Let's Talk (Acrylic) Picks...

Joben Magooch

Well-known member
Anyone here like acrylic picks?

I think Gravity Picks have to be my favorite I've ever used...in particular I find myself gravitating most to the 1.5mm standard "unpolished," it has a bit of a grit to the edges which I think sounds really nice. The acrylic material is extremely rigid without having to be too terribly thick. Maybe it is (in part) a psychological thing, but at the end of the day I simply like the way I sound - and I mean noticeably and appreciably better - with these picks than any others I've tried.

But they're like 5 bucks each. And all things considered that's not too bad, especially compared to other "high end" picks ($35+ for Blue Chips and I'm sure they're not the worst offender), but at the same time it's a bit too much for me to care to lose as frequently as I do and considerably more expensive than my longtime (and now second-) favorite, which are Dunlop Gator Grips that work out to about $0.50 each or thereabouts. And I still like them okay, they're perfectly acceptable to me but I don't think they sound nearly as good.

Anyways with that all being said I'm curious if anyone knows of anything similar to Gravity Picks, V-picks, or other acrylic-style ones that aren't quite so pricey.

These guys from Ibanez look to be somewhat similar. They're Tritan, which is close to acrylic...but 2.5mm thick I believe, which is generally more than I'm comfy with...

I tried out Dunlop "Prime Tones" and they have the right "feel" to me. They play nicely, have the right "grit" to the edges, and like my favorite Gravity's they're not too thick but very rigid...but the material also feels a lot less dense and generally sounds a lot thinner and brighter. I don't care for them a ton.

I've seen some suggest the simple Dunlop "Gels" which are quite affordable and readily available. Maybe worth a shot on that basis alone.

I think the big thing I'm missing though is that "gritty" edge that the unpolished Gravity picks have. It's fairly well-known at this point that one of the big components to the Edge's tone is using the "grippy" side of Herdim picks, a big factor in the "chimey" sound he gets. The grippy bits tend to want to grab the string a little more and it just attacks differently than the normal edge of a regular pick would. I'm not trying to emulate the Edge (and I don't care for Herdims a ton as I don't like nylon picks in general), but I feel like the gritty edge that unpolished Gravity picks have do have a similar sound-effect on the strings as the grippy side of the Herdims...except you don't have to flip your pick around and IMO it plays a little bit more smoothly/with less "grab" and I think that's the big thing that I'm missing with others.

So, anyways, if anyone has any recommendations I'm all ears. If not, I guess I can just pony up 5 bucks a month every time I lose one of my Gravity's... :P
 
I use Gravity picks as well. I like the Sunrise shape 3mm with the unpolished edge.

I am in agreement with you about the unpolished edge. Not sure that I sound better with it, but I like how it feels. I have collected a few different types of picks including some V-picks and a Honey pick, but I keep coming back to the Gravity pick.

I follow several pick makers on IG and there is some cool stuff out there. Check out https://www.heavyrepping.com/. He has reviews and a store for several different pick makers.
 
Kind of the extreme version but Snarling dogs (goofy brand, I know I know) brain picks held sideways also have an interesting texture against the string. Almost like sand paper with enough drag to be annoying with a 12 string. Certainly not super rigid plastic so go thicker if that's your jam but I like them a lot.
 
I use Gravity picks as well. I like the Sunrise shape 3mm with the unpolished edge.

I am in agreement with you about the unpolished edge. Not sure that I sound better with it, but I like how it feels. I have collected a few different types of picks including some V-picks and a Honey pick, but I keep coming back to the Gravity pick.

I follow several pick makers on IG and there is some cool stuff out there. Check out https://www.heavyrepping.com/. He has reviews and a store for several different pick makers.
Thank you for that - super cool site!!
Kind of the extreme version but Snarling dogs (goofy brand, I know I know) brain picks held sideways also have an interesting texture against the string. Almost like sand paper with enough drag to be annoying with a 12 string. Certainly not super rigid plastic so go thicker if that's your jam but I like them a lot.
Yeah, I have used those in the past actually! But I guess it's like...that's the *sound* I'm after, but not so much that feel. The thing with the Gravity's that I really like is that to me they more or less play like a regular pick, there's no "grabbing" the string BUT it has that same drag/grab/etc sound like the Snarling Dogs, Herdim, etc...

Honestly I've kinda got half a mind to get some of those cheap Dunlop gels and maybe see if just roughing up the edge bevels with sandpaper or something will get a similar "grit" sound to it....
 
I'd like to try some of the fancy picks out there but I have a mental barrier against paying more than $1 for a pick (although I once splurged and spent $1.99 each for two primetones--there were good but essentially the same as the cheaper ultex).
 
After years of trying way too many options, I landed on 1.00mm Dunlop Flow picks and I'm not looking back. perfect pic for me.
 
I'd like to try some of the fancy picks out there but I have a mental barrier against paying more than $1 for a pick (although I once splurged and spent $1.99 each for two primetones--there were good but essentially the same as the cheaper ultex).
I think that's kind of my dilemma....I really do like the Gravity's better than any other I've tried but it just feels wrong to me to be paying that much per pick, lol.
 
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I am ultra fickle with picks. one second I love floppy pointy picks and then I hate them. So when I tried my first gravity pick with the unpolished edge I thought it was garbage. Came back later and loved it once I had worn the edge just enough. Then I found my pickapalooza ( https://www.amazon.com/Pick-Palooza...678831271&sprefix=pick+a+punch,aps,119&sr=8-5 ) which I also originally hated but after the stint with the gravity pick I really liked the feel of whatever the random cards they give you for punching picks. they start with that hard edge and then after maybe 5 minutes of tremelo picking they work. ultra cheap and definitely not for everyone. but maybe worth a look.

Full disclosure: Started as a bassist and still find picks a bit awkward.
 
I had a gravity pick way back when they launched. I got a free sample and it was a pretty thin pick and it ended up cracking pretty quickly unfortunately. I never went back and tried more after that, but I expect a thicker one would be much more durable. I remember the gravity pick being really slick on the strings. I currently use winspear shivs and john petrucci flow picks, both a little pricy for a pick, but not bad since they last a long time in my experience. I prefer the winspear, but only have one.
 
I've switched to picks made from delrin. I can now do the finale to "Hurricane" without breaking a pick. These things last so long you loose them before you break them. Great sound as well. I have arthritis and I rarely drop one of these because they are so flexible at the same time of being indestructible. I've been playing for 56 years, only using these for the past five years or so. Never gonna look at another pick.......


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I'd like to try some of the fancy picks out there but I have a mental barrier against paying more than $1 for a pick (although I once splurged and spent $1.99 each for two primetones--there were good but essentially the same as the cheaper ultex).
If your CONUS I probably have some V-picks laying around I didn't bound with I'll send you.
 
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Well if you change your mind or anyone else in the CONUS wants them, there up for grabs!
I'm a huge fan of V-Picks! The Tradition Lites are my home base, but I have a few others for varying textures of tone.

Which ones do you have?
 
I had an epiphany a few years ago. I'd been using grey Dunlop nylon 88s for years and years. Then I discovered the newer extra grippy grey Dunlop 88s and haven't looked back.
 
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