A review of the Dunlop Delrin 500 Prime Grip .71, a versatile pick for a wide range of uses.
Here in the North East USA it has been an extremely gray and rainy for most of the last 6 months, and fall is now underway. Gray has been the thing around here, until today, much like the Dunlop Delrin 500 Prime Grip .71.
Fortunately, Seasonal color’s are set to bloom forth, raising spirits a bit. Still, this lovely pick has raised my musical spirit despite its coloring. Looks are deceiving, wouldn’t you know?
Jon Anderson once said that Yes’s Relayer period was a gray time. That is funny though, because it can be argued that they were at a great musical peak. Such a peak can be reached with this Dunlop Delrin 500 Prime Grip .71. It has that Delrin flex and recovery without too much flappiness, being at a .71mm thickness.
It appears that Delrin 500 is a special blend as it feels and works differently from their other Delrin products. This Dunlop Delrin 500 Prime Grip .71 feels nicer and is more shiny that their “plain Delrin”
Now, few people would call anything associated with Jon Anderson to be gray, the man still glimmers and glows in iridescence and wholesome kindness, I once met him and he struck me as a great guy. So if he made something gray that glowed, so too this Prime Grip Delrin, musically, it glows; if not iridescent, and least in a happy manner. Gray, after all, is the new Blue (those of us aging grays still have some bright blue in our jovial nature, right? RIGHT? R I G H T ?)
OK, I jest.
The Dunlop Delrin 500 Prime Grip .71 is Delrin which isn’t at the very top of the list for durability, but this formulation of it seems to hold up…
…Well enough, with firm and rapid strumming, that it would be nothing like the terrible shattering of that ebonite pick I reviewed many months ago as you can read here.
So what do we get for giving up a touch of durability? Well, for one, a better tone with less clack than many other medium light picks. For other, a darned decent grip. The tone has a hint of brightness without the clickyness of similar sized picks. It’s not exactly a warm tone either, but a good enough oomph for most rock, country, and blues, and even the Mammas and Pappas singing about gray skies would be appropriate for this pick, not in name only.
Now, there’s something about modern music and picks, however:
What started me on my pick quest 3 years ago was the problem of grip!
Sure, as I’ve improved as a player, my handling of plectra has equally improved. But I DO have tremors at my old age and anything that helps, no matter my improvements, is very welcome. The embossed/relief text and patterning of this pick is almost outstanding. Other Dunlop picks meant and sold as being grip friendly don’t compare, nor do those of the competition.
No, it’s not a “ideal” gripping pick, but like the Beauty standards of 50’s Cinema (Sorry Ms. Monroe),
it’s definitely good enough, even if there are prettier looks today you would have to agree that humans keep getting more attractive with each generation, for all we know, Helen of Troy would be a “dog” today (I know, she was probably a fox still, but picks aren’t women, picks are more akin to being loyal terrors who would die to defend you AND WOMEN are NEVER “dogs”).
OK, enough of that comparison nonsense, I’m rambling again like an old fool.
I’m concerned that I’ve over covered Dunlop picks, but we have to recognize that the company literally dominates the useful pick genre. And here at Pickfetish.com, we are all about picks that are for actual use, let’s face it, how pretty they are is a second thought to how well they play, they are an instrument for us!
The Shiny gray with terrific embossing also flexes “just right” for going between strumming and alternate picking, you can almost sense that your type of grip helps control the flex of the thing.
This plectrum can be found here on Dunlop’s site and here on Amazon in quantity, and even here on Sweetwater and probably your local store if you are lucky.
We discuss Delrin as among the 3 major plastic versions of Dunlop in this section on Pickfetish. Delrin 500 is its own product, seen here at DuPont. It is more durable with a higher tensile strength than the standard Delrin picks.
I will put the summation this way:
This pick is proving terrific despite what I expected for my intermediate-skilled hands.
I can imagine that there are some pros out there that love this thing, and beginners might want to buy a half dozen of these things, seriously, depending on what each of these folks are playing.
Strumming, alternate picks, and moderate soloing in the more popular forms of music are suited to this plectrum.
So there we are, let’s look at the specs to this Dunlop Delrin 500 Prime Grip .71 pick, yes?
| Material | Attack Tone | Decay Tone |
DuPont Brand Delrin 500 | Crisp | Almost Jangley |
| Durability/ Wear | Comments/ Dimensions | Shape |
| Good better than the big 3 plastics | Shore D Durometer 70H Hardness | Essentially a #351 Shape |
| Grip and Feel | Flexibility | Likely Use |
| Surprisingly good grip | Ideal flex for strum and pickn grinin | Many: Different Rock, Country, Folk, Blues |
| Thickness | Width and Height | Resonance |
| Measured .69mm | 25.20×29.60mm | Some click and a deep Poker Chip tone |
| Tip Style | Bevel? | Approx. Cost |
| Fine-round | N/A | USA $5.50 /12 pcs. |
- Holds/Grips ****
- Plays (action) ****
- Sounds/Tones ****
- Looks/Appearance **
- Collect-ability **
- Difficulty ****
- Durability ***
- Cost ***
- Availability ***
- Like-ability *****
- Over-All Rating 68% (that seems an under-rating but it’s based upon the above criteria).
- Novices: A definite Buy!
- Performers: Should be in the Arsenal.
- Intermediates: Very useable, a Recommend.
It is probably time for darker skies and sharper, colder wind, if this next pick will be any indicator. Stay tuned!
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