Primetone

[Br1ck]

I have a box full of picks I bought because someone, somewhere said they were the best ever. Most were discarded within five minutes. Of all the less than .50 picks, I never found a better one than the regular old Fender.

Now there is a proliferation of what I call boutique picks in various materials, and you should really try them all, which could well be a $200 proposition. Now when you think about it, that investment could realize a tonal difference, you might pay $2000 for in a mandolin upgrade. So buying six or eight space age picks might be a very worthwhile thing to do.

Your ability may not realize the potential too. Like anything else, as you get better you will find shortcomings in your equipment. That could be golf, surfing, or even frisbee. One of my daughters, in her first year of her masters viola performance program, had to upgrade her bow. What had served her well for years, was not capable of handling the level she had reached with her technique. That is what I keep in mind before deriding those in search of the uber good mandolin. How much better than a Collings could a Gilchrist be? I may not be good enough to tell, but I'm willing to bet someone is.

[Mike Buesseler]

Well, recorded myself playing a scale on five different picks. Sonic differences were not huge, as my wife would agree. But, I forgot the other important variable: the feel in my hand as the pick releases the string. That is huge and might be as important as the tone produced. For one thing, good tone is produced by the pick and the fingers/hand.

[sblock]

Well, recorded myself playing a scale on five different picks. Sonic differences were not huge, as my wife would agree. But, I forgot the other important variable: the feel in my hand as the pick releases the string. That is huge and might be as important as the tone produced. For one thing, good tone is produced by the pick and the fingers/hand.

Yes, it's not only about the tone produced! It's also about the "feel" of the pick, and the level of comfort it affords when playing with it. Does it slide off the strings easily? Does it stick to your hand well, and not rotate or slip? Does it allow you to move any faster, or cleaner? And so on. There's A LOT that goes into finding a great pick, best suited for your personal style. Tone is only one part of the equation.

[JeffD]

I use Primetone a lot, the 1.4 mm triangular.

Primetone is the only higher end pick that has ever shown signs of wear. On several of them one or two of the points seems to get a little burr in it. Now this is after playing the damn pick for years and years, so I cannot say i didn't get my money's worth.

It is the first time I have had to replace a pick for cause, not lost, not inadequate tone or feel, but wear.

For the record I am and will buy more Primetones.

[Kierri]

Well, I did as suggested and bought a few different Primetones. I received the grippy first in the small triangle and love the feel of it. When I got the larger version, I was really surprised at how I actually loved the size & feel, non-grippy - I didn't think I'd like it, as I'm not overly keen on the large triangle Wegen. I did get the slightly rounded Primetone too and like the feel of it. But I've had bronchitis (my least favourite dinosaur) for the last week and so haven't actually played with any of them yet. But I'm realising how important the "feel" of a pick is and how it boosts your confidence and comfort too. So, I'm looking forward to playing and trying them out asap. As someone stated too, as we gain in technique and ability, we will likely change and graduate in our materials and so its good to have a selection of great picks to hand, so we can evolve as we play. One question though... I bought the "Player Pack" of pick, with the little card saying "Hand burnished by" but with one pick, the large triangle 1.5mm, I accidentally bought a Refill Pack of 12 picks (513R), no hand burnished by carda, just a small bag of 12. They were the same price as the 3 and so I was wondering if they are the same or are they an older version of the pick? They look the same, but one or two have a mark or two that could do with sanding. Did I make a mistake and buy the wrong one? My other half doesn't really understand my current love of picks and is getting a little exasperated with my purchases! I bought the picks at gear4music if that helps. Many thanks my wonderful mandolin family xx

[MontanaMatt]

My other half doesn't really understand my current love of picks and is getting a little exasperated with my purchases! I bought the picks at gear4music if that helps. Many thanks my wonderful mandolin family xx

Be careful, you might develop a taste for the expensive ones!

[yankees1]

I have a regular size Primetone triangular and Wegans but prefer the tone from the Wegan better. But, prefer BC to either !

[Kierri]

Now the folks at Gear4Music are telling me the 12 pick packs are the same price as the 3 packs, because they are poorer quality?! I've included the links below. The question is, basically, if the picks are the same, same size, same gauge, same everything, then why is the 12 pick pack - the refill pack- as cheap? https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-an...Pick-Pack/2KP4

https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-an...Pick-Pack/29AJ

[Stop]

The $3.00 Primetone L triangle 1.5s are just as good as 35+ shipping of any TAD50 or 60.