Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: TwilightOdyssey on August 25, 2008, 05:45:39 PM
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Are you willing to go this far ?
http://www.redbeartrading.com/index.html
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i would only loose them!!
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As a real Tortoise pick owner (I have had them more than 25 years before all the animal rights people get going), I was really interested in these, and I have to say they are very good. Of course the price is not cheap, but if you consider that I have had my 2 real tortoise picks for over 25 years and have used them a lot on accoustic guitar, then $20 is not a lot at all. They sound really close to tortoise on an acoustic guitar and they really feel different on electric too.
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For between £10 and £15 per pick, I think I'll stick with my Dunlops. I know picks can make a difference to tone, but I like the tone my current picks give me, and the prices they're asking are a lot to find out if I like what their product will give me. If I was in the USA, I'd probably give 'em a go though.
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The only other picks i've been interested in buying are these http://www.guitarbitz.com/673.htm
Brian May anyone?
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I've bought a few of these
http://www.dugainpicks.com/
The stone ones are great, such a nice bell-like attack. Great for jazz and blues.
Trouble is I lose them and end up using the sh!ttiest pick ever, probably some piece of cr@p I got on a magazine 10 years ago that has worn into a circle.
Occationally, when my pocket is empty of picks, I have a rummage in the tumble dryer or washing machine and usually pull out a few. Never the good ones though, they just dissapear into the ether.....
But back on-topic, yes I'm willing to go that far, I think picks are a very important part in the chain....
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My favourite of all time have become the B.K.P 1.21 mm celluloid . I don't know if these are ( as I thought I once read ) - re-badged D'andrea picks, but compared to others of the same appearance and thickness ( I.E. Planet Waves ) - the B.K.P ones have a rounder attack and nicer feel.
Having said that, I am also going through a protracted 'Zen' like process of trying to make nice musical statements / sweet tones - with the minimum of equipment and 'specialist' accessories. My only luxury 'essential' is my B.K.P pickups to optimise each guitar.
:)
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I used to lose picks all the time, then I bought an expensive one. Not only did it make my playing and tone better but it has already payed for itself in that I haven't bought a pick since.
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2mm gator grips last me over a year, and at 60c AU each, it'd take something like 35 years for one of the cheaper redbear picks to pay for itself... assuming I didn't lose it, lol
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My 3mm Dunlop Stubby Triangles (NOT "big stubby", which are in fact small!!) do just fine! I do have to get them by the job lot from Thomann now, because it seems impossible to find them in shops these days, which is a shame. Still, at least I have enough of them now :) I usually get through one in a gig, or every 4-6 hours of studio practice.
Roo
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i notice they have a plectrum maintenance kit. :lol:
though, if they last forever, $20 isn't that bad, i guess. i thought you'd have a link to a power supply at like $20 trillion or something... :lol:
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i have some real shell picks that my grandpa gave me, nothign special. I actually prefer the dunlop big stubby's for tone.
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I've just strung up my accoustic with baby seal intestine strings. Wow, the TONE!
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I've just strung up my accoustic with baby seal intestine strings. Wow, the TONE!
Artic or Anarctic? There's a difference, you know. PDT_008
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I've just strung up my accoustic with baby seal intestine strings. Wow, the TONE!
.. And you where able to sell your drum machine - and just lock into the sound of animal rights protestors banging on the window ... :drums:
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Purple Dunlop ones think they're just over 1mm thick, been using these for a while.
Reasons:
A, I can buy them anywhere
B, They're cheap as horse shite
C, NO GUITAR PICK ON THIS PLANET WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER PLAYER!
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C, NO GUITAR PICK ON THIS PLANET WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER PLAYER!
Not even...?
(http://cdn.7static.com/static/img/sleeveart/00/000/824/0000082475_350.jpg)
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maybe that one..
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Artificial tortoise shell for a tenner a pick?
Sure my local petshop would sell you a terrapin for a fiver.
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Bloody difficult though to do an arpeggio with a terrapin. I'd recommend a small mollusc for that.
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Artificial tortoise shell for a tenner a pick?
Sure my local petshop would sell you a terrapin for a fiver.
rofl im stealing that for a sig line
jazz III ftw
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Bloody difficult though to do an arpeggio with a terrapin. I'd recommend a small mollusc for that.
you too lol :lol:
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The picks are reviewed in this month's Guitar Player magazine. It isn't on the web site yet though. Suffice to say that the reviewer is now using Red Bear picks!
