One of my friends gave Joe Satriani a dragons heart pick at a meet and greet before a show in Seattle last year, he shredded with it for a few minutes before giving it back to him and saying how smooth it played. Once he got home he framed the pick and put it on his wall next to his autographed photo of Joe.
Thanks for having me on the show, Colin. It was so much fun. You're the best! Can't wait to see what kind of torture tests these picks will be subjected to in the upcoming videos :D All the best Stefan
I have some chicken picks and have found i dont lose them at all in comparison to my cheaper ones. I put it down to Subconsciously recognizing how expensive they were and will make sure i always put them in a particular place i will remember.
After getting a dragon's heart and a few other more expensive picks i bought a little pick pouch that clips to my keyring and just got myself in the habit of putting them back into that as soon as I'm done playing. Or if you wear jeans you could throw them in the smaller pocket or into a shirt pocket. The trick is to have a couple of places you ALWAYS put them.
Try: 1) rubbing them on concrete or rough sandpaper 2) hitting them with a hammer to see how brittle they may be 3) leaving them in vinegar to see if they'll erode. 4) sticking them in a fire or try to burn them 5) some kind of grip test
for the test, what about multiple pickscrapes against BASS strings with both the Dragon Heart and the Iron Age picks? Amazing video by the way Colin! \m/
It actually has an indent for just that, though it is too small for bass strings. I've found for the GT that I have it does tend to shred it a little. I would imagine you could do it about 10 times without damage, but after that... I'd be real interested to see his test.
Maybe a long term challenge, shred each day for a month and record/photograph the results. Then post a video in a months time to see which one sustained the most damage. Great channel, keep it up!
A good test is to drag the pick up and down the guitar strings, or get a belt sander with a fine grit like 120 grit and see how much of the pick gets eaten in off in a minute. Take before and after photo of the picks. Then compare the photos
Sure. Another good test is to tie them with strings to be drug around by a car. Also, I like to put different picks in the microwave for 20 seconds and compare with video.
That is my primary concern. $18 for a pick that is just as small and black as picks that cost cents apiece and have worked for me for years. I really like the Dragonheart, but damn I don't travel with it.
Hey Colin! This is a bit long, but it should be helpful... Some of these brands use stupidly pointless material just to raise the price a bit, when in reality it's so much simpler. You don't need an "aircraft grade" material that withstands hundreds of degrees and weights less than paper - that's all bullshit. The only two things to consider here are abrasion resistance for durability and coefficient of friction for tone (stiffness is pretty much insignificant for anything thicker than 3mm). So what should you get? A sheet of virgin PTFE (teflon) plus a hacksaw and some sandpaper from the pound store. Apply some elbow grease and for the small price of £12 you got yourself 20+ solid picks with the LOWEST coefficient of friction commercially possible. This will give you the purest tone ever albeit with pretty average wear resistance. And if you want brighter/muddier experiment with different shapes, or just use your tone & volume knobs. Unfortunately, last time I checked PTFE picks are not commercially available, hence the DIY suggestion. My personal favourite material is UHMWPE - it has the highest abrasion resistance for a commercially available thermoplastic, with friction only slightly higher than PTFE. It will outlast all your other picks, I guarantee it! Of course, that also makes it impossible to mould and much harder to sand, which is why none of the brands you mentioned use it. If you wanna give it a try, I highly recommend BHL picks! Off the top of my head, some others who use it are Purple Plectrums (which are beautiful but expensive) and Hufschmid (which are waaaaay overpriced and in no way better). Alternatively, just buy a sheet and make them yourself - it's pretty cheap from a supplier like DirectPlastics, although they only have black and white. Personally I find that any other "advanced" materials are either a compromise to reduce building costs, or have a very specific tonal properties which people may really like for whatever reason. Best of luck!
+mindlesskris: This is fascinating information. Unfortunately, I have neither the skills nor the tools to try this myself although I would definitely be interested to somehow sample such picks for myself. Also fascinating to a three decades+ guitar player like me is to see the recent focus on all of these "exotic" shaped and material picks. Personally, I have never ever been comfortable using any pick over 1mm and generally have stayed in the traditional .73 or .88mm zone. After all these years, I think I have finally found "my" two top pick choices: Ultex .90 Sharp and Tortex III .73. That Dragon Heart shape just totally confuses me. ;) lol All of these super-thick picks just feel so weird in my hand - admittedly, I have never really given any of them a shot since they immediately feel so foreign to me. Maybe I really should give em a shot just to see for myself what all the fuss is about. Anyway, fascinating info again...cheers!
Realistically speaking, between a £40 UHMWPE pick and the 100 pack of Alice nylons you find for a fiver... the only advantage I care about is the durability plus I can show off to friends :D Is it worth it? Not by a long shot! Dimebag wasn't praised for his tone because of a pick, and all our favourite virtuosos somehow manage with just normal picks. Also consider the huge placebo effect (different is not necessarily better). Since I have workshop equipment already, I don't mind making my own - it's pretty fun actually, but I wouldn't recommend exotic picks to anyone unless they have the spare cash with nothing else to spend it on. Of course that's just my 2 cents :)
+mindlesskris: Yep, I think we're kinda on the same page on this. I hesitate to say that the whole boutique thing is just a phase - I kind feel they are here to stay. But yes, taking a long, hard look at the picks used by nearly all legendary guitarists since time began, the vast majority are NOT using these kinds of picks. Hell, Paul Gilbert goes the exact opposite, using .60 Dunlops and I think he's done pretty OK...lol The flip side to all the legends mostly staying with traditional picks is that they're human and are using stuff they grew up with. Habit can be hard to break. What is interesting to me is the effect the passage of time has on stuff like gear. Who knows? Maybe tomorrow's Satch, VH, Malmsteen, Hendrix will all be using these huge, scientifically designed picks one day. Still, I personally am interested enough in these slabs now to at least give a few some reasonably serious testing. Just to see for myself... cheers man... :)
I'm very thankful that you did that original video on Dragon's Heart picks. Got a set of 4 of them and don't regret it for a second. Keep these vids coming! Love them!
I love my dragon heart collection. Got the big set that comes with 2 custom engraved high end ones, 6 of the classic plastic, lots of the thin ones, two strap pouches, and a tiny shirt I wear all the time. That was the best Christmas gift ever. I owe it to you Collin for introducing me to the picks!
I always like the good and simple bend test!!! See how much leverage you can get and try to snap them in half, put them on the edge of a step to mimic a stage edge and stand on both ends to see if it bends or snaps at all. That way you'll know that even if you drop it, stand on it, jump on it, or try as hard as you can to break it, you never will, and that is want I consider a stage and gig ready plectrum.
for the test of abrasion resistance, ideally you would have the same type of rasp made of different material hardnesses. Like silver, brass, steel, glass, and tungsten carbide. In place of scraping against a rasp, you could place sheets of material in a wood block spaced equally apart and flick over them.
