Guitar Pick Deep Analysis: Rombo Diamond
Guitar picks can be found in all shapes, colors, and materials. These small items used for specific guitar techniques can offer different tones, dynamic ranges, and ergonomics, and therefore create a totally different playing experience depending on the pick you use.
The aim of this series of articles is to inform you in detail in a way that you wouldn’t find anywhere else. We want you to understand why we do what we do. So relax, hold your tea, and enjoy our first deep analysis on the guitar pick Rombo Diamond.
1 - Guitar pick Rombo Diamond: Overview
Exceptional picking control and accuracy. Favorite amongst advanced guitarists. The hole in the middle provides extra control and grip rate. Sharp tip for high attack, and clean bright tones.
2 - Guitar Pick Geometry Analysis
Guitar pick size
With its 28,4 x 25,5 mm, Rombo diamond can be considered a small-medium sized guitar pick.
Small guitar picks have several advantages: They perform exceptionally when practicing speed and are perfect for shred techniques.
With small-sized plectrums, your fingers are closer to the strings and you get more feedback from your guitar playing.
The downside of these picks is that they can be dropped easily. This is the reason we decided to increase the size of Rombo Diamond a little bit and make it small-medium. The first prototype was only 25 mm high.
Furthermore, we decided to increase the width to match the regular size of a thumb.
Guitar pick shape
The shape of a guitar pick is often overlooked. However, in the case of Rombo Diamond, thanks to its form and the pointy guitar pick tip, the attack and the control are substantially increased.
The pointy guitar pick tip, with only 3 mm in diameter, was designed to provide maximum note control.
The angle of the tip is wide enough to let your guitar strings slide longer.
Rombo Diamond has a slight bevel edge, mainly used to increase the guitar playing speed.
With a rounded bevel like this, the attack of the guitar pick gets smoother, a feature that changes the feedback you receive when you use specific techniques.
This is only possible for guitar picks with enough thickness, and it is very popular because of the feeling of easiness it provides while playing guitar.
Guitar pick thickness and guitar pick flexibility
The guitar pick thickness mainly defines how flexible a guitar pick is. However, other aspects like tone and ergonomics are mostly influenced by the thickness of the pick.
Rombo Diamond has guitar pick variable thickness along its body. This means that this guitar pick has different thicknesses for the hold area and for the tip area.
The thickness of the tip is 1,35 mm, providing enough space for the bevel edge mentioned before. This can be considered as a heavy/thick guitar pick.
The thickness of the hold area varies due to the diamond design. At the highest point, right in the middle where all the vertices create the diamond design, it is 2,65 mm thick.
The variable thickness on Rombo Diamond has been implemented primarily for two reasons:
It increases the feeling of control because the pick is easier to hold
It increases the bass tones, creating a much thicker tone
Both dimensions create a very rigid guitar pick.
The thickness of a guitar pick is also an essential factor in terms of durability. The shape and bevel combined with the polished tip and its thickness make this pick very durable.
3 - Guitar pick Materials and Surfaces
Guitar pick material
The material of a guitar pick is strictly connected to its flexibility and tone.
Rombo Diamond is offered in the Rombo polymer and the EcoBlack polymer, which offer the same characteristics.
The polymer we use is an improved variation of nylon designed to increase the durability and cause some tone changes. It is manufactured in Italy.
Since we use the same material for all our guitar picks, this part of the analysis will be skipped. We have already created an extended article regarding the materials that can be found here.
Guitar pick design
The Guitar Pick design is obviously inspired by a diamond shaped geometry. Rombo Diamond was meant to be hard, durable and rigid, therefore this design matches its mechanical attributes very well.
The functional surfaces were distributed in a way to enhance the diamond form. The grip area in the middle makes the diamond visible, while the polished areas give the shape and tip more optical clarity.
As we will see in the next chapter, the 3D surfaces were designed as functional surfaces to improve the grip. However, with the first prototypes, we realized that this was a very nice way to explore more design nuances.
Guitar pick grip
For the grip of Rombo Diamond, there are three aspects to consider:
The material
The 3D Geometry The micro-nodules texture
The micronodules texture is the texture we developed to create a comfortable grip. Usually, this texture wouldn’t be enough for a good grip and for this reason, we incremented the grip using the right material and 3D surfaces.
The 3D surfaces with the shape of a diamond have different thicknesses and tilted angles that fold the surface in different directions. This increases the grip substantially and avoids the rotation of the pick while playing.
