Raptor Picks Spotlight

This week I'm checking out the British made Raptor Picks. These are tri-corner plectrums, with each individual edge providing a unique feel and tone. Made of moulded high-grade acrylic, these picks are designed to offer something for every type of player, and I must say I found playing with them quite inspiring.

Here's the video demonstration of Raptor Picks - let me know if you enjoy this style of video, or if you have any tips and advise for future videos.

As you can hear in the video, each corner of the pick has a very different tone. The rounded corner, for example, has very little friction on the string, giving a very soft attack. The tone of this corner is also more mellow, a feature which works well on rhythm playing, and so I used it when recording the loop which I improvised over.

The pointed corner of the pick gives a brighter tone with a lot more attack, great for cutting through in a full band mix for solos. I also enjoyed using this pick for clean, picked rhythm parts, but found it too harsh for strumming in general. The medium corner makes a great compromise of the two, giving a usable tone with a nice warms and retaining a good attack and level of brightness.

The shape of these picks mean that they feel very odd in your hands for the first little while of playing. The middle of the pick has a more bumpy material, but I found that the pick was moving around a bit more between the fingers than I'm used to. This aspect probably makes it easier for rotating the pick to a different picking corner, but in general I found this a bit annoying.

I think these picks would make a great plectrum for someone who enjoys playing at home, perhaps soloing over backing tracks or guitar loops as I did in the video. You have three usable yet distinctive tones available without changing anything on your guitar or effects. Personally I wouldn't use this pick at a gig - I prefer to stick with a plectrum that will be consistent, as I wouldn't want to accidentally be playing on one corner of the pick when in fact I wanted to play on the other corner, it just adds something else to think about. However, as with all the picks I review, I'm sure there's someone out there who uses these picks, or other tri-corner plectrums, to achieve great results. If that's you, let me know in the comments! What type of music do you play with these picks, and why do you enjoy using them?

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ToneFirst Customs Spotlight - Tone for Days!

I have been looking forward to trying out some ToneFirst Customs picks for quite a while, having been in contact with Nate, the owner of Tone First Customs, for a few months now. When we first talked, these products were still in early development, and I have kept up to date with the development of the products over on their Instagram page. The selection of picks I have exhibit a wide variety of tones, feels and shapes to suit all types of guitar players, all produced to a very high standard with some interesting unique features.

This spotlight on ToneFirst Customs picks marks the first of my blog posts which have accompanying videos too, so check out the video below for short sound clips of each pick.

The first series of ToneFirst Customs I checked out was the Master series. These picks are made from a modified acrylic material, and I tried out the Jazz III, Standard and Jazz XL shapes. Each of these picks has a right handed bevel, a really interesting feature which I haven't seen before, and which works really well. It's worth noting that left handed or standard bevels are available at no extra cost. These picks have a very nice attack to them, and a brightness which works very nicely with a clean tone and which helps crunchy tones to cut through. The Jazz XL shape has a notable increase in warmth to the other two shapes. All three are very comfortable to play, and feel really nice between the fingers. The classy 'TF' logo on one side has a matte finish to it which really assists in the grip of the pick.

Next up is the Buffalo Horn pick, standard shape with a slight right handed bevel. This is the first horn pick I've played, but after enjoying the Jazzy Tones Buffalo Bone pick, this pick did not disappoint. The material feels almost like a slightly 'dryer' plastic, which really aids in grip, and looks really classy finished in black with the pink 'TF' logo (although due to the material, colours will vary from brown to black). I love the sound of this pick, it is balanced and even, and works great in a variety of styles. Make sure to check out the video to hear a few examples of possible tones. Nate has also informed me that future buffalo horn picks which be chemically treated to aid in durability (however I noticed no decrease in quality during my testing period).

The Elite series picks are another acrylic model, and I tested out the standard shape and the Jazz III shape. These picks are finished very nicely in a transparent Blue Frost colour. The tone of these picks works great for crunchy rhythm playing, with well articulated high frequencies, and they feel great!

Finally is the Eco Series, made out of Buckeye Burl. I have come to love playing guitar with wood picks, they feel great and often have a really pleasant, unique sound to them. This pick has a softer attack than the others, and less pronounced high frequencies which make it very usable in recording situations, where aggressive highs might be less than desired. One thing I noticed when trying out some other wooden picks was the speed at which it wore down, but I have yet to see any wear on this pick.

I have really enjoyed trying out these ToneFirst Customs. There are a very wide variety of tones, feels and looks available, all made at a very high quality by a very nice guy. I look forward to seeing the development of the ToneFirst Customs brand and hearing what you guys think of them! Also, check out their brand new website here.

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A Quick Update - The Pick 2.0.1

This morning I thought I would take the time to update you on some of the new things happening with The Pick over the next month or so.

As some of you may have noticed, The Pick now has it's own Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages. I use these to post about the products I'm reviewing that week, as well as other guitar or music related things which interest me and that I think would interest my followers. I also use social media to talk to some of the people whose products I'm reviewing - I have met some genuinely nice people through emails about my reviews, and love to keep in touch with them over Facebook and see what they're up to on Twitter and Instagram. If you haven't already, give my social medias a look, the links are in the side bar.

