The first pick that I enjoyed playing with is the Red Rocker. This traditional shaped pick is less than 2mm thick, and is very comfortable to hold for people used to 'usual' shaped picks. This pick really stands out for it's great tone - it has a polished edge, and great high frequency reproduction, as well as a very pleasant warmth - not too much low end though, which works well for crunchy rock tones (as the pick name suggests). After a few minutes of playing this pick really melds with your hand, and handles a wide variety of playing styles thrown at it excellently. V-Picks pride themselves on being very grip-able. Their "built-in non-slip technology" helps to keep them from being dropped, and they are used by a lot of people with hand injuries, and I can see why with all these picks, even though they're nice and glossy (which looks amazing, by the way), they stay firm between the fingers.
The second pick which I've chosen to write about is the Medium ULR. When I first saw this pick, I wasn't sure I was going to like it - it is very thin and bendy, and has three identical picking corners. However, I really do enjoy playing guitar with this pick. It is great for open chord strumming and picking, and has an excellent natural compression. This pick doesn't seem like it's designed for solo work, but it's by no means bad at it. It's tone is bright, snappy and precise, and is one of the first picks I've reviewed which works as well (if not better!) on acoustic guitar. I think this pick will be a regular for acoustic guitar for me!
The third pick is my favourite of the lot - the Pachelli. This thing rocks! Finished in a transparent black, it is a beautiful thing. It is fairly chunky, around 3mm I'd say, and a similar size and shape to the Dunlop Jazz XL. There is a great, smooth bevel on this pick which makes is a dream to play, and it sounds great at everything I played with it. To me, this pick is a jack-of-all-trades and a master of all of them! The only alteration I'd make is perhaps have slightly wider wings and more engraving on the top - not to the depth of the Mummy pick, but just something slightly larger, like the Bullseye.
Now onto the more different and interesting picks from the V-Picks selection pack that I was given, starting off with the Nexus. This pick is a see through, triangle shaped pick, which is 4-5mm in thickness and a rounded bevel. This also features the rough finish around the edge, which gives is a subtle percussive sound. I would be interested to hear the kind of music that one who enjoys using this pick would play, as I couldn't really get used to it, but it certainly is unique, and the wide range of picks on offer from V-Picks means there is something for everyone.
Next up is the Mummy. Again, featuring the rough edge, this pick is a more standard shape than the Nexus, and has three deep lines engraved on either side of the pick, meaning that gripping it is even easier. The larger bevel on this pick, combined with the rough edge gives this pick a heightened high end, but still retains the warmth that all the V-Picks exhibit.
The gypsy pick appears to be a pick for those players who favour playing with coins - it's round shape makes this pick skip over the strings, and is great for chordal playing. Without any tip as such, to get that bite you have to really dig in with the pick, but when you do it sounds great. This shape of pick definitely isn't for me, but I'd recommend it to the Brian Mays out there who enjoy playing with a coin!
Lastly, is the pick which intrigued me most - the Memphis. This pick is curved inwards, almost like a shallow bowl, and this sits very nicely on the thumb. Designed primarily for blues playing, you can get some really interesting and expressive timbres out of your guitar with this pick. On a downstroke, the curved edge skips over the strings giving the benefits of the thicker, rounded picks, of warmth and a little natural compression. On an upstroke, you get the hook of the curve, giving bright, often fierce sounding lead parts. To all the shredders and alternate pickers out there, I don't think this pick is for you (although, feel free to prove me wrong!) - alternate picking with this pick gives differing timbres and volumes depending on whether you're on an up pick or a down pick. But if you're a slow hand style player, or as V-Picks say on their website, you "savour every note played", then why not give this type of pick a shot.
If you are looking for a new pick to try, definitely try out V-Picks - with many players saying they experience better tone, more volume and a faster picking action, and the fact that they are all made to a very high quality with many endorsees from great guitarists, you can see that they are going to last. I have recently fallen in love with these picks, and I really enjoy playing guitar with them.
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