So what pops up in my email yesterday? An email from Gravity announcing their new colored Gold picks. So I ordered a couple because of this thread. I have actually been using a V-Pick Jester for a couple months and really like it. It is a little bigger than Jazz picks. Funny thing is, I tend to gravitate back to Adamas graphite picks which I have used for years.
It is really hard to guess at what someone else will like. But -- apparently I am going to do that anyway. If you like the V-pick Jester and the Adamas graphite picks -- the Gravity Gold picks are right in that same family of feel and sound. I think the GG's will be just a little bit smoother and less chirpier on the pick attack. Otherwise, they are very close.
Colors are good! Expensive picks in earth tones are really just an invitation to moments of stress when they are misplaced. -- But maybe a note, the translucent acrylic pics from Gravity are a different material from the Gravity Golds. The translucent acrylic picks will be very, very similar to the V-pick Jester, which I believe is acrylic, also (not sure.)
I get the skepticism about $20+ picks -- even more at $40+ . I looked at the Bluechip picks for 2 years -- just to see if they were still in business. If a friend hadn't sent me a bluechip pick in the mail, I probably would never have bought one on my own. Since then, I've bought 4 BC picks -- used, of various thicknesses -- which I still have. I have also, bought 4 of the 1.5mm GG's (2 of which are in the house somewhere, aarrrghh!) I now prefer the GG's for electric because they are a touch brighter while maintaining a part of the nice feel of the BC picks. In truth, the BC picks were too warm for most of my playing-style on electric guitar -- even though a lot of listeners really liked the warm sound. If the BC's hadn't felt so good in use, I probably would have moved on to a different electric pick sooner. I put a sharper bevel on the BC picks to brighten them up for electric playing. But, it was still not quite enough -- for me. BC is still my absolute favorite acoustic pick. And, I am old enough to have owned a few real tortoise shell picks back in the bad old days. (photo is 10 yrs old, I'm 67.) But now, I prefer BC's on my acoustic and GG's on my electric guitar.
When you think of the cost for these picks in terms of dollars per gram, it can make you choke a little. But, in terms of dollars per tone? I have put way more money into pedals that were of no real long-term use to me. In contrast to that, I have no regrets, at all, over the cost of either the Bluechips or the Gravity Golds. I have even bought extras of these picks. Because, while using a different pick (Ultex, Nylon, Acrylic) is not completely horrible -- other picks just take away from the best feeling and tone -- for me personally, when playing guitar.
Also, I prefer a stiff heavy pick. If you prefer a flexible pick, I don't think either the BC's or the GG's are likely to make you happy. I'm just doing my best to put my own experience out there in a form that might be of use to someone else..
