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Thread: Clayton picks Ultem vs Acetal Polymer

  1. #1
    Registered User Hany Hayek's Avatar
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    Default Clayton picks Ultem vs Acetal Polymer

    I ordered Clayton Acetal Polymer Small Teardrop, the Black Raven Small Teardrop (which I think is also Acetal polymer) and the Ultem Tortoise Small Teardrop all 0.8 mm
    I have tried them all. I am used to the Ultem but needed to compare with the Acetal.
    Ultem is more warm acetal is bright specially on A and E strings.
    Now the question is why is the review by Claytom suggesting that Acetal picks are for guitars while Ultem is preferred by mandolin players.
    All these picks are great in my opinion.
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  2. #2
    MandolaViola bratsche's Avatar
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    Default Re: Clayton picks Ultem vs Acetal Polymer

    That's funny, my experience is the opposite - I find acetal more warm sounding, and ultem more bright.

    I got the Clayton acetal 1.90mm and beveled the edge (neutral bevel), and it's good. The biggest pain is that ultem picks don't come any thicker than 1.14mm, which produces pick noise, when I play and to my ear, like a baseball card sounded when flapping in the bicycle spokes when I was a kid. Personally, I can't play with any pick thinner than 1.5mm, but since I like ultem's tone potential for some things, I made some picks myself from sheet ultem material in 1.5mm thickness. I wish I could get some even thicker than that.

    bratsche
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  4. #3
    jbmando RIP HK Jim Broyles's Avatar
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    Default Re: Clayton picks Ultem vs Acetal Polymer

    Dunlop Ultex (same stuff I think) comes in 2.0.
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    Registered User Justus True Waldron's Avatar
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    Default Re: Clayton picks Ultem vs Acetal Polymer

    Quote Originally Posted by Hany Hayek View Post
    Now the question is why is the review by Claytom suggesting that Acetal picks are for guitars while Ultem is preferred by mandolin players.
    All these picks are great in my opinion.
    Yeah that's interesting. I used to play with the 1.5mm Black Raven triangle picks exclusively before I went over to the BC dark side. Seemed to work pretty good on mando to me, although my guitar player liked them too. I sanded bevels in mine though...
    - 2004 Macica A
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  6. #5
    MandolaViola bratsche's Avatar
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    Default Re: Clayton picks Ultem vs Acetal Polymer

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Broyles View Post
    Dunlop Ultex (same stuff I think) comes in 2.0.
    Yeah, Dunlop ultex is what I was talking about - their itty bitty (to me) standard shape pick comes in 2mm thick, but their triangle, which maxes at 1.14mm, is the smallest pick shape I can play with (my homemade triangles are even larger diameter than commercial ones).

    bratsche
    "There are two refuges from the miseries of life: music and cats." - Albert Schweitzer

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  7. #6
    Registered User Hany Hayek's Avatar
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    Default Re: Clayton picks Ultem vs Acetal Polymer

    I tried the Dunlop Ultex small tear drop (always 0.88 mm), they sound good and have less pick noise than the Clayton ltem 0.8
    But I can only do a good tremolo with a Clayton Ultem 0.72 mm.
    There are also a Greek brand of picks probably made of Nylon (small tear drop) called Mastro and the heavy one has almost no pick noise. I think they are made after the Fender
    “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.”
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  8. #7
    but that's just me Bertram Henze's Avatar
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    Default Re: Clayton picks Ultem vs Acetal Polymer

    Quote Originally Posted by bratsche View Post
    their triangle, which maxes at 1.14mm, is the smallest pick shape I can play with (my homemade triangles are even larger diameter than commercial ones).
    You might want to try a Ningi (see paragraph 5 here)
    the world is better off without bad ideas, good ideas are better off without the world

  9. #8
    Registered User f5loar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Clayton picks Ultem vs Acetal Polymer

    Before I got hooked on BC (the pick not the headache powder) I was a Black Raven TD 1.0 user. Of the Claytons I liked it best for mandolin. None of the Claytons seemed to work for me on guitar. Not sure what the difference between the white Clayton and the Black Raven in material it is made of but I sure could tell a difference. I had a hard time finding the Black Ravens in stores.

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