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jim.hopper.5 « Something totally unexpected. »
Published on 11/07/12 at 12:54There are already a fair few very good and in depth reviews for these amazing plectrums so I will try to keep this one short and sweet!
Plectrums are one of those things until this year I had not thought much about or questioned in anyway. I had used Jim Dunlop stubby's for all my 16 years of playing and had never thought to upgrade them as I had already tried everything else (mainstream at least) and just did not know there was anything that different available on the market. Earlier on this year I happened to be watching a few video's of the amazing Fred Brum and noticed he was using these MASSIVE plectrums, I could not help but think "what the hell are they!" Anyhow I sent him a Facebook email and thus I was introduced to the world of one Mr Patrick Hufschmid.
SHAPES: As far as I am aware there are 4 different sizes or shapes Patrick makes, as I have only tried and own 2 of these shapes I will concentrate on these.
REGULAR DROP: I'm guessing these are the godfathers of his series of plectrums and are also the shape I have had most of my orders with him made to. You could say they are possibly the most regular of his shapes in its outline (but of course there is the thickness of these picks which I will try to cover later) Think of a basic Jim Dunlop stubby and your kinda there!
ATTACK DROP: These are much wider and angled in shape. When I first looked at them on his site I thought they would be too pointy around the sides and so sadly avoided them util now. Recently he started a new version of his well known UHMWPE' picks called "regenerated green". These awesome looking picks have a much different surface grip than the regular version and are currently only available in attack drop shape, so I just though "lets try this" It arrived as usual in very good time ready for a gig that day in London. WOW is all I can say the shape of the attack drop pick almost forces you to completely change your technique in a very good way indeed. It kind of curls your fingers around it to create a very snug and effective picking posture indeed. Despite having played electric guitar for over 16 years now my technique has always been very poor sadly but the attack drop shape is really kicking my playing into shape!
THICKNESS: This is what really attracted me to Patricks work. I loved Jim Dunlop stubbys for their far higher than usual thickness (about 2mm to 3 mm depending on the model.) "Huf" plectrums are a good few times this thickness! Now while that may sound cumbersome to some, to me I just knew instantly it was going to be an awesome feel and I was right. They are so much easier to hold and use they are the very reverse of clumsy. They are easier to hold and articulate and because of the fantastic gradient of the plectrums thickness from end to end they just roll off the strings when needed and allow you to really dig in when that sort of a thing is required too!
MATERIALS: Now here is where it starts getting a little more complex. Patrick uses some pretty incredible materials to build his plectrums. The principals seemingly being extremely hard wearing, very low friction, all in aid of creating an awesome playing experience! Now these are just the basics of why he uses these materials but for me its the different tones these picks produce that have got me as hooked as the ergonomics of the picks themselves.
"PHD" was the first material I tried and was instantly blown away by how full sounding and focused the attack is. It just takes every frequency and enlarges them to the point of making your guitar sound like something you have not heard before, but without loosing any definition almost like subtle compression. legato and arpeggio runs sound very precise indeed now.
"UHMWPE" This was the second material I tried as it was the most expensive I wanted to be sure I liked the PHD before paying out any more money. This is to my ears at least a much fatter sounding material with a much warmer bottom end and a smoother roll off at the top end yet at the same time hold the clarity and definition characteristics of the PHD material.
SHELF LIFE: Now Jim Dunlop stubbys last me about 3 songs at the very most whether its live or in practice at home. Having used Patricks picks live and in band practice for about 3 months roughly, I can say that one of my PHD drops has just started to wear out (but only just started) But the UHMWPE material picks have barely started to show any signs that I have even taken them out of their packaging!... I'm not even slightly exaggerating! They are that good!
VERDICT: Now as you might have guessed by comparison to normal picks these are not cheap. But lets take things into account and perspective. Most plectrums are made by the thousand an hour (I'm guessing anyway) and are made of fairly basic plastic churned out by a machine. Patrick makes each one of his plectrums totally by hand, they are 100% hand crafted and take around an hour EACH! Now also take into account the vastly superior and rare materials he uses and you start to understand why. I personally think his prices are very fair indeed, I would happily pay more for these works of art. Its not everyday you discover something like this and it wont be everyone's cup of tea but if you have a taste for something a little different and are in the mindset to broaden your horizons and playing style Patricks plectrums Really might be worth a look, I know for one I will never be able to use any other brand of plectrums ever again.
