Pick of the Picks
When we think about guitars, we typically don't think about how we engage with them. For some players, the interaction is all with the fingers, but for a large part of the population, that interaction happens with a pick. When we look at the pick selection in our music stores, there sure are a ton of pick options and materials. Tortoise shell, is thankfully, no more, but we have lots of choices in terms of plastics, nylons, and composite materials. Picks can be super thin, or super thick. Some makers actually gradate their picks with thickness measurements. Some are textured, some are smooth, some are tiny and some could be triangular dinner plates.Plenty of choice. Like many of us, I have, over the decades tried all manner of picks in all kinds of materials. When I was younger, I searched for Herco picks because that's what my guitar heroes used, at least according to the interviews published in Creem or Circus magazines. BTW, you can get Herco picks today. They are one of several lines from the Jim Dunlop company. About ten years ago, I was standing in Gruhn's in Nashville, looking at all the guitars I could not buy, and noticed these really thick, clear picks. The salesperson told me that they were called V-Picks and I remembered having seen an ad somewhere for them. They were, at that time about $3 USD each and feeling flush with an American $20, I bought five of them in different sizes and edges. All of them were thick, over 2mm, and all were clear. They all had beveled edges, some with rounded ends and some with sharper ends. None were shaped like a traditional pick though. At the time I was using Jazz III picks pretty much exclusively. I liked them, but found them a bit small, and I had a bad tendency to let them slip away.The V-Picks were unique. The longer I held one in my fingers, the more it tended to stay put. Not like glue, or sticky but just not sliding around.Years have past and I have been using V-Picks since then. I first encountered owner Vinni Smith and his wife when they were based out in California, they are now in Nashville. Vinni is a class act who answers his own phone. If you have a question or an issue, he engages personally. I recently had a misshipment in an order, and Vinni made it right that very day.The pick pictured at top is my current favourite. It's called the Screamer and the finish is what Vinni calls Pearly Gates. If that sounds Gibbons-esque, note that V-Picks do have several signature series picks, and there is a Billy Gibbons version.
The Reverend Billy G is known for having played with a buffalo head nickel and his current signature pick features the special V-Pick edging process called Ghost Rim. This very subtle roughening of the edge of the pick produces a bit more string grab that can, in my opinion, really add to your tone.
Not everyone likes a heavier pick. Fair enough. I find them to be much more precise and help with my speed and accuracy. I've given, at my own expense, V-Picks to a number of local musicians and everyone has liked them. Now they want to know when I am doing an order to get in on things. In addition to the more traditional shape and the Screamer shape, V-Picks come in alternate shapes and colours to suit the player. They are also great for bassists who use a pick because of their lack of flex and high precision. I have successfully converted bassists as well as guitarists to V-Pick, not because I push them, but because the products are excellent.I like the sharp pointed picks for electric (and they are really pointy - you could hurt yourself if you were stupid) and the more rounded ends for acoustic strumming and chord work. I also like the rounded ends for bass.You can buy your V-Picks through some shops, but I prefer to deal directly via the website. With your order comes Vinni's business card (did I mention that he answers his own phone?) and a current printed catalogue. The catalogue is a nice thing, but there are always new picks being announced. The Farley was announced to me in an email only yesterday.
While I am not a big fan of the trad shape, I will be buying a few on my next order because even if they aren't for me, I have a lot of musician friends who prefer this style of pick.One of the older ones, that I love was a glow in the dark version. I don't see them as available any longer, but will be asking about them as for me, being clumsy, easy to find in the dark. They don't slip from my fingers but I do place them down inadvertently.I also recommend buyers trying the Ghost Rim and regular versions of a pick because the feel and the tone is different. Sometimes I prefer the sound of the ghost rim and sometimes I don't. The luxury is that we have the option as players to choose which way we want to go.V-Picks also have pick holders, not dissimilar from the ones you see for regular thin picks, but sized to hold the thicker V-Picks.It's possible that you may find 900+ words to be a lot on the subject of picks, but for many of us, our interface with the guitar is the fretting hand and the pick so maximizing that interface just makes great sense.