Picking Position

[michaeln]

I have owned several Strats over the years and never really bonded with them. Sold them all after short ownership.

Recently though I learned of the SE Silver Sky. Sounded too good to be true, so I bought a mint condition rosewood one. After doing a full setup on it the guitar is a delight to play.

Unfortunately I have for some reason developed the habit of picking between the bridge and middle or over the middle pickup. Problem is, my pick sometimes fouls on the magnet pole pieces and also when strumming I often hit the volume knob inadvertently, lowering the volume. The pickups are set to PRS recommended heights.

I studied videos of famous Strat players like Clapton and looks like most of them tend to do most of the picking between the middle and neck pickup. I am trying to train myself to favor that area more, and I find I no longer snag the pick or hit the volume knob when I remember to play there.

I guess if you need some thinner, sharper notes you can work back there some, but if I hang out there I get in trouble.

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

Where you pick along the strings is a preference. A personal choice. The tone changes on any guitar (acoustic, electric, single coils, P90s, humbuckers, etc., it doesn’t matter. The tone changes as you move from the bridge on up towards or even over the neck.

I’ve heard people say that they can’t play guitars with a middle pickup because they are always hitting it. I don’t really understand that. You can move your picking position to accommodate.

A strat or single coil guitar, by nature, has thinner tone already. Picking closer to the bridge just emphasizes that even further. If you play multiple types of guitars and/or guitars with different pickup configurations, you should naturally adapt your picking position for the guitar and for the tones you want to hear.

Think about this: The purest tone a string on the guitar can provide, is if you pick it right in the middle of its length. If you fret a note, the dead middle of that fret and the bridge. That is where a string rings the truest and sustains the longest. The tone gets more sharp and pinched as you go from that spot down to the bridge. I often pick way above where some others do, and even got teased about picking up on the neck when fretting notes nearer the nut. But the tone is fatter and smoother if picked in the center of the string length.

Only said all that to say this. Find the picking position that works for you, your guitar, and the tone you want to hear. And, don’t be surprised if it changes the next day when you pick up another guitar the next day.

 

[dogrocketp]

The volume control was always a problem for me. My solution was to get a DC3, change the pickguard, and have 3 single coils put in. I can pick pretty much wherever I want.

 

[Kyguitar23]

I’m with you man. It’s why I don’t have strats anymore.

 

[michaeln]

I think I am not fond of the lower string stiffness in the areas more toward the neck. Most of my electric guitar playing has been on Teles and Gibsons where I could pick wherever I wanted without hitting the pickups or volume knob. I'll keep working on it, it is obviously not an issue for most strat-style players.

 

[michaeln]

The volume control was always a problem for me. My solution was to get a DC3, change the pickguard, and have 3 single coils put in. I can pick pretty much whoever I want.

I considered pulling the volume knob off and putting something like a rubber washer under it to make it a bit more resistant to rotation. One of those rubber/plastic strap keeper washers might help.

https://www.fender.com/cdn-cgi/imag...ZoomJpg/10006/0990819000_merch_frt_001_nr.jpg

 

[show_a_little_faith]

I have owned several Strats over the years and never really bonded with them. Sold them all after short ownership.

Recently though I learned of the SE Silver Sky. Sounded too good to be true, so I bought a mint condition rosewood one. After doing a full setup on it the guitar is a delight to play.

Unfortunately I have for some reason developed the habit of picking between the bridge and middle or over the middle pickup. Problem is, my pick sometimes fouls on the magnet pole pieces and also when strumming I often hit the volume knob inadvertently, lowering the volume. The pickups are set to PRS recommended heights.

I studied videos of famous Strat players like Clapton and looks like most of them tend to do most of the picking between the middle and neck pickup. I am trying to train myself to favor that area more, and I find I no longer snag the pick or hit the volume knob when I remember to play there.

I guess if you need some thinner, sharper notes you can work back there some, but if I hang out there I get in trouble.

Maybe try experimenting by lowering the middle pickup and see how it sounds - you might find a sweetspot where tone and volume are still good but it's low enough that your pick isn't hitting anymore

 

[László]

Another option is to use a shorter pick. I use the Jazz III size, and not only does it help re: a middle pickup, the shorter length and pointier end make picking more accurate (and a little faster).

This was a tip 20 years ago from one of the best players I know. After I switched (took a minute to get used to it) I never went back to a larger pick.

Also, you. might be swinging the pick at too wide an arc if you're hitting the knobs. There's no reason for that much motion, and you wind up with your hand further from the strings.

I realize that a huge picking arc is a style of sorts, but it's not the most efficient way to control the pick, and efficiency = speed and accuracy.

 

[Bogner]

Some Good Points Made So Far. I Will Add That The Picking Hand And All Of Its Nuances Can Really Vary From Player To Player Based On Their Technique. I Have Difficulty Playing A Strat Or Any Middle Pickup Guitar. I Am One Who Anchors My Pinky, Palm Mutes A Lot And Doesn't Move Around Much (Towards Or Aaway From The Bridge) When I Pick. I Play Primarily Heavy Stuff. When I Do Cleaner Stuff Or Acoustic Stuff When I May Not Be Pinky Anchored As Much (Or At All) I Do Enjoy Picking Forward A Bit As It Does Sound Nice To My Ears. I Have Learned To Pick In Various Places On he String If Necessary With My Pinky Anchored But It Is A Rarity Just Based On How I Play. I Am Usually Resting My Hand On The Bridge And That Places My Pick Area On The String Where A Middle Pickup Would Be. If I Am Strumming And Not Anchored My Picking Is In The Area Of Where The Neck And Body Joins. I Will Say The Same Note Picked Differently Or In A Different Area On The String Can Sure Sound Different. Guitar Is So Cool...So Many Little Things About It that Make Playing One So Wonderful To Me.

 

[Rider1260]

everyone is different but if your pick is below the strings enough to hit a pickup you are slowing yourself down , try choking up on the pick some or using smaller picks.