Another exciting development on The Pick is that I am going to begin using video demonstrations alongside the written pieces. These will be high quality audio visual representations of the products I am reviewing, and will be used to further show the different tones achievable with each item. These videos will appear here on the blog as well as on YouTube.

As always, I am on the search for more cool pieces of guitar gear to review, so if you have any suggestions or you manufacture a product yourself, please don't hesitate to get in contact! Thanks for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the reviews coming up in the next few weeks.

James

Seven Similarly Shaped Picks Selection Box

This week I thought I'd talk about a selection of picks from my collection, all of which are of a similar shape. This shape, for me, is very comfortable, being not too small, too big, too flimsy or too thick. I would describe this shape as being slightly smaller than a 'regular' shaped pick, for example a Dunlop Tortex, and slightly wider at the holding end. The picks are a selection from Winspear, V-Picks, Chicken Picks, Purus, Gravity, Dunlop and Jazzy Tones.

First up is the control group pick - the Dunlop USA Jazz III. This pick is very widely used in the guitar community, liked for its controlled high end, clear attack and suitability to playing fast parts. To me, the Jazz III lacks the brightness which I now come to look for in a pick that I would regularly use, and whilst it is good to have cheaper picks, it would be nice if these were a bit higher quality and a bit more consistent. The Jazz III I am reviewing today, for example, has a small dot of plastic at the top of the pick, perhaps from where it was attached to the plastic frame in it's manufacturing. The other picks in this example appeal to me as being higher quality 'Jazz III' style picks (not Jazz III in tone or quality, but in that they are all roughly the same shape).

The Winspear Purity Shiv IV is a very classy looking pick, finished in matt white with the black and gold Winspear logo. The pointed end makes this a great tool for lead playing, especially when speedy licks are required, and the tone of this pick is very even. I really enjoy how this pick tapers down to the point, giving the reassurance in grip of a thicker pick, but with a very precise tip.

The V-Picks Venom is the thinnest pick in this selection, coming in at 1.5mm thick. This lighter gauge paired with the extremely pointed tip make it great for lead playing. The heat tempered and buffered acrylic material of this pick gives it little friction as it skips over the strings, and as the picks temperature becomes body temperature, the grip massively increases. This pick also works great for acoustic guitar, reacting really well to dynamic variance in playing style.

From the thinnest pick of the selection to the thickest, the Chicken Picks Shredder comes in at 3.5mm, and being that bit thicker it feels a lot more comfortable to my fingers (getting ever closer to the 5mm gauge of my custom pick!). The thermosetting plastic material used in Chicken Picks gives them a really unique feel, an almost chalky quality. This means that they grip really nicely. The tone of this chicken pick has a really pleasant mid scoop, the treble is cutting and bright enough to push through a band mix, and the warmth gives a very full body to the sound, especially with lead playing. Another thing I love about this pick is the bevelling - this pick tapers in a very similar way to my custom pick, coming to a very nice tip, great for detailed playing.

The Purus Snakewood Tip 2 pick is the only wooden pick in this selection, and has a very unique tone when played in comparison with the other picks - it has a really great low end, nice and tight but also really warm. Snakewood is a very dense wood, and as well as a nice controlled low end, this pick has a great treble snap to it, making it great for expressive playing, both rhythm and lead parts. It is worth saying that, being wooden, you can see the wear on this pick as you use it, however having used it a fair amount I haven't noticed any tonal alterations in the pick - it just starts to look 'relic'd', something which is very much in fashion amongst guitarists nowadays.

Up next is the Gravity Classic Pointed Mini 2mm. This is the only pick of the bunch which has a grip hole in it - this slightly offset oval shape makes holding onto this pick very easy, but to begin with it took a bit of getting used to, it just felt a bit difference. Tonally, this pick must have been designed with electric guitarists in mind - I really like the tone of this pick. It is very bright, not too harsh, but when compared with my Dunlop Tortex pick the tonal differences are akin to changing from the neck pickup to the bridge pickup of my guitar. Whilst both tones are usable, as an electric guitarist often playing in bands where I need to cut through, the gravity is a lot more usable. This bite probably comes from the 'master finish' bevels, which are slightly rough to the touch. These edges can be a bit scratchy to begin with, however with a bit of playing in, they wear to the point where the tone becomes very usable. Also, I love the colour of this pick!

The Jazzy Tones Turquoise Bone pick is made out of Buffalo Bone, a really interesting feeling material which is naturally very grippy. The way I'd describe the tone of this pick is that it is very clear - you can really hear the attack of the note with this pick, something I really enjoy, and I do use this pick very regularly alongside a selection of picks which are a lot more expensive. These picks have been pressure dyed, giving them a really nice mottled blue finish, which wears really nicely when played in, much like the Purus pick.

I hope this selection box type of review has been useful and enjoyable for you, if you did like it please let me know in the comments and I will do some more.

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Winspear Picks Spotlight - They Win!

