Randy Rhoads Picks and GPQ

halorising · Post by **halorising** » Sun Aug 16, 2009 6:04 pm

The Flying Dutchman wrote:No doubt!
But it would be interesting to know if he used other picks than the Fender Mediums for some period of time.
Not sure, but I remember someone showing a pic where it looked he used a yellow pick. Not sure if the Fender Mediums did appear in yellow too in '81/'82 ?

Hed used Gibson picks too. I dont know for how long but i have one of his.

rice_pudding · Post by **rice_pudding** » Sun Aug 16, 2009 8:17 pm

The Flying Dutchman wrote:Interesting read Ed!

I really wonder if Randy ever experimented with other pics then the Fender medium? I'm still suprised he didn't use stronger picks considering his playing style. Those Fender medium pics sounds good but they don't last very long.

(btw: http://www.ultimaterhoads.coma ? )

I wonder too, i was really surprised when i heard he used fender mediums. Randy had mentioned in interviews that his rig was a little uncontrollable in terms of sheer noise. I wonder if this had anything to do with it?

In the little footage there is of randy he always seems to dig in quite a bit with his right hand. Maybe lighter picks would allow him to dig in without creating "too much" noise

I wonder this because i was initialy attracted to very hard picks when i was in my first year of playing, i used a stagg 1.2mm but it was balanced out by my right hand which was very light. So... Maybe the opposite for RR

Maybe we should have a survey of what picks, strings, right hand attack everyone has?

God im such a geek

Rob

Post by **The Flying Dutchman** » Sun Aug 16, 2009 8:25 pm

halorising wrote:Hed used Gibson picks too. I dont know for how long but i have one of his.

What kind is the Gibson pick? (thickness, stiffness etc)
Can you put up a photo? (Thnx!

)

rice_pudding wrote:God im such a geek

Full house here!

Lightning Bolt: >>> 9,58 <<< (45 minutes ago in Berlin)

Post by **The Flying Dutchman** » Sun Aug 16, 2009 9:01 pm

rice_pudding wrote:In the little footage there is of randy he always seems to dig in quite a bit with his right hand. Maybe lighter picks would allow him to dig in without creating "too much" noise

I would say a heavier/stiffer pick will be less noisy because one have more control then.
Of course it all depends of the player. What works for Randy doesn't necessarely works for other people.

edvice · Post by **edvice** » Sun Aug 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Yeah guys first I want to say I sent an email to Brian about the link and he will take care of it right when he gets it...he's been very good for that

My thing on the picks I did read somewhere that Randy did try out Heavy guage picks, It's only common sense that he would try all kind of picks however we have no proof of that at least that I've seen.
One thing I do know is that in an interview Kevin Dubrow said that Randy changed the guage of his strings from .09 to .10 in the Quiet Riot days 1975 or 1976, he gave the exact year but it slips me. But Kevin said that he raised the guage because Randy was breaking a string every two songs. As someone has said in this thread sorry I did not quote you but that you said something to the effect that with Randy's style of playing mediums may not have held up well, but just look what raising Randy's string guage by only .01% did for him. So therefore the medium guage would no longer break as many strings...maybe the medium was just heavy (thick) enough to allow Randy to use his lightning fast style of alternate picking and thin enough to alow for flexibility while saving him from string breakage during songs. A heavy guage would logically make this worse slowing down his speed and damaging strings in the process. I mean he already had the supreme sound why change?!?!

Ed

halorising · Post by **halorising** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 1:51 am

sorry to do this to you but you can see a close up of the zeus pics at TK in the same topic. Feel free to bring it over here.

edvice · Post by **edvice** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 2:22 am

Hey guys link to this site is fixed...make sure you check out the comments section...I'm having it back and forth with a "disgruntled pick buyer". I just considered him owned and he's non to happy about it!

Wuz up halo your the man!

, The Zeus man!!!

http://pickcollecting.presspublisher.us ... r-are-they

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http://www.facebook.com/randyrhoads.society

RRfish · Post by **RRfish** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 3:31 am

It is always so funny to me what is so important to some. Randy's picks, or how you use them, will not let you play as he did. How thick or thin, whether they were Fender, yellow picks, or Ozzy authorized picks,you will never really know if they are authentic! Maybe you could re-sell them to make $ ? I truly believe Randy would be amused by this thread and laughing his head off ! I guess to some , Randy's picks are a part of his legacy

halorising · Post by **halorising** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 3:51 am

edvice wrote:Hey guys link to this site is fixed...make sure you check out the comments section...I'm having it back and forth with a "disgruntled pick buyer". I just considered him owned and he's non to happy about it!

