Guitar Picks by Michael Wegen

My Michael Wegen guitar picks arrived from the U.S.A a few days ago and forced me to learn a lot about my picking technique. They were recommended to me by bluegrass champion player Innes Campbell who really impressed me his crystal clear note separation and tone on single notes and bright full tone when he strummed. The picks come in right and left hand versions depending on which edge of the pick is chamfered. I found the picks very sticky at first and it took me a while to figure out what the problem was. It turns out that even though I pick with my right hand I rotate the pick slightly anti clockwise when using a standard pick which is the opposite of what the Wegen picks are designed for. With the help of my fret dressing file and some 1200 grit wet and dry I chamfered the pick on the opposite side and it all came together. The picks are 1.4mm thick and quite hard so they tend to be fairly precise in the way they bring out the sound of the string. You can't get away with much in the way of sloppy picking technique. My normal pick is a Dunlop Ultex with the Rhino on it around 1 mm thick. For more a more attacking sound I use a ligher gauge 0.75 that gives me a bit more twang. My plan is to keep experimenting with both styles of pick over the next few weeks, do heaps of playing, and possibly some recording and see where the sound leads me.