A couple suggestions that I think you might be interested in mate: First, check out Red Bear picks; they're faux tortoise shell picks that were made to virtually clone that sound without needing to slay the animals to get the material, and they sound and play absolutely lovely (a bit darker than most plastic picks, but very even response and very loud, full, and round sounding). I know Guthrie Govan uses them and has a signature model through them, and I have a couple of their jazz III regular and jumbo styles and one of their tear drop style, and I couldn't be happier with them. Now a couple suggestions for the stress tests: I think a really useful one could be testing the breaking point of each picks via a weighted or pressure based device that you could bend the pick in or with until they break (a simple way to test it could be to hold the pick halfway off of the edge of a desk and just push down on the edge hanging off until the pick breaks and just compare the general feel of how sturdy each pick was, though that would be lacking in quantitative data). You could also do the drill test again, but maybe on different surfaces like concrete, sandpaper, etc. to test the general hardiness of each pick under extreme conditions. I also think it would be beneficial to show a before and after segment of how each pick performs and sounds for each test you do to see which ones are still viable for playing even after being put through extreme stress. Edit: One more test that I imagine would be helpful for all guitarists because I'm sure this has happened to all of us at least once: the washer test. Just run the picks through a load in the washer and dryer and see how they compare before and after. Any picks that are lost in the crevasses of the machines could be comedically eliminated by default.
for the strength test you could take the cooling fins from a motorcycle or something similar then make a small wheel that you can crank put little arms on to hold the pick.
For the torture test I would also include a grip test. Make a hole in the picks and tie some weights to them to see how good the grip is. Another interesting suggestion would be getting a hacksaw with a removable blade, taking the blade out and tying a guitar string under tension on the saw. Now it should be easy to see how friction against strings affects a pick, and it'll also be satisfying to cut a pick in half with a string.
definitely interested in checking out dragon heart and iron age picks they look like they play awesome, been using Dunlop Primetone .88-1.0 for the longest Idea's for the iron age survivability tests: 1. durability against heavy hands, so breaking and wearing away 2. see how they hold up cleanliness wise, sweat/finger gunk build up 3. at what temperature they melt 4. if they're reliable to stay in your hand when they get slippery from sweat and/or other fluids, so grip test 5. and a durability test, how they hold up after a while of normal wear and tear
Hey Colin, great video. I've always been keenly aware of how much of an affect a pick's thickness and material have on sound. One thing you don't mention, is that string gauge is a huge factor in pick selection. I find that heavier picks get hung up on lighter gauge strings, and lighter picks sound less good on heavier gauge strings. For me, it's always been a compromise between tone and speed. I can't wait to try out some of the picks in your video. I've tried so many different picks, but was unaware of the boutique picks you mention, so thank you, I'm going to give them a try!
I'd suggest a back to back test for the picks as follows. -clamp the pick down somehow to ensure it doesn't move -use either a piece of high grit sandpaper or a light grinder on the picking edge for set time intervals and document the damage. -Compare all types of pick side by side incrementally. -try a Jazz III, a Dragon Heart, a Gravity, a Chicken Pick, and maybe various Iron Ages, showing us the wear after x minutes of grinding/sanding
I used to use the green Dunlop Tortex .88mm picks. I tried many different picks and they felt the best for a while. That is until I saw a couple of videos from Rob Scallion and CSGuitars talking about the Dragon's Heart picks. I tried the GT out of curiosity. Looking back, I'm glad I did. That pick revitalized my passion to play while providing a tone unmatched by any plastic pick. Added bonus of a noticeable increase in speed. I highly recommend these picks to everyone and will continue to do so. They are easily my favorite picks to use.
Outstanding video Colin, thank you so much for sharing! Also thanks to Stefan & Robert for your insights on an often overlooked topic. Looking forward to y'alls future videos, much appreciated & best wishes.
My favorite, so far, is the V-pick Screamer. I also own and enjoy the Dragonsheart picks. Gravity felt fine but didn't really do anything for me. I'd like to try the Chicken and Iron Age Picks. For a test I would suggest rigging up something to hold them against the spokes of a spinning bicycle wheel. This would come fairly close to simulating the effect of picking across the strings. Also, you could test them simultaneously.
I ordered Dragonheart and Talon picks as per your advice. I play with the pick held between the top of the thumb and the fingertip of the index finger. The Talon picks don't make much sense with such a grip, but the Dragonhearts are excellent for the style. They got me to practice picking again instead of just fingerpicking.
After 40 yrs. playing, I've been blown away by Dunlop jazz III XL. They are a full size pick, but have the tiny, pointed end. Super fast and comfortable.
Didn't realize there was so much importance in picks. I'm a bassist working on getting better at guitar and usually ditch the pick and play with my fingers. I would love to find a pick that I feel comfortable with, will have to try more than a Fender Med. Great info, thanks!
I haven't played many picks up until now. The best picks I've played so far are the Eric Johnson Jazz III Picks. I had them for over a year now and they never actually grow blunt. The've always been sharp all the time. The slight wear on the edges as I play from time to time gives me that satisfying scraping sound when I picked a string. I'm looking forward to trying some other guitar picks tho'!
for resistance test i would take 1 pick of each company and stick them to a piece of wood.. then stick sand paper in other piece of wood and then rub both so you can observe wich degrades faster... another test would be bending them as much as you can and observe if they go back to original.. another would be smashing a brick on the tip of two picks attached to a table or something that way you can see wich breaks easier
I have been using the Dunlop John Petrucci pick and they are so badass. They are very similar to the Gravity picks. They have a indentation where your thumb rest and they give you total control. And I have a stone pick (cannot remember the brand) that is the smoothest strumming you can get.
These are some cool picks. I recently found a custom maker who's picks really deliver the tone. Zenfire picks. I ordered a couple of their Phat Jazz and Fusion picks in hard brass and phosphor bronze. Way impressed! They even have grips. I finally stopped using my Jazz 3 Dunlops. no comparison! Good picks really do make a world of difference.
Those picks look pretty cool, maybe one day I'll try one. A few years ago I played with a pick that developed a sharp edge, and would cut through my guitar strings occasionally. You could test for the pick's ability to not break strings. File down the picks, trying to shape the edges like a blade, and try cutting through guitar strings (or something else). If they cut, they lose!
I was introduced to Dragonheart picks about 2 years ago from your channel and I immediately ordered them. I had only been playing for about a year and a half and I'd always felt awkward holding the standard .70mm dunlop picks, and in the couple of months before getting the Dragonheart I'd gone from the .70mm to a 1mm, and then from that to a 2mm. I loved the extra thickness of the 2mm but hated how it essentially robbed my tone of all sense of attack, so when I saw the Dragonhearts I jumped at the oppurtunity. I haven't played with another pick since I got that one.
Test for the picks suggestion: Lock them on a vice and hit them with a hammer. I have four dragon's hearts and I would like to see if they're harder than the Iron Ages. Keep up the great videos!
Great video, deffinitly ordering some from each! As for tests, take a before and after photo. Then get some kind of electric motor rig to (Lego, kinex) and have it sweep across the strings of a guitar continuesly for say 12 or 24 hours. See what wears more. DON'T FORGET TO DO THE SAME TEST WITH A REGULAR PICK SO WE CAN SEE THE JUST HOW STRONG THESE ARE.
My idea for the test involves tremolo picking the bass string near the bridge where the rigidity is highest, then constantly switch between fast chord strums, both up and down, then switching in between the methods for 6-8 cycles. Play with higher gauge strings at E standard tuning, strum as hard as you can. Play to a metronome to keep a regular pace. Should be a decent test
I would recommend a series of test aimed toward gigging/studio musicians who would more likely be open to paying more toward picks Use a series of test such as the following Picking accuracy- playing a chosen riff with both picks in cold environments(have a warming period in between) Grip test - using a simulated sweat (maybe salt water) see if it will effect how the pick sits in the hand abrasion test - Wrap sand paper over the area of the strings where you would usually play then compare after playing a set list to simulate the standard gigging tone comparrison - doesnt really need explaining but.... same sond played through the same set up only alteernating between picks Visibility test - have someone place a pick on the floor and time how long it takes you to find it. 5 minutes max again to keep inline with the gig premise and which would be more useful in a zombie apocalypse (screwdriver/cutting capabilities)
Totally agree on the Dragonhearts - went for Chicken Picks initially but instantly new the Ds where perfect when I started using them. I'd be interested to see, maybe as a final test, how much 3-6 seconds on a low grit belt sander would do to the picks because the Dragonhearts are borderline immune to wear in my experience.
