Should I get V-picks?

[Joey Anchors]

Recently I've been thinking about trying a thicker pick than my Fender extra heavy 351 picks. I came across V-picks Freakishly Large rounded Pearly Gates which is 3.0mm and wondering if anyone has experience with this model?

[JH Murray]

It's well worth trying. I have the Jazzmando signature V-pick which is 1.5mm. More like a Fender 346 shape. It has a good sound, somewhere between the Blue Chip and the D'andrea Proplec. A clean sound. Some find the 'pick click' is noticeable, but it depends on your technique.

[Steve Sorensen]

Try these Dunlops.

Slightly "clickier" than CT-55 BlueChips . . . but similar feel to get you started. If you like these picks, you will LOVE the BlueChip.

Steve

[pheffernan]

Recently I've been thinking about trying a thicker pick than my Fender extra heavy 351 picks. I came across V-picks Freakishly Large rounded Pearly Gates which is 3.0mm and wondering if anyone has experience with this model?

To answer your thread title, yes you should try V-picks. They are a step into the premium pick market but not as pricy as the subsequent steps (Wegen, Red Bear, Blue Chip, TS, etc.). At that point, everything is a matter of preference, so you might consider one of their sampler kits. I only have one of their thick picks, a Medium Round Ruby Red, and it hasn't worked for me to date in either shape (I prefer a large triangle) or thickness (I gravitate to ~1.4 mm). I did like the Large Pointed Lite when I started, which I already had from my guitar days, and I especially liked the Tremolo Pointed for my flattops. YMMV so test drive them all.

[Astro]

I'd pass.

Tried one. Moved on.

But to be fair, I tried one model out of the gazillion they have.

[Joey Anchors]

How long do V-picks tend to last with heavy playing?

I practice two hours everyday with meduim playing pressure but tend to play harder when playing with a group of people.

[trabb]

How long do V-picks tend to last with heavy playing?

I practice two hours everyday with meduim playing pressure but tend to play harder when playing with a group of people.

YMMV, but I found that my V-picks tend to wear much faster than the other nicer picks I've bought (Dunlop Primetone, Wegen, and Papa's Picks).

[Joey Anchors]

YMMV, but I found that my V-picks tend to wear much faster than the other nicer picks I've bought (Dunlop Primetone, Wegen, and Papa's Picks).

Wow real MOP picks from PaPa's Picks? I wonder how those sound.

[Cheryl Watson]

MOP would be very bright. I've tried one from some company or other. Also just as important is the point and the bevel of that point which can quite drastically change the tone.

A student of mine bought some V-picks (I have a "Gladiator" that I use for jamming) and the "Freakishly Large Round Lite" that she had was perfect for me. It is the same thickness as a Blue Chip 60 which is 1.5mm. It is slightly larger than, but otherwise similar to the Blue Chip TAD 60 with three rounded points. Both are easy to hold in the hand, the V-picks having a slight edge. V-picks and Blue Chips are very easy for me to hang on to with a loose grip and I like that a lot.

The V-picks that are 2.5mm and thicker--I have tried them and they do not work for me because they are too thick to work fast through the strings, but YMMV. The tone was surprisingly brighter than my preference. The 1.5mm thickness is just my personal preference with most any pick I use for mandolin be it Red Bear, Blue Chip, or V-Pick. I've used the Dunlop Primetones but they don't "stick" to my skin very well. I drop them very easily. That is possibly a skin chemistry thing. I do like their tone, however.

[Joey Anchors]

MOP would be very bright. I've tried one from some company or other. Also just as important is the point and the bevel of that point which can quite drastically change the tone.

A student of mine bought some V-picks (I have a "Gladiator" that I use for jamming) and the "Freakishly Large Round Lite" that she had was perfect for me. It is the same thickness as a Blue Chip 60 which is 1.5mm. It is slightly larger than, but otherwise similar to the Blue Chip TAD 60 with three rounded points. Both are easy to hold in the hand, the V-picks having a slight edge. V-picks and Blue Chips are very easy for me to hang on to with a loose grip and I like that a lot.

The V-picks that are 2.5mm and thicker--I have tried them and they do not work for me because they are too thick to work fast through the strings, but YMMV. The tone was surprisingly brighter than my preference. The 1.5mm thickness is just my personal preference with most any pick I use for mandolin be it Red Bear, Blue Chip, or V-Pick. I've used the Dunlop Primetones but they don't "stick" to my skin very well. I drop them very easily. That is possibly a skin chemistry thing. I do like their tone, however.

