Guitar pick consultation


  • And I like my Tortex Flex Jazz XL picks mirror- polished ?

    The Flex combines Tortex with Nylon and sounds very nice and balanced. The thicker the better here for me, so I like the 1.5mm (and 1.35) best.

    The grip is not as good as pure Tortex unfortunately. I get the best grip with this pick by polishing up the mat surface - now it sticks to clean fingers. A bit like acryl picks.


    I polish the edges too and the already silky feel while playing is even more pleasurable.

    These are very cheap, but sound and play like the best boutique picks available now:D

    Edited once, last by Ibot39 ().

  • I'm using an Extra XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXL one. They are out of this world! ;)


    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

  • A few words about the Dunlop Petrucci Signature Jazz III. Is it the perfect Jazz III for me?

    Specs look great. 1,5mm, size between small Jazz and Jazz XL, grip area and mirror-polished tip (similar to the D'Addario Nylpro).


    Test with a clean amp: Whereas the Flex Jazz III comes with warm, jazzy tone with almost muted attack, the Petrucci Signature sounds like its counterpart - bright and open sounding.


    Moving to crunch settings, the Petrucci provides clear tones that cut through nicely. The Eric Johnson Jazz III is even more articulate, but the Petrucci handles lo gain surprisigly good.


    Also surprising for me: Raising the gain knob, didn't make me love the pick more and more, like expected. Quite the opposite. Leaving the rock category behind and exploring the realms of metal high gain showed some shortcomings of the pick (for my taste).


    When hitting the strings, it almost seems as if you loose some gain and the tone is tamed and boring. Still plenty of clarity, as if there is a clean tone blended into! Especially noticeable with palm mutes. Whereas a Tortex Jazz III offers saucy, aggressive, crunchy attack and the Ultex Jazz III XL brings enough grit and balls to the game, the Petrucci sounds just lame. Maybe good for some sophisticated leads, where the clarity and purity of single notes are quite impressive. But it doesn't fit metal style that well imo! What a surprise! Btw, all the Petrucci picks (Flow, triangle...) all sound VERY different from each other.


    Grip of the pick is o.k., but not outstanding. I still like it better completely polished, so that it sticks to the fingers (right pick in the picture). The Ultex Jazz III XL offers way better grip and is a better all-around pick for me.


  • Here a few triangle picks.


    Dunlop Akira Takasaki (Loudness) Custom Primetone: Maybe the best tri for shredders! Small, but bigger than Petrucci, surprisingly precise and bright with good (but smoother) attack, nice speed bevels.


    No-name celluloid pick, with good natural grip and nice snap.


    A new selfmade ultex tri pick with custom speed bevels, similar to the Dunlop small primetone tri, but liiiittle smaller and wider angle.


    Big Dunlop primetone pick works best with bass. Too little control on guitar for me and I am getting more pick noise in this size and angle.


    Petrucci pick sounds awesome, but too small. And it tends to turn / rotate - I can't hold it relaxed.


    Gator grip is not available in bigger thickness unfortunatelly. 1.0 is to thin for me. But cool pick and good (smaller) size.


  • I have found my Holy Grail of picks!


    After testing literally hundreds of picks since last year in november, I realized that the world of picks offers so many alternatives for every scenario. I also started to make my own picks and learned a lot about different materials, bevels...


    I love so many of them and also have posted some of my experiences here. But now I have found the pick to rule them all ?


    It's the Dunlop Primetone Small Tri 1,5.


    I have used the big version as base material (Ultex) for my custom picks in the past.


    And here it becomes clear how much size matters. I do not like the big version for guitar at all! But it turned out, the small triangle pick is the essence of everything I need in a pick.


    Perfect size for me. The thickness and smooth speed bevels ensure enough warmth and gliding quality. Compared to Vespel material (BlueChip) the Ultex material has more mass and at the same time brings back some crisp and brightness that I missed with the later, which results in very balanced tone with still enough brightness in attack. Tone, control, precision, articulation and speed is superior to anything else I used.


    They come in two versions, brown smooth and a more transparent amber one with grip. Although other claims are made, I think they sound pretty much the same...If...yes if you compare same size and thickness. Of course comparing a worn in pick or one with slightly different (hand made) bevel will also sound slightly different.


    I never had thought I will like speed bevels!! I did make jokes about it. Who would buy an already "outworn" pick ? But it is great!!


    I use the small 1,5mm smooth pick as my main pick, but also like the 1,4mm Akira Takasaki custom pick, which is basically the same as the cheaper regular 1,4 small tri with grip, but hey - I really like the colour ?


    Edited 3 times, last by Ibot39 ().

