Though I'm using my fingers more, most of the time I pluck the strings of my guitars with a pick. Most of them have been made from plastic, but I've tried metal and even small coins. But never titanium – which makes the ResoTi an intriguing project.
This titanium guitar pick is currently raising production funds on Kickstarter, and comes from the same folks responsible for the successfully crowdfunded BladeNex knife – MIH (which stands for Make It Happen).
At its core, it's a pointy bit of metal. Using metal as a pick is rare, but not unheard of – Brian May (Queen) uses an old English sixpence, Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) has had a peso in his picking hand, there's Eddie Van Halen of course, and Phil Collen (Def Leppard) has rocked the bright attack of metal on metal too. Now titanium has entered the mix.
That's Gr5 titanium to be exact, and the slim playing edge narrows to a curved point, while the chunkier grip portion features anti-slip grooves plus slots for optional tritium tubes – for a little extra glow-in-the-dark pizzazz.
Given its tough metal core, this is no ordinary disposable pick. It's in it for the long run. So there's also a punch hole for slipping through a chain, lanyard or strap so you always know where your pick is (to paraphrase Douglas Adams). Where plastic, nylon and other materials will shred and wear down over time, this one should keep its snag-free beveled edge for absolutely ages.
MIH says that the micro-rounded precision tip offers "clear attack, smooth release, no harshness, no muddiness." That sounds promising – though we can't comment on such claims as we've not tried this thing out – but one thing does seem to be missing here. Some players like paper-thin picks and others prefer chunky monkeys. The ResoTi has a thick (3 mm) grip but the business end comes in one thickness only – 1.2 mm at the tip.
It's also a one-size-only kind of deal, so fans of Santana-like pinch monster triangles may need to look elsewhere – it measures 32.8 mm (1.29 in) long, and is 27.3 mm wide at the grip. I also like to play picks at the corner of the pick's grip end for some songs, which produces a warmer tone. The promo picks seem to show that this might be possible, but I can't say for sure.
Given the material of choice, this pick could also serve as a multi-tool of sorts as well, with examples on the campaign page including prying open a tricky soda can or a quick screw tightening. Handy!
If all that strikes the right note for you, pledge levels currently start at US$19 – about a third off the expected retail price. Multi-pack options are available too.
Crowdfunding projects always carry an element of risk, but backers of MIH's last campaign seem very pleased with the delivered product. If all goes to plan with this ResoTi outing, shipping is estimated to start from May.
Source: Kickstarter
