Stash Picks Review

Specifications

From the website:

The “Fat Boy” is our largest pick. Each edge has a different gauge so you no longer need to switch picks when changing from chicken scratch rhythms to frantic solos. Just pick your point and go. Bass players have told us they like this one the most!

The “Diamond Back” gives the versatility of dual gauges in one pick but preserves the look and feel of a traditional style pick. It's heavy on one side for fast soloing and medium on the other side for funky rhythms.

The “ Double Pick” design looks like we have welded two regular picks together at the bottom. This unique feature allows for double striking the strings, giving your 6 string guitar a 12 string like quality. You can use it on power chords for a deep crunch or squeeze the ends together to achieve those sought after harmonics. Try doing this with your regular flat pick!

The “Wicked Pick” with its unrivaled shape produces powerful sounds without the feel of a thick pick. A little twist of your wrist gives you total control of the double strike timing to obtain that wicked sound.

The “Tri-Tip” shape, with a more traditional design, is equipped with a different gauge at each tip for changing sounds on the fly. The tips are more pointed than the “Fat Boy” making it a little more flexible.

The “Classic” is our latest edition, and lasts 10 times longer than the competition. It also includes our unique Double Grip feature – a grip on both sides for no-slip play. With 4 gauges to choose from (0.8mm, 1.0mm, 1.2mm, and 1.4mm), play as long as you like. This pick can take it.

Features

From the website:

"STASH PICKS are made of a space age polymer used by NASA. This polymer stands up to both hot and cold temperatures without losing its shape. After days of playing and heavy practicing, STASH PICKS don't look the least bit used. When was the last time you used a pick for a hard 6 hour practice session and didn't feel as if you needed another one? You will be amazed at what it takes to wear down a STASH PICK."

"Each pick has a specialized, non-slip grip that is precisely spaced so that no matter where you like to hold your pick, your fingers will be in contact with the grip texture. This special texture and its placement keeps the pick from slipping out of your fingers even when sweating and playing hard."

Review

Get them.  Get them now.

The folks at Stashpicks were kind enough to send me home from NAMM with a Stash Tin- a handy designer tin that includes their entire line of picks, 9 different types in all (http://www.stashpicks.com/tin.php).  I put them to the test this week with a glut of rehearsals on multiple guitars and basses.

CLASSIC
(0.8mm, 1.0mm, 1.2mm, 1.4mm)
A pick is a pick, right?  Wrong.  Stashpicks' Classic picks prove this, upping the ante on the bulk of picks out there by including a Double Grip feature.  There's nothing worse than tearing into a solo and dropping your pick. Stashpicks provide truly no-slip play.  I tested these out ruthlessly on a huge pick-slide to power chord combo that always leads to dropped picks onstage- and was pleased to still have the Stashpick in my hand every time.  There's a good range of gauges, and after a week of heavy playing the pick I've been mercilessly testing shows almost no sign of wear.

TRI-TIP
A giant triangle of a pick with a different gauge at each end (0.6, 0.8, 1.0), the Tri-Tip is designed to make it easy to switch gauges on the fly.  Though this is admittedly not a move I have to pull onstage, I did find this pick was useful for the bass because of its size.  Like the Classic Stashpick there's grips on both sides, making it surprisingly difficult to drop this over-sized pick.  However, the long thin design of the Tri-Tip blades made them a little louder and sloppier on the strings than the Fat Boy.

FAT BOY
Between the two over-sized select-a-gauge options included in the Stash Tin, the Fat Boy was by far my preference.  Despite being the largest pick in the Stashpick arsenal, it felt much more comfortable than the Tri-Tip, and the sound had a great attack without being clumsy or sloppy. Different gauges (0.6, 0.8, 1.0) on each corner of the rounded, triangular pick allow you to change your style on the fly, with grips on either side to prevent slipping.

WICKED PICK
What really sets Stashpicks apart are several unique designs. These are picks intended to add effects to your playing without adding pedals.  I started with the Wicked Pick, a two-pronged 0.6 gauge design that added a noticeable chorus effect.  I liked the fullness of the sound created, the doubling effect was subtle but audible, though I found it was more effective on the acoustic, really ringing out chords. I did wish for the double grip of the other models, however, and dropped it several times- its odd shape and size makes it a little hard to get used to.

DIAMOND BACK
This double-edged sword of a pick features two gauges- 0.6 and 0.8 on each end mean you can switch on the fly from tight solo work to crunchier chords.  I once again missed the double grip of the Classic model, and found switching between the two gauges less easy than with the larger bass picks.  In addition, the two gauges could have been a little farther apart, to create greater dynamics between them (and thus create the need for a two-in-one pick).

DOUBLE PICK
Arguably the strangest in a line of strange picks, Stashpick's double-bladed 0.7 gauge pick provides a chorus effect when played open and harmonics when pressed together.  Though producing decent, consistent harmonics took a considerable amount of practice, I found strumming with this pick really fattened up chords, especially on the acoustic.  Again I was wishing that both sides had some grip on them, but the relative thickness of the Double Pick made it somewhat easier to hold onto than the Wicked Pick.

The Final Word

Any time a company has a line of products that steps outside the norm there's a risk that they'll skip out on the basics that make the more common varieties of their product usable.  Fortunately Stashpicks hasn't made this mistake- their Classic pick is a solid, playable, durable, easy-to-hold model that will have you shredding for hours.  If you play bass with a pick, you should check out the Fat Boy, and I was really impressed with the full, rich chorus effect the Double Pick created on the acoustic guitar.