ToneFirst Customs Spotlight - Tone for Days!

I have been looking forward to trying out some ToneFirst Customs picks for quite a while, having been in contact with Nate, the owner of Tone First Customs, for a few months now. When we first talked, these products were still in early development, and I have kept up to date with the development of the products over on their Instagram page. The selection of picks I have exhibit a wide variety of tones, feels and shapes to suit all types of guitar players, all produced to a very high standard with some interesting unique features.

This spotlight on ToneFirst Customs picks marks the first of my blog posts which have accompanying videos too, so check out the video below for short sound clips of each pick.

The first series of ToneFirst Customs I checked out was the Master series. These picks are made from a modified acrylic material, and I tried out the Jazz III, Standard and Jazz XL shapes. Each of these picks has a right handed bevel, a really interesting feature which I haven't seen before, and which works really well. It's worth noting that left handed or standard bevels are available at no extra cost. These picks have a very nice attack to them, and a brightness which works very nicely with a clean tone and which helps crunchy tones to cut through. The Jazz XL shape has a notable increase in warmth to the other two shapes. All three are very comfortable to play, and feel really nice between the fingers. The classy 'TF' logo on one side has a matte finish to it which really assists in the grip of the pick.

Next up is the Buffalo Horn pick, standard shape with a slight right handed bevel. This is the first horn pick I've played, but after enjoying the Jazzy Tones Buffalo Bone pick, this pick did not disappoint. The material feels almost like a slightly 'dryer' plastic, which really aids in grip, and looks really classy finished in black with the pink 'TF' logo (although due to the material, colours will vary from brown to black). I love the sound of this pick, it is balanced and even, and works great in a variety of styles. Make sure to check out the video to hear a few examples of possible tones. Nate has also informed me that future buffalo horn picks which be chemically treated to aid in durability (however I noticed no decrease in quality during my testing period).

The Elite series picks are another acrylic model, and I tested out the standard shape and the Jazz III shape. These picks are finished very nicely in a transparent Blue Frost colour. The tone of these picks works great for crunchy rhythm playing, with well articulated high frequencies, and they feel great!

Finally is the Eco Series, made out of Buckeye Burl. I have come to love playing guitar with wood picks, they feel great and often have a really pleasant, unique sound to them. This pick has a softer attack than the others, and less pronounced high frequencies which make it very usable in recording situations, where aggressive highs might be less than desired. One thing I noticed when trying out some other wooden picks was the speed at which it wore down, but I have yet to see any wear on this pick.

I have really enjoyed trying out these ToneFirst Customs. There are a very wide variety of tones, feels and looks available, all made at a very high quality by a very nice guy. I look forward to seeing the development of the ToneFirst Customs brand and hearing what you guys think of them! Also, check out their brand new website here.

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