The Boutique Pick Roundup

[Huggy Love]

THE BOUTIQUE PICK ROUNDUP

After much research (ahh..just surfing the web) and diligent hours (only when I didn't have something better to do) of painstaking scrutiny (checking em out for the heck of it) using the most advance technology (uh..my fingers & ears) I have come up with an evaluation of several (actually, only what I could get my hands on fast) of the boutique picks on the market. Here's what I've found.


Turtle shell – I'm starting out with the real thing (the shell of the Hawksbill SeaTurtle) as a gauge because the qualities of tone and playability are what most of these “boutique” pick makers target. A warm midrange tone and smooth playability over the strings are what have made this the Holy Grail of guitar picks. Unfortunately the Hawksbill is a protected species so unless you have some pre-1970s they are basically unobtainable, hence the innovations of some cutting edge pick makers.

Blue-chip – Controversial for their price, rave reviewed by their customers, touted for their proven durability, and playability, this is a top-notch product. I could not warrant spending that much and found the tone slightly brighter than T shell but very close and playability was very nice.

Wegen – A thick gypsy jazz pick with a smooth attack, the tone was as thick as these picks but I did not gel with the pre-made grip and was not as articulate as I like. Produced loud ringing notes especially acoustically, very noticeable above the others reviewed but seemed more suited to rhythm playing.

Dunlop primetone – Yes, some of the larger manufacturers have stepped into this game with the best of what they have to offer. I have been using their jazztone 208 for years (excellent thick tone) but did not feel that their primetone was significantly better.

V-pick – This one was a huge surprise for me, I had researched pick materials and found that acrylic was considered to be one of the brightest sounding materials for guitar picks. I was very surprised to find that their slightly rounded tip models that had enough thickness to them (2mm and up) produced a very warm mid range tone. Along with the fact that it glided over the strings as well as the blue-chip at about $4-5 bucks makes this a real winner and I will be experimenting with other models in their very wide product selection.

Gravity – I have only found models from this company in stores that had very sharp tips and edges which produced tones much brighter than I like but they are very articulate and I can see them being the "go to" item for speed metal and fast playing.

Red Bear – (haven't got my hands on one yet, order pending, behind in production)


*Honorable mention: D'Andrea Pro Plec – These actually are just average on my playability scale and not considered a "boutique" pick, but the tone was really, really nice on their thicker gauge, and at .75 ¢ a pop you can't go wrong.


The biggest revelation I found was that the design was equally as important as the material. The simple math is: size/mass/thickness/tip shape formulated in various ways shapes your tone as much as the density and chemical compound of the material. Many of the manufacturers provide options on the shape of these pics like left-handed or right-handed speed bevels or rounded bevels to suit individual players tastes.

I hope this posting will be useful to all in their quest for the ultimate tone and playability worthy of these fine instruments (...ahem...PRS) that we love so much.

** Gear used for this evaluation: PRS HB II, PRS 408, Mesa recto verb.

H.B.

 

[bodia]

THE BOUTIQUE PICK ROUNDUP

After much research (ahh..just surfing the web) and diligent hours (only when I didn't have something better to do) of painstaking scrutiny (checking em out for the heck of it) using the most advance technology (uh..my fingers & ears) I have come up with an evaluation of several (actually, only what I could get my hands on fast) of the boutique picks on the market. Here's what I've found.


Turtle shell – I'm starting out with the real thing (the shell of the Hawksbill SeaTurtle) as a gauge because the qualities of tone and playability are what most of these “boutique” pick makers target. A warm midrange tone and smooth playability over the strings are what have made this the Holy Grail of guitar picks. Unfortunately the Hawksbill is a protected species so unless you have some pre-1970s they are basically unobtainable, hence the innovations of some cutting edge pick makers.

Blue-chip – Controversial for their price, rave reviewed by their customers, touted for their proven durability, and playability, this is a top-notch product. I could not warrant spending that much and found the tone slightly brighter than T shell but very close and playability was very nice.

Wegen – A thick gypsy jazz pick with a smooth attack, the tone was as thick as these picks but I did not gel with the pre-made grip and was not as articulate as I like. Produced loud ringing notes especially acoustically, very noticeable above the others reviewed but seemed more suited to rhythm playing.

Dunlop primetone – Yes, some of the larger manufacturers have stepped into this game with the best of what they have to offer. I have been using their jazztone 208 for years (excellent thick tone) but did not feel that their primetone was significantly better.

V-pick – This one was a huge surprise for me, I had researched pick materials and found that acrylic was considered to be one of the brightest sounding materials for guitar picks. I was very surprised to find that their slightly rounded tip models that had enough thickness to them (2mm and up) produced a very warm mid range tone. Along with the fact that it glided over the strings as well as the blue-chip at about $4-5 bucks makes this a real winner and I will be experimenting with other models in their very wide product selection.

Gravity – I have only found models from this company in stores that had very sharp tips and edges which produced tones much brighter than I like but they are very articulate and I can see them being the "go to" item for speed metal and fast playing.

Red Bear – (haven't got my hands on one yet, order pending, behind in production)


*Honorable mention: D'Andrea Pro Plec – These actually are just average on my playability scale and not considered a "boutique" pick, but the tone was really, really nice on their thicker gauge, and at .75 ¢ a pop you can't go wrong.


