Hufschmid Guitars Green Drop Jazz III XL

I found out about Hufschmid picks through two players that I really like (Fred Brum and Aaron Marshall). I saw some videos of them playing with these huge picks in their hands. The biggest thing that caught my attention was what people were saying about how the thickness of the picks allow you to relax your hand more and I have been having some pain issues in my thumb. My first order was the PHD Anvil because the website mentioned that it was a great pick for people with hand issues. It is strange at first to play these picks but after about 15 or 20 minutes they felt at home in my hands. I have the following: PHD Anvil, Huftech Anvil, Green Drop, Green Attack Drop, Green Drop Jazz III XL, Acrylic Attack Drop, PHD Choco Drop, and some of his 2mm Jazz III styles. I try to have a variety in my picks that I have ordered from Patrick because each shape and material really gives me something different. I've ended up with 3 that are made with UHMWPE. For some reason I keep coming back to this material. It sounds really awesome to me.

When I saw he was making a Jazz III XL style I definitely wanted one. I have bought a lot of Jazz III style picks from multiple companies. The Jazz III XL shape is very comfortable in my fingers. The shape of the pick fits snug into the natural curve of my finger. It doesn't not slip at all even though it feels very smooth, almost powdery. The tip of this pick is really what I like! It seems slightly less sharp than the regular drops. A really sharp pick gives you the best articulation but a rounder tip glides better. This pick for me is a great balance of the two. It is extremely fast. It glides with ease. Speed picking and sweeping feel great. If you have a different picking technique I think these picks can work well for anyone. If you look closely at the tip you can see that you can hold it at any angle and the pick will still slice across the strings smoothly. Even though it is a very thick pick the material is very light.

The tone of the pick is mellower than the hard materials like the PHD or Acrylic. Those can be very bright on clean sounds and very aggressive with distortion. The UHMWPE is warmer on cleans and with gain chords blend together in the best way possible. On single notes it sounds very full and doesn't chirp like hard materials. I think this pick definitely excels for clean jazz sounds. If you are looking for twang you might want to look at one of his thinner pick made out of acrylic.

One thing I have really learned with these picks is that each pick serves a purpose for different tones. I had come to these opinions on my own and then just recently I read Aaron Marshall's in depth review coming to the same conclusion. I think the material and quality of your pick has more impact on your tone than what preamp tubes you have in your amp. Instead of changing tubes or EQ settings if you want a mellower sound, use a Green Drop. If you want bright, use an Acrylic Drop. You will be surprised at the difference you hear.

Patrick is really great with communicating with his customers and if you aren't sure which pick is best for you he definitely can steer you in the right direction. He makes a wide variety and your tastes may not be like mine. I really don’t know of any other “custom” pick company that answers emails so fast. I say custom because I really think of these as custom picks. It’s really interesting to watch Patrick make them. You can find videos of it on Youtube. After owning a few of them it’s remarkable how consistent they are. Turn around time is really fast once you order too. I know these picks aren’t easy for him to make. Most of them take more than an hour and he’s told me that some designs are actually very difficult to make without putting his fingers in danger.

As for the price, I think it's a solid investment buying a pick that will last as long as I want it to. Cheap picks grind down or break and get thrown away and end up in a landfill somewhere. A lot of people complain about the prices but these materials aren't cheap and the skill it takes to make them is something I definitely don't have. I feel like this pick will get used and abused a lot and from what I have seen with the other picks I have from Patrick, it can handle it.