pleks
Who we are
Pleks are rigid picks, handcrafted in Italy by Pedro Scassa, brazilian architect and guitarist living in Rome for 30 years. Pleks are not collectibles nor designed to be "beautiful". Instead, the picks are designed as small musical instruments able to facilitate the technique and improve the sound performance, enhancing the speed and timbre of the player. Like the violin bow, the pick is the interface that connects the player to the instrument.
Pleks are made with precious materials such as Delrin, cellulose acetate, tagua, phenolic laminate, or with exotic woods such as ebony, guaiaco, cocobolo and other essences. The thickness of the picks varies from 1.8 to 4 millimeters, depending on the models and materials; they are shaped to offer a secure and comfortable grip, due to the thumb and index grooves of exclusive Pleks design, or to the specially edged holes.
Particular attention is paid to the tip and sides. The asymmetrical bevel, that is the fact that the sides of the pick are beveled at an angle in a specular way, is one of the characteristics that differentiate the artisan pick from the industrial one. This solution increases the playing speed, on the other hand significantly improving the tone and volume generated. The bevel is carefully cut and finished by hand; the result is a big and dynamic timbre, as well as a good playing speed, difficult to obtain with traditional picks. The pleks play well and right away.
The wide choice of models gives the player maximum flexibility in choosing the right pick, ranging from very small models to large ones, from round to angular. There are models suitable for rock, pointed and thin to enhance the harmonics, while others designed for jazz, with very round curves capable of generating soft and warm tones. Furthermore, the entirely handcrafted workmanship allows the musician to choose the thickness that suits him best among those available.
Pleks is attentive to the manouche. For this style, in which the pick has primary importance, the material used is Delrin - irreplaceable due to the excellent resistance to abrasion, the smoothness on the strings, as well as the timbre that is both powerful and soft. The models for gypsy jazz are various depending on the size and tone to be obtained. Manouche pleks are used by many professionals; compared to market standards, they last longer and have a round, non-plasticky, immediately recognizable tone.
Exotic wood picks are made to order only. Those in delrin are almost always found ready. Pleks has a small artisan production that focuses on quality and not quantity, paying the utmost attention to customers.
