The last couple of months were very busy when it came to new guitar picks on Kickstarter. Rombo Picks just completed a very successful campaign, as well as Squish Picks (review coming soon!). It was only logical to keep browsing for new exciting designs while I was at it, so I did. I found X-Pick, a guitar pick that should be so revolutionary that I just couldn’t resist trying it. So I bought 2.
If you have ever read my reviews, you know that the vast majority of them are good. This is because I avoid reviewing products I don’t like. I have my own set of reasons, but I generally don’t do that unless I have a good reason to. In this case, I have a very good reason to, but in the end, it’s important to say that it is still my personal opinion.
Table of Contents
What X-Pick is All About?
X-Pick is a magnetic guitar pick that is meant to emulate guitar effects due to its magnetic properties. The company’s IndieGoGo page stated that it could work as a slide, wah, delay, tremolo, and even be used in a similar way to an E-Bow.
Some Technical Properties of the X-Pick
It’s a 2mm thick pentagon-shaped pick, which is 22.5mm wide and 24mm long. It has some sort of a bevel on it, but it’s not completely round.
They are made of Neodymium, which sounds special, but in reality, it’s an extremely fragile metallic magnet used for all sorts of arts and crafts.
Does it Work?
Well, no.
But while it doesn’t work as a regular pick, when I went to test it (and believe me, I gave it everything I got) I couldn’t replicate a single claim from the IndieGoGo page. Not a single one.
My Personal Impression
Price
Each pick cost 50 Euros. 50. Plus shipping. This is a lot for a tiny bit of magnet.
Packaging
I took the hit and paid 50 Euros per pick. A few weeks later, this came up in the mail.
Imagine how pissed I was when I saw this awful packaging that I would be disappointed to get even with a $2 pick replica from Ali Express.
If you ever bought a boutique guitar pick, you know how nice most of them are packaged, even if you only bought a $5 pick.
What’s inside?
Inside the box, there’s a display case, some home-printed notes, four stickers, and the pick.
Playability
Let’s say it outright. The pick doesn’t work. I’m not talking about the effects and the rest of the cool stuff that it should’ve done. It does not even work as a pick.
When you think about it for a few seconds, it’s pretty obvious why a magnet wouldn’t be comfortable to play as a pick on metallic strings. I wish I had thought about it before I spent so much on this.
What Does it Actually Do?
It sticks to the strings, and even when you hold it as if your life depends on it, the string drag is so awful that even playing a simple scale becomes a challenge. In fact, the only thing more annoying than how it plays is how awful it sounds when you are succeeding in playing anything. This is the worst pick chirp I’ve ever heard and by a huge margin.
Finishing Thoughts
Unfortunately, the X-Pick doesn’t work as a pick, and it doesn’t look good enough to be a fridge magnet, either. This is the worst pick I’ve ever tried.
If you’re interested in trying to use the same type of magnet as a pick, you can buy a pack of 10 for $10 on Amazon instead of spending 50 Euros on what is essentially the exact same thing.
They got themselves a bad name, and many guitar players describe them as scammers. Even though I wouldn’t call X-Pick a scam, I do understand where these guitar players are coming from.
If you notice, I haven’t included any links in this review. I don’t want you to buy one. This is how bad the picks are.
X-Pick - Honest Review
There's not even one good thing I can say about this pick. By the time you read this, I have already threw them away.
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Price
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Playability
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Sound
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Usability