Gravity Picks feedback

[Ball&Chain]

Re: Gravity Picks feedback

I got my sample of Gravity picks yesterday. The sample included a classic standard 3.0mm in blue and a Razer Standard 1.5mm in red.

The Razer suffers from the same problem the V-Pick Stiletto does, which is, its a very scratchy and noisy pick. The edges are flat and overly grippy, making for a pretty harsh tone and an unstable release.

I really like the Classic Standard. Its a little bit smaller in size than the V-Pick tradition I compared it to, which is good. Its almost identicle in size to the Dunlop Delrin I usually use. I think it would be really good in the 1.5mm thickness. 3.00mm is a bit too thick unless the point is nice and sharp, which these arent. The grip is nice and sticky when your hands are warmed up like all the acrylics. I would give the V-Pick tradition a bit of an edge in release. The edges on the Tradition are a bit better polished so the string glides over the tip of the pick a little nicer.

[ganzosrevenge]

Re: Gravity Picks feedback

I received a red Striker XL in the mail about a week ago, and my personal preference of a pick is something in the vein of the Fender Heavy "Triangle shaped" picks. After restringing and retuning creature and letting her sit for a day or so to acquaint to her new set of 12-52s with wound G, I set off playing and wondering why do these picks have a bevelled edge. I soon found out. The Striker XL, big as it was (I like big picks, as I can rest my pointer finger on them), provided a nice resting spot for said finger, while allowing me to easily modulate my attack. Acoustically, even leisurely strumming allowed for a noted increase in volume over my normal Fender picks, while maintaining very good string clarity. Strumming chords or individual notes resulted in very clear notes, no scratchiness, and no pickup of interference from the pick (ie: pick-based harmonics). Any buzzy was a result of my own incompetence in playing. Creature as she is is quite unforgiving, with her clamped and decked bridge, SSL-1s (that i LOVE to solo on) and a brobucker that has a LOT of nuance for being a ridiculously high-output PAF-style pup.

I hoped that plugging in would continue this beautiful acoustic power, and I was not disappointed. With the same strum as my control Fender picks, it sounded thicker, perhaps due to the different material (ie: not tortoise-shelled), or maybe because of a placebo effect, but even my sisters (who are not guitar players) had a lower threshold before I had to turn it down. Yet even with the increased volume through my amp (An AC4TV 1x10), the clarity of the individual strings through each pickup was retained, yet strum energy was more efficient via amp. My chords were fatter-sounding (more mids and lows relative to highs), my solo runs were louder and notes seemed to have less "flack" or flub in them, and my strat sounded a bit more focused than I had remembered hearing it sounding. I'm always looking for my strat to sound more focused and less floaty, and any implement - including a change in plectrums - that facilitates a focused yet thick sound, is welcome to me.

Compared to fingerpicking, these picks make my strat unforgiving and bring out any buzzing that I may have hidden via fingerpicking; again, I like that because it helps to bring out my inner player. I know that sounds brief, but compared to my fenders which either buzzed or were normal (without consistency, it depended perhaps on where the pick hit the string or maybe how the guitar and pick felt that day - who knows), the same grip consistently yielded the same buzz, or the same correct "note-defined" chord. I like that - honest picks. THe question - as a person who favors thick picks, what would a 3mm Striker XL do relative to the 1.5mm Striker XL I received... only one way to find out .

Would buy by the dozen to keep in my guitar case, EXCELLENT picks.

Jason

[B2D]

Re: Gravity Picks feedback

Alright, time for my review:

I received a red Razer in 1.5mm in the mail about a week ago and I've spent some time with it on acoustics and electrics.

I initially wasn't sure if I liked it on electric. It seemed to add too much attack and a "shink" sound to the beginning of notes. I had to adjust my technique to smooth out the attack. It's a good pick and it forces me to be very precise... good technique is rewarded and sloppiness is punished when using this pick. I'm still not sure if I really like it more than the Ultex Sharps I was using. Maybe it's the thickness? I'm not sure. Maybe I should get one thickness down to see what happens. I know that the pick is hand-carved and getting a nice even bevel on a pick that size is probably really tough. It definitely sounds better on some guitars for me than others though. I really liked using it on Gibsons, for example.

Using it on Acoustic guitars, however, is a totally different story. I immediately got more attack, volume, and definition from each note. It sounded like I had just put new strings on. The thickness of the pick became an advantage here for the wider string spacing but I don't know if I'd want to use one this thick on a 12-string. At any rate this is now my favorite pick for playing acoustic guitar.

All in all, I think this is a great product. These picks really illustrate how crucial your pick is as your left hand's interface and may force you to correct some loose edges on your style. I think I may actually buy up a few different shapes and thicknesses to experiment with just to see if I can get down with something for using it on an electric.

Chris; thanks very much for the opportunity!! I will be making a purchase in the near future!

[heavydutysg135]

Re: Gravity Picks feedback

Chris was kind enough to send me several models of his picks to try (razor, classic, and stealth mini) after I communicated my preference for small pointed picks (main pick is an EJ model Dunlop Jazz 3). I have been comparing Chris’ picks back and forth to the Jazz 3 for the past 2 weeks and the difference in tone is readily apparent to my ears. The tone is thicker (definitely more bottom end and midrange) and has more harmonics content; these make the Jazz 3 sound somewhat more dull and lifeless (more like plastic). It is possible that some of this tonal difference could be compensated for with amp eq settings but I do prefer to start with the best acoustic sound that I can and then go from there. Feel (as well as tone) is subjective and I think that both the Gravity and Dunlop have their own thing going. Both get the job done but playing with the Gravity pick gives me the sense that I am using a quality piece much like the feeling that I get when am playing a high end custom guitar vs. a good off the rack name brand guitar. They can both get you to the same place but the feeling that you get in the process is different.

I will let my friend, who is also a Jazz 3 user, sample my razor and classic models and I am confident that he will be impressed; the stealth mini is going nowhere. I really like the attention to detail that Chris put into forming the bevels of the stealth model. These picks are significantly more expensive than the Dunlops; however, the price is not very high in comparison to the money that I have tied up in my other gear and I do not anticipate losing these. The best compliment that I can give is that I plan to order more picks (would like to try the stealth big mini too); time will tell whether I am as happy with the pick edge longevity as I am with the tone and feel. Thanks Chris!