If I had to guess, based on my own observations... I'd say that Jer liked these picks for the tone of the "wound" strings.
'Used the pick at a trio jam (guit/bass/drums), and the tone of licks like the intro to Cold Rain and Snow, Loser, West LA, etc... is really noticable.
I didn't mention the pick to the guys, but they both said I sounded more treble-ee. The bass player said my tone had a certain "tink" on the high end.
Interesting.
A place to talk about the music of the Grateful Dead
Last likes
-
By mkaufmanRe: Last night's show: the National Symphony Orchestra plays the music of Jerry Garcia Tue Sep 08, 2026 9:41 am -
By tdcrjeffRe: Last night's show: the National Symphony Orchestra plays the music of Jerry Garcia Tue Sep 08, 2026 7:35 am -
By TacosauceRe: Last night's show: the National Symphony Orchestra plays the music of Jerry Garcia Mon Sep 07, 2026 11:57 am -
By Jon S.Last night's show: the National Symphony Orchestra plays the music of Jerry Garcia Sat Sep 05, 2026 8:39 am -
By Darkstar860Re: Searching for a JBL K-120 Fri Aug 14, 2026 7:41 pm
Depending on the "trebley-ness" of your rig/speaker and guitar combination, you might like rolling the tone off on the guitar a little.
Pete B. wrote:If I had to guess, based on my own observations... I'd say that Jer liked these picks for the tone of the "wound" strings.That is whenever he wasn't playing without a pick and finger picking
'Used the pick at a trio jam (guit/bass/drums), and the tone of licks like the intro to Cold Rain and Snow, Loser, West LA, etc... is really noticable.
I didn't mention the pick to the guys, but they both said I sounded more treble-ee. The bass player said my tone had a certain "tink" on the high end.
Interesting.
, especially West LA and Loser. I have to agree, I played West LA last night, started out finger picking it, which has a different sound and dynamic plus a few more notes for texture, switched to my pick during the solo then never went back to finger picking. I liked the way the lick sounds with the pick, much more spank on the low notes, it cuts through better too. Now that it has been mentioned and I am tuning into it, there is a difference with the graphite versus Plectra and louder volumes make it more obvious. I would think Jerry used them with the acoustic too (speculation), he preferred a thick pick all around, and a lot of times he finger picked without a pick at all. A lot of the old timer blues guys down here play finger style, they can do some amazing things, like dire straits (Mark Knophler style). I have been focusing on that lately by learning the tricks and trades, super cool sounds and speed.
http://otislotus.net/ Finally finished our new site...
Pete, been awhile since we jammed, you should check out Warda's Sat night open mic at End of the Universe while he is still doing it!
"There, in huge black letters, was 'The Grateful Dead'. It just... cancelled my mind out."-Garcia
JonnyBoy wrote: ...I liked the way the lick sounds with the pick, much more spank on the low notes, it cuts through better too...I play all those low-note intros as close to open position as possible, with a pick.
I love that sound!
China Cat
Ramblin Rose
Deep Elum
Cold R&S
Cumberland
Easy Wind
etc...
There's a ton of em!
tigerstrat wrote:Pete, been awhile since we jammed, you should check out Warda's Sat night open mic at End of the Universe while he is still doing it!I heard you guys have been jamming down there.
I'll have to check it out.
pb
Pete B. wrote:If I had to guess, based on my own observations... I'd say that Jer liked these picks for the tone of the "wound" strings.It's no coincidence that these make the best bass picks, I think. They give you a certain precision on the low notes that you can't get with a pick that bends and the graphite "Bite" adds to the clarity.
'Used the pick at a trio jam (guit/bass/drums), and the tone of licks like the intro to Cold Rain and Snow, Loser, West LA, etc... is really noticable.
I didn't mention the pick to the guys, but they both said I sounded more treble-ee. The bass player said my tone had a certain "tink" on the high end.
Interesting.
I was totally blown away when I "discovered" (from videos) that Jerry fingerpicks so much and gets the sound that he does. He must have had some hard callous' built up on those fingers because the sounds is still so crisp and biting. Not muted or soft at all. Especially Cumberland, Althea, and GDTRFB (always fingerpicked).
