Re: Picks keep slipping off.

[Eddie Thomas]

Hello guys, I hope this is the right section for this, but I am having problems with my picks staying on. This is the first time, in all my years of playing to become an issue. Is there something I can line the band of the pick with? Any help will be really be appreciated. Thanks guy's!

[Howard Marcus]

heat shrink tubing

[Jerry Overstreet]

Hey Eddie. Everyone seems to have their own cure for this and they'll probably let you know.

Some guys say lick your fingers, some like the heat shrink. I've seen other players recommend those eyeglass nosepiece pads for the inside of the picks.

Finger licking works pretty good for a while but tends to wear off over the session or if you take the picks off for a break etc. so I guess you'd have to repeat the licking, which might not be too sanitary considering all the things we touch.

I don't like the heat shrink tubing because then the picks tend to drag on each other, but it is very comfortable.

I can recommend a product called Gorilla Snot, bad name, good product, which is a resin substance that you put on your fingers before putting on the picks.

I think there is also a product still called pixstix, pick stix or something like that which is also a substance that goes on the fingers.

In my own case, I go out to the pine trees in my yard and harvest a little bit of pine tar into a medicine bottle which works just as well as any of the finger coatings mentioned above and is probably the source of some commercial products for the same purpose.

One word of caution with any of the sticky substances you put on the fingers is to be careful to only use a smidge on the part of the finger that touches the inside of the pick as you don't want to get it on the outside of the picks because that would get it all over the strings and everything else which is something we sure don't want.

[Lane Gray]

I paint the insides with clear nail polish. It keeps them from slipping, and also keeps the copper from greening your fingers and the zinc from drying and cracking the skin.

[Dennis Detweiler]

If you get the proper bend to fit your index and middle finger it helps. It takes a little time and needle nose pliers. I've also used spit with some success. Years ago, when working with a fiddle player I would rub the sides of my fingers on his bow rosin. Just don't overdo it. I also did the heat shrink and it works fairly well.

[Colin Boutilier]

Hey Eddie. Everyone seems to have their own cure for this and they'll probably let you know.

Some guys say lick your fingers, some like the heat shrink. I've seen other players recommend those eyeglass nosepiece pads for the inside of the picks.

Finger licking works pretty good for a while but tends to wear off over the session or if you take the picks off for a break etc. so I guess you'd have to repeat the licking, which might not be too sanitary considering all the things we touch.

I don't like the heat shrink tubing because then the picks tend to drag on each other, but it is very comfortable.

I can recommend a product called Gorilla Snot, bad name, good product, which is a resin substance that you put on your fingers before putting on the picks.

I think there is also a product still called pixstix, pick stix or something like that which is also a substance that goes on the fingers.

In my own case, I go out to the pine trees in my yard and harvest a little bit of pine tar into a medicine bottle which works just as well as any of the finger coatings mentioned above and is probably the source of some commercial products for the same purpose.

One word of caution with any of the sticky substances you put on the fingers is to be careful to only use a smidge on the part of the finger that touches the inside of the pick as you don't want to get it on the outside of the picks because that would get it all over the strings and everything else which is something we sure don't want.

Any sporting store should have sticks of pine tar for baseball bats.

[Lee Baucum]

I accidentally discovered that regular old liquid hand sanitizer works well for me. I squirt a little on my thumb and fingertips before putting on my picks and they stay put.

I keep a little travel size bottle of hand sanitizer in my pack-a-seat.

[Bobby D. Jones]

Bad fitted picks can cause problems. The holes in the bands will act like hinges and make sharp bend in the bands that will catch on each other as fingers pass each other when playing.
Here is a set of picks that the bands have sharp angles at each hole and form a 5 point pentagon, Instead of a smooth oval that fits smoothly around each finger.

DSC00808.JPG

This set are smoothly formed to fit fingers and hand will not catch on the other pick

DSC00807.JPG

These were fitted around a drill shank in a padded vice with a small hammer in a smooth oval.

