Guitar picks. Which one do you use ?

  • Gravity Picks, Classic Pointed Standard 1.5 Unpolished

    Sterling Musicman JP150, Fender USA Strat
    Kemper Powerhead & Remote > ElectroVoice ZLX12-P | Palmer 1x12 Cab(G12M) | Sennheiser HD558
    Audient iD14 > Reaper

  • John Petrucci Jazz III ... I like the little red Jazz III's for picking but they tear up my nails for rhythm playing. These are right in between the little Jazzes and a full size Fender/Ultex.


    I also like the Jazz III XL picks, but prefer the super smooth tip on the John Petrucci Jazz III.

  • I've never worn out an Ultex pic. I don't think I've damaged one in any way. Where do they get damaged for you?

  • I think i play Jazz III from the beginning and Jazz II XL but since a few weeks i play these
    https://www.thomann.de/de/dunl…6809ce4df70c4f6adc14b5d46
    the Dunlop Sharp ... idk they are ultra hard to play but they bring so much clarity and attack into the signal
    and do you that moment on stage your sweat and jum around and it is getting harder and harder to be precise with the pick ?
    This is also gone ...
    and sweeps sound soooo clear ...
    good if my pick technique qould be better all stiffer picks could do that but i hold my pick always a bit slanted so yeah

  • I have used various picks over the years but only really standard shape and profile ones. I have found recently that i really like the Dunlop Max Grip 1mm, i should really try and use some other picks as i hold my pick sideways and don't use the pointed part of the pick to contact the string as i am not as accurate at picking out individual strings with the pointy end!


    Does anyone else hold a pick this way? It's probably poor technique but then again it works for me so who's to say its poor? ?(

  • Dunlop tortex as well, they are everywhere around me: pockets, car, home, guitar case, washing machine. can't tell the width, I swap between the yellow, green and pink ones depending on the mood and what falls under my hand


    and... Dunlop nylon 0.6 for acoustic, this I know!

  • I use a D'Andrea Ultra-Plec 1.5 and unfortunately they don't make them any more:( Back around 2005 i found out that they stopped making them and bought about 4 dozen of the 2.0's. Some time last year i finally wore out my last one. Three months ago, in my random wanderings for a new type of pick, i dropped by a little music store that i used to teach at and found about 10 of the 1.5's. That was a GOOD day! They last forever and if you play with the back slightly angled they sound exactly like your playing with your fingers. When i've let friends try them out it's always hard to get them back;) I've found that the only down side is if you drop one you'll have a heck of a time trying to find it.....


    PM me if you find or have any and i'll gladly buy them from you ASAP!:)

  • I've never worn out an Ultex pic. I don't think I've damaged one in any way. Where do they get damaged for you?

    On the edges and then they're not as pointy as I need them any more. I like a pointy sharp tipped pick for accuracy and speed when required. The Ultex sound & feel great, if they lasted for me, they would be my pick of choice.


    V Picks were worse as they started to have cuts on the side of them and got caught in the strings. Acrylic picks are a big no for a player like me.


    I'm a hard, every note picker and very quick at times so picks do take a pounding from me. The Bluechips are a magnificent pick BUT I FULLY appreciate they're stupid money and many people cannot justify the outlay for them.

  • I LOVE those threads! I'd buy a whole book "Which picks do you use? - 1200 guitarists tell their story" :thumbup:


    And I can read here again and again - it just relaxes me! That girl hitting the strings with polished stones, the guy hunting for picks no longer manufactured, others going into detail why they choose what they use... as said, I would buy the book :D

  • I used Dunlop picks all my life until I discovered MUCH better picks: Dawman picks handmade in Minsk (Belarus), I'm using Shredline 3 mm Standard exclusively now. The Dawman-picks are outstanding and I could meet Igor from Dawman on tour last year in Minsk, a very nice guy with a very high-quality approach:


    https://dawmanpicks.com/


    Before Dawman-picks I used V-Picks, I'm still using them (Tradition Lite and Ultra Lite) for acoustic guitars (strumming).


    For all the guys here making jokes about this thread I just can say, that the pick is much more important than you may think. It's THE connection between the player and his instrument and the difference between the cheap industrial-made picks like Dunlop and handmade "boutique"-picks (Dawman, V-Picks) is immense. Because the Dawman-picks last much longer they are not more expensive in the end.

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    first name: Guenter / family name: Haas / www.guenterhaas.de

    Edited once, last by guenterhaas ().

  • This. I changed to the V Pics last year, tried the fat " the mummy" but I stay with the euro V. Gamechanger for me. Before I played the standard Vai picks.

  • ...
    For all the guys here making jokes about this thread I just can say, that the pick is much more important than you may think. It's THE connection between the player and his instrument and the difference between the cheap industrial-made picks like Dunlop and handmade "boutique"-picks (Dawman, V-Picks) is immense. Because the Dawman-picks last much longer they are not more expensive in the end.

    Who is making jokes? At least my post was not ironic at all, I seriously enjoy this thread!! I read about stone picks and googled the D'Andrea Ultra-Plec @Meomy Itzme mentioned (but they are definitely not availabe anywhere; sorry) and so on.


    The "cheap" Dunlop Max Grip Jazz III Carbon picks last months (!) for me - but I definitely let myself inspire and will try out other picks in the future too (for fun!).

  • Thanks for even checking around for me lbot39! Those D'Andrea Ultra-Plecs played backwards have been a big part of getting my sound. Guenterhaas was right when he mentioned the importance of the pick. Some players get their sound with "cheap" picks and others go the expensive route, but for me it's been the Ultra Plecs. For jazz they give a ton of warmth (akin to Wes playing with his thumb) and they can even make a cheap acoustic guitar have some "richness and body". lbot39 if you're in the US, PM me your address and i'll send you one. I figure what i've got now won't last for but so long and based on the thread comments maybe you'd enjoy trying one of my few remaining ones out.

  • There is but one pick, and its name is JAZZ III !! :)


    These have been my favorite picks since the 80s. I've switched to the newer "Max Grip" version, which I really like. The others are kinda slippery.