-
Glad to hear it! Look forward to your review. This little silicone dot is the best thing to happen to my sound since the tuner! It's like I'm getting the benefits of years of playing all at once---my problem wasn't my picking but my grip. Now the grip is secure and my picking as fine! Hoorah! Talk about feeling like it's a brand new day!
Originally Posted by sbeishline
-
01-04-2016 11:38 AM
-
I've been trying out a product called Picktack which I believe is essentially the same thing. So far, I like them very much. Very secure grip. It lets me have a looser more relaxed hold on the pick and eliminates the need to readjust the pick constantly. I think this even leads to more even picking technique. Good product.
-
I'd never heard of PickTack. But I know what you're talking about re: having a looser grip---less tension---and yet a more secure one. That's what Monster Grips gives me. I situate the 'dot' to one side to facilitate the Benson grip. I even sent JC Stylles a note about it----he doesn't need any help, obviously, but I doubt I'm the only student of his who had trouble keeping the grip. I never knew what a secure grip was supposed to feel like! I never dropped picks but I never could keep 'em in one place either. Originally Posted by AlainJazz
-
I received mine today. (Wow! Ordered on December 25 and they're here - international mail!)
So here comes. This is an excellent solution to a problem that was inexistent a few hours ago.
More seriously, I never drop picks as I mentioned above, but Mark's post got me interested. It is still early for a final judgement, but I'd say that I am going to like these. I think it allows my picking hand to be looser, yet I hold the pick more steadily. Of course, I am trying them for the first time and I am evaluating them, so I am self-conscious about it, but I think that it will offer an improvement.
Thanks, Mark for telling us about them and also for getting us that discount.
-
You're welcome. I have found the same thing: my picking hand is looser but I hold the pick more steadily / securely. My playing is much more consistent. Originally Posted by Eddie Lang
More seriously, I never drop picks as I mentioned above, but Mark's post got me interested. It is still early for a final judgement, but I'd say that I am going to like these. I think it allows my picking hand to be looser, yet I hold the pick more steadily.
Thanks, Mark for telling us about them and also for getting us that discount.
Did you put the dot in the center of the pick? I think that's the norm and what I did first, but now I am trying it off to one side a bit----this facilitates a Benson-like grip, something I could never maintain before. I spent a solid year (more than that) working on that grip and some gains were made, but man, if I had had these grips then, I would have made much more progress more quickly. Anyway, the grips are a game-changer for me and I hope they prove to be so for others as well.
-
For UK members, these are on Amazon uk, but are £3 cheaper from Strings Direct.
-
You can order them directly from Monster Grips too! Follow the link in my signature and bam, you're there. Originally Posted by bananafist
-
How do you get past the sign-up page. It won't let you in until you sign up.
-
I have a pop up blocker and didn't see that until I used another machine without one and saw it. That's signing up for a giveaway. No harm in doing that (-though if you don't want to, you could either X out of that screen or use a secondary address.) Originally Posted by edh
How do you get past the sign-up page. It won't let you in until you sign up.
-
Originally Posted by edh
How do you get past the sign-up page. It won't let you in until you sign up.
Good news! I wrote to Monster Grips about this. They were grateful for the feedback. Here is a quote from the email:
>>>>I have just made changes to the popup to reduce the height as well as only allow the popup after scrolling to the bottom of the page. It will only show once every 30 days unless the browser cache is reset.<<<<
So try again, please, and see if it's any better for you.
-
Much better.
Thanks Mark.
-
You're welcome. They were sorry to hear it was a problem for some people but happy to fix it. Now everyone is happy! ;o) Originally Posted by edh
Much better. Thanks Mark.
-
Anyone else get their grips and have a comment to make about them???
-
I just received them today (I never buy stuff like this...but curiosity made me impulse buy them). Initial impression is that I wish they were larger. I converted to a large, wedge size pick (346 shape) about a year ago (far cry from the Dunlop 204 I used for 20yrs.) For a small pick they would work well....but for the larger pick I use now they are too small, because switching to the larger pick gave me more "skin on pick" which my purpose for the switch was for a better grip. Honestly, the larger pick made a big difference but thought the Monster Grips would even increase that...hence I purchased them. It probably varies from person to person but I noticed that my thumb while strumming (non-jazz stuff) tends to pivot/bend slightly especially at faster tempos.
For me...If the "circles" of grip were larger I would probably continue to buy them. I tried 3 on one wedge pick side I use now (yes..u can fit almost all of 3 of them on it with minor trimming), and I liked it very much! I also tried 3M Transpore Tape and I liked that too, but the Monster Grips were even better. Hopefully they make larger "circles" in the future for large sized picks. My 2 cents...
-
Interesting. I'll ask them about adding a larger size to their repertoire. I am continuing to experiment with where I place the dot on the pick. (I use 351 shape picks.) A 346 is a different animal. I hadn't thought about using Monster Grips with one. Thanks for posting that! (I'll let you know if I hear back from them about a larger size grip.) Originally Posted by wesmont17
-
I placed my order on 12/28 and received them on 1/2. I had no trouble ordering on the website.
Experienced two minor issues:
A few of the nine grips I used were difficult to peel off the backing sheet.
I put the sheet on an empty counter top and had trouble finding it! :-)
My big band has taking a short vacation this year, so I really haven't had a chance to gig-test the grips yet. I didn't even open the envelope until last night.
