CyberFerret
07-15-2011, 06:42 PM
A few weeks ago, I participated in the 'free picks' promotion as offered by both V-Picks (www.v-picks.com) and Gravity Picks (http://www.gravitypicks.com/). Both manufacturers generously offered a free trial of their picks to any interested players. I wrote to both manufacturers who were kind enough to send me a free pick to try out.
Disclaimer: I am a paying V-Picks customer, having bought many picks from them in the past, and a current user of their Screamer and Snake models. Also, this review is based on my own playing style - different users will have totally different preferences and results.
The Picks
Vinni from V-Picks actually sent me 2 picks after I spoke to him. I mentioned my preference for the pointed Screamer model, and he suggested I might like the Switch Blade model. He also threw in a pearl Medium pointed pick as well, which is basically a smaller Screamer.
Chris from Gravity sent me an XL pick which I requested after hearing that it was comparable in size to the old Fender picks I used to use.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6147/5941135923_a79de38427.jpg
L-R: V-Pick Medium, V-Pick Switch Blade, Gravity XL
Thickness/profile comparison:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6018/5941135067_3db1d47aab.jpg
L-R: V-Pick Medium, V-Pick Switch Blade, Gravity XL, V-Pick Screamer
V-Pick Medium
This pick felt really familiar to me as I was already used to the Screamer. The Medium is slightly smaller, but still has the same feel and attack on the strings. It comes in a pointed or rounded shape, and while initially I thought the rounded picks would suit my slow playing style better, I ended up really liking the pointed models. Nice attack, and pick feels good in the playing position, however when 'palming' this pick it does feel smaller and harder to palm than the Screamer.
I love the bevelled edge on these picks as they really extract that last bit of tone from the guitar I believe. They grab the string without hanging up on them at all, and have a nice 'release' that is reasonably easy to control. Translation - even unclean or miscued picking will still result in a decent note. About the only downside is that the pointed tips can sometimes make palming them a little painful. Rating 8/10.
V-Pick Switch Blade
This was the pick that Vinni thought I would like given I liked the Screamer, but unfortunately, it just didn't suit me at all. The pick felt a bit too 'long' when held in the playing position resulting is quite a lot of the tip being exposed as I couldn't comfortably hold the pick as far back in the fingers as I normally do. The extra pointy tip also really catches on the strings, which may suit a more clean player, but my sloppy playing technique really just resulted in the tip getting 'hung up' on strings all the time. Rating 6/10.
Gravity XL
This is a nice, comfortable pick that pleasantly surprised me with the playing comfort. The points and edges are nicely rounded which gives a warmer tone with less attack. I can get a much wider range of dynamics using the Gravity pick than I can with the V-Picks, mainly because the V-Pick bevelled edge has that extra 'grab' on the string which makes soft picking a lot trickier. The Gravity pick also has a LOT less 'string chirp' which a lot of players seemingly don't like about the V-Picks.
The Gravity also has a more 'organic' feel than most other picks I have tried. Hard to describe, but it feels very natural in the hand, and weighs nothing, almost like another fingernail. Must be something to do with being hand made/finished? I enjoyed using this pick. Rating 8/10.
Overall Conclusion
Both manufacturer's picks are made from a proprietary acrylic. Upon initial inspection you would expect them to be somewhat slippery in the hand, but the opposite is true. All these picks are remarkably comfortable and easy to grip. They all stick to the fingers nicely, with no fear of dropping them when playing or palming them. Indeed, they seem to get better and more secure in the finger the warmer they get from continual playing.
One of the minor downsides is that the acrylic tends to wear down much faster than my older standard picks. They can, of course, be buffed and reshaped using a nail file. 'Pick slides' are probably a no no with these picks as the wound strings easily cut big grooves in them, and indeed I noticed chunks of plastic splintering off my Screamers after doing a couple of slides.
Here is a sample of the wear pattern on my V-Pick Screamer after about 7 months of playing...(old vs brand new same model pick)
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6020/5941697166_357e17cd86.jpg
As you can see, my picking style tends to wear down the left edge of the tip a lot. The grooves on this pick were cut in from only about a dozen small pick slides that I did.
In conclusion, both these manufacturers have a range of excellent picks that I think every guitarists should try at least once in their playing career. As I said before, I am a V-Pick Screamer fan already, and I will also definitely add some Gravity picks to my playing collection (especially for my acoustic guitar). Thanks for reading!
Disclaimer: I am a paying V-Picks customer, having bought many picks from them in the past, and a current user of their Screamer and Snake models. Also, this review is based on my own playing style - different users will have totally different preferences and results.
The Picks
Vinni from V-Picks actually sent me 2 picks after I spoke to him. I mentioned my preference for the pointed Screamer model, and he suggested I might like the Switch Blade model. He also threw in a pearl Medium pointed pick as well, which is basically a smaller Screamer.
Chris from Gravity sent me an XL pick which I requested after hearing that it was comparable in size to the old Fender picks I used to use.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6147/5941135923_a79de38427.jpg
L-R: V-Pick Medium, V-Pick Switch Blade, Gravity XL
Thickness/profile comparison:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6018/5941135067_3db1d47aab.jpg
L-R: V-Pick Medium, V-Pick Switch Blade, Gravity XL, V-Pick Screamer
V-Pick Medium
This pick felt really familiar to me as I was already used to the Screamer. The Medium is slightly smaller, but still has the same feel and attack on the strings. It comes in a pointed or rounded shape, and while initially I thought the rounded picks would suit my slow playing style better, I ended up really liking the pointed models. Nice attack, and pick feels good in the playing position, however when 'palming' this pick it does feel smaller and harder to palm than the Screamer.
I love the bevelled edge on these picks as they really extract that last bit of tone from the guitar I believe. They grab the string without hanging up on them at all, and have a nice 'release' that is reasonably easy to control. Translation - even unclean or miscued picking will still result in a decent note. About the only downside is that the pointed tips can sometimes make palming them a little painful. Rating 8/10.
V-Pick Switch Blade
This was the pick that Vinni thought I would like given I liked the Screamer, but unfortunately, it just didn't suit me at all. The pick felt a bit too 'long' when held in the playing position resulting is quite a lot of the tip being exposed as I couldn't comfortably hold the pick as far back in the fingers as I normally do. The extra pointy tip also really catches on the strings, which may suit a more clean player, but my sloppy playing technique really just resulted in the tip getting 'hung up' on strings all the time. Rating 6/10.
Gravity XL
This is a nice, comfortable pick that pleasantly surprised me with the playing comfort. The points and edges are nicely rounded which gives a warmer tone with less attack. I can get a much wider range of dynamics using the Gravity pick than I can with the V-Picks, mainly because the V-Pick bevelled edge has that extra 'grab' on the string which makes soft picking a lot trickier. The Gravity pick also has a LOT less 'string chirp' which a lot of players seemingly don't like about the V-Picks.
The Gravity also has a more 'organic' feel than most other picks I have tried. Hard to describe, but it feels very natural in the hand, and weighs nothing, almost like another fingernail. Must be something to do with being hand made/finished? I enjoyed using this pick. Rating 8/10.
Overall Conclusion
Both manufacturer's picks are made from a proprietary acrylic. Upon initial inspection you would expect them to be somewhat slippery in the hand, but the opposite is true. All these picks are remarkably comfortable and easy to grip. They all stick to the fingers nicely, with no fear of dropping them when playing or palming them. Indeed, they seem to get better and more secure in the finger the warmer they get from continual playing.
One of the minor downsides is that the acrylic tends to wear down much faster than my older standard picks. They can, of course, be buffed and reshaped using a nail file. 'Pick slides' are probably a no no with these picks as the wound strings easily cut big grooves in them, and indeed I noticed chunks of plastic splintering off my Screamers after doing a couple of slides.
Here is a sample of the wear pattern on my V-Pick Screamer after about 7 months of playing...(old vs brand new same model pick)
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6020/5941697166_357e17cd86.jpg
As you can see, my picking style tends to wear down the left edge of the tip a lot. The grooves on this pick were cut in from only about a dozen small pick slides that I did.
In conclusion, both these manufacturers have a range of excellent picks that I think every guitarists should try at least once in their playing career. As I said before, I am a V-Pick Screamer fan already, and I will also definitely add some Gravity picks to my playing collection (especially for my acoustic guitar). Thanks for reading!