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I would go that far, just need to put it on the to do list. and remember....
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The picks are reviewed in this month's Guitar Player magazine. It isn't on the web site yet though. Suffice to say that the reviewer is now using Red Bear picks!
Was he given them for free for the review? I'd use them if they were free, too! :D
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The picks are reviewed in this month's Guitar Player magazine. It isn't on the web site yet though. Suffice to say that the reviewer is now using Red Bear picks!
[cynic]
I bet he will stop once the current batch get lost (broken or worn out)
[/cynic]
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Not all picks get lost, broken, or worn out. ;)
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Not all picks get lost, broken, or worn out. ;)
Now that's just a silly statement
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Is your wedding ring much bigger than a guitar pick? Has that ever got lost? If you take care of it, it doesn't get lost, and if it's hard enough it doesn't break or wear either. If I ever lose my stone picks I'll let you know.
I really have trouble seeing what's so outrageous about spending $20 on a pick when most of us gladly spend $400 on a pair of pickups. Can someone fill me in on this one? Is it just that "I lose picks all the time so what's the point?"
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It's a little known fact that all plectrums come with small, invisible legs and a mind of their own. When not being used to play guitar they get bored and go off looking for something more interesting to do. They can often be found getting it on with your loose change, chilling out down the back of the sofa or forming an integral part of your son's or daughter's lego constructions.
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It's a little known fact that all plectrums come with small, invisible legs and a mind of their own. When not being used to play guitar they get bored and go off looking for something more interesting to do. They can often be found getting it on with your loose change, chilling out down the back of the sofa or forming an integral part of your son's or daughter's lego constructions.
+1
Mine sometimes end up going for a swim in the washing machine too
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i just recieved one... i'm convinced! there is a increase in clarity and a bit less string noise (the unwanted kind, not the actual note;)). i did direct comparisons with fairly standard jim dunlop thin and fender medium plecs. i could get similar sounds with all 3 but everything just seemed that bit easier with the red bear wheras i had to dig in a little deeper with the standard ones to get them similar
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i just recieved one... i'm convinced!
Me, too. Not only is is the Red Bear nigh indestructible, but it never slips from your hand. Due to it's organic nature, it absorbs moisture, so the more you sweat, the better it sticks. After months of constant use, playing both guitar and bass, the edge hasn't even begun to wear. I estimate that I've saved ... about 60-70 picks thus far.
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Nice to hear you guys have taken the plunge, I'm really tempted myself now.
Ben, you mentioned the non-slippiness of the pick, I must say that most picks end up spinning around between my fingers and I've tried most kinds around (my pick collection is huge, almost everything from titanium to buffalo horn). Did you get the regular flat pick or one with holes in? (I have a pick-boy pick with holes in that stays pretty secure when I play)
What shape and thickness did you go for? Did you get the speed bevels? Pictures or they don't exist 8) :lol:
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Hey ginga ..
Classic II, thin (which is about as thick as a heavy celluloid), no holes.
Having played MANY gigs in very hot places, and being in possession of a large number of sweat glands, picks routinely betray me more than the Ring betrayed Frodo. The first time I played with the Red Bear I could feel the 'grippiness' of it.
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i got sent a second by Phil, its a second because of an engraving mistake... not much of a mistake to me but the writing isnt overly clear. It has no holes but does have the speed bevel. I just ordered two more
the 'grippiness' is good as you really dont have to hold on much at all, helps keep everything fluid and easy
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I am a real believer in them having tried a few shapes and thicknesses (when I first got them I got all 4 thicknesses, light, medium, heavy and extra heavy). At this point I have reordered lights for everything! I think that they will last until they snap (which will probably be a long time), and they do really feel great to use. They have a nice tactile feel and Dave (who makes them), told me to do the wet finger test, which is to moisten the end of your finger and push it down on the pick. You can then lift the pick up with just that finger - that's how good the 'stickyness' is with them.
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Told ye so. ;)
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OK, I got one as well now...
I ordered when Wez posted to say he'd got his and was convinced. I even started using the BKP picks to get used to the weight and feel (and wore out 3 of them in the last week!!) before it arrived because I've been using dunlop nylons for years and years...
I was very sceptical but thought "wot the hell..."
