Dunlop White Fang 1.14mm Guitar Picks

I previously used Dunlop Big Stubby picks but I found them to be too noisy against the strings when I play. I ended up getting a Fender celluloid pick and using that for a while, but then when I got a few variety packs to experiment I ended up finding I like sharp picks the best. I found the Dunlop Tortex Flow picks to be some of my favorites, and I also really liked the Hetfield Black Fang, though after playing with the Flow picks for a while and getting used to them I found the shape of the Black Fang to start to feel a bit awkward. I was very excited when I saw Dunlop was releasing a new Hetfield pick but with the Flow shape. I didn't order them immediately but I eventually took the plunge when I had a few other things to order along with them. They are pretty much just as great as I thought they would be. Both the Black Fang and White Fang are made out of Ultex. Two of Dunlop's main pick materials seem to be Tortex and Ultex. Normally Tortex seems to be very matte in feel, while Ultex is normally a bit see-through and feels more slippery. The Ultex the two Fang picks are made out of are completely opaque, though, and to me they feel more matte like Tortex, so I'm not sure if that is something to do with them being opaque or if it is just something with my perception. The White Fangs have slightly beveled edges compared to the Tortex Flow or even the Black Fang picks. I had found I liked beveled edges on picks like the Fender F-Grip and Ernie Ball Prodigy picks, and the beveled edges on the White Fang also helped make them smoother, faster, and more accurate to play with. With the Flow design's wider shape, they are also pretty good for strumming. Rounder tips in general I think are better at strumming, but the Flow design in my opinion is a great all-around design with a focus more towards lead work. I also really like the extra grip on the White Fang compared to the Black Fang, which makes it feel more comfortable and easier to hold onto. My one complaint about these White Fang picks is how quickly they get worn. Two of the pictures I have included are of a White Fang pick after about a month of use (I play about an hour a day around 4-6 days per week) on the left and a fresh White Fang on the right, and the tip is noticeably less sharp and the graphics have started to wear down. The tips of the Tortex Flow picks generally get a bit shiny after a month but the graphics generally don't wear down and the picks don't become that dull that quickly. However, they are still usable though they don't feel quite as nice and fast as when they are fresh, and considering the White Fangs are only about $1/pick (especially if you buy them in larger packs), even if you throw them out after every month it will still only cost you about $12/year to have some very nice picks.Overall, these picks are currently my favorites. I have attached a few pictures comparing the White Fang to some other picks I like, including other Flow picks and the Prodigy and F-Grip picks mentioned earlier. The two picks that come in second and third place for me currently are the Dava Jazz Grip picks in delrin and the Tone Cat picks. The Dava picks are a very close second and feel very similar to the White Fang, though I particularly like the delrin ones since the gel and nylon versions feel more slippery even with the rubber. The White Fang are slightly more metal focused in my opinion and the Dava picks are slightly more rock focused, but both could be used for either genre. The Tone Cat picks are a distant third. The thickness of the picks is the main detractor since it feels harder to move them around quickly, however the thumb indentation is nice which makes them more comfortable and though they look considerably less pointy they do not feel considerably less pointy. They seem good for jazz which I do not play a lot of. I would recommend checking all of these picks out, but especially the White Fangs. James Hetfield clearly knows how to design picks considering how good even the Black Fang was, but the White Fang is a big upgrade in my opinion, especially with Dunlop's (in my opinion) improved Flow design. Now if Dunlop could just figure out how to make the tips and graphics of these White Fang picks not wear down as quickly, these would be even more perfect. So go and buy a pack and rock on!

UPDATE: 2/22/2023I am still not much of a Metallica fan, HA, but I still do recognize the greatness and influence Hetfield has brough to guitar playing.I read other folks' reviews here and after using these for so long, I agree that they do wear almost alarmingly fast - the tip is the wear point - however I am considering it a tradeoff for the type of material which, myself, I love. I love the material and the tone against the strings. That is an opinion of course...but it is the material of these picks and the sorta "knurling" on them that keeps me using them. I could live with a bit more aggressive knurling but I would hate for the material to change to avoid some of the wear - please do not change the material. I take the worn picks and use them for more rhythm based songs or, say, practice at home...it's not a huge big deal to me,m but if there is some single noite stuff that is moving at a brisk pace, I would want a new one and thats how I use them. I mean these are picks from a metal rhythm guitar king - if you want to play funk or any other kinda slappy/poppy rhythms I might suggest a thinner throw-away fender thin or somethiung...I usually have 3 or more types of pick in my toolbox...seems to work.This is my favorite pick of all time then,,,,after several years of use. I'm just your average EVH, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page wannabe - that cannot play like them - and a fan of classic rock and 60s rock and a cover band musician so if you are like me I highly recommend these picks....well, I was a Metallica fan up to and including Master Of Puppets - but that is another story. I do think Hetfield is a pretty influential and amazing guitarist with a style his own. I've always been impressed with his playing both clean and earth scorching. I felt like he would know what he was up to when it came to designing a pick. He does.I've been using the big Clayton triangles @ 1.52 for years and recently bought some of the Petrucci picks. The claytons just stay in my hands and last forever but they do have a slightly muted string attack tone - they are not the greatest or best choice for a "spankin" kind of rhythm...I also really like the Petruccis but they are a little small and always sliding out of my fingersThe White Fang could be my all time perfect pick....a little larger than the JPs, noticeably better string attack tone than the Clayton and they stay in my fingers better...I am using the 1mm and frankly I love it.I have been playing for 44 years, have roughly 40 guitars, use 9s and play in cover bands covering pretty wide range of pop/rock/metal......I think this will be my number 1 pick from now on...it took all of 30 sec to figure it out. Thank you James Hetfield - you know a thing or two.

I bought these arbitrarily along with a few other different picks and wound up liking these the most. They're a bit smaller than your standard pick (see photo for comparison) and both sides have "grips" in the form of a circular area containing dozens of very small, uniformly arranged raised dots while the non-raised areas feel like your standard solid color Dunlop Tortex.These are not the same thing as the Black Fangs -- the Black Fangs are a bit larger (roughly the size of Ernie Ball Ever-Last and Ibanez Steve Vai picks), completely smooth, and have a slightly different shape. I personally prefer the White Fangs because nothing about the Black Fangs really stands out from other picks. I think the Spider Fang art looks cooler than the wolf, but that's entirely superficial.Anyway, good grip, good feel, withstood me pounding away at the strings on my Mustang. I personally like the feel of the "grip" bumps even though they don't particularly serve any purpose for me outside of feeling nice. I had bought another brand of "grip" picks that were green and had a picture of a dog on the package and they were awful. These are much better.If you're looking for something a bit bigger than the Ibanez Paul Gilbert picks, but a bit smaller than the Steve Vais or Ernie Balls, then these are a pretty good bet. The Metallica branding and the artwork of the wolf are pretty goofy, but if you don't care about what's on your pick and just how it feels, then it doesn't really matter, and it's also a really nice sort of off-white color. Despite being 1.0mm thick, they feel a bit more like a thinner pick, just considerably stiffer. This might be a pro or a con depending on the person, but for me, I like it.