The biggest revelation I found was that the design was equally as important as the material. The simple math is: size/mass/thickness/tip shape formulated in various ways shapes your tone as much as the density and chemical compound of the material. Many of the manufacturers provide options on the shape of these pics like left-handed or right-handed speed bevels or rounded bevels to suit individual players tastes.

I hope this posting will be useful to all in their quest for the ultimate tone and playability worthy of these fine instruments (...ahem...PRS) that we love so much.

** Gear used for this evaluation: PRS HB II, PRS 408, Mesa recto verb.

H.B.

Nice write up, T! Good luck getting your hands on that Red Bear!

 

[toothace]

I like the Red Bear picks...I currently have 3, but if I could remember the time zone conversion I'd probably have a couple more

 

[Dusty Chalk]

The biggest revelation I found was that the design was equally as important as the material.

I completely agree with this. Nice survey. Thanks.

https://stoneworkspicks.com/

It wasn't until I tried a stone pick that I found out how much the flexibility affected the playability of the pick. Really sharpens up the tone, not recommended if you have a problem with "icepickiness".

 

[alantig]

Huggy & toothace have hit on one of the issues w/Red Bear - you have to be quick on the trigger when they make picks available. I missed out on the original run of the Govan model because I didn't know about it for a few days. So when they did a second run, I jumped right away. But you have to get into the habit of checking their site at release time each week to have a realistic chance of getting what you want.

 

[Huggy Love]

Huggy & toothace have hit on one of the issues w/Red Bear - you have to be quick on the trigger when they make picks available. I missed out on the original run of the Govan model because I didn't know about it for a few days. So when they did a second run, I jumped right away. But you have to get into the habit of checking their site at release time each week to have a realistic chance of getting what you want.

I'm not even going to mess around with that game and squashed my order, my research showed me too many other options that are more easily obtainable.
I hear great things about them but price and availability are not what they should be from what I see. (IMHO) With a product that has that much interest and good reviews, they might reevaluate staying a Mom & Pop outfit and seek a more efficient production & business model.

 

[tiboy]

I bought into the V-Pick hype a few years ago. I immediately discovered that there was no hype involved. I've been using them exclusively ever since.

 

[László]

Great write up, Huggy! Plus, appreciated the humor.

 

[Big Eric Bee]

Nice write up. In general I agree with the analysis. My go to has generally been the Blue Chip as it doesn't wear out. But have been playing the V Pick a lot recently. Love the grippy feeling, but it seems to have already turned a touch raspy sounding on electric. Doesn't seem to be an issue on my acoustics yet.

 

[geese_com]

I got sick of how hard it was to get Red Bear picks, so I switched to Blue Chip and I have never looked back.

 

[László]

I got sick of how hard it was to get Red Bear picks, so I switched to Blue Chip and I have never looked back.

That's good, because if you look back, you turn to a pillar of salt, like Lot's wife.

You don't necessarily want that to happen.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

That's good, because if you look back, you turn to a pillar of salt, like Lot's wife.

You don't necessarily want that to happen.

I hate when that happens.

 

[vchizzle]

So which V-picks are you trying?

 

[Huggy Love]

So which V-picks are you trying?

I've tried the traditional and the medium round (so far the best fit for me), I have a large round, Freakishly large, and a 4mm on the way to test out.

 

[mad monk]

I use the "Lite" small. It's a dark green, rounded triangle with each corner useable. I've tried 4 other V-Picks, but this is my favorite. The store I brought them from let me trade 2 of the others for extras.
I don't like them for acoustic playing. I prefer a regular, old school celluloid medium for that task.

 

[Huggy Love]

The V-pick large round tip 2.75mm is the best fit for me.

....and one final note to everybody: RE-EVALUATE YOUR PICK!!! (If you haven't already)
Going through this research and changing picks really turned my musical head around, I had no idea how much my old pick was holding me back.

 

[Big Eric Bee]

My problem is I re-evaluate my picks too often. I need to stick with what works and not keep continually searching for the perfect pick.

 

[Huggy Love]

My problem is I re-evaluate my picks too often. I need to stick with what works and not keep continually searching for the perfect pick.

Maybe think of it this way, "the right tool for the right job". I'm keeping my V-pick large round as my "go-to", but also the real turtle picks for crisp stuff, and a thick one (4mm) for speed runs & chunking out certain stuff like old school jazz & gypsy jazz type rhythms. Find your main pick and keep a couple for specialty.

 

[django49]

V-Picks for me. For many years, I liked thin and fairly flexible picks. For a good while, Dunlop "Fins"....Longer story on their "versatility" when going from lead to rhythm...... But from day one, V-Picks changed my playing immensely.

I think the first I tried was the "Screamer" Great pick, but I gravitated away from the sharper ones. I highly recommend variations of the Dimension, Snake and Infinity. Those with the "ghost rim" and a combination of sharp and round tips are my favorite. Not cheap, but they last forever.....And are periodically on sale.

In the grand scheme, if I am playing a $5,000 guitar, do I really need to care about whether my pick cost $1 or $5 or $10? Not if it makes my playing better.

PS.....Put a colored dot on them, at least the clear ones, as they are hard to find if you DO drop one.

 

[drawshot]

I've been sticking to Dunlop Primetones, lately...but the mail lady just delivered trial packs of Gravity Picks and V-picks.

Looking forward to giving both their day in court, and curious if either will pry me away from Dunlop.

(I've renamed the Screamer. I'm calling it 'The Violator.' That thing is HUGE)