So often when musicians talk about picks, the assertion is that they’ve always been the same way, made by the same companies, and that although it’s definitely possible to look outside of Dunlop, D’Andrea, Pickboy etc, a lot of guitar players don’t. How different could a plectrum be? Luckily, there’s a fertile crop of young […]
By guest columnistLawrence Chaventre The tip of your pick is an essential component in determining your tone. In this piece, our boy Lawrence takes us through this incredibly important aspect of plectrology. Plectrums can come in a variety of thicknesses, materials, colours and shapes but often the thing we consider the least when selecting our […]
It was 1995 and much to my satisfaction, I just scored a handful of Fender Pic-Art picks from the now closed Whitaker Music store in Long Beach. As I approached the door to exit, a portly man in disheveled business attire, briefcase in hand and aware of my purchase, spoke up and asked if picks were my bag? […]
One of the most compelling individuals that I’ve come across in the maker community is Justin Mosley, the fast-talking, block-spinning wizard behind Kaotic Artworks and 16 Bit Bastards. Because of his deep knowledge of the materials used by many plectriers, I approached Justin to talk about his field in his own words, so if you […]
One of the most intriguing gents I’ve come across in the community, Lawrence Chaventre is a linguist who does product translations for the musical instrument retail industry. He’s also an avid pick collector with a thing for picks over 9mm, and very graciously agreed to be the first external contributor to Heavy Repping, about which […]
Though it’s an unpopular idea for many reasons, I’ve always held a belief in fate – perhaps serendipity would be closer. Like anyone who’s spent their life in and out of bands, I’ve fallen in and out of love with it, and today a couple of things happened that reminded me why I fell in […]
When you think of a plectrum and its shape, the most likely silhouette that comes to mind is that of the teardrop 351, or perhaps the Jazz III. That combination of wide shoulders and a tapered tip has come to define the pick in the eyes of many, both musicians and non-musicians alike. There’s nothing […]
Heavy Repping‘s official birthday is the 8th of October, as that’s when I posted the very first entry onto this website. This is before there was any talk of a YouTube – which began on Boxing Day that year (2018) – and before I truly knew if anything would come of this in the long […]
Every piece of equipment in a musicians life has meaning. That guitar you never play but can’t get rid of, the cable you’ve had for a decade even though it cost £1, a terrible strap that was a gift from a mate – all of these things take on an almost supernatural importance. In this […]
When I was only a lad, back in the ’90s, I sang in a band. At some point -about the age of 14 – I felt that this was not enough, and my pal Lee let me play his red Squier bass at the Scout hall we used to practice at. I’ve got a couple […]