Got my picks in the mail on Friday. They're much different than what I was expecting.
With an acoustic guitar (all I play these days) laid out on the chair arm rest a Fender Extra Heavy, a Blue Chip TD50, and the Adamas.
Most noticeable thing was the Adamas are extremely slippery, always shifting around in my hand, just wanting to fall out of my grasp. The Fender X Hvy was slippery enough but these Adamas picks make them seem easy to hold. The Blue Chip is by far the most grippy.
In terms of tone, the Fender is the brightest, with a bell-like tone in comparison to these other two. If you like a clean note, as Garcia said in the '78 interview he liked a clean note, then the very inexpensive Fender really delivers. The darkest may be the Blue Chip, and the Adamas comes in between the two, but really has its own sort of sound because of its tonal texture/chirp.
I'm still a major fan of the Europe '72 sort of sound, so my preferences make me lean toward the Fender since that's what Garcia was playing with back then. But the grippiness of the Blue Chip, which allows me to hold it ever so lightly in my grasp, enables me to be much more expressive despite its inherent darkness. In other words, I can get around its darkness by stepping up the right hand technique.
The Adamas may need some modification, like a hole drilled through it, or sandpapering off all of the raised writing on it, and then going to an extremely fine sandpaper to get it to the flatness of the Blue Chip to make it maybe as grippy.
So, I'll keep experimenting with it but I'm not a big fan at the moment.
With an acoustic guitar (all I play these days) laid out on the chair arm rest a Fender Extra Heavy, a Blue Chip TD50, and the Adamas.
Most noticeable thing was the Adamas are extremely slippery, always shifting around in my hand, just wanting to fall out of my grasp. The Fender X Hvy was slippery enough but these Adamas picks make them seem easy to hold. The Blue Chip is by far the most grippy.
In terms of tone, the Fender is the brightest, with a bell-like tone in comparison to these other two. If you like a clean note, as Garcia said in the '78 interview he liked a clean note, then the very inexpensive Fender really delivers. The darkest may be the Blue Chip, and the Adamas comes in between the two, but really has its own sort of sound because of its tonal texture/chirp.
I'm still a major fan of the Europe '72 sort of sound, so my preferences make me lean toward the Fender since that's what Garcia was playing with back then. But the grippiness of the Blue Chip, which allows me to hold it ever so lightly in my grasp, enables me to be much more expressive despite its inherent darkness. In other words, I can get around its darkness by stepping up the right hand technique.
The Adamas may need some modification, like a hole drilled through it, or sandpapering off all of the raised writing on it, and then going to an extremely fine sandpaper to get it to the flatness of the Blue Chip to make it maybe as grippy.
So, I'll keep experimenting with it but I'm not a big fan at the moment.
mijknahs wrote:I was totally blown away when I "discovered" (from videos) that Jerry fingerpicks so much and gets the sound that he does. He must have had some hard callous' built up on those fingers because the sounds is still so crisp and biting. Not muted or soft at all. Especially Cumberland, Althea, and GDTRFB (always fingerpicked).
Now that I have been doing it more myself, it is amazing how bright his tone is with his fingers. He must have finger nails is my guess. I have had a bad habit for years biting my nails, even when I try to grow them I will accidentally bite them off unknowingly.
http://otislotus.net/ Finally finished our new site...
I have a guitar player friend that met Jerry backstage in 1985 and one of the things he checked was Jerry's right hand finger nails. He said they were all cut short. My guess is years of callouses built up.
Jerry's rig is EXTREMELY bright. It takes a lot of control to wrangle that beast.
I think that the rounded darkness of the Adamas mated with Jerry's extremely super bright tone is an important consideration. I can't use a non-Adamas pick when my guitar and amp rig is set up like Jerry's (Dimarzio, bass off, treble 100%, JBL). This ultra bright rig tone is why his bare fingerpicked stuff is so clear. Try a thinner snappy pick with this amp setup and it'll bite your head off. The rounded warmth of the Adamas is perfect here, and the gritty surface of the pick puts a nice clear halo on top of the sound. It's like the Adamas nudges the string instead of "snapping" the string like a thinner pick does.
