It is the beginning of New England’s winter: a respite from the heat appears. It comes in the form of a Blue and White Plectrum with an interesting twist: A sandpaper-like gripping pad built into the pick. The Cool Picks Acetyl White Sandpaper may be kinda rough, but that roughness is its beauty.
My reaction to the Cool Picks Acetyl White Sandpaper is mixed:
As always, I’m 50% Optimist and 50% Cynic, but I had to try this one. I’ve had it for a couple of years and just didn’t have a good opportunity to give it a real go. I pride myself in that I remain objective, yet hopeful with any product, this one is no exception.
The Cool Picks Acetyl White Sandpaper Pick is a little bit too large in my opinion -and has a little too blunt a tip. Otherwise, it’s ideal in many ways. It grips like a tree hopping Orangutan at a punk rock concert. Yes, it’s that good, good wholesome niceness.
The sound, what about the sound?
On my Strat it rings true with it’s “Juratex” material that they claim The Boss plays. Hey Bruce, give us a shout brother. I would go so far as to say the sound is good, maybe not entirely versatile, but for the right application and style, it’s dead-on.
But what is the core identifying characteristic of the Cool Picks Acetal White Sandpaper Pick you ask, well, here’s what I know so far:
This is a definite buy for any beginner or intermediate struggling to improve picking skills.
They call the grip stuff “Accu-Grip” and that is a pretty apt name. It has a gritty feel very much like sandpaper, a sandy paper that is, rather than Emory board. Surprisingly, the Cool Picks Acetyl White Sandpaper pick doesn’t have a harsh affect on my fingers. It does stay put pretty well and it doesn’t need moisture to help, and conversely, moisture does not inhibit grip either by any great extent.
Like so many of my reviews, it all started with my quest for the best grip and sound, and feel. The Cool Picks Acetal White Sandpaper Pick is a simple and elegant solution to what still is a vexing problem for many newer players.
I will say that I’d love a shorter, less wide version of it, like a big JazzIII with the sharper tip. It would also be cool to try an emery board like grip material and put it on metal picks. With the Cool Picks Acetal White Sandpaper, because the natural inclination with this pick is to pluck with a finer precision, it does leave one wanting. Cool Picks make various shapes and I endeavor to try them all in the future to see which one is just right for more precise picking, if any of them. Stay tuned!
The Cool Picks Acetal White Sandpaper Pick, in my opinion, is a must buy, something belonging in a list of maybe 20 picks to choose from for intermediate players.
Now, for Pros, this might not have as much appeal. With experience comes better grip naturally, and more traditional Celluloid picks will win out with many such artists. One might feel free to modify its shape even.
Gripping can be difficult and playing can be hard -but we can’t all be SRV, can we? OR, well, maybe we CAN with the right amount of effort and aides like this pick or one of its brethren
I’ll keep this review short and sweet and get right to it, I would recommend this pick, here is their site.
I got mine on eBay though. They have an assortment of other picks I want to test soon. This blue and white pick makes me think of the cold winter sky in Connecticut, laid back, chilled, and ready to turn some heat on!
It’s a largish standard 351 shape, talked about here on the my site.
Be prepared for a good rating, let’s see the specs and the ratings of the Cool Picks Acetal White Sandpaper Pick. Try it yourself and see if you agree?
Here’s the beef on the Cool Picks Acetyl White Sandpaper:
| Material | Attack Tone | Decay Tone |
| Juratex (Acetal?) | Crisp and thick | Crunchy |
| Durability/ Wear | Comments/ Dimensions | Shape |
| Good | Shore D Durometer 74H | Large 351 |
| Grip and Feel | Flexibility | Likely Use |
| Sandy Firm Grip | Moderate Flex | Rock Folk Metal |
| Thickness | Width and Height | Resonance |
| .80mm | 26mm x 35.5mm | Plucky |
| Tip Style | Bevel? | Approx. Cost |
| Widish narrow | rounded | US $ 1.30 + Shipping |
- Holds/Grips *****
- Plays (action) ****
- Sounds/Tones ***
- Looks/Appearance ****
- Collect-ability ****
- Difficulty ****
- Durability ***
- Cost ***
- Availability ***
- Like-ability ***
- Over-All Rating 64%
- Novices: A definite YES
- Performers: Maybe this or another shape of it
- Intermediates: Good but ungainly at times
