Gravity Picks Spotlight

Since the summer, the Gravity Razer pick has become one of my regular picks, which is one of the reasons why receiving a package of different Gravity picks to try was so exciting. Just before Christmas I received a package which included the Tripp Standard 1.5, the Edge standard 3, the Classic Pointed Mini 2, the Sunrise Mini 3 and the Stealth Standard 2. These are a variety of sizes and shapes, and the Classic Pointed Mini has a oval shaped grip hole.

So I'll start with the Sunrise Mini 3. This is a Jazz III sized pick, with slightly pointed sides, and the rough 'Master Finish' edge. Being 3mm thick, it feels very similar to the Razer Standard 3 which I regularly use. Tonally, it exhibits the similar treble boost I've come to enjoy with Gravity Picks, in a shape which is great for fast alternate picking and intricate, detailed parts. The 'Master Finish' can sometimes be a bit scratchy sometimes, but not so much that you could hear it, more feel it in your hand.

The second smallest pick is the Classic Pointed Mini 2. As I'm sure you've already worked out, this pick is a smaller classic pick shape (like a rounded-off Sunrise Mini). Like I previously mentioned, this pick has an oval shaped grip hole. This is an interesting feature, an option available on many (if not all) of the Gravity picks. It works well, but the Gravity picks themselves are made from a grippy material - I guess it's for the 'belt-and-braces' kind of player. Also with the "Master Finish", this tone exhibits a tone which is very similar to the Sunrise Mini.

Up in size again is the Edge Standard 3. This pick is similar to the classic shape, but with wider wings. It also has a polished bevel, and more rounded edges than the other. This pick plays really nicely, and sits very comfortably in the hand. Greta for many different playing styles, I think this pick is my favourite of the lot I was sent.

The Stealth Standard 2 is like the pointed version of the Edge Standard, with three equal sides and three identical picking corners. For a 2mm thick pick, this feels quite thin, but has the same great feel as the other Gravity picks. This pick is probably my least favourite, it's just not for me!

The final pick is the most unique pick of the lot. With three different tips, you have one which is more pointed and similar to the sunrise shape, which is better for shredding, one which is rounded like the Axis pick and better for strumming, and a third which is in between the two which is the jack-of-all-trades setting. Being 1.5mm thick, it's smaller than I'm used to when playing electric guitar, but this encouraged my to play acoustic, and worked really well for that. I've often found that with plastic picks like these (the High-Grade Transparent Thermoplastic known as Polymethyl Methacrylate to be precise), they don't sound great with acoustic guitars, but this pick was very pleasing to use.

Since discovering Gravity picks earlier this year, I've been using them as my regular picks almost exclusively. They play louder than most other picks I've used and don't wear out at all from what I've noticed so far - I'd definitely recommend checking these out, no matter what you're used to, there's something for everyone.

Do you use Gravity Picks? What shape and gauge do you use? Let me know in the comments!

Chicken Picks Spotlight!

As this blog is growing, I've been talking to a lot of guitarists on different social medias about what picks they use, and asking for recommendations of picks to try, and to review. Chicken Picks were recommended to me by a Reddit user, and when I got in contact with the company they were very happy to send me some picks to review. I received a pack of 7, and by using their website and the handy note of the gauge written on the back of the pick (which also helps with the grip), I can tell you that the picks I've tried are the 2 and 2.5mm Badazz, the 3.5mm Shredder, the 2.1 and 2.7mm Bermuda, the 2.6mm Regular and the 2.2mm Light.

The material which is used to make Chicken Picks is what makes these really unique - they are unlike any other pick I have used before, and the only way I can think to describe them is by comparing them to a new, unused Dunlop Tortex pick, before you've rubbed away all the grippy-ness. These things stay in your hand. The Chicken Picks website says that the material used is "a high-quality and highly-durable thermosetting plastic", but it doesn't feel 'plastic-y'.

The selection of picks I was send have a real variety in playability and tone. They range from picks for shredders, picks for country players, picks for bluesy players - I'm sure that players from many areas of the musical world could find their pick in the Chicken Picks selection. Out of these 7, I've found 2 which I love for my playing style, 2 which I enjoy playing with but I'd use less, and 3 which don't suit me that well (that's not to say they aren't good picks, but they just didn't work for me).

