So what is Black and White and Played all over? Well, for one, The Fender Black and White F Grip Pick.
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Made for good looks, this plectrum has a laminated appearance. It is Black and White in a 3 ply lamination, much like a pickguard, but thicker. The product also comes in a “Shell” and White Color so you have a choice! It’s a hefty guitar pick with the classic Leo Fender script style F ground out of it into the inner white layer.
Diminutive but in good shape! The black and White Fender F Grip Will Stand on its own:
With a thickness of 1 and 1/2 mm-
and hardness of 74H on the Durometer-
–this style # 551 is like most more Jazz III styled. It IS, however, sold as a #551 Pick. Tonally, It will assert itself but not chirp, it has the benefits of Acrylic tone without the drawbacks of that material. While it is slippery, with moisture It will grip fairly well. Because of the engraved letter F, it will grip a fair amount, but some moisture will add to the adhesion.
Fancy Picking! The black and white Fender F Grip:
The playing edge is V-beveled suitable for alternate picking styles. You could do fast picking and fancy work with this pick. Between that and the 2 finger size, you could do some good ripping with the Black and White Fender F Grip.
What this jury member thinks of the defendant:
I mostly like the pick, but I still find myself having difficulty with hard strumming. As it is a small and somewhat thick Jazz III Pick, you will need practice and technique to hard alternate strum with the black and white Fender F Grip Pick.
Some modifications, perhaps?
-It would be interesting if Fender would offer this thing in a roughed playing edge style, like how Gravity does with some of their picks. Also if it had engraving on the other side, say the number 551, it would add to the grip and be even cooler.
Here is the Fender Page with the pick.
What are the specs for the Black and White Fender F Grip branded Guitar Pick? Here are some of them:
| Material | Attack Tone | Decay Tone |
| Special Celluloid | Firm for Celluloid | Smooth and warm |
| Durability/Wear | Comments/Dimensions | Shape |
| As Durable as most standard Picks | Hardness of 74H Shore D | 551/JazzIII type |
| Grip and Feel | Flexibility | Likely Use |
| Slippery but clings when moist | Very little flex | Modern jazz Rockabilly Math Rock Solos |
| Thickness | Width and Height | Resonance |
| 1.51mm | 22.3 x 25.75mm | Warm clack |
| Tip Style | Bevel? | Approx. Cost |
| Fine tip | V Bevel | $7.99US 3 Pack |
Materials, what they say, what they don’t say…
Fender advertises the material as celluloid, but I wonder if it is different than normal celluloid because the look and feel are a little different. Perhaps they’ve mixed in something with the celluloid? Tell me if you agree with this possibility!
Shapes…
If you have checked out my Form Factors segment of this site, you know that the 551 and Jazz III are very similar and often almost the same. It is small with dimensions of 22.3mm at the shoulder and 25.75mm from tip to back. One can conceivably use shoulder tips for added versatility. Jazz would be fine with this pick because it does lend a chunky tone like some heavier and more expensive plastics, though it may wear down eventually as opposed to the more expensive plastics used for picks out there.
I like the color scheme, it’s almost a Collector’s style, and perhaps one day in the future they won’t exist and end up IN collections.
Being that I’m getting over sickness I’m not going to be as witty as normal but if you like theme picks, or you collect black pedals and guitars, here you go, this is YOUR choice for sure. There is nothing else I’ve found like it.
In summation:
Other Celluloid picks I’ve seen don’t have a V bevel and whatever process they use to laminate pickguards and picks, it must be a pretty cool process, considering the flammability of Celluloid, see what I say about Celluloid here.
So that’s that for now. Next up? How about something ‘speecy-spicy’ that won’t burn your hand or tongue (I tried)…
So, now saying all that, would you buy this Fender Artisan pick, or something else, or nothing at all?