merciful-evans Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 I finished making this pick today. Its made out of one of my preferred pick materials, perspex. As I usually use tri-shapes, I thought I'd try a quad-shape. The meet angle of most tri-shapes is close to 90 degrees anyway. The main difference (apart from an extra contact point) is straight line profiles rather than curves. It makes a difference in use, though not a major one. Some of you know that I have spent a small fortune on picks over the last few years (could have paid for another guitar). One of the main things I've learned is that it takes a long time to evaluate a pick properly. I can tell if a guitar is any use within 30 seconds. A pick takes about 20 hours. So I'll be using this exclusively for at least a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 I don't know whether it will be all you hope as a pick but it's certainly a Very Cool Colour! Pip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 That is a cool looking pick - will be interested to hear how you like it. As you are testing a pick for 20 hours or more what are you looking for? I never thought about picks that much. Over the years of course I've noticed different sounds and feel based on a pick's thickness, but you must be going way beyond that. At one time I was mostly concerned with picking fast (think Alvin Lee) and used light thin picks because I thought they allowed me to be faster. Over time I have gone to a medium thickness for a better attack of the string and use a heavy pick for acoustic. I'd really appreciate it if you would share your theories on picks and how they effect your playing and the sound you get from the guitar. As I said I just never gave it much thought, maybe I would improve if I knew more about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted July 12, 2017 Author Share Posted July 12, 2017 That is a cool looking pick - will be interested to hear how you like it. As you are testing a pick for 20 hours or more what are you looking for? I never thought about picks that much. Over the years of course I've noticed different sounds and feel based on a pick's thickness, but you must be going way beyond that. At one time I was mostly concerned with picking fast (think Alvin Lee) and used light thin picks because I thought they allowed me to be faster. Over time I have gone to a medium thickness for a better attack of the string and use a heavy pick for acoustic. I'd really appreciate it if you would share your theories on picks and how they effect your playing and the sound you get from the guitar. As I said I just never gave it much thought, maybe I would improve if I knew more about it. The new pick is made from a 300 x 300mm sheet I bought for the purpose. I can probably get another 30+ picks out of it. Its supposed to be 5.mm thick but its actually nearer 4.7mm this is taken from an article I wrote 2 years ago (below). I now prefer a much thicker pick than I did then. 3/ PICK SHAPE & SIZE This is a matter of personal preference. It’s not a bad idea to buy a few different picks for comparison. Even experienced players can benefit by trying an unfamiliar pick from time to time. But it’s no use trying out a new pick for just a few seconds. You will likely need to adapt your technique to it first and that could take time. It’s not unreasonable to use a different pick for the bulk of your practice over the course of a week. At the end of that time you should have learned to use it to good effect and it may help inform your picking technique. Even something that feels ‘wrong’ at first may surprise you after a couple of days use. You might find improvements in your tone, control or speed. You’re unlikely to find one that does everything perfectly. It’s more likely that you will just ‘like’ one better than others. Be aware of any changes you make to the ‘X’ & ‘Y’ attitudes, as you will likely make small unconscious adjustments with any new pick. I am being deliberately vague about shape & size, because the variables are too many and varied to encompass. Chances are though, the one you ‘like’ will simply be the best fit to your style. pick article Picks review II http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/126821-picks-review-ii/ Thanks for your interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelT Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 It's hard to tell from the pictures. Is the pick actually square? Is it beveled on both sides of the pick with holes in the middle to grip with? Can you post a picture showing how you're holding it and its relative size? Am I reading correctly that the pick is 4.77 mm thick at the center? It seems like it would give you a little more gripping area but not as fine of a tip. Are you primarily strumming chords/playing rhythm or are you using it for lead/solo as well? Or, have you not gotten that much testing in yet. I'd be interested to see what you think. I think the holes in the center are a good idea and will help keep it gripped if the plastic or whatever it's made out of is slick. I'd be interested in knowing how fast, if any, the pick got worn down on the picking edges and if so, can you rotate it to use another edge? Are you planning on releasing them to other guitarists for testing? (hint hint) Back when I was first starting to play, I used all kinds of different picks and materials, regular pick shape, thin, medium, hard, etc. There was even a pick I had that had a cone shaped tip, which was supposed to teach you to play faster by hitting the strings with just the tip. I would break thin and medium plastic picks pretty easily on the tip. I wore out the hard plastic picks fairly quickly, soon making the tip of the pick the same shape as the sides you grip. Somewhere in the mid-80's I discovered these picks: Dunlop Tortex 1.14mm They tend to not slip as much until they get used and worn. The edges where I pick at an angle will eventually get worn down over time but not nearly as fast as plastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted July 13, 2017 Author Share Posted July 13, 2017 It's hard to tell from the pictures. Is the pick actually square? Is it beveled on both sides of the pick with holes in the middle to grip with? Can you post a picture showing how you're holding it and its relative size? Am I reading correctly that the pick is 4.77 mm thick at the center? It seems like it would give you a little more gripping area but not as fine of a tip. Are you primarily strumming chords/playing rhythm or are you using it for lead/solo as well? Or, have you not gotten that much testing in yet. I'd be interested to see what you think. I think the holes in the center are a good idea and will help keep it gripped if the plastic or whatever it's made out of is slick. I'd be interested in knowing how fast, if any, the pick got worn down on the picking edges and if so, can you rotate it to use another edge? Are you planning on releasing them to other guitarists for testing? (hint hint) Back when I was first starting to play, I used all kinds of different picks and materials, regular pick shape, thin, medium, hard, etc. There was even a pick I had that had a cone shaped tip, which was supposed to teach you to play faster by hitting the strings with just the tip. I would break thin and medium plastic picks pretty easily on the tip. I wore out the hard plastic picks fairly quickly, soon making the tip of the pick the same shape as the sides you grip. Somewhere in the mid-80's I discovered these picks: Dunlop Tortex 1.14mm They tend to not slip as much until they get used and worn. The edges where I pick at an angle will eventually get worn down over time but not nearly as fast as plastic. Yes, I've used Tortex & Ultrex of different shapes & gauges. Pretty hardwaring materials & sound ok too. My square pick is just an experiment. Its usable but unlikely to be an improvement on tri-picks really. It took about 3 hours to make. It isnt suitable for strumming at all, as the points would wear down too quick. I will only use it for lead work. At least with triangular picks you can use the blunt edges for strumming. Not so with this thing. You are right, the tips are to be rotated in use giving 4 playing contact points. I've used it for only 3 hours so far and the tips are still perfect. Yes the holes are to aid grip. I was wondering whether I should try to flame polish it. The bevels are on each side (8 in all) and where they intersect I have done more radial blending. Here are the pics you asked for. I hope they show the shape & playing/holding positions ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelT Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Thank you for the updated information. I really appreciate it. I hope it works well and you can make a million dollars from them! Let us know if you need any "test pilots" to check them out. I'm sure we could get some volunteers. I look forward to further updates. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 The holes for grip are a good idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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