Customer Reviews

Ice Pix Stainless Steel Guitar Picks - 3 Pack Heavy 3-Pack

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First, I thought these were the standard 351 shape and they are not. They are smaller and the tip is more blunt than the 351 making them a "slower" pick. But my real complaint is quality. As a former sheet metal punch press programmer these are my observations. Small parts "oil-can" when created with a single punch operation. These are "oil-canned" and not flat. No attempt was made to flatten them out. They are bowl shaped and the edges are square. Not beveled like the picture. I read another complaint before about this and it is true. For the cost I expected some quality. These picks literally cost about a penny a piece to manufacture "as-sold". You know how a machine gun sounds on auto-fire? That's how fast a CNC spits out parts like these.

Hey these picks are very strong and durable. Because they are metal, they produce very twangy sounds, especially on acoustics. They are also extremely sturdy, and a pack of three is plenty to last you a while. The only problem, is that they can't produce a wide variety of sound. Their lack of versatility will come back to haunt you when you want to use different picking techniques to add some flavor to whatever it is your playing. These are great for metal though, because they are sharp and strong sounding, but for anything like prog, these picks make it difficult.

After reading through the reviews of this products on a few different websites I went ahead and ordered some of the stainless steel guitar picks. I really like how smooth the beveled edge feels compared to the usual delrin or plastic picks, but they're a little bowl-shaped, so I'm having to go back and flatten them out myself (which I am not enjoying), and I don't like how one side is beveled while the other is not- this means I'm getting more of a scrape-pluck-scrape-pluck sound when I'm using alternating picking. I'm going to see if I can get my dad's help to make them really flat, a little more pointed and beveled on both sides. (He's a machinist.) I would recommend anyone buying them to consider doing the exact same thing (though, to be perfectly honest, you shouldn't have to go to this trouble at all). Again, they're good picks, and maybe I just got a lemon (which I'll have no trouble fixing, really), but if the rest of the picks coming from Ice Pix's manufacturer are the same as mine they'll need to be modified in order for you to get the full benefit, so don't fret. (Pardon the pun.) Now while you could, if you wanted, go and buy a 351 or jazz pick punch for about $25 ([...]), and get plastic sheets, in varying thicknesses, designed specifically for being punched into guitar picks ([...]), they're plastic, NOT metal, which has a completely different feel and sound! Anyway, try these metal picks out! They'll last you a lifetime and then some! I've heard some neat things about their brass picks, too, so maybe I'll those out a little further down the line.

Upsides:
-The tips won't wear down like on my other guitar picks
-These little guys add a tiny almost un-notable amount of brightness
-They feel great to hold
-They'll last a long time and look cool
-I can keep these in my pockets without worrying about snapping one or chipping them

Downsides:
-It sounds as if I were playing with a quarter. That's without exaggeration, I've actually played with coins before just for the heck of it.
-I thought they'd have a bit more roundness to their edges, but they actually have flat edges which slows down playing
-They really chew up your strings after a while

All-n-all:
They're worth a shot, everyone's different and likes different things. This could end up as your favorite. :)

This is AN AWESOME PIC! Just make sure you have some new strings on hand! It will DESTROY them FAST! BUT, what you are left with, IF YOU WERE RECORDING, WILL be KILLER!

I've been using these for years. MOST stores don't carry them. THERE METAL PICKS. Plastic picks I can't stand to play with anymore. The Thin version is the best and they also turn green after using them a while. Haven't tried the others, steel ect...

Buy a set $5 not bad. Conversation starter... you might end up liking them!