New guitar picks for 2021 - How over 1500 guitar players helped us co-design our guitar picks:
In May 2020, Judith and I had finished the first 3D sketches of our four new guitar pick models. However, the picks weren’t 100% ready.
The thickness, the size, and even the names of the picks were still undefined.
We decided to take a new approach and involve as many guitarists as possible to help us co-create our new guitar picks.
What is a signature guitar pick:
Signature guitar picks are common in the guitar pick world.
These picks were developed with the help of some expert and famous guitarists from a specific music field.
From our point of view, this is a very narrow design path that only considers the opinion and guitar playing style of one person.
Our approach: The opposite of a signature pick:
The guitar community has strongly supported Rombopicks since its beginning in 2019.
We did not want to create new guitar picks without asking the people who have been with us since the beginning. You guys and girls are the core of Rombo, and you should decide which products we develop.
The most logical step was to create a big survey to allow users to tell us how they prefer their guitar picks.
We think this is the only way to develop our guitar picks, based on the wants of our users, allowing us to make essential decisions about our company's direction.
This is only possible by listening to the thoughts of every guitar player.
In addition, by asking precise questions about guitar picks, we are able to create more awareness of complex issues, like: Why are guitar picks thick or thin? How they behave when the size changes? Does the flexibility of a guitar pick affect the tone? What about the material?
When the user is aware of the product features, he/she can deliver a useful vote.
Since the beginning, we have been researching all these areas and are sharing them with you. With every article about plectrums we have written, we have contributed to the knowledge you have about your gear so you will be able to decide which gear is the best for you and understand why.
The results of the survey:
Participants:
1.552 guitar players (including us) have participated in the survey and therefore have took part in the design process of these new guitar picks for 2021.
336 of them left a private message with detailed information.
What is your favorite guitar pick design?
Pick number1: 18,8%
Pick number 2: 14,8%
Pick number 3: 27,8%
Pick number 4: 38,7%
Guitar Pick Number 1:
Name:
Rombo Horizon: 34,5%
Rombo Sense. 33,9%
Rombo Summit: 14,1%
Rombo Mood: 7%
Other names: 10,5%
Average Thickness: 1,378 mm
Average Size: Medium Size with 71% of the votes
Guitar Pick Number 2:
Name:
Rombo Prisma: 76%
Rombo Spin: 7,7%
Rombo Treble: 8,4%
Other names: 7,9%
Average Thickness: 0,831 mm
Average Size: Large Size with 73,5% of the votes
Guitar Pick Number 3:
Name:
Rombo Crisp: 47%
Rombo Split: 22,1%
Rombo Prisma: 16,4%
Other names: 14,5%
Average Thickness: 1,028 mm
Average Size: Medium Size with 59,7% of the votes
Guitar Pick Number 4:
Name:
Rombo Jade: 33%
Rombo Shift: 17,6%
Rombo Slope: 12%
Rombo Summit: 10%
Rombo Dune: 7%
Rombo Cascade: 7%
Rombo Wizzard: 4,9%
Other names: 8,5%
Average Thickness: 2,37 mm
Average Size: Small Size with 56,6% of the votes
Guitar picks: Personal thoughts of 336 guitar players
A total of 336 people left us a private message regarding guitar picks.
We have read all of them carefully and we will use all this information during the development.
Here are the important questions we have received and our comments to them:
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Will the guitar picks be available in new colors?
Not at the moment. However, we are thinking about creating some additional colors for special editions in the future.
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Will they have the same grip structure?
Yes! Definitely. Lots of people have sent us e-mails and letters regarding the grip structure. With the micro-nodules, we have the advantage of medium-grip surfaces which add lots of control.
However, a very small number of people want the picks to have more grip. We had to make a decision here, and it was hard.
We won’t forget this topic: In the future, we want to develop a texture with more grip for these players.
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Why don’t you create different guitar pick thicknesses for each one of the models?
We want every guitar pick to be unique. As every person has unique preferences, we believe every guitar pick should have its own design.
In the future, we hope to be able to create a bigger quantity of different plectrum designs to cover each possible necessity.
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What about picks for bass players?
Most our picks are compatible with bass, as we have confirmed this with some bassists that are using them regularly, especially Rombo Diamond ad Rombo Origami. We explained this HERE.
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You should create some merch, T-Shirts and other stuff:
Maybe in the future. Now, we want to focus 100% on the development of the guitar picks. Every minute we spend on the design of a T-Shirt will be taken away from the quality of the picks! ;)
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Will you offer the EcoBlack range in other colors?
The EcoBlack material can only be produced in one color at the moment. The recycling process creates a very dark pigmentation. The industry is working hard to find a way to create new recycling processes. We hope we will manufacture all of our picks out of recycled material in the future.
When will be the new picks available?
The new guitar picks will be available in early 2021.
If you want to receive an E-Mail as soon as the picks are availabe, join our mailing list below on the footer.
This is the timeline we created for this project:
The pre-order product launch will be on the platform Kickstarter (like the first generation of Rombo guitar picks we launched in January 2019).
However, the current development of the Covid-19 could postpone the project a couple of months. We want to launch the product when we are able to deliver worldwide.
Why Kickstarter?
Kickstarter campaigns turn dreams and ideas into reality. Rombo is still a small start-up run by two people, and with limited access to resources. Through Kickstarter, we involve the community of guitar players, showing our guitar picks before launching.
This process brings us in contact with the real guitar players and their necessities. It forces us to remain flexible, accept changes, and challenges us to create new designs to fulfill the expectations of our audience.
We love open and critical criticism, and this is the best place to get it, where all comments and thoughts are visible. By sharing your experiences, we can listen to your needs and wishes, and create guitar picks that make a difference.
ROMBO Unveils New “Eco-Black Range” Guitar Pick Models
Guitar Picks Made Out of 100% Pre-consumer Fibre Waste
Rombo Picks has unveiled a new series of plectrums made out of 100% recycled waste. The material is not only environmentally friendly, but also has high mechanical strength and stiffness, excellent impact resistance and superior aesthetic properties.
Rombo uses this material for its Eco-Black range. In this range, all four guitar pick models are available only in Graphite Black, which is one of the properties of the recycled material. Each pick has been carefully developed for a concrete purpose.
For this reason, the Rombo team has redefined the four attributes of a guitar pick: shape, thickness, material and size.
The Highlights of These Guitar Picks Are:
- Micro-nodule grip structure
- High mirror polished tip
- 3D ergonomic design surface
- Variable thickness
- High-Quality materials
- Unique designs
Since 2019 Rombo has been researching surface finish and design in order to find the perfect balance between grip, ergonomics and function in guitar picks. Rombo was born thanks to an amazing guitar player community whose aim is to continue this adventure and quest for the perfect guitar pick.
We have a full article about the materials used for the manufacturing of the Rombo guitar picks here:
https://rombopicks.com/blogs/insight-rombo/guitar-pick-materials-at-rombo
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