For the people who like to hold the pick on the back side, we created a tunnel to compensate for the thickness reduction this area has.
We consider Rombo Diamond to be a pick with medium grip.
Guitar pick colors
Currently Rombo Diamond is offered in the following colors.
Manufacturing technique
Rombo Diamond is manufactured using an engineering technology called injection molding, in which melted polymers are forced to fill a mold and get a specific shape.
After that, there is a small mark called “the gate” in the back of the pick, which is where the melted material flows through to enter the mould. After the production, this manufacturing mark is treated by hand to make it smaller and less visible.
The borders of the pick have a parting line which is also removed post-production to increase the quality of the borders of the guitar pick.
Rombo Diamond is manufactured by automatic processes. However, a post treatment by hand is necessary to achieve the quality Rombo pursues.
4 - Guitar pick sound
Guitar Pick tone
So far, we have defined Rombo Diamond as a very thick, small-medium guitar pick, with a sharp tip. These are the typical characteristics of a pick that produces very bright tones.
However, due to the variable thickness mentioned before, we incremented the dynamic range of the guitar pick, allowing the player to enjoy some bass dark tones as well.
Usually, guitar picks with a very heavy attack can reduce the sustain of your guitar tone. With these small thickness changes we solved this problem.
The polished guitar pick tip, combined with its shape, enhances the bright tones and allows you to play some of the harmonic techniques on an electric guitar more easily.
The bevel edge can create those beautiful thick and compressed tones that we all like for distortion and overdrive.
Rombo Diamond is a pick that produces bright and clear tones, but with slightly dark shades in the background, which makes the sound richer and more complete.
Guitar Pick Noise
Because of the integrated bevel edge, the material toughness, the shape, the pointy polished tip, and the thickness, we consider Rombo Diamond to be a guitar pick that creates lower pick noise.
5 - Guitar pick techniques
Rombo Diamond was designed for the advanced player who likes speed, volume, attack, and control, but still wants a sophisticated tone and more than just power.
It is mainly intended for electric guitars.
Arpeggios and shred techniques like sweep, alternate, and tremolo picking are good examples of techniques which can be improved using the right guitar picks.
For strumming and palm mute, using Rombo Diamond can give you a much thicker and complete sound creating a bigger atmosphere when playing guitar.
6 - Pricing
Rombo Diamond is currently offered only in guitar pick sets containing four guitar picks in different color combinations and a packaging card with extra information about the pick attributes.
This pick is also included in the Variety Pack from Rombo, with other guitar pick models.
7 - Conclusion
Size: Small-Medium
Shape: Pointy tip, sharp attack angle
Thickness: Heavy with variable thickness. Hold area: 2,65 mm - Attack area: 1,35 mm
Materials: Rombo Polymer and EcoBlack
Durability: Very high
Design: Diamond Design with two different surface types.
Grip: Medium, micro-nodules combined with 3D Surfaces
Colors available: Graphite Black, Water Blue, Strawberry Red, Honey Yellow, EcoBlack
Manufacturing technique: Injection moulding and hand processing of the borders.
Tone: Bright, clear tones with a bass nuance on the background caused by the geometry.
Pick noise: Low
Techniques: Mostly electric guitar. Lead guitar techniques and high volume distortion.
Pricing: Guitar Pick Set Rombo Diamond
Picks vs. Fingers for Playing Bass Guitar
You have probably heard this question many times: Should I use a pick or my fingers to play bass? You can find a huge amount of different answers on the Internet and still be confused.
My philosophy is, to never limit yourself. Both methods are valid and appropriate for the right musical context.
Picks vs. Fingers: The Eternal Debate
Whether using picks or using your fingers, each technique has its place and, ideally, you need to feel comfortable with either one you choose.
Is there a wrong way to play an instrument? Any method you use to get sound out of your instrument - fingers, pick, nails, palms of your hands, etc - can work, if the sound produced is the sound you are looking for. It is entirely a matter of personal preferences.
Therefore, this is an unimportant debate, if your plan is to be a versatile musician, and be able to understand the rich parts of every bass line, regardless of the method used to play them.
For me, it is difficult to understand how this debate has been one of the most controversial topics since the advent of modern music creation decades ago.
Why not keep an open mind and become comfortable with both methods? There is room for everything.