  • Funny - I was just looking at my worn-in John Petrucci Jazz III pick the other day - wishing it could come like that out-of-the-box. Will definitely try the Dunlop primetone small 1.5. Looks like it could be just the ticket!

    Kemper PowerRack |Kemper Stage| Rivera 4x12 V30 cab | Yamaha DXR10 pair | UA Apollo Twin Duo | Adam A7X | Cubase DAW
    Fender Telecaster 62 re-issue chambered mahogany | Kramer! (1988 or so...) | Gibson Les Paul R7 | Fender Stratocaster HBS-1 Classic Relic Custom Shop | LTD EC-1000 Evertune | 1988 Desert Yellow JEM

  • Wow thanks for the tip. Got the 1.4 small. Really really like it as well. Feel very confident with this so far.


    It's interesting that the bevel depends on who did it. In my local shop the 1.5 mm was made by another guy who also rounded the tip. Didn't look to play as good.


    Will stock up on the 1.4 mm for sure for now.

    Kemper PowerRack |Kemper Stage| Rivera 4x12 V30 cab | Yamaha DXR10 pair | UA Apollo Twin Duo | Adam A7X | Cubase DAW
    Fender Telecaster 62 re-issue chambered mahogany | Kramer! (1988 or so...) | Gibson Les Paul R7 | Fender Stratocaster HBS-1 Classic Relic Custom Shop | LTD EC-1000 Evertune | 1988 Desert Yellow JEM

  • Wow thanks for the tip. Got the 1.4 small. Really really like it as well. Feel very confident with this so far.


    It's interesting that the bevel depends on who did it. In my local shop the 1.5 mm was made by another guy who also rounded the tip. Didn't look to play as good.


    Will stock up on the 1.4 mm for sure for now.

    The thing is, after you play a few more days with this pick, it's likely that it turns from love into a serious addiction ^^

    I definitely feel the NEED of grabbing the pick and let it glide over the strings :S


    I now understand why Mandolin players love triangle picks with speed bevels. But the real surprise with the Primetone small tri is it's versatility.

    Digging in for expressive blues or rock - check. Strumming, funky tones, shredding, fast tremolo picking, palm muting and metal riffing - check, check, check... It' just great!


    DonPetersen It looks like the round side of the Standard pick has a bevel too? That would be awesome!

  • Indeed. It's actually a pretty big improvement to my alternate picking.

    Kemper PowerRack |Kemper Stage| Rivera 4x12 V30 cab | Yamaha DXR10 pair | UA Apollo Twin Duo | Adam A7X | Cubase DAW
    Fender Telecaster 62 re-issue chambered mahogany | Kramer! (1988 or so...) | Gibson Les Paul R7 | Fender Stratocaster HBS-1 Classic Relic Custom Shop | LTD EC-1000 Evertune | 1988 Desert Yellow JEM

  • the real surprise with the Primetone small tri is it's versatility.

    Digging in for expressive blues or rock - check. Strumming, funky tones, shredding, fast tremolo picking, palm muting and metal riffing - check, check, check... It' just great!


    DonPetersen It looks like the round side of the Standard pick has a bevel too? That would be awesome!

    agreed! the versatility in quite surprising!

    you're right, there is a bevel on all the three 'points' - I didn't even notice. Nice! :)

  • My love for Primetone Small Triangle picks is unbroken, but I also use the Hetfields's White Fang Custom Flow Pick from Dunlop in 1.14mm when I need some more snappy character in a still fully controllabe pick. It is not the same as the standard Flow pick in 1.14. It has a very different blended bevel (more like the Flow Gloss bevel) that makes it a tad brighter and with more snap.


    Because I also use them very often for "not metal stuff", I sometimes find the printing on the pick a bit goofy. So I made some picks with the printing removed (ultrasonic cleaner). Now they look very serious 8)


    I also like the "custom" Ultex picks I make myself using the Dunlop Ultex Sharp 2.0 as base material. In the end I have a pick very close to the Flow Gloss 2mm with a similar contoured tapered edge, but without the finger indentations.




    Edited once, last by Ibot39 ().

  • I needed to spend another $5 on an Amazon order so I pick up this assortment of Ppanda Celluloid pics and really like them. The 1.2mm are my favorites.


    Currently unavailable on Amazon now.


    https://www.ebay.com/itm/203948583211?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28&srsltid=AfmBOoqB1_tKp_cL_ZeiINSFIMuPuzvUoVSzJVCwPKybPkR_MD-epGoVvVk


    I guess these are similar but no 1.2mm.

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

    Edited 3 times, last by BayouTexan ().