Do the bombdrop, where you slide the edge of the pick down the strings, with each pick to find out witch withstands it longer, or how many of them it withstands. Love your vids and your accent.
Take some sandpaper wrapped around a thin ruler or something to the edges of the picks to test abrasion resistance (something similar to striking a guitar string)
I'm new to your videos but I have heard you mention them before and I purchased the Dragons Heart original and it has totally changed my guitar playing and I don't plan on changing back to the plastic picks ever!!!!!!!
I only use my Gravity picks in my studio. I have a case for them, so once I'm done they go back in the case. When I'm out, I play Jazz III and Dunlop Ultex picks. I've been playing Gravities for a year and with this system, haven't lost one.
For a mediocre amateur with primary-school-age children, the best test I can think of it which ones are hardest to lose - It's been three months and I'm still impressed that I've not lost my CSGuitars pick I got with my All The Gain t-shirt.
A good challenge that would look good on camera would be strumming them across sand paper to the playing speed of one of your own songs. It will be significantly more damage than playing normally of course, but it is something that could be reproduced across many picks, with a very good visual of the amount of wear on each
it might sound a bit extreme but stick them in a vice, might seem a bit extreme but say you drop your pick and you need to move your furniture a bit on the hunt, resulting in the feet of your sofa or your big, heavy 100 W 4x12 stack. Obviously the vice would produce a lot more force but it will be good for testing the brittleness of the picks.
tape down some sand paper and scrape them on it on one side for a set and equal amount of time for each pick and see how much material comes off each one to to determine which one has the least amount or most amount of wear. alternatively you can measure the pick on the side you are going to scrape on the sandpaper and see how much has been taken away after the set amount of time.
you should put the picks on a spinning rig (like a drill) and use the spinning of the drill to simulate hours or years of picking by having the rotating pick attack a guitar string and see how it does against other picks.
You can strum as hard as possible to see which one takes more over time from rough aggressive playing and see how they do with thicker or lighter strings and which they play best with, you can also do which I better for bass guitar
Excellent video, it's so true, your Pick can make suck a huge difference in your tone and overall playing. I started trying a VeePick 1mm.Switchblade which is made out of a super tough material even though it was 1mm it felt like a 2 mm Pick and improved my playing, I actually found the heavier the Pick the easier it made playing and gave more definition to notes and chords, now I use a Gravity Pick 3mm large Triangle unfinished sides, just brilliant, I never thought I would be using such a heavy pick! Worth checking out!
For the pick test video you should attach them to a drill and spin them against a string for a few minutes to simulate a lot of wear in a short period of time. This would help see which one wears done the easiest.
I have all 3 Dragon's Heart picks. Great picks. Here's the rundown: - Original for brightness and super speed - Pure for a mellow tone and speed - Hardened for a bright tone. It's brighter than the Original, but it feels like it's grabbing the strings, making speed difficult. I personally like it less than Original and Pure.
One thing Colin left out about Chicken Picks is the attack. They sound like poker chips or ceramic when they hit the string. Not a big deal if you're using distortion or if you like a unique attack sound, but if you don't like a harsh pick attack, you may want to look elsewhere. I enjoy the shape and size of the 3.5mm Shredder by Chicken Picks, but I'm probably going to try Dragon's Heart picks next. If anyone has any suggestions for 3.5mm or 4mm picks in the standard small shape, I'm all ears.
i play metal plectrums made out of quarters cut into a sharp almost jazz 3 shape and hand sanded and beveled and they are very shiny so they are easy to see when you shine your torch on the ground and they stay in your hands very well only problem is they wear a bit into a flatter shape after a long time
TEST by excessive sweep picking at an angle (5min consecutively) Downward picking only doing Djent (5min consecutively) 10 - 12 swipes with the point on sandpaper.
Colin... as usual great video! I wrote quite a bit here about some of my boutique picks over the last 15 years or so. They can make the same guitar sound different, especially in recording sessions. My picks have evolved from the freebees with a new guitar or whatever purchase from the store to a range of picks. My current go to are Dunlop Jazztone LG Sharp Tip. I love these because they still sound pretty good as they wear down. The attack diminishes but you get a fuller, smoother tone. I recently got Snark Teddy's Neo Tortoise picks. They are nice but anything 1.0 mm feels somewhat flimsy now. They are stiff and that's what I am looking for. A friend gave me a Dunlop Primetone (1.5 mm) and that plays nice too. On the expensive side I have a Redbear TT-HVY New Tortis pick. This set me back just under $40 a few years ago. It's made of animal products and it can basically melt if you leave it wet. I was told it is pretty much as close to a Hawksbill turtle shell as you can get. I also have a Cymbolic Brass pick that is really bright! Its made of cymbal brass. It looks like they are no longer made. I still have a V Pick Switchblade that cycles in and out. I also use Dunlop 3.0 mm purple jazz picks, they yend to wear out quicker than the Jazztones and can't really be saved. They just sound dull. Now the cool thing is that with all of these picks I can get different tones out of the same guitar so for recording it sounds like I have 4 or 5 guitars but its the same one. With each pick I will strum on different places. This is very apparent when you do it on a well set up acoustic. My busking/gigging acoustic is a souped up Epiphone AJ 200 with bone nut and saddle, rosewood bridge pins and an LR Baggs I Beam pickup. I can get it sounding better than a Gibson J 45 with the Redbear pick just unplugged. I would like to see the pick shoot out with the Dragon's Heart on a mandolin style lead against some of the others. That would be cool. Also try them out on your bass. They should work well on that. Two last things... One, you can save old worn picks to use as washers if you drill them through. It adds a cool touch. Second, if you have never done this, you can take copper plumbing pipe scrap and make them into slides. If you rough them up you will get a dirty blues drag. That's what George Thorogood does!
One last thing... even expensive picks are way cheaper then new pickups, effects, amps, guitars,etc.. It's a very cost effective way to discover new sounds, playing styles and can reinvigorate your playing.
I really love the john petrucci picks. It is the between a jazz and traditional shape and 2 millimeter thick. It's so much easier to alternate and trem pick compared to normal pick.
A pick I'd recommend is the Jim Dunlap gator picks. They come in carrying sizes, and I use a 2mm thick one for when I play bass, and a .7mm for guitar. They have an interesting feel and are relatively cheap compared to others
A good test would be a steady tremolo picking test with each in clean and high gain scenarios. As well as doing a clean lead and high gain lead for context.
For a "pick torture test" I would play 2 hours of black metal on thick strings (11s in standard) for each pick and compare the wear on each pick. I would encourage you to use the acute edge of the pick for this test, as it tends to wear down into a rounded edge fairly quickly.
You could try running them against a high grit sandpaper for a certain amount of "strums" more or less with various guitar picks all the same amount of passes and see how each pick had worn down
I really like Xl Ultex Jazz iii picks. I like Jazz 3s because they're thin and sort of melt in your hand, while not giving any flex. Most boutique picks seem a little fat and I used to like thick picks, but they really slow me down and I think they're just as easy to drop. I think the best torture test is a pick scratch :).
