape that.

@bertbregdenz2756 3 years ago

kind regards from Berlin 🌻

@johnrodgelatenemusic7262 3 years ago

Absolutely brilliant video. I’ve been showing my students how to do this for years using Fred Kelly slick picks. Very interested in Dave Dave’s Ord pick too.