[Don R Brown]

I think there is also a product still called pixstix, pick stix or something like that which is also a substance that goes on the fingers.

Jerry is correct, the product is called "Sticky Picks", comes in a small bottle with a foam pad attached. I've used it for quite some time and understand it's also popular with banjo players.

The one problem is the local music store no longer carries it. Looking on line, several vendors show it but always "out of stock". When I finally found one that had it available, it was about $15 a bottle and about that much MORE for shipping!

I have read that there is a product that bow hunters put on their fingers which works well, I don't know the name but check your sporting goods or hunting supply stores if you are interested.

[Don R Brown]

Bobby Jones, thanks for a well-explained and helpful post. Maybe old hat to some, but I sure learned something.

[Andrew Frost]

Keeping yourself naturally hydrated goes a long way, as dry skin is often half the problem I find.

I keep a tiny vile of homemade remedy on hand, which is a mix of vaseline and toothpaste. The slightest amount will do, when needed.

[Eddie Thomas]

Thanks to all, some good info here! Thanks!

[Erv Niehaus]

Try spit.

[Jerry Overstreet]

I went back and found this suggestion from Lee Baucum in an older thread.

Anybody tried it here? Lee? It's designed to keep eyeglasses from slipping down and is made from a combination of beeswax and other ingredients.

The tube design would certainly make for an safer application than using the resin type products.

Ought to be worth a try @ $6 + about the same shipping cost.

https://nerdwax.com/products/nerdwax-slimline-single

[Landon Johnson]

I use Death Grip moustache wax.

[Lee Baucum]

I went back and found this suggestion from Lee Baucum in an older thread.

Anybody tried it here? Lee? It's designed to keep eyeglasses from slipping down and is made from a combination of beeswax and other ingredients.

The tube design would certainly make for an safer application than using the resin type products.

Ought to be worth a try @ $6 + about the same shipping cost.

https://nerdwax.com/products/nerdwax-slimline-single

Dang, Jerry. I forgot about that product. I'm going to have to dig around in the bottom of my pack-a-seat and see if I still have some.

[Larry Allen]

When I switched to ACRI picks the issue went away..

[Bob Sigafoos]

IMG_1319.jpg

I have done what Lane suggested for a few years now. What I do is go to the $.99 store and buy two different colors of nail polish. One color for index finger and a different color for the finger that can say bad words. What I do is slop on the polish with 3 or 4 heavy coats on the inside and outside. The polish seems to warm up to the fingers, is flexible and is just grippy enough to snug up with your didgets. Think what the girls do when they bend their fingernails... nothing flakes off and things return to normal. If you dont like the results just stick the picks in acetone and do something different.

[Barry Yasika]

Expensive way to go, but for me the Landis Death Grip really solved that problem. The inside of the finger picks are lined with what Landis calls a “cat tongue” surface. And yeah, it’s exactly what it sounds like—tiny barbs that grip just enough to keep the pick from slipping off. They actually work.

The thumb pick has a super thin blade, which took some getting used to, but the way it wraps around your thumb is wild. It’s like winding a piece of thread around your thumb—no bulky bracket on the back to snag an unwanted string.

They’re made of silver, which gives them a nice warm sound. No hole in the blade either, which I always disliked about the Dunlops. Price‑wise, they’re definitely on the high side—when I bought mine, it was around $150–200 for two finger picks and one thumb pick.

Out of curiosity, I also tried the Paul Franklin model Dunlops since they don’t have a hole in the blade either. I like them, but I wish the blades were a little longer—that’s just personal preference. The downside is they tend to slide down my fingers. I wear them tight on the very tips to get more blade action, similar to the Landis picks.

Bottom line: the Landis picks aren’t perfect, but they come closer than anything else I’ve tried. Pricey, yes—but once you own a set, you’ll definitely keep track of where you put them.