Plectrums are one of those things until this year I had not thought much about or questioned in anyway. I had used Jim Dunlop stubby's for all my 16 years of playing and had never thought to upgrade them as I had already tried everything else (mainstream at least) and just did not know there was anything that different available on the market. Earlier on this year I happened to be watching a few video's of the amazing Fred Brum and noticed he was using these MASSIVE plectrums, I could not help but think "what the hell are they!" Anyhow I sent him a Facebook email and thus I was introduced to the world of one Mr Patrick Hufschmid.
SHAPES: As far as I am aware there are 4 different sizes or shapes Patrick makes, as I have only tried and own 2 of these shapes I will concentrate on these.
REGULAR DROP: I'm guessing these are the godfathers of his series of plectrums and are also the shape I have had most of my orders with him made to. You could say they are possibly the most regular of his shapes in its outline (but of course there is the thickness of these picks which I will try to cover later) Think of a basic Jim Dunlop stubby and your kinda there!
ATTACK DROP: These are much wider and angled in shape. When I first looked at them on his site I thought they would be too pointy around the sides and so sadly avoided them util now. Recently he started a new version of his well known UHMWPE' picks called "regenerated green". These awesome looking picks have a much different surface grip than the regular version and are currently only available in attack drop shape, so I just though "lets try this" It arrived as usual in very good time ready for a gig that day in London. WOW is all I can say the shape of the attack drop pick almost forces you to completely change your technique in a very good way indeed. It kind of curls your fingers around it to create a very snug and effective picking posture indeed. Despite having played electric guitar for over 16 years now my technique has always been very poor sadly but the attack drop shape is really kicking my playing into shape!
THICKNESS: This is what really attracted me to Patricks work. I loved Jim Dunlop stubbys for their far higher than usual thickness (about 2mm to 3 mm depending on the model.) "Huf" plectrums are a good few times this thickness! Now while that may sound cumbersome to some, to me I just knew instantly it was going to be an awesome feel and I was right. They are so much easier to hold and use they are the very reverse of clumsy. They are easier to hold and articulate and because of the fantastic gradient of the plectrums thickness from end to end they just roll off the strings when needed and allow you to really dig in when that sort of a thing is required too!
MATERIALS: Now here is where it starts getting a little more complex. Patrick uses some pretty incredible materials to build his plectrums. The principals seemingly being extremely hard wearing, very low friction, all in aid of creating an awesome playing experience! Now these are just the basics of why he uses these materials but for me its the different tones these picks produce that have got me as hooked as the ergonomics of the picks themselves.
"PHD" was the first material I tried and was instantly blown away by how full sounding and focused the attack is. It just takes every frequency and enlarges them to the point of making your guitar sound like something you have not heard before, but without loosing any definition almost like subtle compression. legato and arpeggio runs sound very precise indeed now.
"UHMWPE" This was the second material I tried as it was the most expensive I wanted to be sure I liked the PHD before paying out any more money. This is to my ears at least a much fatter sounding material with a much warmer bottom end and a smoother roll off at the top end yet at the same time hold the clarity and definition characteristics of the PHD material.
SHELF LIFE: Now Jim Dunlop stubbys last me about 3 songs at the very most whether its live or in practice at home. Having used Patricks picks live and in band practice for about 3 months roughly, I can say that one of my PHD drops has just started to wear out (but only just started) But the UHMWPE material picks have barely started to show any signs that I have even taken them out of their packaging!... I'm not even slightly exaggerating! They are that good!
VERDICT: Now as you might have guessed by comparison to normal picks these are not cheap. But lets take things into account and perspective. Most plectrums are made by the thousand an hour (I'm guessing anyway) and are made of fairly basic plastic churned out by a machine. Patrick makes each one of his plectrums totally by hand, they are 100% hand crafted and take around an hour EACH! Now also take into account the vastly superior and rare materials he uses and you start to understand why. I personally think his prices are very fair indeed, I would happily pay more for these works of art. Its not everyday you discover something like this and it wont be everyone's cup of tea but if you have a taste for something a little different and are in the mindset to broaden your horizons and playing style Patricks plectrums Really might be worth a look, I know for one I will never be able to use any other brand of plectrums ever again.