Wednesday, 27 January 2016

Awe-In-One Picks Spotlight!

I was recently sent a selection of 8 Awe-In-One guitar picks. These picks are designed to be similar in feel and size to 'regular' picks, but have innovative grip designs. Each pick has a circular section of it indented, with different grips on it. The first pick I tried was the Riff 1, a red pick shaped like a 'regular' pick but each edge is slightly more pointed than you'd expect. The grip part of this pick is on one of the top corners, and I can't decide whether I prefer to have my thumb in the indent or my finger. With my thumb in the indent, I found that the grip was massively increased, and although the material is shiny, I doubt I'd drop this pick in a live environment. With my finger in the indent, this pick was great at articulating both riffs and lead parts. Either way, this pick exhibits a warm tone with a pleasant attack and not too bright.




Next up is the Rock Vibes. This pick has varying gauges at different parts of the pick, with the three corners ranging from 0.75mm thick to 1.20mm thick. This was designed to enable the player to change the tone of his playing just by rotating the pick. The circular grip of this pick is in the centre. I found the 0.75mm corner of this pick a bit scratchy, because of the design of the pick, this corner is right next to what I'd describe as a 'bumpy bit', which kept scratching the strings. The other two corners were pleasant to use, and the tone of this pick is just the right amount of bright. The Rock Licks pick is similar to the Rock Vibes in shape, and also has three varying corner gauges, this time a bit thicker. Made out of 'fibre' (this is what they call it on their website), this pick has a great attack, and works well for pinch harmonics. This pick shape isn't really for me, but I can see that it would work for some players.

The next pick I was send is the Profound 1. This pick is a hard, clear purple Jazz 3 sized pick, with an off centre grip circle. This pick has all the benefits of using a smaller pick, great accuracy, speed and control, and tone reminiscent of other small picks, but with a grip which works really well and feels very comfortable. Definitely worth trying out if you prefer a smaller pick. The Shred 1 pick is slightly bigger than the Profound 1, and exhibits many similar tonal qualities, but with the added surface area, and with this pick made from 'fibre' like the Rock Licks, it has a warmer tone than the Profound.

The Thrash II pick is up in size again, and has a really nice, balanced tonal quality to it. Being that little bit larger, it gives you access to a more dynamic way of playing than the smaller picks did, but also still works well for speedy licks, accuracy and control. 

Finally is the Axe 2.5, the thickest pick of the bunch, and the one which appeals to me the most (predictable, I know). This pick is warm, but with a good amount of brightness on tap if you dig in a bit, which I tend to do. The thumb grip is nearer the point, more where I'm used to holding my pick, and just feels the most pleasant pick to play.

It's probably worth mentioning that each of the picks I've written about is available in a variety of materials which massively effect the tone of the pick, so if you like the idea of one pick's shape, but another picks material and tone, check out their website, they may be offering a combination that would work for you. These picks are very reasonable, costing around $1.35 per plectrum, so if you like the look and sound of any of this, why not check them out. These picks are one of the most unique pick brands I've tried so far, and whilst I may not put them in my regular pick arsenal, they exhibit unique feel and tonal qualities which may well become useful in settings like the recording studio, where you have time to get that perfect tone. Why not check them out! Let me know what you think in the comments.

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