Cheryl, how did the 1.5mm compare to the 2.5mm tone wise? I tend to like a warm rounded tone with bell like highs.

[Cheryl Watson]

Joey, it has been a while since I played the 2.5mm (might have been even thicker) and it might have been the bevel but it seemed to have a very bright edge to the top end with a nice thickness to the tone also. What really put me off was the thickness--just too thick for me.

A warm rounded tone with bell like highs describes Red Bear Picks to me. The "Big Picker Heavy" is a large pick with slightly rounded points and your choice of bevel. If you like the points more pointed, the Style C Heavy is what to go for.

Blue Chips are made of a very expensive plastic and sound just a bit like plastic and less natural than the Red Bear, but they have much greater longevity. Overall, the Blue Chips (to my ears) have less of a frequency range than the Red Bears, but still a very good sound. They are my first choice for leaving between the strings (Red Bears get scratched up doing this) for everyday use.

The V-picks, to my ears, have a bit less depth (warmth) and a bit more crispness or brightness and "cut" to the tone. They scream in a jam without being abrasive sounding. I will do a review of the Freakishly Large Rounded when I get them. I seem to remember that they had meat but that high bell like tone along with it and I was pleased, but I only played with it for 5 minutes.

A lot depends on the bevel and point shape that you prefer. The Gladiator and Freakishly Large Rounded Lite V-picks have a standard bevel (not right-handed or left-handed) while Red Bear and Blue Chips can be ordered with your choice of the three. I think that Red Bear also still makes a "Knife Bevel" as a custom order, which is not right or left-handed, but more radical than the "Standard" bevel. It gives a more cutting tone.

I hope this helps. Picks can be so confusing to choose and I think that it is worth trying a few of the V-Picks because they are a great deal less expensive than the other choices I mentioned.

[Willie Poole]

Cheryl, I to have a problem with holding onto certain picks and the Dunlop Prime Tones are one of them so I drilled a small hole in the center of the pick and it really helps me hold onto them, I also like the tone they have, on some of them I have also installed round reinforcements (that are used to keep loose leaf note book paper from tearing) over the hole I drilled and that really helps but they get in the way when sliding the pick under the strings when not in use....Hope that helps some...

Willie

[Joey Anchors]

Joey, it has been a while since I played the 2.5mm (might have been even thicker) and it might have been the bevel but it seemed to have a very bright edge to the top end with a nice thickness to the tone also. What really put me off was the thickness--just too thick for me.

A warm rounded tone with bell like highs describes Red Bear Picks to me. The "Big Picker Heavy" is a large pick with slightly rounded points and your choice of bevel. If you like the points more pointed, the Style C Heavy is what to go for.

Blue Chips are made of a very expensive plastic and sound just a bit like plastic and less natural than the Red Bear, but they have much greater longevity. Overall, the Blue Chips (to my ears) have less of a frequency range than the Red Bears, but still a very good sound. They are my first choice for leaving between the strings (Red Bears get scratched up doing this) for everyday use.

The V-picks, to my ears, have a bit less depth (warmth) and a bit more crispness or brightness and "cut" to the tone. They scream in a jam without being abrasive sounding. I will do a review of the Freakishly Large Rounded when I get them. I seem to remember that they had meat but that high bell like tone along with it and I was pleased, but I only played with it for 5 minutes.

A lot depends on the bevel and point shape that you prefer. The Gladiator and Freakishly Large Rounded Lite V-picks have a standard bevel (not right-handed or left-handed) while Red Bear and Blue Chips can be ordered with your choice of the three. I think that Red Bear also still makes a "Knife Bevel" as a custom order, which is not right or left-handed, but more radical than the "Standard" bevel. It gives a more cutting tone.

I hope this helps. Picks can be so confusing to choose and I think that it is worth trying a few of the V-Picks because they are a great deal less expensive than the other choices I mentioned.

This is the info I have been looking for thank you Cheryl! I tend to like a rounded tip with standard bevel. Red Bear do seem like a pick that I'll have to try in the future along with the PaPa's picks and BC.

[Joey Anchors]

Reading my above post, and checking out the Papa's website it looks like a PaPa's 2.2mm pick is what I am looking for.

[Charles E.]

I have tried a few V-Picks and have found that they sound good in the beginning but sound scratchy after a bit of playing.

I love the tone of the John Pearse FT picks......http://www.jpstrings.com/brpicks.htm but because they are made from casine (as are Papa's picks) the lighter guages tend to warp with humidity. You might not have that problem with a thicker pick.