I've been trying it for just 10 minutes, comparing it to the BKP picks I've got used to now and my old nylons (never going back, sorry Rory :lol:) - and WOW! The folk that have been "taken in" by these already are absolutely right - it's more comfortable, seems glued to your fingers, encourages a lighter touch from me, and it seems to produce all note and attack without the extra "noise" that other picks do. It gets me all the tones I want, digs in nicely, etc, etc, I'm sold...
Very impressive - and if it turns out it doesn't wear down either... WOW!
Now... where did I put the wretched thing?? :lol:
PS In case there are any real Rory anoraks (like me :oops:) reading, I know he didn't use dunlop nylon, but years ago it was the closest I could get to one of his picks I got my hands on from the front row of a gig (Herco I think? can't remember, worn out and lost many years ago), and they're cheap and everywhere...
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I want a Jazz III XL style one, I wonder if they can make it
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i think they will do custom shapes... might be a minimum order though.
I had my other two appear this week!
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How can there be a minimum order of picks that last a lifetime, not fair!
I will see if I can order one, at extra cost.
Oh, Wez, thanks for the post :)
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there might not be a minimum order but i wouldnt be surprised... definately still worth asking. anyway, i decided i wanted mroe than one because i know will still olose them at some point. I mislaid the first one the other day - the cats had hidden it under the rug!!
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They make custom shapes, however there is a minimum order for lights, and you have to realise that the light we are talking about here is more like a medium/heavy celluloid pick. The reason there is a minimum order is that Dave has to sand down the thickness of a sheet and once it is sanded to thin, he can only use it for light picks. However he has jazz picks as a standard shape. I have a couple of different custom picks coming. One is a copy of my real tortoiseshell picks that I use for acoustic playing, the size is a little larger than a regular pick, the other is an asymmetrical pick that I have been using for years. I was able to get the custom order for 5 picks in medium and 10 in light. However I have already given away about 6 picks, so I think that this set might not last forever either!!
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Thanks Phil, so minimum order isn't like industrial quantity atleast.
Its the Jazz III XL that I am interested in really, its close to the Classic II in dimensions, just Jazz III shape.
Hmm thickness is going to get me thinking.
Either way, I'm up for it
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Thanks for that Phil - I was going to ask you how you laid your hands on "light".
After my post last night, I played until I was stopped (by my wife wanting her dinner!), and I figured out that medium was OK, but I probably really want light. The medium I have is superb for my lead style, but it lacks a little attack for my crunchy rhythm style - then I realised it's because it's the "heaviest" or thickest pick I've ever used!
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Thanks for that Phil - I was going to ask you how you laid your hands on "light".
Hi Andy, they do have lights in the shop sometimes, or you can request them in the comments. I tried all the gauges, the Extra Heavy can function as door stops in an emergency!
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I want a Jazz III XL style one, I wonder if they can make it
Me too! Although I like the regular Jazz III too and I think the L'il Jazzer is pretty close.
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Re-animating this thread to ask a few questions of the RedBear pick owners:
After the few months since ordering your picks, do you still use the same picks, have you detected any wear in them, do they still perform as they did originally, and would you still recommend them?
The reason I ask is that, while I love my dunlop Stubby Triangle 3mm picks, they do shed a lot of bits over my guitar as they get shredded up by my chunky strings!!
I'm really after something triangular in shape and very sturdy. I remembered this topic and thought I should check them out. Can anyone comment on the thickness of the picks? I'm not sure whether medium/heavy/extra heavy would be appropriate given my current preference for 3mm picks!
Cheers in advance,
Roo
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I bought just the one - I believe it's a "medium", but it's the heaviest thing I've ever used, heavier than the free BKP picks.
After an initial honeymoon of a week or so, I stopped using it regularly and found I liked the BKP free ones. So I ordered a stack of slightly less heavy (than the free ones) BKP picks.
I now use three types of pick depending on the guitar and tone required:
1. Dunlop nylon. Grey things, .88 I think. These have been my stock picks for years and years, and I've come back to them in the last couple of months. They give me my required amount of attack and I find them the most expressive for the way I vary picking. They take quite a while to wear as well. If I were to go gigging, these would still be what I want taped to my mic stand...
2. BKP picks. When I want a "tortoiseshell" type of pick. Sometimes this is my go-to pick at the moment (especially on the "guitar-that-shall-not-be-named" :lol:). I get roughly the same sort of effect out of them as nylon picks. I wouldn't be upset if I turned up to a gig with only these. The big downside for me is that I wear them down quite quickly (both heavy and medium) and I find they wear unevenly for me - I get little scooped patches appearing with sharp edges.