I was really excited when I received a package of 4 Winspear Picks this week. The selection of picks included a Bloodline Longsword V, Sandstorm Shuriken III, Purity Shiv IV and, most excitingly, a sample of a new material called Ultem, which they're hoping to release this year. The naming of the picks gives you an idea of the shape, weight, tone and grip, and they have a helpful graphic which describes the differences on their website. All the picks have a very classy look to them, with a Black and Gold 'W' badge on the front. These things look great!

Starting off with the Bloodline Longsword V, this pick has a very nice taper from the 'grippy' end to the point, my estimation is that it goes from 5mm to around 1.5mm. The Bloodline material is very light weight, which is interesting for a thicker feeling pick, and has a nice warmth to the tone. As I've found with each of these picks, the warmth of the tone doesn't effect the attack, and even at the warmest end of the material scale, this pick works really well for rhythm playing. Perhaps not for fast, alternate picking stuff though.

The Sandstorm Shuriken III is a small triangular pick, and I am loving the Sandstorm material. It feels really hard, and has a really nice, controlled brightness to the tone which I really enjoy. I will say that, on their website, there is a section which compares the grip of each material, but I have been finding each of these materials feel great and don't slip about. The smaller size of this pick isn't really what I'm used to, but with a bit of practise I got used to it, and found it was great for playing lead parts and pinch harmonics.

Onto the Purity Shiv IV, and I must say this shape is great - it's basically a smaller, pointier version of a 'regular' pick shape. This pick also tapers down to the point, a feature which I really like, as it gives the reassurance of the thicker grip, but you don't get that scratchy sound you sometimes find with thicker picks. The tone of this pick has a great snap to it - not scrapey pick noise, just a great attack, and a nice underlying warmth to it.

From the three stock models to the prototype model, this pick is roughly the same shape as the Broadsword V model (not in this review), and is my favourite pick of the bunch! The material feels great - all of these picks have a really classy matte finish which both looks really cool and feels really nice, and to me this is the best of the lot. This pick has a great brightness to it, which is not dissimilar to the tone of the Sandstorm Shuriken, however with a bit more of a pronounced warmth to it. I'm really looking forward to seeing this product being released and hearing what everyone thinks of it - I'll definitely be getting myself a couple of them, I think they play and sound great (so much so that I've been using them when recording guitars this week!).

If you haven't already, definitely go and check out Winspear Picks, they offer a wide variety of really cool products, really good value for money, and all made in the UK. The prototype pick will definitely be making a continued appearance alongside my signature pick, which shows how high quality they are (if you hadn't already picked that up from the review itself).

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Pick Glue - Is It For You?

After reviewing Gorilla Snot pick grip a few weeks ago, I was intrigued as to other pick grip products, and after some googling, found Pick Glue. Set up in September 2015, this new company was spawned out of necessity. Landon Davis, son of Grammy award winning guitarist and singer/songwriter Brad Davis, was annoyed that his Dad kept using his hair products for his fingers to stop dryness and to increase the grip on his plectrum. This necessity drove Landon to aspire to create a product for his Dad, and what a product it is!

Pick Glue is made up totally of wax-based mixtures, giving the product a very firm structure. This means that a little goes a long way. I used my plectrum to scrape a bit of Pick Glue from the pot, and rubbed it between my thumb and forefinger. The texture of Pick Glue isn't what I'd call sticky, but rather just increases the amount of friction you have. For this review, I'm using my custom V-Picks plectrum, my old Dunlop Tortex 1.14mm and my Gravity Razer 3mm - I chose to use 3 picks because of the varying materials used.

Using my Gravity Razer 3, the grip is instantly improved - the pick just doesn't slip around when you're holding it. As I am playing guitar whilst writing this, it is also very apparent that Pick Glue isn't transferring onto my keyboard - it stays on your finger. After a while of not playing, the Pick Glue dries on your finger, leaving no residue, or can be easily washed off with soap and water. The results are just as impressive on my signature V-Pick - this pick is less slippy than the Gravity normally, but Pick Glue just gives that extra assurance. The Pick Glue has a slightly less prominent effect on the Dunlop Tortex, probably due to that strange powder coating they come in, however in my opinion the Tortex is quite grippy on it's own, so personally the Pick Glue is a bit of overkill in this scenario.

As far as pick grip products go, Pick Glue is my favourite one I've used so far. Unlike the Gorilla Snot, Pick Glue didn't make me want to go and wash my hands repeatedly after using it, making it a lot more appealing for both working musicians and people who just play guitar at home. For people who struggle to grip plectrums, or with excessive dryness or sweaty hands when playing, Pick Glue is a must-try. I have really enjoyed trying out Pick Glue, I was a bit disheartened after trying Gorilla Snot, but I'm encouraged that there are great products out there for people who need them. It's also worth saying that, due to a high number of requests, they are soon releasing grip products for both drummers and athletes.

Being 20 years old, Landon is the same age as me, and I think it's awesome that he's created such a cool, usable product for guitarists. Check out Pick Glue! #GetStuck

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