This is the long overdue review of the D’Andrea Pro Plec Home Plate Pick in 1.5 mm thickness.
Wow, gee, what can I say here? I must admit that I haven’t gelled well with the smallest picks until now. But here we are, entering the dragon of the D’Andrea Pro Plec Home Plate Pick. Now, where do I start? I guess I should begin by admitting that, much to my surprise, the shape and size are pretty righteous for lead playing, see read on…
Baseball fans who play guitar, this is for you.
What is the point in a special shape, and buying one? Why the home plate shape and how can it possibly be any different from a 351-based standard plectrum? Here is my response: For some reason, holding a home plate pick and not having the lobed wings which are on the 351 archetype and the many others like it is really good! It is my opinion that the straight-cut sides help me hold the pick more assertively.
This pick is a D’Andrea #330 Shape.
So you like Retro, Mr. Pickfetish?
Now I’m not a guy to obsess over vintage guitars and items. I’ve owned some pretty nice guitars and I have a lot of cool picks. However, the D’Andrea Pro Plec Home Plate Pick hearkens to the early days of celluloid Plectrums, and the home plate shape was extremely popular. Maybe those old Jazz cats knew what they were doing. Charlie Christian, did you play with a home plate, brother? But this pick is made from durable thermoplastic and is part of the “Pro Plec” line of shell-colored picks.
I was given a vintage celluloid home plate pick months ago and was surprised that I seemed to like it, so when I saw a deal for the D’Andrea Pro Plec, I dived right in. Now, no, it’s not a vintage 30’s pick and it’s not what Charlie Played, but I like Charlie Christian a great deal and I am fascinated by all the crazy shapes that used to be made back then.
But, Why?
The D’Andrea Pro Plec Home Plate Pick is basically a reproduction of yesteryear’s goodies, but why bother? Is it because it was there? Yeah, there are a lot of picks that are made “just because” and that is a bit gimmicky, but no. No, it isn’t a silly idea. You may want to try one and see if it is a better thing to hold than, say, a #451 Pick or something.
So why bother?
Why even bother regaling people with pick talk and dedicating a website to such an arcane and minor aspect of music? No, it’s not because it was there, it’s because picks like this are real instruments and we must give them their due.
Something good like this deserves our support. Now if you are a wide-pick person, this might not be your idea of something useful, yes, but if you are in a store and see one, take the opportunity to try the shape. I’m a converted skeptic. I like this, so far, better than any other similar-sized pick I’ve tried.
And then, great, so the D’Andrea Pro Plec Home Plate Pick is cool. So you say… What are the facts and stats?
Well, you know the drill by now! We examine things like hardness and dimensions. This pick is a 1.5mm thickness and has a 69.5 Shore D Durometer hardness. The edges are rolled off/rounded. There is a touch of glassiness to the tone -and feel. It doesn’t really have any texture to help grip it, after all, it is thermoplastic, but the imprinting on it, in gold, helps somewhat and the shape makes a difference -for me- in keeping it in my fingers. I’m not completely sure why, honestly, but it just works, this is “just right”.
So here are the specs:
| Material | Attack Tone | Decay Tone |
| Thermoplastic | Glassy plasticy sound like nickel | Cross between warm and bright |
| Durability/Wear | Comments/Dimensions | Shape |
| quite Durabale | Shore D Hard- Ness 69.5 | Small Home Plate as in Baseball |
| Grip and Feel | Flexibility | Likely Use |
Great for a small pick | No flex | Lead Shredding arpeggios |
| Thickness | Width and Height | Resonance |
1.51mm@ Tip | 21.13 mm wide x 23.95mm Long | Plasticy and Shell like |
| Tip Style | Bevel? | Approx. Cost |
Narrow but rounded tip | Soft rounding | US $ 13.50 For 12 |
You can get this Pro Plec Pick on Amazon right now.
To add to this, the feel is sturdy and hard, once again, like glass or rock, but with less squeal. There is still a touch of chirp, but it is subtle and kinda nice.
I get a thumpy, US nickel coin click when I drop it on my desk. The thickness is one of the aspects that seems to help. If it were 2.0mm it might not appeal to me, and something .75mm might not work for melodious passages.
So where do I buy this thing and/or is it hard to get?
This #330 shape pick is covered on D’Andrea’s own site:
So you might inquire about who sells it near you!
Right now Amazon has them, they can be found on eBay and also some music stores.
So what is your take on Vintage shapes like the 330? Share with us your feelings on it!