New Dunlop Pick?

[Marc Ferry]

At Adam Steffey's mando workshop at the Jenny Brook festival, he recommended these Dunlop picks. He uses the standard (pointy) shape with grip, so I ordered a 3-pack of these. I ususally use BlueChips, so it'll be interesting to compare the tone of the two.

[Kevin Campbell]

Does anyone know if the Primetone picks are in stock in any stores, like Sam Ash, or Guitar Center?

[Mike Bunting]

You can feel a difference, for sure. To my ears, the tone of the BC's is a bit smoother, fatter (without being dull),and somewhat less 'rasp' - though the Primetones are great sounding picks in their own right and I'll happily use them. Very nice to see a reasonably priced pick out there that performs as well as these do.

Almeria, what sort of bevel do they have, I can't tell from their website. I like round bevels.

[tkdboyd]

Does anyone know if the Primetone picks are in stock in any stores, like Sam Ash, or Guitar Center?

If you buy from Amazon, they are usually under $20.00 with shipping (most seem to be 3 per pack) so you wouldn't be out much, as long as you have an idea of what you are looking for in a pick regarding thickness, point, etc...

[mandobassman]

I ordered the 513P1.5mm, 3-Pack last night from ZZounds.com. Shipped today. $5.95, plus shipping (came out to $9.50 total). Should get it early next week. You can get them from Amazon but it always says "ships in 3-4 weeks". Here's a link to where I bought mine.

http://www.zzounds.com/item--DNP513P1?siid=136569

[almeriastrings]

The bevel seems quite close to the BC TAD 60 (RH bevel version).... though I am pretty sure these would be easy to customize to taste with a file and sandpaper or Dremel tool. Cheap enough that if you went through a couple while perfecting them it would not be a disaster.

[Mike Bunting]

The bevel seems quite close to the BC TAD 60 (RH bevel version).... though I am pretty sure these would be easy to customize to taste with a file and sandpaper or Dremel tool. Cheap enough that if you went through a couple while perfecting them it would not be a disaster.

Thanks for the info.

[John Adrihan]

What's the size(diameter) of the 514? I use a Kenny Smith BC and it is not as big as triangles and would like to stay with the smaller size. Also whats the deal with the two different colors, it looks like there are two different brown tones?
thanks

[mandobassman]

Wow!!! Picks came today. Amazing since I only ordered them Wednesday night, so I know the order didn't go through the system until yesterday morning. Confirmation told me 3-5 days, so I wasn't expecting anything until sometime next week. What a great surprise.

I had about 45 minutes to give it a test drive and so far, I am very impressed. I have been using the same custom Wegen triangular 1.8mm pick for the last couple of years. I have tried several other picks (Blue Chip, V-Pick, Gravity Picks, other Wegen Picks) and none have been as good as the Wegen for me. One of the qualities I have liked about the custom Wegen is the volume, which has always been a tad louder than other picks I've used. So, the first thing I did was play with the Wegen for about 5 minutes. Then I pulled out the Primetone 513 1.5mm. Exact same size and shape as the Wegen, only a bit thinner. The first thing I noticed is it is unbelievably loud. Even my wife, who was in the room when I was trying it out, commented on how much louder it was. It is a little bit brighter than the Wegen, but in a very good way. Instead of being just bright, which really annoys me, this pick brings out clarity without being overly bright or clicky. I am amazed at how effortless it allows me to play while still having clarity and volume. After playing with the Primetone for a while, I pulled out the Wegen to compare and, although warmer in tone, it seemed muffled and dull by comparison. I will be playing with it quite a bit more in the coming days and am really looking forward to trying it out with the band. That's where the truth will come out. There are several picks the I have liked initially, but ended up not liking at all onstage. That's usually because they didn't pull the volume out and I ended up pushing the mandolin real hard to be heard. I don't see that being a problem with this pick. I also played a couple of minutes on guitar and it sounded outstanding on it. Can't wait to try it on the octave. I bought the 3-pack and if I stick with them I'll probably buy a couple more 3-packs to have spares and for other instruments. And, I can do so without killing the budget.

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Larry - "...it is unbelievably loud...". Ain't they just !. I agree about the brightness as well Larry,but that helps with cutting through the sound of other instruments,so i'm not bothered about that. The combination of DR strings & the new Primetone picks has brought about a huge improvement in the sheer punch of both my mandolins,so 'for me' - job done !,
Ivan

[mandobassman]

I agree about the brightness as well Larry,but that helps with cutting through the sound of other instruments,so i'm not bothered about that.

I've used picks in the past where the brightness was so much that there was a "perceived" feeling of extra volume but at the expense of tone, but with this triangular Primetone pick it is only mildly bright, but the overall volume is really there. I'm really excited about this new pick. I only have one of my Wegen picks and had been thinking of ordering another, but now I don't have to deal with Michel Wegen anymore. He has not been a good person to do business with, IMO.

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Larry - " He has not been a good person to do business with, IMO.". Like wanting to charge you extra for NOT drilling holes in them (or was it not bevelling them ?).My only contact with him was via e-mail & he came across as being very sarcastic,i liked his picks though !,
Ivan

[mandobassman]

From Larry - " He has not been a good person to do business with, IMO.". Like wanting to charge you extra for NOT drilling holes in them (or was it not bevelling them ?).My only contact with him was via e-mail & he came across as being very sarcastic,i liked his picks though !,
Ivan

Certainly don't mean to derail the thread, but I emailed him one time to ask about a custom pick, he didn't answer 3 emails over a month and a half. When I called him out on it he sent back a email that was very nasty, like my emails weren't worth his time. When I finally did order a pick without a bevel, he doubled the price for eliminating a step in the process.

