Another Pick Geek Thread - Dunlop Delrin 500 Smooth

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

Well they are not as well finished, and don't come in triangles, and don't have speed bevels (although I'm not having an issue playing them because of these factors). But they do sound better to me than Vespel does on the guitars I'm playing them on, and the material handles just as well.

Both Delrin and Vespel are DuPont plastics.

https://www.dupont.com/products/delrin.html

https://www.dupont.com/products/vespel-s.html

But I can't see where DuPont says in their specs that one is better for making guitar picks than the other?

No, I think that was the discovery made by the Goinses in finding a new application fr Vespel.

[phcorrigan]

OK, I just tried the 1.5. Compared to the Primetone Smooth 1.5, I find the sound and feel less crisp and a little mushy. I'll stick with the Primetones.

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

OK, I just tried the 1.5. Compared to the Primetone Smooth 1.5, I find the sound and feel less crisp and a little mushy. I'll stick with the Primetones.

Yep, I'd say the same comparing those two picks. You would find the same result playing a 60 gauge BC against a Primetone 1.5mm. I've ended up playing a thinner Delrin 500 than the picks I usually play and that lifted the brightness but kept the balance I'm liking from these picks on my guitar.

I spent the summer playing a Primetone smooth on my cheap little hog 0/00 camping guitar, and liked that more than a BC on that particular guitar. I have not played it with a Delrin 500 smooth yet.

[dnf777]

Hey-thanks! Those are really nice and do feel VERY similar to my BlueChips. And the color will make them my outdoor pics!

[DownUpDave]

I have had some .71 and .96 Delrin 500 picks for a few months now. They are slippery for sure, wetting your thumb/finger does help. I rough up the contact area with a razor knife or sand paper.

I do like the tone, on the warm side with no “pick-click” off the strings. For fans of the Fender Mediums which are .75 cellulose these Delrin 500 in .71 are very similar with a slightly warmer tone. Plus you can see that pink color no matter where you drop them.

Just as a rant........who’s bright idea at Dunlop was it to make Ultex an invisible translucent color. You put them down and they disappear, but I love the sound and feel

[JC.]

Prompted by this thread, I pulled my Delrin out from the proverbial pick-jar. I find them ok, but not as good as.....

Originally Posted by Lee Callicutt

I recommend the Dunlop polycarbonate gels as well.

These. The red (heavy) are my current go to picks.

[drumstrummer]

Originally Posted by DownUpDave

Just as a rank.........who’s bright idea at Dunlop was it to make Ultex an invisible translucent color. You put them down and they disappear, but I love the sound and feel

Yes! I do like Ultex Jazz III XL for some applications, but if you drop one on the hardwood floor, it disappears into another dimension.

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by Lee Callicutt

Indeed, a sleeper model. I recommend the Dunlop polycarbonate gels as well.

Originally Posted by JC.

Prompted by this thread, I pulled my Delrin out from the proverbial pick-jar. I find them ok, but not as good as.....

These. The red (heavy) are my current go to picks.

I'm going to order some of the Dunlop Polycarbonate Gel picks today. I'm always up for trying out new picks. I used the Dunlop Jazztone 207s on my dread when I had it, and loved them. I still have about a dozen new ones somewhere? What I liked about them was the balance between a loud bass "boom" and a softer "chick" but got a very warm tone of the treble strings when doing licks or lead breaks. The 207s are great when I capo high on my 000. But they are not as loud as other picks (which in some circumstances is actually a bonus). And, of course, they are Molly Tuttle's fav's - but, then again, she does play big loud resonant guitars that probably need a little taming to sound clean at the speed she plays!!!!!!

I'll give the Polycarbonate Gel ones a try.

[Lee Callicutt]

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I found them to produce substantially less click than other poly-carbonate picks. Pretty nicely finished as well with only the injection sprue tab to file away if that bothers you.

[emtsteve]

My .71's came in and I like them, but just a bit too thin, so I placed another order for the .96's. They should hit the sweet spot.

I really like these Delrin picks. For me they stick to the fingers very well once they've heated up a bit. The colors are nice, and they are CHEAP. Someone above said similar to celluloid but a bit darker and I agree. Minor adjustments in grip angle and amount of pick showing allow for a lot of control over tone. I'm not giving up on my favorite pick - the Wegen Bluegrass 1.4 - but these will be in the pick box/pile too.

[FrankHudson]

I'm enjoying this series, as I'm nutty about picks and often try two or three to get the sound and feel I'm looking for.

You seem to be concentrating on exploring the wide variety picks Dunlop offers. Have you considered looking at more of their Flow series? Their 2.0 mm Flow picks are a bit thicker than I usually use for all-around acoustic playing or strumming, but I like them quite a bit for picking single lines or cross-picking. Symmetrical bevels on these, and I'm not sure what plastic they're using but it works. Particularly for my electric playing I've been using their Andy James signature flow 2.0 mm a lot lately, which is just slightly wider in the upper shoulder and sharper at the point than the classic 351 shape.

[JC.]

Originally Posted by Lee Callicutt

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I found them to produce substantially less click than other poly-carbonate picks. Pretty nicely finished as well with only the injection sprue tab to file away if that bothers you.

What I like about the red polycarbonate picks is that they retain some of that warmth for strumming which to me IS one of the quintessential sounds of an acoustic guitar.

Its easy to find a pick which is good for flat picking....anything thick will do the job. The challenge is to go thinner from there to a point where you can still flatpick but can also get a warm strum sound. To me, the polys do that.

They are also just about the cheapest pick on the market.

[JC.]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

I'll give the Polycarbonate Gel ones a try.

Let us know how you get on

[AndrewG]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Got a box full of these, which were OK replacements to my Martin nylon and delrins.

There is nothing wrong with them, but I'd beg to differ in comparing with Blue Chips.

p.s. good to see AndrewG back again, Hi Andrew!

Hi Andy! Hope all's well.

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by JC.

Let us know how you get on

I will. I have some red polycarbonate gels coming that should be here in a few days. The Reds are 0.96 mm I believe, so I may give the yellows a spin too as they are 1.2 mm. The Polycarbonate Jazztone 207s I have already (and like) are 2.0 mm.

It seems to me that the more I play the more I'm heading in the direction of cheap guitars, cheap strings and cheap picks!!!!!!