I use three types of picks with the band. My standard jazz pick is the D'Andrea classic celluloid 351-shape, 1.21mm, which I use for almost everything. Despite having no grippy stuff, this pick almost never causes me any problems unless it's really hot & sweaty onstage. For charts that need more muscle, I use a Clayton Black Acetal 351-shape 1.28mm. For stuff that needs more snap, a Tortex 1mm, also 351 shape. The Tortex gets used more when I'm doing rock gigs. Both the Clayton and Tortex cause me some slipping grief from time to time, the Tortex most of all because it's so thin.
I've put the Monster Grips on all three types, in various locations. They really do provide a lot of grip, in my case perhaps too much. I like to shift pick position a bit depending on what I'm playing, and the grips make that more difficult. I'm still not sure which location will work the best, either. Probably won't know if I like them or not until I do at least a rehearsal with them. I also worry that they might become a bit of a crutch.
Danny W.
-
It does take a little experimenting to figure out just the right placement for the grips. And it took me a couple days to get used to the feel---nothing bad, just different--but my playing is much better, smoother, more relaxed, consistent. I need the grips because otherwise I just can't seem to hold a pick in place (or not for long). If they're a crutch, so be it. I'm 57: my grip's not going to get any better on its own! Originally Posted by Danny W.
-
I got some of these from Strings Direct in the UK, and use on Fender medium picks. I have the same problem you described, Mark, but one of these on the opposite side to the Fender embossing makes a surprising difference - and a bit of getting used to! I hope to use on a gig soon, but it seems to address the problem for me.
Certainly more effectively and pleasantly than Gorilla Snot.
-
Originally Posted by bananafist
I got some of these from Strings Direct in the UK, and use on Fender medium picks. I have the same problem you described, Mark, but one of these on the opposite side to the Fender embossing makes a surprising difference - and a bit of getting used to! I hope to use on a gig soon, but it seems to address the problem for me. Certainly more effectively and pleasantly than Gorilla Snot.
Glad to hear it! I know what you mean about Gorilla Snot----it kept the pick in place but it was like rubber cement. Hated that feel on my hands, and what if you want to change picks????
-
I hate to be the debbie downer in the bunch. I have been trying them out for the last week. After a few days of experimenting with various positions of placement of the circle I find I can't really get comfortable with them. My thumb always ends up sliding off the circle and then I'm half on and half off it and I find my concentration going to trying to stay on this little spot on the pick rather than what I'm trying to play. Even though it does seem to give me some more grip when I'm doing warm up exercises (like tremolo exercises where my pick will often slide to the side), when I'm actually playing on a gig it's more of a hindrance. I find the thumb feels less of a grip on these than on a regular pick.
Given that I don't really have a problem that needs to be corrected in the first place, I'm not too disappointed. I've never been on a gig and had any pick slipping problem. Probably because on a gig I'm not usually playing constant streams of notes without rest where I don't have the chance to readjust my pick.
-
No need to apologize! Your experience is your experience. I was talking to someone the other day who said when he was young he knew an older pro player who drilled holes in his picks to give him a better grip. That worked for him. I tried some picks with holes in them but they didn't work for me. Same thing with cork grips. If you don't need anything, thank your lucky stars and rave on! ;o) I need something. This is the best thing I've found, so I'm happy. I'm still experimenting with where I put the grip, and I may wind up having two placements: one for 'business as usual' and another for just-seeing-how-fast-I-can-play-things-where-I-pick-every-note. (Of course, one neat thing about the grips is that you can easily re-position the pick in your hands and keep THAT grip too---like for fast strumming when you want things loose but not so loose the pick flies outta your hands!) Originally Posted by setemupjoe
I actually like the Monster Grip in conjunction with a Snark pick because the Snark picks have a 'no-slip' grip coating on one side, so the part of my thumb that's not touching the pick tends to stay in place.
If you didn't use all the grips, you might let a curious friend try them and see if they help him....
-
I had the second issue too and solved it by sticking a post-it note to the back side of the sheet. They are hard to find on their own (because they're transparent.) Also, they're had to see against the black backing of the packaging. Perhaps in the future they'll put a green dot on the sheet of transparent dots so that they're easy to find. Originally Posted by Danny W.
As for the first issue, I hadn't run into that. Until tonight. I tried to peel off a grip and had a hard time getting a bit of thumbnail underneath an edge to pry it loose.
-
From the FAQ on the site, there is mention of some people finding the grip's slick. Apparently, sweat varies. Some of us have a slicker sort than others. The problem comes from the slippery chemical in one's sweat builds up on the grip. A bit of mild soap (non-moisturizing) will remove the buildup and restore the tack to the grip. So I'm told. (This isn't an issue for me.) Originally Posted by setemupjoe
-
I just ordered a package. This has been a big problem for me that I thought I solved when I bought Dunlop Maximum Grip Jazz IIIs, but I still had the problem.
At very least, maybe I'll stop dropping picks.
I remember coming late for a show where I had to sight read the entire book.
I was so nervous, I dropped my picks every time I played a line of music!
At the end of the show, I lost about five picks, because the pit was still dark, and I couldn't find them.
-
Yikes! That would scare me to death. Originally Posted by sgcim
Hope you like the Monster Grips. I sure do. I think they'll go with me to the grave.
Reply With Quote
C Jam Blues in bossa
Today, 05:08 AM in Classical Guitar