Back to the Primetones. I played a little more last night with the Primetone 513. I can't believe how good it sounds. The clarity of the notes is amazing, and it doesn't come at the expense of harsh tone. Like I said before, it's not as warm as my Wegen, but my mandolin is much more alive using the Primetone.

[Jeff Budz]

I bought some of the 1.5 no grip triangle Primetones from Amazon, gosh do I like them. My favorite pick has been a CT55 Blue Chip, nothing else gave me as good a feel and tone. This new Primetone is very similar to it, but seems to have a slightly sweeter tone to my ears, like a notch darker but still as focused. I've tried almost everything out there, these may be the best, IMO. Certainly the best value / performance I have seen. Glad I came upon this thread.

[Joe Mendel]

I do find these really close to my CT55 Blue Chip in sound and feel. I got the 1.4 with the grip, I like the grip a lot, though my BC doesn't slip in my hand. I also bought some of the 1.3 semi round, with grip, I love them for mandolin, much better than the Golden Gates I've tried in the past.

[Nick Eanet]

Jeff nailed it. I bought a 3 pack of the 513 1.4mm, grip and no grip. His description is just right except I think there is a touch more volume as well. The lighter colored model with the grip is slightly brighter toned and also an amazing pick. Both are the best bang for the buck by a mile....

[Johnny60]

OK, I'll bite. Where's the best place to buy these picks from in the UK?

For guitar I'm currenty favouring a normal Martin Heavy pick - have tried Wegen Bluegrass, Wegen TF140, John Pearse Fast Turtle and various V-picks and none of them give as good a tone on my D28 as a bog-standard Martin 96mm teardop pick. The Wegens are louder but lose "tone" and "musicality", the Pearses are too dark and clicky, and the v-picks are just WAAAYY too clicky and "icy". I've tried a friend's Blue Chip TD40 and it was very nice - crystal clear, no click and very "musical" - so much so that I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on a TD40 for guitar and possibly a TP50 for mando. BUT, reading all these posts, many of you are saying that these new Dunlop picks are "almost" as good as a Blue Chip.

So, if I currently use a Martin 96mm teardrop for guitar, which thickness would you aim for in a Primetone? Same again or slightly thicker? It's a shame they come in 3's as a mixed pack would be great.

As an aside, some people above said that Michel Wegen wasn't good to deal with. I personally found him to be very helpful. No personal interest here, just saying I had no issues. I quite like the Wegens on Mandolin, but am not keen with guitar as feel they "rob tone".

thanks

John

[lukmanohnz]

For guitar I'm currenty favouring a normal Martin Heavy pick - have tried Wegen Bluegrass, Wegen TF140, John Pearse Fast Turtle and various V-picks and none of them give as good a tone on my D28 as a bog-standard Martin 96mm teardop pick. The Wegens are louder but lose "tone" and "musicality", the Pearses are too dark and clicky, and the v-picks are just WAAAYY too clicky and "icy". I've tried a friend's Blue Chip TD40 and it was very nice - crystal clear, no click and very "musical" - so much so that I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on a TD40 for guitar and possibly a TP50 for mando. BUT, reading all these posts, many of you are saying that these new Dunlop picks are "almost" as good as a Blue Chip.

Have you tried these with guitar? For years all I ever used was a Fender 351 Heavy, then tried one of these with my Martin dread and it was a revelation. The new Primetones are an interesting variation on this non-beveled Ultex. I was truly underwhelmed by the textured version on my mando, but love it on my guitar. The non-textured Primetone gave me much better results on mando, but I didn't have the near-BC experience others report. But the financial risk associated with a Primetone is certainly quite low. Then again, BCs seem to hold their value pretty well.

[Ron McMillan]

OK, I'll bite. Where's the best place to buy these picks from in the UK?

I bought mine (in person, not over the Web) from Gak.co.uk in Brighton.

[Johnny60]

Thanks for the responses about the Primetones, guys (and to Ivan who PM'd me).

[stevedenver]

Does anyone know if the Primetone picks are in stock in any stores, like Sam Ash, or Guitar Center?

strings and beyond, a dozen for $19.95

[AmishRandy]

Dunlop will hate me for this, but I wrote to them with an inquiry about a pick to suit my needs. They sent me two Primetones out of the goodness of their hearts. I doubt they want to do a lot of that, but it sure impressed me, and helped more than anything they could have done.

For the record, I did not like the semiround. I spent a lot of time worrying if I was using the right corner, and didn't love the edge. The Primetone Triangle with grip is what I chose, and subsequently bought. Easy to hold onto, and sound very good.

Musicstorelive is an ebay seller that lets you make offers, and even accepts them. They carry the Primetones.

That said, My favorite for sound is still the Dunlop Tortex line. I get the 1mm Wedge. Cheaper by far.

[Tommcgtx]

I've ordered a set of three from Reverb for $6 with free shipping. I'm waitng for them to arrive.

[Caleb]

I just ordered some of the 515 1.3 picks (I think. I was a little overwhelmed by all the model numbers). Will report with a review when I get them.

[Tommcgtx]

Well, I recieved mine a couple of days ago, and they are better than anything else I've tried in my 1 year of playing. I bought three 1.5 thick of the "grippy" kind. I've never tried a blue chip, but I'd like to.