V-Picks, Question About Chirping

jesussaddle

jesussaddle

Power User
I must say, I am a big fan of V-picks. I don't go above the "Lite" thickness for most things, but the Chirping sound is not too bad on them, especially for practice (They give my sweaty left hand confidence it won't drop them.) . But I would to know if anyone has found a solution. I know that materials science has the answer. I would like to know what sort of epoxy or material I can spread a thin coat of on the tip, so I still have grip, but have a sound that is a little less shrill when struck particularly hard.

With a Parametric EQ in front of the chain, I found a frequency, with a h10.00 Q, somewhere between 1450 K and 1550 K that seems to reduce the particularly edgy part, but I do not necessarily want to limit that. Maybe there is a higher frequency that I could dial down.

I have put sally hansen's hard as nails type products on picks before also, and that smooths out the tone a bit. But I don't think its necessarily the end all be all.

Has anyone else tried either a different EQ setting, or a different applied-materials solution?.
 
I just decided to stop using them. Way to chirpy / scratchy for my style of music. Went back to Dunlop textured hard picks. No birdy noises with them ;)
 
I see. I had not heard of them. I think I will buy some. They look pretty nice, maybe I can get used to them, although they're not very sharp-tipped - I used to sharpen my picks on the carpet, and I'm pretty used to them being a little sharp. Until now my alternatives have been more like the fender heavy tear drop or the Jazz III (Though I have a bunch of ultex that I cannot stand. Too light feeling.and the sound coloration wasn't at all to my liking. (The fender teardrop coloration is rather plain but not at all unpleasant.)

Anyway I am curious how they sound.
 
I bought a lot of V-picks when they were the hot pick thegearpage. Eventually I got tired of the chirp and switch back to Jazz III red, then black, then Ultex. I also like the Dunlop Petrucci picks.
 
Bought a bunch of V-picks and can't use them.
Pretty sure if you're going to try to eq the chirp out you're going to eq something else from the tone. Not the best way to go IMO
I use Redbear and BlueChip Picks. Way better (and expensive too) than V-Picks. Gravity are a bit better (in terms of chirping) than V-Picks.
 
sprada said:
Bought a bunch of V-picks and can't use them.
Pretty sure if you're going to try to eq the chirp out you're going to eq something else from the tone. Not the best way to go IMO
I use Redbear and BlueChip Picks. Way better (and expensive too) than V-Picks. Gravity are a bit better (in terms of chirping) than V-Picks.
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I'm a big blue chip pick fan. Just don't lose the damn things, they are ungodly expensive
 
You can sometimes remove the chirping through compression/gating/. That way it only effects the attack characteristics and not the entire tone. However while it might drive you nuts during solo play. When your playing with drums and other insturments the chirp will usually end up completely covered up. So i wouldn't worry about it too much.
 
I used V-Picks for quite a while but in the end that chirp got too much for me and I switched. Following a recommendation I tried out chickenpicks. Nice thick pick, but none of the chirps that you get with the V-Picks. Certainly worth checking out. I think the ones I use are the Shredders, but I can't recall off the top of my head.
 
Which of the above mentioned picks have the best grip?

For me, it is the V-picks. Yes, the chirp is pretty rough.

Red Bear are good, but they don't stay in my fingers as well, particularly this time of year when it's cold outside and dry inside.
 
I tried a bunch of V-Picks, coul dnever get used to them, way too noisy for me. That was a lot of money wasted!

I then tried Gravity, same principle, a little less chirpy, but still too much noise for me.

I tried one Redbear, but the darned thing is as big as a playing card. No way I'm gonna play guitar with something that big. Another bunch of $$ down the Internet drain...

I should just stop reading all this crap about "such and such a pick is a great addition to your gear", and just play guitar. I used to play using the little plastic closures on bread bags, I should be more than happy with Jazz IIIs,
 
You can try Gravity Gold picks. Same great grip, but WAY less chirp. They have a very pleasant pick attack. I use Blue Chip picks. I use the TP 60. They are very expensive, but I don't lose picks so they work very well for me. Great grip, and effortless off the strings. That is all I use now.
 
Geezerjohn said:
You can try Gravity Gold picks. Same great grip, but WAY less chirp. They have a very pleasant pick attack. I use Blue Chip picks. I use the TP 60. They are very expensive, but I don't lose picks so they work very well for me. Great grip, and effortless off the strings. That is all I use now.
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Yeah I'm using the TD60. Best pick I've tried. Like it a bit more than my RedBears. I've been using it daily for some months now and it's brand new. It's amazing really.
 
Lignum Vitae....no chirp...warm....last as long or longer than typical pics....nothing like the organic feel wood between your fingers and on the strings.
 
When I was at NAMM 2016, I stopped by the Chicken Picks booth and they gave me one to try. I liked it so much that I bought a lot of them from the website. Easily the best picks I have ever used. I've never been a fan of thick picks, but man, these picks are thick, and awesome.
 
I've decided to give Chicken Picks Shredder and Baddazz a try.

And the Gravity Gold Razor Big Mini 1.5. (I weigh the sound as well as ease of playing when I choose thickness, so its hard to choose, because I could as well have gotten a 2.5, but it might sound a lot different and not as bright).

I am thinking I really should not have gotten a razor, but the pic on the page I was on gave the illusion it wasn't too sharp. Now I will just have to see, and maybe order a different one next time.

Really great suggestions, thanks everyone! I'll report back on how these do. I still haven't gotten any of the truly expensive picks yet because it would be good to have a trial run...
 
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Just placed a rather large order of various picks. I'll report in once they arrive and I can test them.

Looking for the grip of V-picks sans
 
I'm sorry but I can't imagine a guitar pick being so amazing that, I'd want to spend $25 for it. I can appreciate the cost due to the hand crafting but I just can't see it being that good. Please don't misunderstand me. I know pick material affects the tone but a $25 pick is akin to a $500 set of strings. The Internet has taken the boutique market for guitar gear to the nth level. $25 picks couldn't exist without it.
 
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