Ebonite Picks, are they something like a fragile, broken heart?
Huh! Well, this review submission on Ebonite Picks brings a new twist to my pick collecting and experiences, read on!
For Instance, when I was a teenager many decades ago, I was a hard rocker and I really beat down chords hard at times. I was able to do very rapid rhythms in my strumming like Jimmy Page. A couple of my bands really rocked. Back then, I was hard on picks, and I did break a few, basically tearing some of the thin celluloid picks.
Also, I admit that I went decades not playing much and being perennial after all my gear got stolen 3 times in a row.
After all that, I want to continue with my narrative here, I’m offering up a review of 3 picks here, from the same manufacturer in Japan, Eboya.
They shipped quickly and delivered some pretty lovely picks – 3 of them. However, there is a partly sad ending to this story:
While playing the .60mm Blue Coelacanth “Teardrop” pick (based upon a 351 shape, see my shapes section about shapes) the pick literally shattered in a half and into dozen pieces. BEfORE IT HAPPENED TO MY SHOCK AND DISMAY: I was really enjoying the pick, nevertheless. I loved the feel, but it is now clear that Ebonite, or at least the one(s) I got, is way too brittle.
To understand why I searched for (and found) these otherwise lovely picks, I was told about Robert Fripp having used specially made (and now rare) “Ebonite” picks in his “Frippertone” sound.
I have to wonder if the great King Crimson genius experienced breakage as well. Perhaps he didn’t use a thin gauge pick like a .60 Coelacanth.
The Coelacanth, an ancient sea-to-land creature is a survival story. Well, why didn’t this pick survive more than 1 day of use?
I must say, however, I don’t know how much we can judge a product by one experience. I hope to contact Eboya and request another sample. And I must add that I was doing a hard strumming quick rhythm. It was memorable in the style of Pete Townsend. And I must also add that I am usually more about finesse as a player than I was as a boy, not hard strumming!
Nevertheless, it has become apparent that I need to work harder than ever at putting picks through their paces IF I’m going to be a truly reliable reviewer.
Please understand that I originally didn’t want to actually “review” plectrums and products, I was happy with the idea of simply talking about the technology and joy of the product.
I also have to say that the medium pick and heavy pick are fine so far!
So let’s mention this information: I was playing the low-end Gretsch that I put String-Joy Round Core All Nickle 9.5’s on. (LOVE these strings! I cannot blame the strings, how could I even do so? They’ve always been great for the 2 years I’ve been using them. Perhaps I should review strings one day?)
The thicker three ebonite picks are OK so far, but look at what remains of my .60 teardrop pick:
Photo here:
Furthermore, It’s a real shame, because the feel of the .60 pick/light pick was stupendous, better than a Celluloid by far. If Eboya could find a way to make them more durable, I’d buy a few dozen for sure.
Anyhow, let’s talk about these picks, how they sound, and how they feel:
The thin pick: Enough has been said, here are the specs:
| Material | Attack Tone | Decay Tone |
| Special extra- vulcanized hard rubber | Firm, warm yet with some brightness | Not too clicky imparts a pleasing tone |
| Durability/Wear | Comments/Dimensions | Shape |
| Poor as of this writing | 75 Deg @ tip Hardness of 78H | “teardrop” similar to 351 but sharper, more abrupt tip |
| Grip and Feel | Flexibility | Likely Use |
| Fantastic Grip and feel, like an extension of the hand | Very Flexible but super brittle | Only good for light and slow strumming |
| Thickness | Width and Height | Resonance |
| Thin: .60mm | 31mm x 26.3mm | Bright yet assertive |
| Tip Style | Bevel? | Approx. Cost |
| Diamond Shaped with small rounding | Too thin for beveling | About 3 dollars plus shipping from Japan |
Now, my medium Ebonite Pick:
This is a really lovely flat pick. In conclusion when it comes to the feel of a good plectrum, this pick really shines.
Also, when I use the middle joint of the index finger pick-holding method, the pick stays true and sure in my hand. Furthermore, It also imparts a lovely tone when using a little British “drive”. And yet furthermore, It’s not quite clicky, but still fairly bright and almost airy sounding.
This is a Realeaux-shaped pick, but unlike many of my other Realeaux’s, this one nests in my hand well and feels very natural.
The Realeaux (#346 Shape in reference to the original makers of man-made picks, D’Andrea) is like an extension of my body. It is still thin enough to have some flex and response and works for melody AND strumming of chords. I put it through similar paces to the broken pick mentioned above, and so far it is OK. It is a really nice Ebonite Pick, but the material has a fragility to it that might mean these would wear faster in heavy use.
I will keep doing updates on it as I can to see if it ever shatters, but so far so good, a real delight to use.
The Photos:
The Specs:
| Material | Attack Tone | Decay Tone |
| Special extra- vulcanized hard rubber | Firm with a touch of brightness | Light click, almost thick release |
| Durability/Wear | Comments/Dimensions | Shape |
| So far, so good, but quite brittle | Equilateral triangle Hardness of 78H | Realeaux shaped |
| Grip and Feel | Flexibility | Likely Use |
| Fantastic, stays in hand very well | Great flex for a medium pick | Moderate strumming (good for that) and picking quickly |
| Thickness | Width and Height | Resonance |
| .78mm | 32.4 x 33.8 when held | Medium-rich |
| Tip Style | Bevel? | Approx. Cost |
| Wide angle, unbounded | N/A, too thin for one | ~$3.00 plus Shipping from Japan |
And, there, the heavy Ebonite Pick:
This pick almost glues to the moist fingers but because it is so stiff, it will want to wedge out, so a firm grip is needed to hold it.
The tone is assertive like most thicker picks, but with some muted response. Seems like it will be great for Fusion music, Jazzy but Rocky.
The tip is an almost straight angle from the shoulder, with a little rounded end. Basically, it is a one-way “diamond” shaped tip with a touch of rounding.
This pick is a Pro’s pick and not for the faint-hearted. Above all, what has been said so far about these Ebonite Picks holds true with this one too.
Its name is “Extra-Hard” and it is, indeed, very hard and very very stiff. Now boys, no jokes!
The Photos:
The Specs:
| Material | Attack Tone | Decay Tone |
| Special extra- vulcanized hard rubber | Assertive and Bright | No click, almost but not quite warm |
| Durability/Wear | Comments/Dimensions | Shape |
| It’s brittle, but thick enough to survive most uses | 75 Deg @ tip Hardness of 78H | 351-ish with sharper shoulder-to-tip |
| Grip and Feel | Flexibility | Likely Use |
| Fantastic glue- like Grip, Very strong feel | No flex, very firm | Some strumming but mostly fast picking |
| Thickness | Width and Height | Resonance |
| 2.03mm@tip | 31mm x 26.3mm | Thick but a little muted, just a touch of brightness |
| Tip Style | Bevel? | Approx. Cost |
| 1-way diamond with some softened roundness | Sharply round | ~$3.00 Plus Shipping from Japan. |
Finally, to be fair, I think perhaps Eboya might be able to fine-tune the vulcanization of the thin pick compared to the others.
If my experience is anomalous, I apologize to the manufacturer, but yes, they are very brittle. The company makes pens also, nice ones!
I do want to get some more of these because the feel is fantastic on all three of them. If only the thin one would have survived!
Continuing: The Next Review: Another plectrum that in at least some ways, is ideal. It took some effort to find out about it, and more effort to find it. More on that soon to come…
What picks have you used that broke on you? Were you gigging? What did you do about it?