Reddit reviews Jim Dunlop Guitar Picks (24513150003)

Yup.

Mandolin generally works better with a thick pick. People really love the Blue Chip picks and I do, too. I ordered several.

However, Dunlop has a basically IDENTICAL pick that instead of costing $35 a pick costs around $2 per: the Dunlop Primetone Triangle 1.5mm Sculpted Plectra.

Highly recommend.

Hi there, I tried a variety of picks when I started my mando journey, but once I found these I haven't looked back: https://www.amazon.com/Dunlop-Primetone-Triangle-Sculpted-Plectra/dp/B00JB4WAR2

They instantly helped to improve my tone and are very comfortable to hold. Good luck, buddy!

Wegen, Blue Chip, and Dunlop have already been mentioned a lot in this thread. If you carefully search for Wegen picks out there, you can find a good range of shapes and thicknesses. I like the thicker Big Dippers myself.

Dunlop has added some picks to its Primetone series that imho are fantastic. This and this work great (the round one has a textured grip). I also keep a collection of tortex triangles in different thicknesses around for variety, and a few of the D'Andrea Proplecs.

In any case, cheaper pics + sandpaper are fun to mess around with; find your perfect shape and bevel!

I had a 'The Loar', and they're pretty consistent with pacrim mandolins. Top is thick, not really tap tuned, too much of a coat, so it can be hard to get a nice woody tone out of it. Here are the things I've found.

Don't use coated strings. It's tempting because they last longer, but they tend to be a little brittle sounding.

Your pick makes a big difference. You don't need a Blue Chip, but most guitar picks will add the top end you're fighting. These are a perfect option and value: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JB4WAR2/ref=twister_B072HH4W6C?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Set your action up as high as you can stand. It's not as comfortable, but the more downward pressure on the bridge, the more volume and tone projected. Don't allow it to hinder your progress on the instrument, but it does help. Adjusting your bridge height will cause you to need to adjust your intonation by moving your bridge slightly. There's a lot of videos of this on YT.

Don't assume anything is right because it's how it came. These things ship pretty awful from the factory. I bought mine from amazon and the first one they shipped didn't have a truss rod at all. Totally missing; sent it back. The second had it screwed up, as you'll see in the video below. Bridge was backwards.

Get a Tonegard. You can't afford the nasality of a dead back. They also help by providing side pressure, which can help the instrument stay open. Here are a few tests-walk up to a corner so you can hear the sound bounce back. Play with it pressed against your belly, and play with out away from your body. Tonegard keeps it off your body. You'll also notice that squeezing the sides (reasonably) will help it open up. A lot of violin players swear by this. People are split on tonegards, but I think they're pretty crucial for getting the most out of a beginner instrument..and can always move to your new instrument when you jump.

Here's the video of Jerry Rosa setting my The Loar up that i sent him (LM-590). I don't have it anymore, but it did help a lot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdORdyv5enU