Pick tests: Dunlop, Dava, Butterfly, Pickboy, Galli and Kasho picks

Posted 2006-04-30 in Guitar by Johann.

As a guitarist, I keep a lot of different guitar pick types in my pick box. I feel that the sound can vary a lot depending on the pick choice. Some of the factors contributing to the sound of a pick are:

The pick material.
The pick thickness.
The shape of the pick, especially the shape of the tip.
The size of the pick.

Jim Dunlop USA Nylon

Of these picks, I played the ultra-thin 0.38 mm variety (melts in your mouth, not in your hands) for a long time, but I also have some of the 0.60 mm and 0.73 mm versions. The material is relatively flexible. Probably because of the Nylon, the sound is characterized by a flabby attack.

With the 0.38 mm ones, it is possible to warp the pick to make the tip a little harder. And they work great for black metal tremolo playing – mostly because of their low weight.

Dava Control

The Dava Control picks encourage you to move your fingers between the three zones of the pick. When your finger are closer to the front, the pick becomes more solid. If your fingers move backwards, the pick can swing more. In reality, I don’t know how one would hold the pick to benefit from this flexibility – I certainly can’t. Also, the sound differences (if any) are minor.

Butterfly picks

I ordered a test set from Tone Toys a while ago. These are made from a fairly solid plastic – the smallest version (called “light SST”) is about as solid as the 0.73 mm Jim Dunlop Nylon. The tip of these picks is very round and smooth. The shape is very unique and makes it possible to use the pick in different ways depending on how you grab the pick.

Sound-wise, these have less pick attack, but a very smooth sound. I could imagine these are great for jazz players. Ironically, they also work great for black-metal-style tremolo. Of these, I like the “medium SST.”

Pickboy Edge

Since I got the test set from the aforementioned Tone Toys, the 0.60 mm type instantly became my favorite, so much that I ordered 20 more. What’s so great about them? They are a little bit smaller than the Jim Dunlop ones, the material is very solid and the tip is very sharp. Together with the material, these picks produce a very interesting pick attack that’s completely unlike the flap flap flap of the Nylon picks. Instead, the attack is a very sharp click that sounds an octave higher. A little bit like black metal drummers gluing coins to their bassdrums for that typical click click click bassdrum sound. I found this difference in pick attack to be very interesting to say the least.

Pickboy Carbon Nylon

These seem to be made from a similar material as the Edge picks. They are of the same size as the Jim Dunlop ones, but the material is much stiffer. The attack of the pick isn’t as pronounced as with the Pickboy Edge picks, but it shares similar characteristics. Because of the embossed Cannabis symbol in the pick, the grip is a little better than with the Pickboy Edge picks.

Galli

I have a 0.73 mm and a 1.14 mm pick from Galli. The thicker one sounds slightly scratchy, although the output level appears to be very high.

“Nylon” (producer unknown)

Apparently, the blue version of these picks is played by the Edge of U2. The typical Nylon flap flap flap is still present, but sounds more solid.

Kasho celluloid

These have a very soft feeling and a smoothly rounded tip. This reduces the sharpness of the attack somewhat. The output level is very high though.

Pickboy Ti22 Titanium 0.6 mm

Titanium is quite metal. That’s why these picks are really impossible to bend. The pick attack is very scratchy and your strings probably won’t keep as long.

The bottom line

As a guitar player, you should have lots of picks to experiment with – they’re reasonably cheap. Different picks can sound different and may be more or less adequate for what you play.

For a test of more guitar picks, visit Pick test 2: Pickboy Edge Nylon, Dunlop Tortex, Heriba 133, D’Andrea Jetex.

6 comments

Ibanez 2027XVV – my main 7-string guitar

Posted 2007-11-11 in Guitar by Johann.

My main 7-string guitar is an Ibanez 2027XVV that I bought used mid-2005. It currently has a DiMarzio D Activator Bridge in the bridge position and a DiMarzio Air Norton in the neck position.

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Pick test 2: Pickboy Edge Nylon, Dunlop Tortex, Heriba 133, D’Andrea Jetex

Posted 2007-10-20 in Guitar by Johann.

After my first pick test, I got some more guitar picks. Let’s see how they stack up to the ones I tested before.

Pickboy Edge Nylon

The Pickboy Edge Nylon has the same size as the Pickboy Edge Carbon that I like a lot. The material is a transparent Nylon, obviously.

Compared to the Edge Carbon guitar picks of the same size, the Nylons flex a lot more. Due to the sharp edge, the pick attack is similar to the Carbon picks but sounds like most Nylon picks sound.

D’Andrea Jetex

The Jetex picks feature a textured backside. The grip feeling is very good although the sound tends to be on the rounder, darker side. Because of the rounded tip, these probably aren’t perfect for tremolo playing. The output level is rather high, even with the thin 0.5 mm model.

Heriba 133

The Heriba 133 is larger than the Edge picks, about the size of a regular Dunlop Nylon pick, just thicker and heavier. The output level is high and I think they really work well for edgier music. The harder you pick with these, the better it sounds. That effect is not as pronounced with the Edge Carbon.

Dunlop Tortex

The Dunlop Tortex picks feature a very sharp tip. I couldn’t imagine playing really fast with them. The attack is rather round and relaxed. As far as guitar picks go, they aren’t my favourite.