A while back, I ordered a V-Pick Screamer and promised to test it out. V-Picks has announced a new model, the V-Picks Medium Pointed, which also reminds me to follow up with test results on the V-Pick Screamer.

First off, the V-Pick Medium Pointed uses the same thick clear acrylic material that is easy to grip with a beveled edge. The Medium Pointed is designed to maximize the sound coming out of your higher strings while keeping lower notes clear and defined. Other benefits are less resistance for faster sweep picking and defined harmonics.

The model I ordered was the Screamer which features the same thick clear acrylic material and beveled edging. The price of $4.00 (about equivalent to a Jamba Juice) seems like a major deterrent for a pick, but the good folks at V-Pick threw in a Medium Rounded model to ease some of the pain.

The claims were definitely true, however. I definitely noticed a clearer, more effortless tone from the Screamer. Sweep picking was easier to pull off and the tone was noticeably brighter across the fretboard. As a matter of preference, some might find the resulting tone a bit too bright although I admittedly like tone that gives me an excuse to wear my BluBlockers.

I wasn't as much of a fan of the Medium Rounded, a pick with a rounded edge aimed towards warming and deepening your tone. I preferred the sharper, beveled edge in terms of playing comfort. The Medium Rounded (which happens to be their most popular model) did sound great, though, on acoustic guitar, delivering a slightly fuller tone than a normal pick.

My main problem with the V-Picks is that they're clear. I lose picks enough as it is (or my bandmates end up with them after conveniently forgetting to bring picks to gigs and practices). I knew that keeping my hands on two clear picks would be no easy task, and I was right.

Despite the tragic loss, I felt the difference between the 2.75 mm thick V-Pick and my regular millimeter thick Dunlop picks were large enough for me to seek out replacements, and while they do offer a few easier-to-find glow in the dark picks at $5.00 a pick, even the standard pick pricing will make these a hard sell on the uninitiated and even those who have tried it out who better know how to budget their money.