It reminds me of pedal steel player Paul Franklin, the #1 top Nashville session player. For years he's set his tone with zero bass. It's all mid and treble, but he has such picking control that he gets a warm and clear tone. He said he gets all the "bass" with his touch.
Brad
I think that the rounded darkness of the Adamas mated with Jerry's extremely super bright tone is an important consideration. I can't use a non-Adamas pick when my guitar and amp rig is set up like Jerry's (Dimarzio, bass off, treble 100%, JBL). This ultra bright rig tone is why his bare fingerpicked stuff is so clear. Try a thinner snappy pick with this amp setup and it'll bite your head off. The rounded warmth of the Adamas is perfect here, and the gritty surface of the pick puts a nice clear halo on top of the sound. It's like the Adamas nudges the string instead of "snapping" the string like a thinner pick does.
It reminds me of pedal steel player Paul Franklin, the #1 top Nashville session player. For years he's set his tone with zero bass. It's all mid and treble, but he has such picking control that he gets a warm and clear tone. He said he gets all the "bass" with his touch.
Brad
... and it's just like any other day that's ever been...
SarnoMusicSolutions wrote:. . . Try a thinner snappy pick with this amp setup and it'll bite your head off. . . .Bite your head off bright, Funny, i like it! I call it 'the ice pick to the ear drum'. My carvin is bright almost to a fault.
Brad
I use fender heavys and seriously in the upper register on the Carvin i feel a little pain in my right side ear drum on single notes.
OuchyGonna keep an eye out for Graphite picks I dont think i have ever used them, cool.
Mine arrived yesterday. I laid out four different picks, the Adamas was the darkest, and the only one to create that static crackle when I wasn't freting the strings. I did have to readjust my amp tone settings with the Adamas in order to not sound muffled. Interesing comments about it modulating the brightness of his rig.
If all else fails getting my guitar rocking the pick will get used under a table leg to keep that from rocking! 2 freekin mills feels like I'm picking with a cracker.
If all else fails getting my guitar rocking the pick will get used under a table leg to keep that from rocking! 2 freekin mills feels like I'm picking with a cracker.
"Do not write so that you can be understood, write so that you cannot be misunderstood." -Epictetus
First show: 8/16/69 (Woodstock)
Last show: 3/19/95 (Unbroken Chain breakout)
Member of the Four-Decade Club
Charter Member, President & CEO of OAD (Order of the Ancient Deadheads)
First show: 8/16/69 (Woodstock)
Last show: 3/19/95 (Unbroken Chain breakout)
Member of the Four-Decade Club
Charter Member, President & CEO of OAD (Order of the Ancient Deadheads)
Funny question...I ordered a dozen of these from Dunlop. Being a bit anxious I stopped in to the local guitar shop & picked up a couple of 1mm Planet Waves graphite picks. Now that PW pick feels like graphite. The Adames feels like cheap plastic w/ swirlies on the grip. Currently my electric is being hotrodded @ AO guitars, so I really can't test in that environment. Did anyone else get the impression that these damn things are plastic?
And tone...Fender X-Heavy ~ Best "noble" string harmonics on a Taylor 810.
Planet Waves ~ Interesting. Sometimes too bassy. Sometimes very nice treble/harmonic tone
Adames ~ really tinnie & almost otherworldly "presence" {in the Mesa sense} on the unwound strings.
I could just be freakin' out, but did they re-bag something else?
And tone...Fender X-Heavy ~ Best "noble" string harmonics on a Taylor 810.
Planet Waves ~ Interesting. Sometimes too bassy. Sometimes very nice treble/harmonic tone
Adames ~ really tinnie & almost otherworldly "presence" {in the Mesa sense} on the unwound strings.
I could just be freakin' out, but did they re-bag something else?
"Hi Ho...the Carrion Crow...FoldeRoldeRiddle"
