« Torlon 4203 : The Unbending »

I am lucky enough to own many plectrums Patrick HUFSCHMID made, in various sizes, shapes, thicknesses and materials. All of them are of the highest quality, speaking of craftsmanship, finish, and of course playing. Every model has been precisely engineered to offer peak ergonomics, comfort, attack and reduced playing effort. And it really works !! Over 13 years of research and development made Patrick a master in this field, and even surprising shapes like the angular Ergo (one of my personnal favorites) are nothing but a pleasure to play.

Here I will discuss the TORLON 4203 and 5030 models. I own a few of them, in 2mm (4203), 4mm (5030) and 6mm (4203), all in Jazz III-derivated shapes, with bigger sizes, fitting better in my hands (Jazz XL and Mega Jazz).

Long story short : I’m looking for a lot of specific qualities in a plectrum, and these ones have them all.

First of all, TORLON is a material with a phenomenal toughness, which requires a lot of time and effort to be shaped. Its resistance to abrasion and slipperiness against the strings is outstanding. I have been playing the oldest one (6mm) for more than 2 years and it seems like it won’t even get a scratch, while never breaking a string. And believe me, I hit them hard !

Then, and here comes the Graal to me : even the 2mm version is totally unbending. Even materials usually used for plectrum making, and considered as very tough, like Ultem, are still bendable, including 2mm models. More important : it seems to me that the tougher the material is, the faster it wears. TORLON is the answer to all these issues, while maintaining the same light-weight any thermoplastic offers. This extreme stiffness increases precision a lot, and allows to use all the vibration potential of the strings, since your force won’t be part absorbed by the pick’s flexibility. It gives a sparkling, full attack and a better overall control.

To me, it’s the perfect material , totally worth the investment as you will watch dozens of standard picks wear while this one lasts with a big smile !