Wuz up halo your the man! , The Zeus man!!!

http://pickcollecting.presspublisher.us ... r-are-they

==================
http://www.facebook.com/randyrhoads.society

Wuzzz uuupppp

edvice · Post by **edvice** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 4:47 am

Wuzz Upp Halo...
Cheers

RRfish I agree with you it is a big deal over such a little thing, I'm having a laugh with Randy about the whole thing thats why I'm going back and forth with the guy in the comments, I'm having some fun! hehe

My goal is to create a buzz on Randy in any way possible and spread facts about Randy to as many as possible, so I try to find an angle. I learned from reading about pick collectors, my angle is that Randy's picks as you say which are impossible to authenticate, should make Randy's the most coveted of all. I found Randy is the only musician on the popularity list that does not have an authenticated pick...because even if someone received it from Randy...it cannot be proven, unless one has a photo of him handing it to you...but you don't necessarily not believe someone. Like I believe Guitaridol's pick is real because, I take him at his word. However a person selling a pick claimed to be a Randy Rhoads for a boatload of money and is probably fake is selling out his name, this really bothers me. I see people trying to authenticate memorabilia for the reason of just knowing but also so people don't get ripped off. I don't see why picks would not qualify. If this angle, not the article I'm in, but the story in general spreads through collectors of memorabilia then that could make his pick in the future more valuable than a Jimi Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughn pick inadvertantly contributing to the rise in demand for Randy Rhoads related items and thus interest in his legacy. However I don't underestimate this paradox as it could collapse in on itself and not make a difference. I hope that there will be a resurgance of interest in Randy in the coming years and anything I can do to help that, I will do. Whatever it takes to get the word out on Randy to keep his memory alive, besides Selling his name, to a new generation and audience is my motivation.
My whole reason for doing this article is to get out the proper info on the early days of Blizzard...off the record I told the editor some of the $hozzy saga! But I wanted to give props to Bob and Lee and Randy and accentuate their role as the writers of Blizzard! Forget the picks if your not interested or forget the whole thing, their just a vehicle. Also to get the dates right and Randy's name spelled correctly, If that's all that comes out of this article I'm Satisfied.

Ed

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http://www.facebook.com/randyrhoads.society

halorising · Post by **halorising** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 6:44 am

Hey Ed, Have you seen the pick's in the Zeus. There is at least one more in the pedalboard that i cant get out. Im not going to take it apart to get it but its there, you can here it when you rock it. But i think it's 99.9% chance they are all randys. The seller never touched anything on the board the plug to play it one time. Hey anytime you want to do a article or something with the picks and or the board let me know.
Chris

edvice · Post by **edvice** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 7:14 am

halorising wrote:Hey Ed, Have you seen the pick's in the Zeus. There is at least one more in the pedalboard that i cant get out. Im not going to take it apart to get it but its there, you can here it when you rock it. But i think it's 99.9% chance they are all randys. The seller never touched anything on the board the plug to play it one time. Hey anytime you want to do a article or something with the picks and or the board let me know.
Chris

Thanks halo, I appreciate that if I'm ever asked to help out again I will not hesitate to ask but I think it may be a one off.. However I have some friends who run technology webzines. That might be cool sometime to do a feature on it Chris. I'll keep that in mind.

I know the whole story of the Zues as I've read almost every thread at TK. I'm glad that you got it, under the circumstances. I can tell it's in good hands

I did not know about the pick that is jingling around inside the case though must have missed that. That whole story is fascinating how you got it, not to go off topic. Anyway when I first saw those picks I have to admit I thought how can you really know they are from that time. Well I noticed the Fender Med Brown with no R copyright symbol, and thought they could be the real deal. Who knows it's what you believe that matters!! See you around my friend.
Cheers

Ed

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http://www.facebook.com/randyrhoads.society

Post by **The Flying Dutchman** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 8:51 am

edvice wrote:A heavy guage would logically make this worse slowing down his speed and damaging strings in the process.

I think this is interesting stuff, some people need a more flexible pick to be able to play fast and others a more stiffer pick. It's all in the wrist/hands I guess. (check out how EVH executes his tremelo picking!) In general lots of shredders use a heavy pick to play very fast with precise. It seems Randy (altough he wasn't really a shredder) is an exception to that.

(for me the Fender medium doesn't work, it tears appart within an hour.....)

halorising wrote:sorry to do this to you but you can see a close up of the zeus pics at TK in the same topic. Feel free to bring it over here.

No problem!

rice_pudding · Post by **rice_pudding** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 1:18 pm

The Flying Dutchman wrote: I think this is interesting stuff, some people need a more flexible pick to be able to play fast and others a more stiffer pick. It's all in the wrist/hands I guess. (check out how EVH executes his tremelo picking!) In general lots of shredders use a heavy pick to play very fast with precise. It seems Randy (altough he wasn't really a shredder) is an exception to that.

(for me the Fender medium doesn't work, it tears appart within an hour.....)

Maybe interesting to note that Randy came from a time just before shredding realy took off. Also he came before Stetina released his 'speed mechanics' book.

In other words focus on technique was not as detailed in Randys day.

Heavy picks require a deft touch. anyone who uses them will know that if you dig in and expose too much tip you will slow down. But as i say focus on technique is a lot more pedantique these days. I remember Schenker mentioned something about the new approach to learning guitar in the 80s once and how technique was a lot better in new guitarists (I think you posted that particular interview Dutchman

)

In any case as you put it randy was not really a shredder, and while he was capable of insane bursts of speed (tribute paranoid

) he maybe relied more on his left hand to get the job done.

Rob

GUITARIDOL5682 · Post by **GUITARIDOL5682** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 3:07 pm

I've noticed on close up photos of Randy's picking hand. He tucks the pick well into his fore finger and thumb leaving very little of the pick exposed. Plus he used the pick when hammering on the neck. I think this created a better tone then just using your finger tip. But as far as this thread being YAWN boring/non interesting, it's better then reading about potential lost footage or a Blizzard V's Diary thread AGAIN...