3. The Red Bear. I do like this pick - I seem to reach for it when I want a "luxury" mellow feel. I couldn't gig with it though - doesn't seem to have any attack at all in my hands, even on the "guitar-that-shall-not-be-named", which is where I probably use it most. My chug- or shuffle- rhythm playing on a crunch tone just does not have the bite to cut through a mix with this pick. And... it does wear down :o - it is definitely not a "pick for life" when I use it :lol:. However, the wear is very even and the pick is going to usable for quite some time (years at this rate) if I don't lose it. I must admit though, if I found the tone/attack more usable for my own application, then I would regard it as cost-effective when compared, say, to the BKP picks.
On clips I've done recently, I have used all three picks during over-dubs to obtain different tones with the same guitar and amp settings.
Hope that helps! I'd say give one a go...
(Notice how I managed to avoid saying "tele" in all of that... D'OH! :lol:)
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I've bought a few of these
http://www.dugainpicks.com/
The stone ones are great, such a nice bell-like attack. Great for jazz and blues.
As an update to my ( much ) earlier post - I too have become rather addicted to the unique feel and tonal qualities of my 'Dugain' Agate pick. Used for Jazz , and heard through the warm transparency of B.K.P. 'Manhattan' Pickups - these really do sound unlike anything else I have ever tried. I got the idea from listening to a Jazz / Chord melody instrumental album by local artist ( and Matamp endorsee ) Adrian Ingram. He was cited as using an ( un-named ) agate pick, and I loved the sound.
The B.K.P. Manahattans where ( for me ) the key to really hearing the difference between picks - and of course the recent switch to learning Jazz through a small clean sounding / Acoustic amplifier. I am very happy with the pick. Don't worry about losing these things, as after each playing - you tend to put it back in the packet - and into a safe place straight away.
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Re-animating this thread to ask a few questions of the RedBear pick owners:
After the few months since ordering your picks, do you still use the same picks, have you detected any wear in them, do they still perform as they did originally, and would you still recommend them?
Yes, still use 'em. Minimal wear. Heartily recommended.
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i have fallen back into grabbing whatever is closest, i have a bowl of plecs and the red bears dont get left in it just incase they go walkabouts
i still always go for the redbear when playing the acoustics or evaluating the tone of an electric
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load of shite, just grab whats in my wallet or what ever they have at the music shop.
anything from 0.88 to 1.14 dunlops does me..
Im quite particular about tone because I can be but at the end of the day..
I've used squire strats with a humbucker in them into a marshall mg30 mic'd up at gigs and it's gone well..
The player is the important part.
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I've used squire strats with a humbucker in them into a marshall mg30 mic'd up at gigs and it's gone well..
The player is the important part.
quite agree with that
load of shitee,
not so sure about that. i certainly dont think high quality plecs are needed for good tone but i do feel and hear the benefits these offer.
I'm still happy playing with whatever is closest most of the time
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load of shitee, just grab whats in my wallet or what ever they have at the music shop.
anything from 0.88 to 1.14 dunlops does me..
Im quite particular about tone because I can be but at the end of the day..
I've used squire strats with a humbucker in them into a marshall mg30 mic'd up at gigs and it's gone well..
The player is the important part.
For me, the major question now is not shedding large amounts of pick onto my guitar ;) I mean, I wipe it down after playing, but still, it's a pain in the backside!! But these picks don't necessarily look ideal. They don't seem to make them all that thick, although I suppose I could just 'get used' to a thinner pick... I'll stick with my current batch of stubby triangles and see about something else after they've all worn down (about another year or so).
Cheers for the responses.
Roo
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The main benefit that I can see from having one of these picks (well for me anyway) would be the exact same reason that I bough a fountain pen for work. I used to get through biro's like I get through picks. I could never keep one for more than a couple of days without the fairies taking it away. Now that I have a decent pen, I look after it and know where it is. Must have saved the company about fifty quid by now.
If I had a pick that I had to look after, I'd probably be able to find it a lot easier than cheapo's that I use now......... although I do drop them in the sound hole of my acoustic a lot, so I have been know to use that as storage every now and again :oops:
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I've bought a few of these
http://www.dugainpicks.com/
The stone ones are great, such a nice bell-like attack. Great for jazz and blues.
