Let's talk about picks

  • Thread starter Thread starter C1-ocaster
  • Start date Start date
Man I've been all over this one:

Gravity 1.5mm, 2mm
V-Picks 1.5mm, 2mm
Ultex .60, .73
Ultex Sharp .60, .73
Tortex .50, .60, .73
Fender Jazz Medium

I've tried all shapes from teardrops the crazy ninja star looking triangles. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. I like a .50 tortex for all around playing classic rock/80's (solo and rhythm), thicker, pointier (gravity 1.5-2 mm) picks for metal/solo play. If I'm just noodling I like a Fender medium or an ultex .73
 
Dunlop ultex here too, I actually use the James het field which is an ultex 1.14, sometimes I use a 1.0 ultex as well....
 
I'm going to have to try those JPIIi picks. Sound like something that I might like!
 
Superunknown":xt63ihlt said:
I'm back to the Dunlop EJ Jazz III....
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Aren't these just a slightly oversized version of the JazzIII's??
 
Ventura":1ksr3vzx said:
Superunknown":1ksr3vzx said:
I'm back to the Dunlop EJ Jazz III....
Click to expand...
Aren't these just a slightly oversized version of the JazzIII's??
Click to expand...

Same size as jazz III. The EJ tip is rounded/polished and the material is a bit different IMHO.
 
I use many different ones depending on the style I'm playing. For metal and faster technical stuff I prefer the 1.14 black tortex jazz 3's, but I occasionally throw in the red nylon ones too. For general rock I switch between the .88 green tortex picks and .88 ultex sharps. For more strumming I use the .60 orange tortex picks. I don't really think about it though, just have a bucket full of various picks and I just grab one, I've just noticed I prefer these for these reasons.
 
Lately I've been using the Dava Jazz Grip picks. Pretty much a Jazz III with a better grip.
 
Planet Waves Black Ice pickups have been doing it for me for months now. Same shape as the Jazz 3, but flatter.
 
I think I'll try the Red Bear Classic II.
After playing with the Jazz III and the Clayton teardrop standard size picks feel really huge now. :)
The Jazz III is a great little pick, but if it were just a bit bigger it would feel better for me, and that's likely why I've liked the Clayton teardrop shape

The Red Bear classic II seems to be in between the Jazz III and a regular Fender.
These are quite pricey, but I'll splurge just to feel and hear what this material can do.
Gravity are a good bit lower cost so I'll give a couple a try as well.

I'd never really considered my picks before in any in depth way so I didn't even know that this much variety of picks exists.
Another thing I found was which way the pick tip sits. Never really thought about that either.
One site mentioned how they can grind the edge depending on which way you pluck the string.
On the video he showed that he holds the pick with the tip going back towards the bridge.
I tried it and it was interesting. But old habits creep in and soon the tip was going forward as I normally play.
Gotta try to concentrate on keeping it pointing back. It felt odd but it seemed as if single note clarity was a bit better.

Thanks to everyone for posting and giving information.
:)
 
Superunknown":1kfczn07 said:
Ventura":1kfczn07 said:
Superunknown":1kfczn07 said:
I'm back to the Dunlop EJ Jazz III....
Click to expand...
Aren't these just a slightly oversized version of the JazzIII's??
Click to expand...

Same size as jazz III. The EJ tip is rounded/polished and the material is a bit different IMHO.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the clarification - may give 'em a whirl :thumbsup:
 
I need a hard pick with the right elasticity (or stiffness) to pick fast and attack quickly (and easy to hold.) I like the Tortex .88, .73. Tortex has a little less friction than a nylon pick and a little more than regular plastic (tortoiseshell) pick. GLynch uses the Ultrex .73. Need to try that out.

There's a very cool video of Satriani endorsing the Chrome Dome. I never could figure out how he got those fantastic harmonics on "Ghosts", "Hordes of Locusts", "Enigmatic". He talks about mass and players who use coins, etc.

 
i've gone from a dunlop delrin 500 1.5mm to a 2mm always liked the heavier picks for tone and feel reasons ,

my favourite pick out of all i've tried, was given to me at a show it's a d'andrea ultra-plec 2mm .. sticks really well to the fingers and sounds great , sadly discontinued =( only have the one which i use sparingly at home, prefer to use picks that are more readily available in case it gets lots etc
 
Steinmetzify":1hiqk7jf said:
C1-ocaster":1hiqk7jf said:
Steinmetzify":1hiqk7jf said:
Gravity. 4mm. Awesome.
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Would you mind writing a little bit of what you like about them in terms of tone, feel, wear, etc...?
Thanks.
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They're acrylic so they don't really wear, I dig the thicker ones for rhythm, they just seem to add some chunk to palm mutes. I've tried different brands including V Picks, but the Vs make a weird chirp sound. Not really so noticeable under high gain but for solos it bugs the fuck out of me, especially on recordings. One of my favorites is an unbuffed Snake; the edges are scratchier and I dig that.

Chris at Gravity has made me some custom picks, including some that are 6mm and bigger and I like Gravity a lot. Great service, no annoying chirp either. He does what he calls a 'Master Finish', which is an unbuffed edge. These two are my current favorites:



The yellow one is about the same size as a regular Fender pick, but it's 4mm. The black one is about the same size as a JP or a Jazz III, but it's 4mm too. Little bit spendy, but they're good picks and I use 10-52 and play metal, so I can chew through a regular pick in about an hour. I've had these for months and they still look like new. These are great for rhythm and leads too.
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Looks like we got similar taste inpicks. I too love thick picks, REAL thick, like betwee 4-5mm. Currently using Dunlop Primetone 5mm sharp.
I used to use V-Picks, I do like the performance and the tone, but i hate how they wear out real quick, even after one session of playing the sharp points are worn down.
Is Gravity similar? I heard good things about them but haven't try them because they seem too much like the V-Picks?
 
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