Review – Guitar news usually focuses on the artist himself (and why it shouldn’t) or the core equipment (guitar, amplifier, strings, pedals). However, there is a little-known ingredient that is rarely mentioned…guitar picks. It may be because it is taken for granted, relegated to band marketing, or everyone thinks that choice is choice is choice. Acoustik Attak has introduced three picks with raised structures on the headstock, which can be struck multiple times on the strings, which may produce large sound differences. We are trying all three styles of Arsensal samplers to find out.
What is it?
Acoustik Attak has three guitar picks, and the tip of each pick has a different raised structure. Depending on your performance, these structures can strike the strings multiple times during each pass to produce different sounds.
What’s in the bag?
- Arsenal Park: 2 ambushes, 2 attacks, 2 blades
glasses
Pick a size: 2.0mm tip structure | 1.0mm grip | 0.60mm base
Material: Nylon
Design and features
Guitar picks are traditionally triangular or teardrop shaped and can be completely flat or flat with rounded edges. The new Acoustik Attacks picks have a very obvious convex structure on the striking surface, and each pass can be struck multiple times to obtain a different sound. All 3 styles have raised Attak Pik logo for easy grip while playing.
Attak has 3 rows of small diamond structures. These shapes can strike the strings more independently according to your angle, resulting in a fuller sound.
Ambush has a ramp structure of similar size, set in a V shape. The shape here is more aggressive and produces a slightly sharper sound.
The Blade has slanted ridges across the width of the blade, with a more uniform curve, which is the closest to the feel of a standard pick, while still increasing the volume and multi-strike depth.
Performance
Except for just starting to play, there is really no setting here, so we will go directly to the comments.
Like guitar products, Satchel is helping me complete this review. He has been playing jazz guitar for some time. When playing jazz, he usually prefers thicker picks, such as the 2mm Dunlop 500. Usually picks below 0.7 mm feel too fragile for anything other than basic chords, so he likes picks between 0.8 mm and 1 mm for general guitar tasks.
His initial reaction was that Attak Piks looked crazy, which made sense because they looked very different. The fact that it feels normal to hold them can help you try to spin them right away. In fact, if you are used to smooth picks or have difficulty holding picks when playing, the raised logo may help you hold it. This may be a small detail, but it can make a big difference.
When the picks strike the strings, the raised structure will definitely produce a different feeling. The way you play will definitely determine how this affects your strike. By playing gently and slowly, you can feel and hear multiple taps as they catch and release separately. Harder/firmer shots may take some time to adapt and/or require a little learning curve to play at normal speed. These are three close-ups from one angle so that you can see how much the shape protrudes from the surface of the pick. In order, they are Attak, Ambush and Blade.
The first time you use it, it’s cool to hear how each pick style has a unique sound, and even so, the angle at which you strike the strings will further change the sound. The best way to describe the difference from standard pick to Acoustic Attak is to add percussion effects to produce a fuller sound. Depending on what you are playing or how you choose, it can be something darker or brighter.
After using it for a while, Saatchi talked to me about what he noticed. Here are some key points…
- Although it’s a bit tricky to hear how Attak Piks affect the sound at first, it’s easier to notice how ordinary picks produce a “flat” sound afterwards.
- The Blade (yellow) is most like a normal pickaxe, because the ridge has a smoother shot and release. It also seems to have a more natural and uniform curve, which has less impact on your personal picking style.
- Attak (left in the picture above) plays slightly differently and bends more at the tip. Each structure is captured and released in rows or individually, depending on your angle of shot, but the pyramid design still releases very smoothly. Saatchi thinks this song sounds the brightest.
- Ambush (pictured above) definitely has a more aggressive feel, with the most impactful sound and the easiest to get used to. Sometimes the release may be suspended, leading to more changes in the picking style.
- After using it for a few weeks, he prefers these three blades, but will use Attak to record the accompaniment guitar tracks to give them some extra depth and personality. Overall, it is more likely to use any of them for recording than live sessions.
Here are some quick videos to help provide some sound for these descriptions.
The first is E chord playing using the common Dunlop Tortex as the baseline, followed by Blade, Attak and Ambush.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvaK0L1OOx0
The next is the same, but with a few taps you can bring the sound closer for comparison.
Finally, there is the unforgettable opening of Led Zeppelin’s “Over the Hills and Far Away”, in which the picks are played in the same order against some background of multiple percussion of strings in the song.
What we like
- Increase the depth or texture of the sound
- Good traction/holding power
- I prefer Blade and Attak to play our games
What we will change
- It feels a little hoarse when holding it
- It will help if Attak and Ambush are different colors
Final thoughts
It’s great to see innovations in any category, and in terms of music, anything that can expand the field of sound is great. Acoustik Attak’s Piks is designed for those who are willing to explore. The packaging cost starting at $6 is consistent with your standard picks, so the entry barrier is as low as possible. Please note that any changes in the way you play will take some time to adapt, so if you try them, please let us know how they affect you. enjoy!
Price: US$5.99-US$10.99 per pack. Buy 3 packs and save 30%.
Where to buy: Acoustics Attak
source: The sample of this product is made by Acoustics Attak