As an update to my ( much ) earlier post - I too have become rather addicted to the unique feel and tonal qualities of my 'Dugain' Agate pick.
Woooo! didn't notice this first time round - just been to their website, I think I might need to get meself a little pressie :lol:
Mebbe the bone picks, but I'm mainly thinking a hematite slide... (although, and I've tried a LOT, I've never found anything to beat the piece of brass-tube that my drummer got the physics department at university to cut for me back in 1982...)
I'm also wondering whether Twinfan ought to be getting a rosewood pick now? :lol:
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The band bios on Dugain are priceless!!
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The Dugain ones are certainly awfully pretty. But I hold picks quite differently as I play, sometimes even over the course of a lick, and as such am pretty wary of anything with a moulded (or indeed, sculpted) "grip".
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I think the stiffness of a pick is more important than the thickness, until recently I was using the normal 3mm big stubby's, one thing I've noticed is they have slightly more of a point to them than the tri stubby's that Roo uses
I've changed to the 2mm as it gives more attack which I need for sweeping, although I'm on the look out for stiff looking Jazz III xl type picks
Roo have you tried the grey 3mm big stubby made from whatever they make jazz III's from, I don't think they make a tri version but they last longer than the normal ones
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I am still using them and really liking them. I do still use my real tortoise on acoustic at home, but at least now I have replacements for them (I gotRedBear to make me some matching ones). I have gone through about 15 of them, but not because they wore out, but because I gave them away to people! I just put in a new order to get my custom picks in Jasper from Dave. For acoustic I think the tone can't be bettered, for electric the tone is good, but you do have other things that influence it too.
The extra heavy is about 2mm, but it is incredibly stiff. I have lights which are around 0.9mm and my acoustic are just over 1mm.
They do wear, but it is very slow, you should easily get 3-6 months out of one (unless you lose it or give it away!).
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The band bios on Dugain are priceless!!
:lol:
I just had to log in and say that I went back to the Dugain website - and had a look at the band bios that I had previoulsy ignored.
Brilliant !
Like 'The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy' of music journalism. :)
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The Dugain ones are certainly awfully pretty. But I hold picks quite differently as I play, sometimes even over the course of a lick, and as such am pretty wary of anything with a moulded (or indeed, sculpted) "grip".
Yeah, that worries me a little bit too, nfe. But like you say, they do look awfully pretty... I think I'll contact them to find out about the dimensions of the slides... and if that meets my needs... I might actually get a pick or two as well! Just to er, see... :lol:
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The Dugain ones are certainly awfully pretty. But I hold picks quite differently as I play, sometimes even over the course of a lick, and as such am pretty wary of anything with a moulded (or indeed, sculpted) "grip".
Yeah, that worries me a little bit too, nfe. But like you say, they do look awfully pretty... I think I'll contact them to find out about the dimensions of the slides... and if that meets my needs... I might actually get a pick or two as well! Just to er, see... :lol:
Don't get a slide until you've checked this guy out www.diamondbottlenecks.co.uk :D
They're the mutts nuts.
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The Dugain ones are certainly awfully pretty. But I hold picks quite differently as I play, sometimes even over the course of a lick, and as such am pretty wary of anything with a moulded (or indeed, sculpted) "grip".
Yeah, that worries me a little bit too, nfe. But like you say, they do look awfully pretty... I think I'll contact them to find out about the dimensions of the slides... and if that meets my needs... I might actually get a pick or two as well! Just to er, see... :lol:
Don't get a slide until you've checked this guy out www.diamondbottlenecks.co.uk :D
They're the mutts nuts.
:D Quite funny really - I was getting all GASSed up looking at this, and then I realised that my main glass slide is one of their "Red House" slides, had it for 8 years or so - fantastic little beast... :lol:
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I've met Ian from there a few times and he's a top bloke. Whenever someone says that they're after a slide, I always point them in that direction.
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I'm quite interested in one of those slides now. I like how you can make them whatever length you want them. I have a Dunlop blues bottle that i hate the length of, but love the sound, and a brass one that i hate the sound of, but love the length.
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Are any of you guys thinking what im thinking? ^^
(http://www.diamondbottlenecks.com/DB08/content/images/LargeImages/6.jpg)
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Same reaction as when I first saw the gherkin building in the city - but let's see what Dave comes up with
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:lol: