Unless you play fingerstyle, it's the guitar pick that is actually providing the contact between your picking hand and the strings. Perhaps it's time guitarists started paying a bit more attention to these little pieces of plastic.
In this review we take a look at the Dragon's Heart range of guitar picks. This is an innovative range of premium picks designed and manufactured by C. Whitney Guitars in the USA. Could they bring you one step closer to the ultimate guitar sound?
Dragon's Heart Guitar Picks
In their quest for the perfect tone, many players spend thousands of dollars on guitars, amps and effects while overlooking the basics.
The humble guitar pick, despite being the connection between the picking hand and the strings, is often overlooked.
One person who does care about picks is Corey W. Bell, of C. Whitney Guitars. He has developed the Dragon's Heart range, which have a striking original design and are made from a material specially chosen for its hard-wearing properties.
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Design
The first thing that you notice about these picks is their shape. Dragon's Heart picks forgo the traditional triangular style and instead have an unsymmetrical shape that provides three separate playing surfaces. The sharply-pointed end is designed for speed playing, the medium-pointed end is for all-round playing and the rounded end is for fast strumming and harmonics.
Dragon's Heart picks are thick (2.5mm), but at the edges taper down to a hard, narrow point. They don't feel as slippery between the fingers as normal picks, and can be gripped securely.
Materials
Dragon's Heart picks are made of 'polyamide-imide', which apparently is used in the aerospace industry to replace metallic alloys.
What is certain about these picks is that they are tough – the company's promotional video shows them being both sanded and fried with no adverse affects!
We've been using the picks for a week now, and have noticed no deterioration in the playing surface.
The Range
There are three picks in the Dragon's Heart range: Pure, Hardened and Original. The Pure version contains no additives and provides a slightly softer option. The Hardened version is glass-filled and is the hardest-wearing pick in the range, with a claimed 1500 playing hours of use. The Original version has a 12% graphite content to minimize friction and increase playing speed.
The differences between the picks are subtle, and in all honesty we're not sure that we could differentiate between them in a blindfold test. If pushed, we'd opt for the Original version which seemed to suit our playing the best.
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Conclusion
We enjoyed using Dragon's Heart picks; they're innovative and built to last. They produce a smooth, full tone and feel secure in the hand.
The three edges give you options: although we preferred the medium-pointed end for most styles of playing, the other ends are there if you need them.
Dragon's Heart picks may take a little time to get used to: their width alone will make them feel rather unwieldy at first for players used to thinner styles. However, despite the thickness of the pick body, the actual playing edge is surprisingly narrow: fast alternate picking and sweep picking could both be accomplished. Dragon's Heart picks could find favour among shredders and jazzers alike.
Being a premium product, Dragon's Heart picks are naturally more expensive than standard picks, retailing at around the $10 mark. You may baulk at the thought of spending this on a single pick, but it's not a huge amount when compared to other guitar gear. If you're still fine tuning your ultimate playing set up, then give Dragon's Heart picks a try.
You can order Dragon's Heart picks direct from www.dragonsheartguitarpicks.com.
