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Dunlop Prime Tone Pick Review – Expensive and popular but also overrated?
Introduction
Over the years, I have tried out so many guitar picks! I do love a good guitar pick and I have tried and loved so many! However, there is always one brand and pick that I see the pros using that I have never tried. That is the Dunlop Prime Tone guitar pick! So many guitarists use these and they all have amazing things to say about them.
So I thought I would give them a look and check them out! I grabbed a bag of Dunlop Prime Tone picks and used them for all my playing for a while. I wanted to know what all these guitarists are on about! Would I notice any difference in feel, grip, tone, and price! Below is my full review of these picks, going over everything I might love, hate, agree or disagree with. Firstly, let me go through what these picks are.
J Rockett Archer IKON
So what are the Dunlop Prime Tone picks and what makes them so special? Well, for a simple guitar pick, they do have a little bit of lure and prestige behind them. Thanks to the guitarists that have played them, they have gathered a status of being an amazing pick! Mainly thanks to John Mayer who used them briefly. They are famous for their bevelled edge that helps the pick slide over the strings and helps make your playing more fluid and easy.
The Dunlop Prime Tone picks are made out of Ultex, which is a super hard and resilient resin. Noted for being very similar to tortoise shell. Each pick is bevelled by hand; sometimes the person who has done this will sign the pack of picks (mine didn’t come with that).
You can find the Dunlop Prime Tone picks at most guitar retailers for around £12 for a pack of three. If you want to grab yourself some after this review, you can find my affiliate links at the bottom of the page!
What are my thoughts?
The Design
As far as design and looks go. They arrive in the standard Dunlop packing. Nothing really fancy about that! I am a big fan of the deep red style colour with the gold highlighted text. Think they really look nice and in a weird way they look special! They aren’t your standard solid colour picks, which for how much they cost (I will get onto that shortly) you would expect.
Shape-wise, I have just gone for the classic shape! The Tortex shape. I did compare this to a standard Dunlop Tortex and they are the same size and shape! However, you are able to see that the sides of the Prime Tone pick are more beveled than the standard picks.
"I have to be honest, I read up a lot about the Prime Tone picks and so many people described it as “silky” or “smooth”. It does!"
The Playability
I have to be honest, I read up a lot about the Prime Tone picks and so many people described it as “silky” or “smooth”. It does! Something about these picks just makes it slide over the string! I don’t think it makes me play faster, it doesn’t help with that but it does make it smoother to play with.
I did struggle as I went from a smaller pick shape to a larger one and also a 2mm pick to a 1mm pick (more on this shortly). So it was a big change but once I got used to the shape and thickness the Dunlop Prime Tone pick was lovely!
The Drawbacks
Of course, the biggest critique with the Dunlop Prime Tone picks is going to be the price; they are not cheap! You can get a pack of three for about £12 at most retailers, which works out at £4 a pick, which does put them into the “premium” range of picks. Are you willing to buy three picks for £12? It is a lot of money for some mass-produced guitar picks. For me, I don’t think the cost justifies the playability!
I like to have a lot of picks for spares! I carry about 10-15 in my pedalboard, plus many others dotted around. This way, I always have plenty to hand and can always grab one! If I wanted to swap to the Dunlop Prime Tone for my main pick, then I would have to buy another six packs. Which would cost me £72! Unless you buy them in bulk.
If you are used to playing different-shaped plectrums, these might be a bit of a jolt to swap to. They are quite a big plectrum. Of course, you can get the Dunlop Prime Tone picks in various other shapes, but this is the shape that I went for and what I would consider the most popular.
"If you find yourself flip-flopping between guitar picks, then I would highly recommend you check out some of the Dunlop Prime Tone range!"
Final Thoughts
If you find yourself flip-flopping between guitar picks, then I would highly recommend you check out some of the Dunlop Prime Tone range. They have various shapes and thicknesses, so you should be able to swap from the pick that you play with now.
One thing I did find from checking out these pics is that I have played with guitar picks that have been very thick when I don’t really need to. I’ve gone from 1.5 or 2 down to a 1mm, and it feels much more comfortable under the hand, much easier to play, and in a strange way, not as heavy to hold. It’s hard to explain what I mean by that, but definitely less straight on the wrist.
Saying that, it does require some adjustment to play everything feels different when you first pick it up, but after a few hours in the hand, you will be rocking. If I am honest, I also picked up a pack of the standard 1.0mm Dunlop Tortex guitar picks; fun fact, I got 12 of these for the cost of 1 Dunlop Prime Tone, and have also tried these out. Honestly, they do feel different, but the standard picks do make me question if the Prime Tones are worth the money? More playing is required for that decision!
Conclusion
That is my review of the Dunlop Prime Tone picks. I am glad I picked some of these up. I have been meaning to try them for a while. Can I see myself moving to them full-time? I can’t currently; I can’t justify the price! However, I will continue to use them as and when and carry a few on me. I might try out some other shapes in the Prime Tone range and see if they make a bigger or worse difference.
Have you tried the Dunlop Prime Tone picks? Do you use them or could you not get on with them? Let me know over on our Contact page! I would love to hear what picks you are all using! It can take ages to find a pick that you are comfortable playing with.
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Dunlop Prime Tone Links:
- Dunlop Prime Tone (Andertons Affiliate)
- Dunlop Prime Tone (Thomann Affiliate)
- Andertons Affiliate Link
- Thomann Affiliate Link
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