Review: Monster Grips

Scott Peterson

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Monster Grips are essentially little silicone wafers that adhere to your pick... or whatever else you want to stick them to.


That's pretty simple; and this review wasn't exactly a complicated one to do. Sometimes the simplest ideas (the "why didn't I think of that?!" sort) are the best. The end question - as with anything - is this: do the benefits outweigh any cons?








First, let's lay this out. Andrew Federico Jr. created Monster Grips. You get 16 of the silicon wafers to a pack. They are very thin, yet very durable silicone wafers that are cool because they don't attract dirt/lint/fuzz; they stay soft over time (even in the VERY dry low humidity of a Michigan cold spell with inside humidity hovering around 30%), they stay where you put them and - they can double as a 'sticky' that will hold on your guitar (which is probably something that I never thought of, but now dig).


I use Tortex picks currently 1mm. I rarely drop picks, they don't spin on me much and I've never thought - 'hey, I wish this was more grippy!' - so I expected to not be much impressed with these little wafers. I used to drill holes in my picks for years; but got away from that... so adding these little wafers was no big deal.





They have better pics on their forum; but that's how it looks on mine.


So what are my impressions? They are cool, they don't bother me, I look for my picks with them attached now because they just feel cool and the stick to your guitar trick works GREAT.



Andrew has a story behind these and he has a site going over the particulars. http://www.monstergrips.com/


Pros:

  • They work on picks, sticks, knobs
  • They stick to most anything
  • Very thin, yet held up to gigging (no tears, rips)
  • They do NOT lose tackyness or get dirty with use (+)



Cons:

  • Do not currently (as I post this) have distribution in music stores
  • The price should be around $9 US; that's a fair premium



Conclusion:


I liked these more than I thought I would; I really had a hard time looking at what they cost and weighing whether they are worth that sort of coin; they are silicon wafers. But after using them and finding that little 'stick to the guitar' trick... the price doesn't feel that high. One thing that also weighs in the positive is that these are durable; I've been using them for about 3 weeks now and have gigged them... no rips, no peeling up, no issues.


I also had the other guitarist in my band use them on his Jazz III's and he didn't have anything much to say until he did the 'stick it on the guitar trick' and then he was asking how he could get some more.


Check out Andrew's site and have a look at these. Sometimes the best ideas are the most simple after all.
 
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I like the stick to guitar trick, but I have some Jazz III's that have the max grip stamped into them. I tend to drop them way more than my regulars when hiding my pick for tapping or finger picking trying to get them settled in my palm and back out, they are too grippy lol.
 
Interesting stuff. Thanks for posting Scott. I've never even heard of Monster grips.

I have been using Gravity Picks for about a year now. They are similar to V-Picks. I use the Striker model. All three sides have the same point profile so I can slip it into my palm for finger picks or taps, and not worry about the orientation of the pick when I grip it again. They have the same grip as V-Picks so I never have a problem with dropping them. Another big plus is that they are WAY too expensive to throw at people at the end of a gig. I have mine done with the Master finish, which is an unpolished edge. I get great pick dynamics. I will say they do not stick to the guitar like the Monster grips. Not sure if I would need to do that. Might be good for the sides of my E-Bow.
 
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