So lets start in the middle. Two of the picks I enjoyed playing are the 2.7mm Bermuda and the 2.0mm Badazz. The Bermuda is a triangular picks, with all three corners the same. This pick is a great size for players who change their picking technique spending on what their playing. It has a large surface area, which is by no means cumbersome, but allows for comfortable movement. The bevel is about 3-4mm long, and ends at a point. The edge of this pick is pointed, but the tip is rounded, and gives a warm tone to your playing. As with all these picks, there is a great deal of attack in the sound, which works well for arpeggiated picking.

Moving on, the 2.00mm Badazz was good, but the 2.5mm was great. This thicker pick is of a similar shape to the Turquoise Jazzy Tone pick which I reviewed a few weeks ago, sort of a wider Jazz III. It's shape works well for all the styles which you would associate with smaller scale picks, such as complex alternate picking, and has that same bright attack and warm tone which I've come to expect from Chicken Picks. After a few minutes of testing out this pick, I forgot what I was doing and went on a bit of a musical tangent, which I think is a good thing to happen when testing out new picks.

The Regular picks are, as you can imagine, in the shape of what everyone expects a pick to look like, however these are slightly taller and have slightly larger wings, and for me, this made my playing feel a bit clumsy. I would usually use larger picks for acoustic guitar playing, however these felt a bit too scratchy for me. I also was a bit disappointed with the 2.1mm Bermuda - it seems that 0.6mm is all it takes to change my opinion of a plectrum! Even though these few picks weren't for me, that's not to say they wont be the perfect fit for someone.

My favourite of the Chicken Picks was the 3.5mm Shredder. As you probably know by now, I'm a bit of a sucker for a thicker pick, and this one was no different. It has the shape of a scaled down Regular pick, and worked great for all kinds of playing (unlike the name suggests!). The bevel on this pick is great, smoothly tapering to a point in around 0.3mm, and just works really well for the kinds of stuff I was playing.

On the whole, these Chicken Picks have been great fun to try out - the feel is so unique but so usable and comfortable that gives them an advantage over others. The look is nice and classy - all the picks are finished in a matt white colour, and I've had a great time playing them.

Do you use Chicken Picks? Why do you like them? Let me know in the comments!

My Gear, Part 1 - The Guitars

As it's the Christmas break, I thought it would give me a good opportunity to tell you a bit about the gear I use when trying out picks. Being on the budget of a student, I can't afford to go all out on my gear choices, but like all guitarists I love to shop around and find bargains which are priced at much lower than what they seem to be worth!

So let's start at the beginning. My first electric guitar is a 2006 Squire Fender Stratocaster - the standard three single coils, bolt on maple neck with rosewood board starter electric guitar with dodge electronics but that I can't bring myself to get rid of. Whilst this guitar by no means sounds excellent amplified, it's good enough for rough strat tones for a guy who's not that into single coil sounds (at the moment!), and is comfortable enough to play. It's also finished in a gorgeous wine red finish which has a hint of sparkle in - it looks good hanging on the wall!

My next electric is a 2009 Epiphone Les Paul Studio, finished in wine red. I bought this guitar with the intention to upgrade the pickups and machine heads, but have yet to got round to do anything about it. I love playing this guitar though, the setup is great and I love the feel of the neck. Plus the shorter scale length gives a totally different feel to my other guitars - it is a pleasure to play, and I look forward to the day when I have enough money to upgrade it to it's full potential.

My number one electric is a black 2014 Gretsch Electromatic Pro Jet with bigsby. The feel of this guitar is great, and with clean and dirty tones to die for, its definitely 'my thing'! The chambered body with arched maple top gives that brilliant Gretsch tone, and the Filter'tron pickups paired with the bigsby really make it a great guitar (even if restringing it is a bit of a pain).

When I venture into the land of acoustic guitars, I either use my 2008 Crafter (I don't know what model) or my girlfriends 2014 Sigma 000. Both are electro-acoustics with single cutaways, and play very nicely. The Crafter has a pokey mid range and is louder than the Sigma, but I tend to prefer the more balanced tone of the Sigma, and it's unfinished neck is a lot more comfortable to play.

So there you are, the guitars that I use! I also own a few other guitars that I use left often, kept for sentimental value. In the comments, suggest pickup choices to put in my Epi Les Paul!

Dunlop Jazz III - The People's Choice or the Virtuoso's Tool?

The Dunlop Jazz III seems to be highly regarded in many guitarist circles, but seems to have the largest following amongst virtuoso players, with guitarists such as Eric Johnson, John Petrucci and Joe Bonamassa all favouring this small pick. Available in three gauges, ranging from 1.10mm to 1.38mm, and finished in either red or black "stiffo" nylon, I am using the black 1.38mm model. 

With the feel of any regular nylon pick, this model has raised graphics on either side which act as the grip. Coming from using thicker and larger picks (the Gravity Razer 3mm is currently my standard, with the Jazzy Tones turquoise pick reviewed last week coming a close second), this pick feels tiny between the fingers, and playing punk rock style heavy riffs did involve me hitting my forefinger against the string before the pick itself, however this is probably due to my need for adjusting to the smaller surface area.

When used to play melodic runs, whatever the style, this pick really flourishes, which explains it's high status amongst virtuoso players. This pick glides over the strings comfortably, and, unlike a lot of nylon picks I've used, doesn't have a percussive 'click' when it hits the strings. Pinch harmonics are a dream to play, and to someone who usually struggles in this area, it has encouraged me to reassess my picking position with other picks to get these results.

To me, the smaller footprint of this pick encourages softer playing, and dynamic blues-y licks don't burst through the mix as much as I'm used to, however I feel this is a genre of music where players are less likely to require the type of finesse this pick delivers (or maybe I'm being ton harsh to the slow hands out there?!). 

I'm surprised that, for such a small price of just under £4 for a pack of 6, you can use the same picks as artists who spend thousands on getting that tone, but it just goes to show that hand crafted picks aren't always out of the league of mass produced picks like this as their price points often suggests, and if you've never used a Jazz 3, why not check them out, they might be just the thing for you. Let me know what you think of the Jazz 3 in the comments!

A Bone to Pick With - Jazzy Tones Turquoise Bone

When I started this blog I thought I'd better find some new picks to try which I haven't tried before. After a quick browse I came across Timbre Tones, a company which makes picks from a variety of materials including wood, leather and bone, and thought these would be interesting picks to look at.

I chose to try the Jazzy Tones Turquoise Bone pick to try. The bone material used is from buffalo, which creates a very unique feel between your fingers, with excellent grip and no bend in the pick. The shape is very similar to that of a Dunlop Jazz 3, and about 2mm thick, good for players who make use of speed and articulate playing.. It has a short taper from the widest part of the pick down to the point, not as much as I'm used to in the thicker Gravity Picks, however it doesn't take long to get used to.

The tone it creates is bright when compared to a Jazz 3, and warmer than the Gravity Sunrise Standard, making it feel like a bit of a compromise pick - the jack of all trades. It feels and sounds at home playing a variety of fast articulate runs and open chord strumming, but one area it really shines in is syncopated funk style rhythm playing. It has a natural compression in it which really lends itself to this style of playing.

Overall, this pick is a great alternative to picks made from more usual materials, and is worth considering if your playing style involves articulate playing and you would appreciate the natural compression this material lends. Players of Jazz 3 picks should especially try this one out for some tonal variety, and at only £3 I think it's a pick worth trying. I'd be very interested in trying some of the other materials Timber Tones use to make picks.

Gravity Razer Standard 3mm - A Modern Classic

From my first regular pick choice, the Dunlop Tortex 1.14mm I reviewed last week, to my current pick of choice and regular use: the Gravity Razer Standard 3mm. This fluorescent orange pick is made out of Polymethyl Methacrylate (to humans, that's a transparent plastic), with the 'Master Finish' edge, which just means unfinished.

Of course I need to begin by addressing the gauge - 3 millimetres is very thick in comparison to many other pick types, however it seems to fit well with my playing style. There is absolutely no bend in this pick, meaning none of the unwanted pick-scrapes which often happen with lighter picks (for me, at least). The extra width does take some getting used to, however it now feels completely natural in my hand, and I do think my playing has improved since using it.

In practise and rehearsal, this pick is surprisingly grippy. The shiny plastic finish gives the impression that any ounce of sweat with cause this pick to drop straight to the floor (where it will instantly be found, because of the luminosity of the orange finish!), whereas in reality the material is very easy to hold onto. On the back of the pick, there is a laser etching of the make and model of the pick, which does add to the grip, however I have been tending to flip it over and hold the writing under my thumb - somewhat of an annoying feature because the writing is now backwards, but that's only me being picky.

Something I quickly noticed when I'd acclimatised to this pick was how easy it was to play articulate picking phrases, with complicated alternate picking and string skipping exercises being almost a joy to play. The thickness of the body of the pick is tapered down on all of the edges, and the point is very precise, combining the comfort of a larger pick with the dexterity of a much thinner one.

In comparison with my purple Tortex, this pick produces a much brighter sound all round, something I do enjoy in my tone, but it doesn't lack in warmth or body - reduce the strength of your picking and a tone not at all dissimilar to the Tortex pick is possible. The real joy of using this pick comes when you really dig into the strings, however. The dynamic range that is possible with this pick is very impressive, and with my Marshall combo set to start crunch when the guitar is on full volume, I very rarely need to touch the volume knob - all the control I need is in my plectrum.

If this review wasn't proof enough, I am really enjoying my new Gravity Razer Standard 3. At the price of £4.45 (gravitypicks.co.uk), it wont be the pick for everybody, however because of the higher cost I have been making more of an effort not to lose it. I no longer leave the house for a rehearsal or a performance without this pick, and usually this is the only pick I will take (unless it's one of those rare occasions where an acoustic guitar is required - I still use the Tortex picks for acoustic). I can highly recommend this pick to any electric guitarist who loves to vary their tone using dynamic playing, or if you particularly like the colour orange.

The First Pick - Dunlop Tortex Standard 1.14mm (The Purple One)

As this is the first review on my blog, I thought I should start with the first pick which became my regular pick of choice - the purple tortex standard. 

This pick is a standard amongst many musicians, and you will find it in almost any music shop. The price on Amazon.co.uk for a pack of 12 is £3.45, which is undeniably very cheap, so would appeal to any level of player, whether just starting out or more experienced. 

One of the primary features of this kind of pick, to me, is the matt, tortex finish, which provides a sturdy grip, no matter how sweaty your fingers get whilst playing. Made to emulate picks originally made from the shell of Atlantic Hawksbill Turtles, this material is both flexible (varying with the gauge) and durable.

I chose the 1.14 gauge pick - I prefer to play with a firmer pick so that I can dramatically alter the dynamics of my playing my changing the ferocity with which I pick. This pick is in a dark purple colour, which, although looks fairly smart, does not make it easy to see when dropped on a dark floor! Between the fingers the pick feels slim (which is surprising, as it is the heaviest in the range), and is a standard plectrum shape. 

When practising with the tortex standard, it is easy to see why this pick has become a standard amongst many musicians. Strumming is comfortable, with the pick skipping over the string comfortably. Faster alternate picking styles required me to slightly angle the pick downwards, as the tip ends with what I would call a wide rounded edge, and the width does not seem to taper at all, however this is a kind of adjustment which, after some practising, would become natural to most players (if you increase the angle too much, the pick makes a harsh scraping sound against the string). The large surface area of the face of the pick allows comfortable finger positions for a variety of picking types, such as allowing a large amount of pick below the fingers for large, dynamic strumming, and showing only the tip for fast alternate picking and pinch harmonics.

I would describe the tone of this pick as warm, and perhaps lacking in the biting top-end frequencies which I tend to enjoy, however it is not at all unpleasant, and when performing with this pick it is not something you (and especially the audience) would necessarily notice. The matt finish is certainly very beneficial when playing live, ensuring a strong grip at all times, no matter how hard you're gripping (I vary the amount of grip a lot).

I would very much recommend this pick to players who are perhaps progressing from the attitude of "any pick will do" to wanting to find a more regular pick to use, as the shape will be very familiar to you, it will stick between your fingers and will give you a very usable tone. Plus it's very cheap, so very good quality for the price!

The Pick!

Hello!

Welcome to The Pick - a blog where I will review (and by review I mean react and make comments of my opinion of) different guitar plectrums.

But who am I?

My name is James, and I am currently a student of Music and Sound Technology, looking for something to do in my spare time! I've been a guitarist for nearly 14 years, and enjoy trying out new guitar gear, so decided to write about picks (plus they're fairly cheap, which is good whilst living on a student's budget!).

The different aspects I will be looking at with each plectrum will include the looks, general feel, my thoughts on it after practising or rehearsing with it, and my thoughts after gigging with it. These criteria will almost certainly change as time goes on, but I will try to stick to them roughly. I will aim to release one review each week.

Over the next few weeks I will be looking at a range picks from Dunlop and Gravity, as these were (and currently are) my go-to pick choices, but I am up for trying different picks based on suggestions, and if anyone should want to send me picks to try, feel free to get in contact.

Remember to look out for the first review over the next week!

James