A Bonus Pick Review on Materials and Devices to make a pick stick in your hand, read on, and if you know of other ways and other products, submit comments at the bottom of this blog post!
This is a brief overview of some stick-em and add-on grips for instrument picks. This review will grow over time as I add materials and devices to my collection.
1. Mr. Power Non-Slip Cork Grips Donuts, the first of this section on Materials and Devices to make a pick stick in your hand:
This grip material is adhesive backed and made of cork. Cork latches on to hand moisture well.
Another good thing about these grips is they are donut-shaped, so for a multi-tipped pick, rotating while playing will be well-fascilitated.
I will also say that cork is a wood item and renewable and environmentally friendly. Cork comes from the outer cooks of cork stress, they grind it up and form it into shapes, such as topping wine bottles. Ever wonder why they use it for wine? Because it is gas permeable.
That same quality makes moist fingers cling on to this design, they will soil over time, but are replaceable, renewable, and cheap.
As with many grip devices, for hard strumming and plucking, your mileage will vary depending on your grip strength and technique.
Cheaper on Amazon.
I would rate this higher than the next one in my review, however, it will get dirty and sticky and fall apart over time and it is harder to remove and replace than rubber. That is our brief review of the first of this list of Materials and Devices to make a pick stick in your hand…
2. Epic Accessories Rubber Pick Grips Circles:
These are a stay clean round adhesive-backed Rubber Grip. They are in a circle shape with a textured surface.
They cover a smaller area of the pick so they will work for smaller picks. However, with a smaller area comes the problem that this solution seems less effective.
I don’t like these as much as the cork grips, but they are more hygienic and longer lasting.
For me, they don’t grip as well, and there are other rubber products I want to try that are larger that I might like more, but these are cheap on Amazon.
On Amazon:
3: Mojo Grip Slide-On Pick grips:
Author’s note: These appear to have disappeared from the marketplace, sadly. Perhaps because the term Mojo has been used with fender products?
These only work with more standard-sized picks, basically for a 351 shape that isn’t too thick. These are another of the Materials and Devices to make a pick stick in your hand and if you can find them, you might like them. But they do function like condums, so there is an ick factor…
They ARE better than the previous two for grip though, and easily reusable a few times. However, eventually, this item of the Materials and Devices to make a pick stick in your hand will break like a rubber band at some point in your use.
I like that a pick can be rotated in the fingers while playing with these.
They have a cup-shaped effect on how they mount, helping them grip even more. They work very well. But they are more costly because you get less of them for the money.
These are no longer available but Fender makes Mojo Grip Picks:
https://www.fender.com/en-US/accessories/picks/mojo-grip-dura-tone-delrin-picks—3-pack/1985351405.html
This is an addition to the list and I have to sneak them into this segment since they are the patented “Mojo grip”. The grip is not available separately but is integrated with the pick.
These will be terrific for new players or for players that have a hard time with thicker stiffer picks when strumming.
4 Now on to Rosin Grip Materials:
Gorilla Snot is a green stick-em material. It can be pretty messy, but it really works to keep a pick solidly in your grip, even to the point when parting your fingers leave it stuck to your index finger.
The material will endure use for a while and stay on a pick as well as your fingers, you will want to buy something to clean your hands after using it. It’s rosin based and really works. It’s not cheap, but a good value nonetheless.
On Amazon:
I admire this product, but it IS rosin based, in some proprietary formula (is there wave in it?) But for cheap, you can try the next item. I’m pretty sure this isn’t all that toxic and it will last on the pick for future use for a little while.
5 Along the same lines is Rosin Bow powder in a shaker bottle. This is cheaper for the Materials and Devices to make a pick stick in your hand. Just add moisture and you’ve got something similar, but not as good as, Gorilla Snot, for cheaper.
Now, it won’t last but for one use, and you will need to do cleanups and the powder can get all over the place, but weight lifters love this stuff.
You could even purchase rosin blocks and scrape off some into power and use it that way.
Or even, go straight to the pine tree and gather your own sap. It is a natural and harmless material, in fact, people eat pine cone nuts, or rather certain ones that is, so be careful.
On Amazon.
This Powdered Rosin will need added moisture to enhance grip, so your mileage may vary.
There are other materials and devices and picks that come WITH grips installed, so more on this is to come.
Have you tried any of these, or have you tried other products? Do you want one of them reviewed?