Using Fingers to Play Bass
Usually, bass players report having more control when using their fingers, giving them a richer tonal variety, and beefier tone. In Addition, the popular slap technique used by many bassists can be easily implemented, if you don’t hold any pick between your fingers.
A funny positive argument is, that you will never lose your bass pick if you don’t own one.
One of the drawbacks of this method is that it takes a little more work to learn. Nevertheless, if your goal is long-term learning, this should not be a technical obstacle.
Using Picks to Play Bass
The biggest advantage of using a pick for the bass guitar is obvious: Instant speed. You can develop speed more quickly and effortlessly.
If the bass lines you want to learn, belong to certain music styles that are speed intensive, a pick might make sense. You can develop the same speed as with your fingers, but it will take much more time.
In addition, the tone can be easily changed by using a different guitar pick. This allows you to have different tones, and experiment a lot to find the right sounding bass guitar pick.
Every pick - for guitar, bass, or other instruments - has four different main parameters: Shape, material, thickness, and size. Combined together, they result in a very specific range of tone textures, attack soundwaves, and feedback. Therefore, choosing your guitar pick is one of the most difficult tasks. We have created a guide HERE, that will help you find your tone.
Pick Thickness for Bass Players
Bass players generally use thicker picks. The thickness improves the bass playing control, and the overall tone of the string.
The average pick thickness for bass players is 1.17 mm, while for guitar players is 0.89 mm. Remember, bass strings are much thicker than guitar strings. Therefore, a thinner plectrum will give you much less control in comparison to a thicker plectrum.
The size of the pick will also have a role in the creation of the tone.
Having said that, there are still many bassists who do prefer to use thinner bass picks, like for example Rombo Classic, or Rombo Origami.
If you have no idea where to start, take the average value and look for picks with a gauge of about 1.2 mm. This is a good place to get started. From there, you can go up and down and try other picks depending on your preferences. It might be a good idea to look for the bass picks your favorite players use, and try to understand why they do so.
Most Popular Pick Shapes for Bass:
The truth is, most classical shapes tend to have an excellent reception between the bass players.
The most popular shapes are the classical teadrop pick shape, the rounded teardrop pick shape, and the triangle pick shape.
In addition to shape, there are many other attributes that define a pick. HERE you can read about the 6 most underrated attributes of guitar and bass picks.
Teardrop
Teardrop is the most popular and known type of guitar and bass pick. Semi-sharp point for quick attacks, that maintain a wide range of possibilities, depending on the thickness and material used.
Rounded
Rounded picks provide a more warm sound and smooth attack. These are for the bass players looking for a way to play the bass strings with less force and attack. Sometimes they are totally free when a teardrop pick is completely worn down.
Triangle
A triangle pick is the most practical option because of the tri-sided feature. You can pluck your string with any of the three pointy tips this pick provides. A triange pick is recommended for those players who constantly break the tips of their picks.
Pick Materials for Bass Players:
When it comes to bass, we apply the same rules as with guitar picks.
After studying the physics of guitar picks, and all the material possibilities we have, we came to the following conclusions. The pick material should:
- feel nice to the touch and be comfortable, yet provide grip
- be able to create clear tones, without compromising the bass tones
- be very versatile: feel flexible when thin, and feel stiff when thick
- be durable
- look nice
You can read all about materials used at Rombo HERE.
You will also find a link with the information about Eco-Black - These picks made out of 100% recycled fibre waste, that we manufacture ourselves.
The durability of Bass Picks:
Because the strings are thicker, and bass players tend to play with more energy, the lifetime of your pick will be substantially reduced.
A way to reduce the wear and tear of picks for bass is:
- Using thicker picks
- Using harder materials
- Using picks with polished tip
- Using triangle picks (3 tips take longer to wear down).
Conclusion:
Playing bass with a pick is as valid as using your fingers, if this is the tone you are looking for.
Finding a pick you are comfortable with, is a difficult task, but testing lots of them and recording some of your bass lines can help you find a balance between the tone you want, and the feel and feedback you wish from the pick.
In picks, qualities like thickness, material, shape, and size play a pivotal role in tone, feedback, grip, pick noise, sustain, etc... Music is about staying dynamic and monotony kills dynamic. Therefore, the most logical step for you is to explore enough to understand as many aspects of the bass as possible.
This applies to guitar gear in general (including picks, strings, cables, etc...) and your practice habits, style preferences, and your own psychological bias/barriers.
Sometimes the best place to start is testing a Variety Pack
