Hi John,

I like your thinking here and I too have unending trouble with flat picks. I never know whether it is in good playing position until I hit the the strings. Nerve damage you see. Can't tell if I am squezzing too hard or not at all. The pick turns in my fingers and I am lost.

The one thing I think you need to look at is different pick positions. Everyone has a different string attack. One persons may be perpendicular to the strings while an may have the point of the pick tilted ip so the hand is passed the string the pick is stricking. The reason the thumb pick works as a flat pick for some people is because it works for some people as a flat pick. :-)

It is rigidly mounted to the one position that those lucky few use a flat in. And rigid means no adjust ment. That may prove to be the issue.

I've never heard of the "thimble". When I frail I use a thumb pick and a Dumlop .025 upside down on my middle finger.   When I play guitar I most often use just my index finger nail for all my flat picking. I am going to try acrylic nails to over come the down time caused by nail breakage.

Keep the research

Don