Take a sander to them. To ensure consistency, maybe put them in a clamp, or find some way to hold them both the same, and use the sander on them that way. That way, you ensure you're using the same speed/amount of force with all the picks
Great video. Last year, on the recommendation of Chappers and The Captain, I tried out Gravity picks. They're great picks and I never again even looked at my Jazz III or Fender celluloid picks. A few months ago, on your recommendation, Colin, I tried the Dragon Heart and have not touched my Gravity picks since! Now to try Mr. Ben Eller's signature pick. Will it destroy my love for Dragon Heart? Only time will tell!
I tried the shredder 3,5mm from chickenpicks. Loved it. The point is a bit too rounded and I want to try something else. I’m going to order a sunrise 3mm from gravity picks today
I'd suggest doing doing abrasion tests of both bass and guitar strings and on guitar test on both the wound and not wound strings because I've noticed some pick have a different ware pattern with wound strings and not wound ones. cheers dude
I’ve been using gravity picks for about 3 years now, spurned on by your video about them. Took me a while to get the perfect design for me but it was well worth it
I think doing pick slides with the dragonheart and the Iron Age can be quite accurate. Another one u can do is the Paul Gilbert power drill method to emulate tremolo picking
use some kind of belt sander/grinder/wire wheel type abrasive thingy! itll be somewhat similar to hours of play time. or glue/affix them to your tires some how and go on a road trip!
I'm not sure how realistic or smart this is, but you attempt to drill a small through each pick, and the difficulty in doing so could be an indication of their strength. You could also how they react to being sanded, as that might be a good indicator of their wear resistance
i used to play your typical guitar picks, then this one day i noticed in a magazine how all the best shredders used this weird green pick, looked like it was made of horn or something and almost seemed to be glowing. took some crazy adventuring to get one but ive never played the same. i guess it was just destiny that i find that pick.
I've been using a Dragon's Heart pick for a while and I love it. My tone is very different when I use it. I really like the attack that the sharp end gives me.
I personally try out new picks at first with my acoustic guitar for strums and riffs, because an acoustic instrument in my opinion gives you a clear view of tonal differences. Then I try the picks with crunchy single coil sounds and humbucker hi-gain sounds to figure out if I still hear the difference between cheap picks and high quality ones. Currently I use bone, ebony and aluminium picks by devilpicks. Ceers 😉
I don't know if that can be called a test, but I would like to HEAR what the picks sound after the torture tests. I don't mind if you will put them on a drill, pick against sandpaper or boild them in hot tar... seeing the results is cool, but listening to it may be cooler. Keep on the good work, your videos are great! And don't you mind these haters talking about your accent, I think it sounds almost like music, and I can understand even though English is my second language.
Maybe test the picks against sandpaper and see just how easily they can be worn? My picks seem to go blunt really easy (I often have to use the Steve Vai carpet trick to sharpen them all the time) so I've been looking into getting some higher-end picks. Looking forward to seeing the vid :P keep up the great work Colin! \m/
A test i would Love to see is the fact that you mentioned the speed and doing a speed test of a complex solo part where picking all the notes are a must and compare that to a thin and a thick "normal" pick. I use Gravity myself but i havent Been able to try the dragon picks and WHO doesnt want speed picking to feel faster and sound cleaner? This test would Also test how fast the picks tears apart.
Sandpaper!!!! Not the most interesting thing but for a precise test I think you could drag them an equal amount of times to get a consistent wear on all the picks you test. If you really wanna shred them use a grinder to finish them off at the end, tihi.
Attach them all to the end of a drill Paul Gilbert style and see how many times you can play through the Daddy, brother, lover, little boy solo before they are worn out? That is if your strings last long enough :) remember it must be a makita if you want the right tone. Might have to try some of these 'fancy' pics, moving to jazz 3's a few years ago was a revelation as the grip and the pointy picking surface meant my picking improved a lot. I can't see myself using the dragon heart picks though, they remind me too much of those weird shark fin picks I never got on with.
for a stress test, what would happen if you put them in a blender? just curious... maybe more useful, you could scrub them on a file or sandpaper a strict number of times and see what happens
Throw the Dragonheart's and the Iron Age picks in a blender for 5-10 seconds (or more) and see which one has the least amount of damage. I've never used an Iron Age pick before but they seem really cool.
I think its a decent idea, maybe throw them in there with some soapy water to emulate them being stuck in the washer/dryer, because who hasn't left a pick or two in their pants then thrown them in the wash before :p
CSGuitars buy a cheap one from Argos! Pro: you can see which breaks first, Con: you may have wasted about £30 on an Argos value Blender. BUT, on the bright side, you May have just found a new Torture Test Standard
i use gravity gold stealth picks. the wide angle tip, all around bevelling and composite materials glide through my strings like butter...if only it had a slightly better grip. however 20 bones a pickay be steep...but after 9 months, I'm still using the same pick.
Simple tests that are common wear and tear, like running them down the strings for the squeal. I have destroyed many a pick including boutique picks this way. A less common test could be a blow torch (entertaining? lol). I just did a video on my channel like this. I was a gravity guy for awhile and still love them but I have been using the Dunlop Prime Tones. Their tonal quality is the best! Especially if you switch between electric and acoustic. I would love to try the Iron Age picks.
I have a Dragon Heart and I do like it a lot, my favourite is the the Gravity Sunrise, 2mm in master finish with a the 7 grip holes - I do tend to wear them out though.... I have to buy 2 or 3 picks every 6 months or so so its not exactly a problem. There's no appreciable wear on my Dragon's Heart though and although I don't use it as much as my Gravity picks now, I did use it exclusively for a few months. I have a collection of Iron Age picks (thanks Colin) and they are good, but I found the horn arrowhead wore down very quickly, while the ebony and coconut shell picks offered too much friction. The bone one is still good though.... I used boggo Dunlop picks for years but finally got my mind changed when Colin sent me a bag of Iron Age picks a couple of years ago.
One of my friends gave Joe Satriani a dragons heart pick at a meet and greet before a show in Seattle last year, he shredded with it for a few minutes before giving it back to him and saying how smooth it played. Once he got home he framed the pick and put it on his wall next to his autographed photo of Joe.
Thanks for having me on the show, Colin. It was so much fun. You're the best! Can't wait to see what kind of torture tests these picks will be subjected to in the upcoming videos :D
All the best
Stefan
new challenge! Help us figure out how the hell to not lose these things!
I have some chicken picks and have found i dont lose them at all in comparison to my cheaper ones. I put it down to Subconsciously recognizing how expensive they were and will make sure i always put them in a particular place i will remember.
true at home I can say fair enough but for me its always going out somewhere to play ill always eventually end up losing one
That's probably the biggest difference then as i'm a fully at home player at the moment and never go out to play.
After getting a dragon's heart and a few other more expensive picks i bought a little pick pouch that clips to my keyring and just got myself in the habit of putting them back into that as soon as I'm done playing.
Or if you wear jeans you could throw them in the smaller pocket or into a shirt pocket.
The trick is to have a couple of places you ALWAYS put them.
Drugmaster_Telros I play 1 dragons heart pick per year, all I do is put it back on my amp when I'm done
Such a cool video thanks for having my on your channel buddy :)
Try:
1) rubbing them on concrete or rough sandpaper
2) hitting them with a hammer to see how brittle they may be
3) leaving them in vinegar to see if they'll erode.
4) sticking them in a fire or try to burn them
5) some kind of grip test
Make the Dragon Heart and Iron Age watch the Star Wars prequels. Whichever watches for the longest without breaking wins.