That said, I am really liking the Dunlop Prime Tone picks these days. They sound very good, do not warp and have not become scratchy.

[Joey Anchors]

I have tried a few V-Picks and have found that they sound good in the beginning but sound scratchy after a bit of playing.

I love the tone of the John Pearse FT picks......http://www.jpstrings.com/brpicks.htm but because they are made from casine (as are Papa's picks) the lighter guages tend to warp with humidity. You might not have that problem with a thicker pick.

That said, I am really liking the Dunlop Prime Tone picks these days. They sound very good, do not warp and have not become scratchy.

Charles how do casine made picks sound compare to V-picks? I'm really leaning towards the Papa's 2.2mm as I have a feeling an acrylic pick will have more "clicking" adjust the strings.

[Jeff Mando]

To paraphrase Rip Van Winkle, "I fell asleep under a tree after drinking a bunch of moonshine. Before I fell asleep my local music store had a big jar of picks on the counter that were 10 for a dollar. When I woke up, picks are now $35 each???!!!"

[Joey Anchors]

To paraphrase Rip Van Winkle, "I fell asleep under a tree after drinking a bunch of moonshine. Before I fell asleep my local music store had a big jar of picks on the counter that were 10 for a dollar. When I woke up, picks are now $35 each???!!!"

Funny.. But completely unrelated to the topic.

[Charles E.]

Charles how do casine made picks sound compare to V-picks? I'm really leaning towards the Papa's 2.2mm as I have a feeling an acrylic pick will have more "clicking" adjust the strings.

Joey, I just played three different V-picks, a Euro II, a clear lite med (with rounded corners) and a red Jalapeno pick. I compared them with a John Pearse FT-lite. The Euro II had the most click and was the brightest sounding. The Jalapeno sounded good but a little scratchy as it has been played a bit. The clear med-lite with rounded corners sounded the warmest and had the least clicking. It is also the closest to the JP FT (casine). The casein pick sounds better then all of the V-picks, with no click.
These were played on an Eastman 315 with D'Addario J-73 strings.
Elderly carries the John Pearse FT's for about $9.50

[lloving]

Ok, I have several V's. When newish they are good, not great but a really good pick. I use the StoryTeller and like it until it starts to "zing" off the A and E strings. The "zing" is the prompt for me to move to a less used corner.
Contrast that against the CT55 from BlueChip. No "zing" ever.

[Astro]

Yeah I agree with your view on the Euro 2. Thats the one I have. Its neat material but its too pointy and can get scratchy to where I'm almost afraid I'll cut the E string with it.

Actually like it a lot more rotating it to use the round end but its a little too blunt that way (its thick).

Its neat material though. I've used a different one at a Jam I liked better but would still pass. I like the matrial but they need to keep refining it a bit.

I love the Wegen TF 140. I don't like the Wegen Blurgrass.

I have a Blue Chip CT55 on order so cant wait !

[Joey Anchors]

Well I placed an order for a Papa's faux ivoriod 2.2mm pick

[tkmaze]

Recently I've been thinking about trying a thicker pick than my Fender extra heavy 351 picks. I came across V-picks Freakishly Large rounded Pearly Gates which is 3.0mm and wondering if anyone has experience with this model?

I just tried out several V-picks yesterday, and the Lite Freakishly Large is, to me, the clear winner (there's an unintentional pun). It has the shape and feel of a Pro Plec (both 1.5 mm), but is just a bit brighter. I'm not sure how they do it, but the doggone thing actually does adhere to your thumb and I was thrilled to find that allowed me to be just a little quicker and more efficient through and to the strings. The LFL V-pick is still plenty warm, definitely more so than the Wegens I've tried (140 and 150). I haven't tried the 3.00mm model you mention, but determined fairly quickly that the thicker models I tried yesterday seemed a little too cumbersome. Sorry to steer you in another direction, but thought you might want another opinion on V-picks.

[lukmanohnz]

Another yes vote here - I love the JazzMando V-picks, but the Dunlop Primetones are also in frequent rotation for me these days. If you are a fan of freakishly thick picks, you might also want to check these out. The large triangle Americana's are about the thickest, stiffest picks I've ever tried. I haven't played the LFL V-picks, so I can't advise how they compare.

[bohemianbiker]

At that point, everything is a matter of preference, so you might consider one of their sampler kits.

Along these lines, there are 2 mandolin sampler kits on V Picks, which allow you to get picks of different sizes, thicknesses, pointed/rounded. One lists 4 picks, and the other 8 (although they sent me 11 at no extra charge). I liked being able to compare various aspects. bb