Dragon's Heart Wyvern Series Picks Review
A little over a year ago I did of review of the Dragon's Heart premium picks. You can read that review here. Dragon's Heart premium picks offer a unique shape that provides three different picking edges and tones. They are also quite thick and don’t flex. Some players like the added thickness and rigidness of the premium picks, but other players prefer the more traditional flex and thickness of a standard pick. Realizing this, the folks at Dragon's Heart have recently released a new series of picks called the Wyvern Series.
The Wyvern series feature the original premium pick shape, plus a new “scale” shaped pick, all at a new 0.75mm thickness. This is slightly thicker than a Fender Medium. The new thickness provides the flex that many players like along with the unique shape the premium Dragon's Heart picks are known for.
Pick Material
The Wyvern picks are laser cut from an abrasion resistant polyoxymethylene and receive a matte finish. Finally the Dragon's Heart logo is etched into the pick providing a little extra gripping surface.
The Models
There are four sizes of Wyvern picks. Here is a rundown:
The Wyvern’s Heart
This is the original premium Dragon's Heart pick shape.
Wyvern's Heart Pick
The Wyvern’s Heart XL
This is the original premium Dragon's Heart pick shape made 10% larger
The Wyvern’s Heart XL
The Wyvern’s Scale
This is the new “scale” shaped pick.
The Wyvern’s Scale
The Wyvern’s Scale XL
This is the new “scale” shaped pick made 10% larger.
The Wyvern’s Scale XL
In Use
I tested the picks on both acoustic and electric guitars. I compared the Wyvern picks with the original premium Dragon's Heart picks and also Fender Mediums, which are fairly well known picks. Here are my observations.
First off, each pick has three picking edges. The sharper the edge, the brighter the tone. The tones of the original dragon heart shape and the new “scale” shape are almost identical so it may really come down to which shape you prefer. The new scale shape is obviously closer to a standard pick shape. The Scale XL is closest in size to a standard Fender Medium.
Wyvern Scale picks versus Fender Medium Picks
On acoustic (I used a Martin acoustic to test them) the Wyvern picks have far less pick noise that the original Dragon's Heart picks, which was expected. They actually seemed a little warmer than the original Dragon's Heart picks, but that may because of the lack of pick noise. The sharpest edge of the Wyvern is very similar tone-wise to a Fender Medium, and the other edges are each a little warmer.
On electric guitar (I used a Fender Telecaster to test them) the tonal differences are more subtle but still there. But surprisingly, compared to a Fender Mediums, the Wyvern picks sounded brighter. The most rounded edge of the Wyvern pick was the closest to a Fender Medium in tone, and the sharper edges were brighter.
The Wyvern pick are not as slippery as Fender Mediums. In fact, when new, the Wyvern picks seem a little gritty when you rub them against the strings. I am guessing this is due to the matte finish. But they get “smoother” or feel less gritty with use. They also get dirty looking fairly quickly, especially if you have older strings on your guitar. It’s a cosmetic thing, but it is noticeable.
Final Thoughts
If you like the three edge tonal advantage of the Dragon's Heart picks but prefer the thickness and flexibility of a standard pick, the new Wyvern picks are definitely worth checking out. Surprisingly, in my experience they seem a little warmer toned on acoustic guitars and a little brighter toned on electric guitars than Fender Medium picks. They provide a little better grip than Fender Mediums along with the added tones. Although they feel a little “grittier” against the strings and get dirty looking quickly. But at $6.99 a dozen they are well worth a try, and at that price you won’t have to worry about losing them.