Pretty sure that's a war crime.
Terry Kawve Or Dragonball Evolution.
for the test, what about multiple pickscrapes against BASS strings with both the Dragon Heart and the Iron Age picks? Amazing video by the way Colin! \m/
Bang 98 Rule #2!
It actually has an indent for just that, though it is too small for bass strings. I've found for the GT that I have it does tend to shred it a little. I would imagine you could do it about 10 times without damage, but after that...
I'd be real interested to see his test.
Maybe a long term challenge, shred each day for a month and record/photograph the results. Then post a video in a months time to see which one sustained the most damage. Great channel, keep it up!
A good test is to drag the pick up and down the guitar strings, or get a belt sander with a fine grit like 120 grit and see how much of the pick gets eaten in off in a minute. Take before and after photo of the picks. Then compare the photos
Sure. Another good test is to tie them with strings to be drug around by a car. Also, I like to put different picks in the microwave for 20 seconds and compare with video.
This is good
how about visibility against a carpet or on a dark stage because at these prices you definitely don't want to loose em
That is my primary concern. $18 for a pick that is just as small and black as picks that cost cents apiece and have worked for me for years. I really like the Dragonheart, but damn I don't travel with it.
Chickenpicks are white
The main problem of these high-end picks is that the Dunlop Jazz III exists.
YmirVEVO Try out John Petrucchi's signature pick.
Imho, it's WAY better than usual jazz III.
YmirVEVO which ones?? he has 2....the primetone and carbon fiber....i like his black carbon fiber line
YmirVEVO which ones?? he has 2....the primetone and carbon fiber....i like his black carbon fiber line
The red Max-Grip Jazz III's are the best ones imo.
I use the max grip small carbon one
I have all the dragon heart picks and the pure is my favourite
Hey Colin! This is a bit long, but it should be helpful...
Some of these brands use stupidly pointless material just to raise the price a bit, when in reality it's so much simpler. You don't need an "aircraft grade" material that withstands hundreds of degrees and weights less than paper - that's all bullshit. The only two things to consider here are abrasion resistance for durability and coefficient of friction for tone (stiffness is pretty much insignificant for anything thicker than 3mm). So what should you get? A sheet of virgin PTFE (teflon) plus a hacksaw and some sandpaper from the pound store. Apply some elbow grease and for the small price of £12 you got yourself 20+ solid picks with the LOWEST coefficient of friction commercially possible. This will give you the purest tone ever albeit with pretty average wear resistance. And if you want brighter/muddier experiment with different shapes, or just use your tone & volume knobs. Unfortunately, last time I checked PTFE picks are not commercially available, hence the DIY suggestion.
My personal favourite material is UHMWPE - it has the highest abrasion resistance for a commercially available thermoplastic, with friction only slightly higher than PTFE. It will outlast all your other picks, I guarantee it! Of course, that also makes it impossible to mould and much harder to sand, which is why none of the brands you mentioned use it. If you wanna give it a try, I highly recommend BHL picks! Off the top of my head, some others who use it are Purple Plectrums (which are beautiful but expensive) and Hufschmid (which are waaaaay overpriced and in no way better). Alternatively, just buy a sheet and make them yourself - it's pretty cheap from a supplier like DirectPlastics, although they only have black and white.
Personally I find that any other "advanced" materials are either a compromise to reduce building costs, or have a very specific tonal properties which people may really like for whatever reason. Best of luck!
+mindlesskris: This is fascinating information. Unfortunately, I have neither the skills nor the tools to try this myself although I would definitely be interested to somehow sample such picks for myself.
Also fascinating to a three decades+ guitar player like me is to see the recent focus on all of these "exotic" shaped and material picks. Personally, I have never ever been comfortable using any pick over 1mm and generally have stayed in the traditional .73 or .88mm zone. After all these years, I think I have finally found "my" two top pick choices: Ultex .90 Sharp and Tortex III .73. That Dragon Heart shape just totally confuses me. ;) lol
All of these super-thick picks just feel so weird in my hand - admittedly, I have never really given any of them a shot since they immediately feel so foreign to me.
Maybe I really should give em a shot just to see for myself what all the fuss is about.
Anyway, fascinating info again...cheers!
Realistically speaking, between a £40 UHMWPE pick and the 100 pack of Alice nylons you find for a fiver... the only advantage I care about is the durability plus I can show off to friends :D Is it worth it? Not by a long shot! Dimebag wasn't praised for his tone because of a pick, and all our favourite virtuosos somehow manage with just normal picks. Also consider the huge placebo effect (different is not necessarily better). Since I have workshop equipment already, I don't mind making my own - it's pretty fun actually, but I wouldn't recommend exotic picks to anyone unless they have the spare cash with nothing else to spend it on. Of course that's just my 2 cents :)
+mindlesskris: Yep, I think we're kinda on the same page on this. I hesitate to say that the whole boutique thing is just a phase - I kind feel they are here to stay. But yes, taking a long, hard look at the picks used by nearly all legendary guitarists since time began, the vast majority are NOT using these kinds of picks. Hell, Paul Gilbert goes the exact opposite, using .60 Dunlops and I think he's done pretty OK...lol
The flip side to all the legends mostly staying with traditional picks is that they're human and are using stuff they grew up with. Habit can be hard to break. What is interesting to me is the effect the passage of time has on stuff like gear. Who knows? Maybe tomorrow's Satch, VH, Malmsteen, Hendrix will all be using these huge, scientifically designed picks one day.
Still, I personally am interested enough in these slabs now to at least give a few some reasonably serious testing. Just to see for myself...
cheers man... :)
I'm very thankful that you did that original video on Dragon's Heart picks. Got a set of 4 of them and don't regret it for a second. Keep these vids coming! Love them!
Put them on a drill Paul Gilbert style
He did that last time so I'm sure he could do it again.
Was going to suggest that. Glad I read the comments first!
I love my dragon heart collection. Got the big set that comes with 2 custom engraved high end ones, 6 of the classic plastic, lots of the thin ones, two strap pouches, and a tiny shirt I wear all the time. That was the best Christmas gift ever. I owe it to you Collin for introducing me to the picks!
I always like the good and simple bend test!!! See how much leverage you can get and try to snap them in half, put them on the edge of a step to mimic a stage edge and stand on both ends to see if it bends or snaps at all. That way you'll know that even if you drop it, stand on it, jump on it, or try as hard as you can to break it, you never will, and that is want I consider a stage and gig ready plectrum.
for the test of abrasion resistance, ideally you would have the same type of rasp made of different material hardnesses. Like silver, brass, steel, glass, and tungsten carbide. In place of scraping against a rasp, you could place sheets of material in a wood block spaced equally apart and flick over them.
A couple suggestions that I think you might be interested in mate: First, check out Red Bear picks; they're faux tortoise shell picks that were made to virtually clone that sound without needing to slay the animals to get the material, and they sound and play absolutely lovely (a bit darker than most plastic picks, but very even response and very loud, full, and round sounding). I know Guthrie Govan uses them and has a signature model through them, and I have a couple of their jazz III regular and jumbo styles and one of their tear drop style, and I couldn't be happier with them. Now a couple suggestions for the stress tests: I think a really useful one could be testing the breaking point of each picks via a weighted or pressure based device that you could bend the pick in or with until they break (a simple way to test it could be to hold the pick halfway off of the edge of a desk and just push down on the edge hanging off until the pick breaks and just compare the general feel of how sturdy each pick was, though that would be lacking in quantitative data). You could also do the drill test again, but maybe on different surfaces like concrete, sandpaper, etc. to test the general hardiness of each pick under extreme conditions. I also think it would be beneficial to show a before and after segment of how each pick performs and sounds for each test you do to see which ones are still viable for playing even after being put through extreme stress.
Edit: One more test that I imagine would be helpful for all guitarists because I'm sure this has happened to all of us at least once: the washer test. Just run the picks through a load in the washer and dryer and see how they compare before and after. Any picks that are lost in the crevasses of the machines could be comedically eliminated by default.
for the strength test you could take the cooling fins from a motorcycle or something similar then make a small wheel that you can crank put little arms on to hold the pick.
For the torture test I would also include a grip test. Make a hole in the picks and tie some weights to them to see how good the grip is.
Another interesting suggestion would be getting a hacksaw with a removable blade, taking the blade out and tying a guitar string under tension on the saw. Now it should be easy to see how friction against strings affects a pick, and it'll also be satisfying to cut a pick in half with a string.
definitely interested in checking out dragon heart and iron age picks they look like they play awesome, been using Dunlop Primetone .88-1.0 for the longest
Idea's for the iron age survivability tests:
1. durability against heavy hands, so breaking and wearing away
2. see how they hold up cleanliness wise, sweat/finger gunk build up
3. at what temperature they melt
4. if they're reliable to stay in your hand when they get slippery from sweat and/or other fluids, so grip test
5. and a durability test, how they hold up after a while of normal wear and tear
Hey Colin, great video. I've always been keenly aware of how much of an affect a pick's thickness and material have on sound.
One thing you don't mention, is that string gauge is a huge factor in pick selection.
I find that heavier picks get hung up on lighter gauge strings, and lighter picks sound less good on heavier gauge strings. For me, it's always been a compromise between tone and speed. I can't wait to try out some of the picks in your video.
I've tried so many different picks, but was unaware of the boutique picks you mention, so thank you, I'm going to give them a try!
I'd suggest a back to back test for the picks as follows.
-clamp the pick down somehow to ensure it doesn't move
-use either a piece of high grit sandpaper or a light grinder on the picking edge for set time intervals and document the damage.
-Compare all types of pick side by side incrementally.
-try a Jazz III, a Dragon Heart, a Gravity, a Chicken Pick, and maybe various Iron Ages, showing us the wear after x minutes of grinding/sanding
I used to use the green Dunlop Tortex .88mm picks. I tried many different picks and they felt the best for a while. That is until I saw a couple of videos from Rob Scallion and CSGuitars talking about the Dragon's Heart picks. I tried the GT out of curiosity. Looking back, I'm glad I did. That pick revitalized my passion to play while providing a tone unmatched by any plastic pick. Added bonus of a noticeable increase in speed. I highly recommend these picks to everyone and will continue to do so. They are easily my favorite picks to use.
Outstanding video Colin, thank you so much for sharing! Also thanks to Stefan & Robert for your insights on an often overlooked topic. Looking forward to y'alls future videos, much appreciated & best wishes.
My favorite, so far, is the V-pick Screamer. I also own and enjoy the Dragonsheart picks. Gravity felt fine but didn't really do anything for me. I'd like to try the Chicken and Iron Age Picks. For a test I would suggest rigging up something to hold them against the spokes of a spinning bicycle wheel. This would come fairly close to simulating the effect of picking across the strings. Also, you could test them simultaneously.
I ordered Dragonheart and Talon picks as per your advice. I play with the pick held between the top of the thumb and the fingertip of the index finger. The Talon picks don't make much sense with such a grip, but the Dragonhearts are excellent for the style. They got me to practice picking again instead of just fingerpicking.
After 40 yrs. playing, I've been blown away by Dunlop jazz III XL. They are a full size pick, but have the tiny, pointed end. Super fast and comfortable.
Didn't realize there was so much importance in picks. I'm a bassist working on getting better at guitar and usually ditch the pick and play with my fingers. I would love to find a pick that I feel comfortable with, will have to try more than a Fender Med. Great info, thanks!
Can you just deep fry them?
Gravity = garbage picks. No effects on my tone or playability, just annoyingly thicker and in feels like they're in the way.
shadic277 look up V-picks out of Nashville Tennessee. They're also a tad high priced but definitely worth a go
I haven't played many picks up until now. The best picks I've played so far are the Eric Johnson Jazz III Picks. I had them for over a year now and they never actually grow blunt. The've always been sharp all the time. The slight wear on the edges as I play from time to time gives me that satisfying scraping sound when I picked a string. I'm looking forward to trying some other guitar picks tho'!
for resistance test i would take 1 pick of each company and stick them to a piece of wood.. then stick sand paper in other piece of wood and then rub both so you can observe wich degrades faster... another test would be bending them as much as you can and observe if they go back to original.. another would be smashing a brick on the tip of two picks attached to a table or something that way you can see wich breaks easier
I have been using the Dunlop John Petrucci pick and they are so badass. They are very similar to the Gravity picks. They have a indentation where your thumb rest and they give you total control. And I have a stone pick (cannot remember the brand) that is the smoothest strumming you can get.
These are some cool picks. I recently found a custom maker who's picks really deliver the tone. Zenfire picks. I ordered a couple of their Phat Jazz and Fusion picks in hard brass and phosphor bronze. Way impressed! They even have grips. I finally stopped using my Jazz 3 Dunlops. no comparison! Good picks really do make a world of difference.
you could boil, then freeze the picks and see how/if they hold up to extreme temperature changes
Those picks look pretty cool, maybe one day I'll try one.
A few years ago I played with a pick that developed a sharp edge, and would cut through my guitar strings occasionally.
You could test for the pick's ability to not break strings.
File down the picks, trying to shape the edges like a blade, and try cutting through guitar strings (or something else). If they cut, they lose!
I was introduced to Dragonheart picks about 2 years ago from your channel and I immediately ordered them. I had only been playing for about a year and a half and I'd always felt awkward holding the standard .70mm dunlop picks, and in the couple of months before getting the Dragonheart I'd gone from the .70mm to a 1mm, and then from that to a 2mm. I loved the extra thickness of the 2mm but hated how it essentially robbed my tone of all sense of attack, so when I saw the Dragonhearts I jumped at the oppurtunity. I haven't played with another pick since I got that one.
You could try doing pick slides, pinch harmonics, tremolo picking, and a heavy downstroke attack and see which holds up best.
Test for the picks suggestion: Lock them on a vice and hit them with a hammer. I have four dragon's hearts and I would like to see if they're harder than the Iron Ages. Keep up the great videos!
Great video, deffinitly ordering some from each!
As for tests, take a before and after photo. Then get some kind of electric motor rig to (Lego, kinex) and have it sweep across the strings of a guitar continuesly for say 12 or 24 hours. See what wears more. DON'T FORGET TO DO THE SAME TEST WITH A REGULAR PICK SO WE CAN SEE THE JUST HOW STRONG THESE ARE.
My idea for the test involves tremolo picking the bass string near the bridge where the rigidity is highest, then constantly switch between fast chord strums, both up and down, then switching in between the methods for 6-8 cycles. Play with higher gauge strings at E standard tuning, strum as hard as you can. Play to a metronome to keep a regular pace.
Should be a decent test
I would recommend a series of test aimed toward gigging/studio musicians who would more likely be open to paying more toward picks
Use a series of test such as the following
Picking accuracy- playing a chosen riff with both picks in cold environments(have a warming period in between)
Grip test - using a simulated sweat (maybe salt water) see if it will effect how the pick sits in the hand
abrasion test - Wrap sand paper over the area of the strings where you would usually play then compare after playing a set list to simulate the standard gigging
tone comparrison - doesnt really need explaining but.... same sond played through the same set up only alteernating between picks
Visibility test - have someone place a pick on the floor and time how long it takes you to find it. 5 minutes max again to keep inline with the gig premise
and which would be more useful in a zombie apocalypse (screwdriver/cutting capabilities)
Totally agree on the Dragonhearts - went for Chicken Picks initially but instantly new the Ds where perfect when I started using them. I'd be interested to see, maybe as a final test, how much 3-6 seconds on a low grit belt sander would do to the picks because the Dragonhearts are borderline immune to wear in my experience.
Do the bombdrop, where you slide the edge of the pick down the strings, with each pick to find out witch withstands it longer, or how many of them it withstands. Love your vids and your accent.
Take some sandpaper wrapped around a thin ruler or something to the edges of the picks to test abrasion resistance (something similar to striking a guitar string)
I'm new to your videos but I have heard you mention them before and I purchased the Dragons Heart original and it has totally changed my guitar playing and I don't plan on changing back to the plastic picks ever!!!!!!!
I only use my Gravity picks in my studio. I have a case for them, so once I'm done they go back in the case. When I'm out, I play Jazz III and Dunlop Ultex picks. I've been playing Gravities for a year and with this system, haven't lost one.
For a mediocre amateur with primary-school-age children, the best test I can think of it which ones are hardest to lose - It's been three months and I'm still impressed that I've not lost my CSGuitars pick I got with my All The Gain t-shirt.
A good challenge that would look good on camera would be strumming them across sand paper to the playing speed of one of your own songs. It will be significantly more damage than playing normally of course, but it is something that could be reproduced across many picks, with a very good visual of the amount of wear on each
Strum the picks as hard as you can on acoustic guitar with thick gauge strings. It demolishes any pick that I use (the cheap ones).
it might sound a bit extreme but stick them in a vice, might seem a bit extreme but say you drop your pick and you need to move your furniture a bit on the hunt, resulting in the feet of your sofa or your big, heavy 100 W 4x12 stack. Obviously the vice would produce a lot more force but it will be good for testing the brittleness of the picks.
for the test put a pencil mark 1 cm up the pick from the picking edge and push forward on a belt sander and see which one lasts the longest
tape down some sand paper and scrape them on it on one side for a set and equal amount of time for each pick and see how much material comes off each one to to determine which one has the least amount or most amount of wear. alternatively you can measure the pick on the side you are going to scrape on the sandpaper and see how much has been taken away after the set amount of time.
you should put the picks on a spinning rig (like a drill) and use the spinning of the drill to simulate hours or years of picking by having the rotating pick attack a guitar string and see how it does against other picks.
You can strum as hard as possible to see which one takes more over time from rough aggressive playing and see how they do with thicker or lighter strings and which they play best with, you can also do which I better for bass guitar
Excellent video, it's so true, your Pick can make suck a huge difference in your tone and overall playing. I started trying a VeePick 1mm.Switchblade which is made out of a super tough material even though it was 1mm it felt like a 2 mm Pick and improved my playing, I actually found the heavier the Pick the easier it made playing and gave more definition to notes and chords, now I use a Gravity Pick 3mm large Triangle unfinished sides, just brilliant, I never thought I would be using such a heavy pick! Worth checking out!
For the pick test video you should attach them to a drill and spin them against a string for a few minutes to simulate a lot of wear in a short period of time. This would help see which one wears done the easiest.
See if they can make the metal zone sound good
watch my oldest vids on my channel im using the metal zone
I have all 3 Dragon's Heart picks. Great picks. Here's the rundown:
- Original for brightness and super speed
- Pure for a mellow tone and speed
- Hardened for a bright tone. It's brighter than the Original, but it feels like it's grabbing the strings, making speed difficult. I personally like it less than Original and Pure.
A few strokes on some sandpaper and looking at the effect on different ones!
One thing Colin left out about Chicken Picks is the attack. They sound like poker chips or ceramic when they hit the string. Not a big deal if you're using distortion or if you like a unique attack sound, but if you don't like a harsh pick attack, you may want to look elsewhere. I enjoy the shape and size of the 3.5mm Shredder by Chicken Picks, but I'm probably going to try Dragon's Heart picks next.
If anyone has any suggestions for 3.5mm or 4mm picks in the standard small shape, I'm all ears.
i play metal plectrums made out of quarters cut into a sharp almost jazz 3 shape and hand sanded and beveled and they are very shiny so they are easy to see when you shine your torch on the ground and they stay in your hands very well only problem is they wear a bit into a flatter shape after a long time
TEST by excessive sweep picking at an angle (5min consecutively)
Downward picking only doing Djent (5min consecutively)
10 - 12 swipes with the point on sandpaper.
My go-to company is timber tones, love the fact they're a wee bit bigger for my massive sausage hand and rigid but can give a variety of tones
Colin... as usual great video! I wrote quite a bit here about some of my boutique picks over the last 15 years or so. They can make the same guitar sound different, especially in recording sessions.
My picks have evolved from the freebees with a new guitar or whatever purchase from the store to a range of picks. My current go to are Dunlop Jazztone LG Sharp Tip. I love these because they still sound pretty good as they wear down. The attack diminishes but you get a fuller, smoother tone.
I recently got Snark Teddy's Neo Tortoise picks. They are nice but anything 1.0 mm feels somewhat flimsy now. They are stiff and that's what I am looking for. A friend gave me a Dunlop Primetone (1.5 mm) and that plays nice too.
On the expensive side I have a Redbear TT-HVY New Tortis pick. This set me back just under $40 a few years ago. It's made of animal products and it can basically melt if you leave it wet. I was told it is pretty much as close to a Hawksbill turtle shell as you can get.
I also have a Cymbolic Brass pick that is really bright! Its made of cymbal brass. It looks like they are no longer made. I still have a V Pick Switchblade that cycles in and out. I also use Dunlop 3.0 mm purple jazz picks, they yend to wear out quicker than the Jazztones and can't really be saved. They just sound dull.
Now the cool thing is that with all of these picks I can get different tones out of the same guitar so for recording it sounds like I have 4 or 5 guitars but its the same one. With each pick I will strum on different places. This is very apparent when you do it on a well set up acoustic.
My busking/gigging acoustic is a souped up Epiphone AJ 200 with bone nut and saddle, rosewood bridge pins and an LR Baggs I Beam pickup. I can get it sounding better than a Gibson J 45 with the Redbear pick just unplugged.
I would like to see the pick shoot out with the Dragon's Heart on a mandolin style lead against some of the others. That would be cool. Also try them out on your bass. They should work well on that.
Two last things... One, you can save old worn picks to use as washers if you drill them through. It adds a cool touch.
Second, if you have never done this, you can take copper plumbing pipe scrap and make them into slides. If you rough them up you will get a dirty blues drag. That's what George Thorogood does!
One last thing... even expensive picks are way cheaper then new pickups, effects, amps, guitars,etc.. It's a very cost effective way to discover new sounds, playing styles and can reinvigorate your playing.
I really love the john petrucci picks. It is the between a jazz and traditional shape and 2 millimeter thick. It's so much easier to alternate and trem pick compared to normal pick.
A pick I'd recommend is the Jim Dunlap gator picks. They come in carrying sizes, and I use a 2mm thick one for when I play bass, and a .7mm for guitar. They have an interesting feel and are relatively cheap compared to others
I played the gator picks for years, I played the black ones, now I play dragon's heart though
A good test would be a steady tremolo picking test with each in clean and high gain scenarios. As well as doing a clean lead and high gain lead for context.
For a "pick torture test" I would play 2 hours of black metal on thick strings (11s in standard) for each pick and compare the wear on each pick.
I would encourage you to use the acute edge of the pick for this test, as it tends to wear down into a rounded edge fairly quickly.
I'm a gravity picks guy. Love the rough edge option you can get on them.
You could try running them against a high grit sandpaper for a certain amount of "strums" more or less with various guitar picks all the same amount of passes and see how each pick had worn down
suggestions for test:
-pick slides
-something with durability of the point of the pick (such as dragging it along the floor)
I really like Xl Ultex Jazz iii picks. I like Jazz 3s because they're thin and sort of melt in your hand, while not giving any flex. Most boutique picks seem a little fat and I used to like thick picks, but they really slow me down and I think they're just as easy to drop. I think the best torture test is a pick scratch :).
Take a sander to them. To ensure consistency, maybe put them in a clamp, or find some way to hold them both the same, and use the sander on them that way. That way, you ensure you're using the same speed/amount of force with all the picks
Great video. Last year, on the recommendation of Chappers and The Captain, I tried out Gravity picks. They're great picks and I never again even looked at my Jazz III or Fender celluloid picks. A few months ago, on your recommendation, Colin, I tried the Dragon Heart and have not touched my Gravity picks since! Now to try Mr. Ben Eller's signature pick. Will it destroy my love for Dragon Heart? Only time will tell!
I tried the shredder 3,5mm from chickenpicks. Loved it. The point is a bit too rounded and I want to try something else. I’m going to order a sunrise 3mm from gravity picks today
I'd suggest doing doing abrasion tests of both bass and guitar strings and on guitar test on both the wound and not wound strings because I've noticed some pick have a different ware pattern with wound strings and not wound ones. cheers dude
Perhaps you could try to see how the edges hold up against a grind wheel?
I’ve been using gravity picks for about 3 years now, spurned on by your video about them. Took me a while to get the perfect design for me but it was well worth it
I think doing pick slides with the dragonheart and the Iron Age can be quite accurate. Another one u can do is the Paul Gilbert power drill method to emulate tremolo picking
use some kind of belt sander/grinder/wire wheel type abrasive thingy! itll be somewhat similar to hours of play time.
or glue/affix them to your tires some how and go on a road trip!
I'm not sure how realistic or smart this is, but you attempt to drill a small through each pick, and the difficulty in doing so could be an indication of their strength.
You could also how they react to being sanded, as that might be a good indicator of their wear resistance
i used to play your typical guitar picks, then this one day i noticed in a magazine how all the best shredders used this weird green pick, looked like it was made of horn or something and almost seemed to be glowing. took some crazy adventuring to get one but ive never played the same. i guess it was just destiny that i find that pick.
I've been using a Dragon's Heart pick for a while and I love it. My tone is very different when I use it. I really like the attack that the sharp end gives me.
string slid test see what groves it puts in the pick. test to destruction strumming against a steel file.
hope this helps great video bro
I personally try out new picks at first with my acoustic guitar for strums and riffs, because an acoustic instrument in my opinion gives you a clear view of tonal differences. Then I try the picks with crunchy single coil sounds and humbucker hi-gain sounds to figure out if I still hear the difference between cheap picks and high quality ones. Currently I use bone, ebony and aluminium picks by devilpicks. Ceers 😉
I don't know if that can be called a test, but I would like to HEAR what the picks sound after the torture tests. I don't mind if you will put them on a drill, pick against sandpaper or boild them in hot tar... seeing the results is cool, but listening to it may be cooler.
Keep on the good work, your videos are great! And don't you mind these haters talking about your accent, I think it sounds almost like music, and I can understand even though English is my second language.
Maybe test the picks against sandpaper and see just how easily they can be worn? My picks seem to go blunt really easy (I often have to use the Steve Vai carpet trick to sharpen them all the time) so I've been looking into getting some higher-end picks. Looking forward to seeing the vid :P keep up the great work Colin! \m/
A test i would Love to see is the fact that you mentioned the speed and doing a speed test of a complex solo part where picking all the notes are a must and compare that to a thin and a thick "normal" pick. I use Gravity myself but i havent Been able to try the dragon picks and WHO doesnt want speed picking to feel faster and sound cleaner? This test would Also test how fast the picks tears apart.
Sandpaper!!!! Not the most interesting thing but for a precise test I think you could drag them an equal amount of times to get a consistent wear on all the picks you test. If you really wanna shred them use a grinder to finish them off at the end, tihi.
I use Dragon's Heart picks for electric. I should buy some of their wyvern heart thinner picks for acoustic.
Attach them all to the end of a drill Paul Gilbert style and see how many times you can play through the Daddy, brother, lover, little boy solo before they are worn out? That is if your strings last long enough :) remember it must be a makita if you want the right tone.
Might have to try some of these 'fancy' pics, moving to jazz 3's a few years ago was a revelation as the grip and the pointy picking surface meant my picking improved a lot. I can't see myself using the dragon heart picks though, they remind me too much of those weird shark fin picks I never got on with.
for a stress test, what would happen if you put them in a blender? just curious... maybe more useful, you could scrub them on a file or sandpaper a strict number of times and see what happens
A good test would be to do some pick slides or maybe try to scrape them on a strong rock or something.
Throw the Dragonheart's and the Iron Age picks in a blender for 5-10 seconds (or more) and see which one has the least amount of damage. I've never used an Iron Age pick before but they seem really cool.
+TheLagIsNotReal really don't want to break my blender though.
I think its a decent idea, maybe throw them in there with some soapy water to emulate them being stuck in the washer/dryer, because who hasn't left a pick or two in their pants then thrown them in the wash before :p
CSGuitars buy a cheap one from Argos! Pro: you can see which breaks first, Con: you may have wasted about £30 on an Argos value Blender. BUT, on the bright side, you May have just found a new Torture Test Standard
i use gravity gold stealth picks. the wide angle tip, all around bevelling and composite materials glide through my strings like butter...if only it had a slightly better grip. however 20 bones a pickay be steep...but after 9 months, I'm still using the same pick.
Simple tests that are common wear and tear, like running them down the strings for the squeal. I have destroyed many a pick including boutique picks this way. A less common test could be a blow torch (entertaining? lol). I just did a video on my channel like this. I was a gravity guy for awhile and still love them but I have been using the Dunlop Prime Tones. Their tonal quality is the best! Especially if you switch between electric and acoustic. I would love to try the Iron Age picks.
Hey Colin ! I love the Dragon's Heart picks ! I want to try some Gravity though... Have you tried the new range of picks from Thalia ?
I have a Dragon Heart and I do like it a lot, my favourite is the the Gravity Sunrise, 2mm in master finish with a the 7 grip holes - I do tend to wear them out though.... I have to buy 2 or 3 picks every 6 months or so so its not exactly a problem. There's no appreciable wear on my Dragon's Heart though and although I don't use it as much as my Gravity picks now, I did use it exclusively for a few months.
I have a collection of Iron Age picks (thanks Colin) and they are good, but I found the horn arrowhead wore down very quickly, while the ebony and coconut shell picks offered too much friction. The bone one is still good though....
I used boggo Dunlop picks for years but finally got my mind changed when Colin sent me a bag of Iron Age picks a couple of years ago.