John Pearse Sarod Picks

mmaslan

I just got an ebony sarod pick from Michael, and I immediately discovered that it has one major advantage over the other picks I've used (besides price): NO PICK ROTATION! That's because it has a curved groove on the bottom for the index finger. This allows it to really lock into place.

The pick is just a little longer than the Wegen Twin and the same thickness from what I can tell. It sounds great so far on my Collins petit bouche; on the wound strings in particular it produces a warm, dark tone. On the high strings it sounds much like the Wegen. At such a low price ($3), this is definitely worth checking out. I'm going to try the rosewood one too.

Allow me to repeat: NO PICK ROTATION :!:

Bob Holo

Rosewood sounds very similar... but it develops more friction - especially as it wears and gets a little roughed up. The ebony doesn't seem to get roughed up noticeably. The friction is great for slow strums where it helps you flow through each string more evenly... but as it gets roughed up it's more difficult to develop any speed. Just my 2c. If you like the feel of the rosewood, you could just make a point of carrying a little 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper in your case and touch it up before playing I guess.

Jack

One thing I still wonder about with these picks: I recall being told they were made with a more rounded edge as well (I was grousing about them being too pointy for rhythm work), but I've never been able to find them sold that way. Finally I gave up and just sanded down the points on the ones I had to more Wegenesque proportions, but I still wonder if those others are out there somewhere...if so, I'd probably buy a bagful to have around.

Best,
Jack.

MichaelHorowitz

Jack wrote:

One thing I still wonder about with these picks: I recall being told they were made with a more rounded edge as well

The very first batch they got from India had rounded points. Now they all have sharp points. However, I bought out all of the rounded ones. Apparently there will be no more of these so get 'em while you can. Sarod picks (rounded) are here: Sarod Picks

BTW, I'll have the horn sarod pick in later this week.

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Jack

Hi, Michael.

Though it's tough to tell from the photos, those seem like the ones I bought-more triangular than what I'm after. Perhaps you could bring some of the rounded versions to Django in June so I can compare them with what I've got here. Heck, if you've got 'em all, it might pay your way back.

Best,
Jack.

MichaelHorowitz

Hi Jack,

The photo is just the stock one that John Pearse gave me. The pick on the right is closer to the rounded tipped ones I have.



There are only about a dozen of these rounded ones left. They didn't have very many so I bought the few that were left.

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drolling

Mine just arrived! I don't know whether you sent me pointy or rounded ones but they do seem to be almost identical to the Dugains - same indentation for the thumb, same "non-rotation" groove on the underside, even the bevel and thickness seem very, very close. The only big difference is the price. Can we assume that Mr. Dugain's research and developement costs may have included a trip to India?

In any case, nice picks... Thanks Michael.

david

valdae

I received mine yesterday, along with the Bireli Lagrene DVD (VERY TASTY). I was totally astounded how this piece of wood made my archtop Gretsch sound. It almost sounds like a different guitar. It really opens up the tone. I can't see myself returning to regular plastic picks after this (though I still plan to get some Wegens). What impressed me as much as the sound quality this thing produced was the shape and design of the sarod pick. It has to be one of the most ergonomic picks on the planet. Try one, you won't be sorry. I plan to add many many more to my pick bowl!!

V-dub

I've been playing on one for a while. For the price its great, but as a gypsy jazz pick its okay.

I'm not a big fan of the angle that they have on the tips right out of the box. Its almost rectangular, with four sides coming to a dull point. When you play on them for a while (with proper gypsy technique!), they do get that diagonal tip shape like the wegens, while leaving lots of black crud on your strings. At this point they are pretty good, but they start to dull from there. They are, after all, made of wood.

Still, they dont have the "bite" that the wegens have... probably due to the softer material.