Robert in Santa Rosa kept telling me about how great the V-Picks are and told me to check them out while I was at the NAMM show a few weeks ago. Unfortunately I did not hook up with Vinni who makes the V-Picks while I was out there. So first order of business when I got back was to get some of these much talked about picks and give them a whirl.
I have been playing with small teardrop jazz type picks made by Clayton. They are 1.52mm thick and I have gotten very used to them over the years. I asked Vinni from V-Picks what would be the closest thing and he suggested the small 1.5mm models. He promptly sent them along with some other samples to check out.
The bottom line question is “What’s the difference between the V-Picks and any other guitar pick available”? Averaging about $4.00 per pick are they that much better and worth it? Let’s take a look…..
First of all V-Picks feel comfortable….even the really thick ones. I found that all the sample gauges thick or thin felt very comfortable and did not slip around between my fingers. I felt that I had a good grip on the V-Pick which to me equals control. Also having a good grip on the pick means less dropping picks. It’s a real drag when you drop your pick.
So having established that they are comfortable and have a good grip how do they affect the sound of the picked string? Well, compared to my trusty old Clayton and a few other picks I had lying around here I noticed right away that the timbre of the picked string had much more focus and clarity. The notes have more of a pronounced fundamental. It is hard to put into words. The notes seem bigger and more whole on both the wound and plain strings. I really liked this aspect of the V-Picks. Strummed chords seemed to have more definition as well.
So, they feel good, have a good grip and sound great. Do they affect performance? Absolutely yes! The V-Picks have more of a “bounce” feel to them. Like the energy of the picking action is leaving the pick to create the string vibration unlike with the other picks I compared the V-Picks to. Years ago I was studying the martial arts. When I was breaking wood I would strike the wood and sort project energy into and through the wood not letting the wood absorb energy or bounce energy back. The V-Picks are somehow faster because of this same type of principle. I’m not saying that I played faster it just seemed to take less energy to get the string to vibrate…..almost like less effort with better results.
In the end the V-Picks are just a better pick overall. More comfortable, they have a better grip so there is more control, less chance of dropping one, notes sound better and clearer and lastly they improve performance by requiring less energy to pick the strings. What’s not to like? There are many differentmodels to choose from and the man behind the V-Picks, Vinnie, is a super nice guy and answers every email promptly. I am now a V-Picks user……..thanks Robert!!!
Click here ot visit V-Picks for ordering and more information.
