V-picks and Gravity

Steinberger

Member
the chicken picker seems crème of the crop (besides the ultimate shredder pick), and what I can’t wait to really try. If it works as well as Vinni says I’m sold, along with the other two picks , I know for a fact I’m going to love it since I like Gravity so much (as they are the new gen/his students company, his must be as amazing as the reviews and info on TGP ). He also said the Farley is on par with the chicken picker but it’s double

The gravity pick I got was the Gold series, and Chris included a second size, one with the wave grip. These Aren’t Gel/like Dunlop, these are some kind of thermoplastic, but it’s a unique material and not your average pick at all.

Dunlop makes a lot of knock offs of “better picks” and they do it well, but the real thing costs $5+ per pick for a reason, and it makes sense now. I was big into graphite picks (Telefunken/Tusq Graphtech white/bright .88mm we’re IMO the best pick you could find for metal and 7 string music), and now that I tried Gravity and soon V picks, I may have found exactly what I was looking for in a slightly higher quality, long lasting, and apparently better to play with plectrum, Definitely worth experiment

What models have you recommended?
 
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I play V-Picks almost exclusively. At first because I lost my picking hand forefinger and I needed a pick I could hold without constantly dropping them. I buy the 4mm ones in several styles. And I think they sound great, or maybe I've been using them so long they are the only picks that sound normal to me.
 
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I ordered a few sizes of the v pick, .8 2.5mm and 1.5mm because of the picks I use now

From what I read though, thickness doesn’t really mean anything to these companies , with some going near 10mm!

Something must be different , 4mm is like 2 of my thickets picks so I can’t imagine unless the tip/edge are extremely tapered
They are.
 
Got a Gravity pick free in a pedal I bought. Ignored it for years until I finally used it one day and was totally blown away - Classic 1.5 unpolished. I think it's the unpolished thing I like as it adds a scratchyness to attack. Now I've got a pick monkey on my back as I can no longer tolerate any other.
 
I really enjoy the V picks. I have several. Some that I thought were ridiculous have been very useful. I like having vast array of pics when recording, not just V pics, especially when recording acoustic guitars to make the takes sound distinctly different. I agree w/Andy Eagle-Ultex Jazz 3 is a great pick.
 
Gravity picks came in and they are the real deal, so far they are as good if not better than anything else I have tried, superior to the JP and even to me, the Jazz 3 and fender extra heavy. I think it’s going to be a very close contest between the gold gravity pick with the awesome wave grip and the chicken picker v-pick if the specs are as close and descriptions accurate, but I’ll have the 4 different v-picks this week.

My mind about picks has completely change, and Gravity does amazing work. I definitely support them, and I look forward to trying his teachers (competition) as his stuff looks fantastic.
I've been completely sold on Chicken Picks, I'm currently using the Badazz III 3.2mm. Started with the Shredder 3.5mm and really liked it but the Badazz III is a better fit as far as shape and size for me.
 
Jazz III for me. I do have a V Pick Tradition that I fool with now and then. But my go to is a Jazz III, slightly reshaped/rounded so not so pointy sharp.
 
I’m trying to understand what something like the v-picks offer. Is more than the grip and feel?

Am hoping there’s a sound aspect to them. The thing that has bothered me most about guitar for a long time is how ‘chirpy’ pick attack can be. I haven’t been able to pin down if it is technique, pickups, pick material, strings, or some combination thereof.
 
I’m trying to understand what something like the v-picks offer. Is more than the grip and feel?

Am hoping there’s a sound aspect to them. The thing that has bothered me most about guitar for a long time is how ‘chirpy’ pick attack can be. I haven’t been able to pin down if it is technique, pickups, pick material, strings, or some combination thereof.
Chicken Picks are by far the least "chirpy" of any pick I've tried.
 
I have a few Gravity picks, because during the lockdown I felt adventurous and tried out some other picks than what I usually use (which would be Ultex and Primetone Jazz III XLs). I got a 3 mm one and a 4 mm, and can attest to them being quality picks. Probably last about forever, and excellent if you like a little bit more mass to your picking implement of choice. For me, personally, they didn't do all that much, much preferred the feel of a Jazz III.

The best use I found for them was as a training pick, so to speak, kind of like the Stylys Pick of old (I know some of you remember that one). The thickness of the pick really has you control your picking depth, because if you get too far in there with that 4 mm bouncing around, you're very much stuck, especially with picked lines at speedier tempos. Big plus for the neon color though, if I drop an Ultex it's gone forever.
 
I have a few Gravity picks, because during the lockdown I felt adventurous and tried out some other picks than what I usually use (which would be Ultex and Primetone Jazz III XLs). I got a 3 mm one and a 4 mm, and can attest to them being quality picks. Probably last about forever, and excellent if you like a little bit more mass to your picking implement of choice. For me, personally, they didn't do all that much, much preferred the feel of a Jazz III.

The best use I found for them was as a training pick, so to speak, kind of like the Stylys Pick of old (I know some of you remember that one). The thickness of the pick really has you control your picking depth, because if you get too far in there with that 4 mm bouncing around, you're very much stuck, especially with picked lines at speedier tempos. Big plus for the neon color though, if I drop an Ultex it's gone forever.
I have better luck finding missing socks then finding a dropped pick.
 
I like the Andy James dunlop version. They are a good cross between the standard size pick and a jazz style. 2.0 seems to be the sweet spot with out sounding to clicking. The big key to alternate picking or sweeping if that is your thing is the balance between the pick and the string gauge. I have a few workshops on how to master this technique if anyone is interested.
 
I haven't tried v-picks. But, there's a B&M dealer near me. Maybe I will one day.

Gravity picks....they're kind of cool. I've tried a few. I like the way they feel, but it seems like they're just too hard (literally, the material is too hard) for how I play. I can make them sound okay, but they add a click to the front of the note and just sound less full....to me...with how I play.

The "thick" picks I like right now are both D'Addario, the Casein 2mm and Acrylux Reso 1.5mm. But, I used Dunlop Jazz IIIs exclusively for a long time.

Right now, though, I'm into a few different branded versions of what appear to be D'Andrea 351s in 1mm. So....literally the most basic pick on the planet. They are slower....but I'm not a shredder by any stretch of the imagination. I feel like I have more delicate control of them, and they're better at translating what's in my head to what comes out of the speaker.
 
Here are a few of the ones I have tried over the last few years as well as a nice assortment of V Picks.

There are 2 Red Bear (~$28 each I think) in there.
For V-Picks I love how they feel between the finger and thumb. What I don't like is the material seems to drag across the strings, not glide like other material does. Unfortunately, I don't use them.
I had a selcetion of Gravity picks, which I can't find right now. They are similar to V-Picks, maybe not as robust. I am not using them.
I have experimented with drilling holes and beveling the edges.
I don't like the white Chicken pick at all.
The Dava picks are cool too.
That Ibanez one has a sand grip which is effective.
I seem to go back to the Jim Dunlop Ultex, XL series Jazz III.


Picks wa.jpgV Picks.jpg
 
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I've tried the Gravity picks in various thicknesses from 2-6mm. They are fun to play with and good for certain types of tones. I don't feel they are versatile enough though. I'm tending more towards picks in the 0.8-1.5mm range these days, either the John Petrucci Jazz III or the Dunlop Flex 0.88 if I'm going to be doing more chord work. If I'm playing purely high gain lead tones then the gravity picks are pretty fun to use, almost like having an additional compressor...
 
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