JIM DUNLOP Shell Plastic Finger & Thumbpicks, Large, 4/Player's Pack

These picks are pretty much the same as were made back in the '60's under various names, and Dunlop's are hard to beat and durable as any. I ordered a set of these Large size to have a full set of matching picks for a change, and my fingers are considered "medium" size. The thumb pick fits just a smidgen tight, which is fine, but I noticed the finger picks were very tight and soon my finger tips were turning cold and a bit blue. So, I did what I used to do back in the day - - heated a pan of water and put the picks on a string and let them soak a couple of moments - - took them out and put them right on my fingers and they stayed that shape when cool - - no problem. They have to be made a bit undersized as to accommodate both Medium, and Large if you heat them, and the only thing worse than too small is too large, which you can't fix. Large or Medium are general terms with picks, and the sizes vary among different manufacturers, as do fingers. Seasoned pickers who have been in the business long enough would know this. If you have tiny or thin fingers then order Small or Medium at the biggest, then heat to fit. The tortoise plastic seems pretty tough and won't break easily on these, and should hold their shape indefinitely after heating. Being a thicker gauge material should also prevent cracking when bending to fit, a common fault of cheap thin picks. The Large size seems to fit most medium-sized fingers well, and bigger fingers will need the picks heated to fit. A good trip to a music store will open your eyes on how plastic picks fit, or don't, according to how they are labeled. If you want a decent set of sturdy celluloid picks that fit medium or larger fingers, these should work fine if you know how to fit them.

Since injuring my index fingernail, I have tried every fingerpick and thumb pick I've been able to find between my local folk shop and Amazon. For steel strings, I'm sold on National brass fingerpicks. But I mainly play fingerpicked ukulele and baritone ukulele with fluorocarbon and nylon strings, and these picks are 1) friendlier to my strings, and 2) less 'clicky' than the metal fingerpicks. I use a Fred Kelly Slick Pick on my thumb, but that's personal preference - there's nothing wrong with this one.As for size: Yes, the Large size picks are, out of the package, tight on medium fingers. I boiled some water, submerged each pick with forceps for 15 seconds or so until it began to open, then slipped it on my finger and pressed the bands tight around until it cooled. I had to do this a couple of times to fully adjust my fit. The result - a custom-fit set of fingerpicks that are comfortable yet stay on and won't harm my fluorocarbon strings.Alas, I have yet to solve the problem of strumming. I strum the ukulele primarily with the back of my fingernails, which is not possible with these picks on. I can't strum with a thumb pick with any kind of finesse. I end up doing alternating thumb down on the 4th string and rake upward strings 1-3 with fingers 1 & 2.

I'm experimenting with fingerpicking and giving these a try. They are good quality and seem like they're made from the same material as Dunlop's flat picks. Only gave them 4 stars for comfort and stretch, these are Large but it could be that I actually need EXTRA LARGE for my fat fingers. Or maybe its just something that I need to get used to, but its my 1st atempt at this technique and these seem like a good quality value.

The only thing I do not like about the (Large) finger picks would be the size. I ordered the large because of my finger size.When I first tried them on they shut the blood off in my finger tips, it took me some time to get them molded to my finger size. I'm just not convinced that they were the large size as marked on the package. Not sure if I will try to order another set or not. As for the value they are great, but for comfort not so much if they truly are the large size. I have never had this trouble before when ordering another brand.

Great Concept but at 6 Ft + 275 lbs. my fingers are to fat to use them Thought they would give me a way accentuate finger picking - just havr to turn amp a or guitars volume up as needed

Good , nothing special but worth it.

This is my first set of thumb/finger picks and I am a beginner guitar player. So take this review with a grain of salt and maybe use it as a lesson to research a little before buying. The thumb pick fits very well. And the finger picks fit well for first two fingers (pointer and middle) but are too large for my third (ring) finger. I tried each one on my third finger but they were all too large. Not sure if that's normal, but it doesn't work for me. Other than the size issue of the one pick I was very happy with it.

I've been using Dunlop picks for as long as I've been playing guitar (about 25 years). Recently I've started finger style playing and decided to give these a try. They certainly show the Dunlop quality and tortoise shell design however they are very small/tight. I am not a big guy. I typically wear large gloves only because medium are just a hair to small for me so when I ordered these "Large" finger picks I was a little concerned that they maybe to big, I was way off! The fit is extremely tight and after about 1 minute it cuts off circulation to my thumb and finger tips. I've read here that I might be able to adjust these but heating them up in boiling water for a minute and then fitting them before it cools. Hopefully that will help. I'm going to have to hit the local guitar shop and actually try some on to see what fits best.

I read the reviews before buying and decided to purchase them.At first i did find them tight on my large thumb and fingers.I soaked them in hot water as suggested in some reviews andwith a gentle stretching of each one i managed to widen them enoughuntil they fitted and felt comfortable.Ive just been playing my guitar for half and hour using all of the picksand they are now just fine for me.

I would say my hands are large-ish although not abnormally so, but these finger picks were too small despite being advertised as Large. I used the trick suggested by other reviewers of soaking them in hot water so they become pliable and they can then be stretched.Other than that they perform well and they produce a pleasing tone on my Martin acoustic guitar.

They are well made and as expected quality from Dunlop but they are so darn painful. The thumb is the worst but the fingers suffer too. Yes you can heat and shape to fit but who pays for them when I break or mess them up doing so... oh that would be me. That said the thumb I found to be way too thick and would be too harsh for a strum. The fingers would have been ok.

I can't see a point in putting a size if they don't conform to the size- when they arrived 'large' fitted an eight year old's finger perfectly!Put them in really hot water, pull them apart to size then stick something inside while they cool or else they shrink back again. Fine after that, but, Mr Dunlop, why not make 'large' large in the first place?

Too small (even though I ordered large size and my hands aren't unusually big), thumb pick works ok but even if you manage to put on the finger picks they're just not useful at all, they hinder more than they help with playing, making you less accurate, more likely to hit other strings by accident etc. Better to just play with fingers.