I discovered Record Picks on Twitter. To be honest when I first read about their plectrums I was more interested in the cool factor of plectrums made out of old albums than anything else. I knew I had to get some to improve my own cool factor. I needed to be cool by association. What I didn’t know was how impressed I’d be by the plectrums themselves. Actually, I’ve since forgotten about trying to seem cooler than I am. I’m just happy knowing I’ve got some seriously impressive little picks!
The pack I received was the Sampler. Packs can be purchased in Light, Medium, Heavy or Jazz packs if you happen to know exactly what you’re after. Me, I was clueless. I was so clueless in fact that I didn’t realise records came in different thicknesses. By the way, I am old enough to know as I have a few albums from the likes of Led Zeppelin and Metallica. I can’t say I ever measured their thickness though. Luckily the folks at Record Picks know their stuff. They’ve managed to put together the packs I mentioned previously into the following gauges.
- Light: -.94 mm
- Medium: .95-1.1 mm
- Heavy: 1.11+ mm
- Jazz: 1.0+ mm
I’m pretty sure my favourite is the Medium. Regardless of your preferred thickness, one thing you’ll find with each pick is an increased grip. The record grooves act as a perfect grip on the pick. As the grooves go throughout the entire pick it doesn’t seem to matter where or how you hold the pick either. That’s ideal for me as I’m sure I have poor pick form (PPF*).
Another thing I noticed was the obviously more noticeable pick sound when strumming. On an acoustic guitar the sound was amplified and I didn’t mind it. I’m sure a good pick scrape would be outstanding with these plectrums. I don’t do that as much as I should so I can’t say for sure. You try it. I’m sure I’m right.
If I had to pick on anything (intentional pun) then I’d say it would be good to know what album/s your plectrums are made from. I imagine that’s a logistical nightmare, but how cool would that be?
“Awesome! My plectrums are made from damaged Nana MousKouri records!”
That would make the cool factor go through the roof. Not that anybody cares about the cool factor (I do). Anyhow, go get yourself some Record Picks. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
* I’m not sure PPF is a real thing. I just made it up because acronyms are incredibly popular.