Tweet
I've been on a pick odyssey for the past few years, trying to find the perfect plectrum.
Clockwise from the top:
Gator Grip Jazz IIIs (must be drilled to avoid slipperiness) - Darker and a bit louder than a regular red Jazz III
Dunlop 205 Jazztones (must be drilled to avoid slipperiness) - A little thicker and a touch narrower than a regular red Jazz III. Very smooth and fast, sounds amazing on acoustic for low string single note runs, but a little clicky when strumming.
Kirk Hammet Jazz IIIs in sparkle purple and neon green - Maybe the tiniest touch brighter than a red Jazz III . . . for reasons I don't understand, I find them a bit less slippery too. They do feel a bit smaller because of the chunk cut out, which you may or may not like.
Dunlop 1.0 Jazz Stubby - A bit smaller than a Jazz III, with a nice grip. Sounds kinda wimpy like a lighter pick but never gets hung up on strings. Also wears out incredibly fast.
Dava Jazz Grips - Incredible rubber grip that is comfortable and never slips. The pick is a bit larger than a Jazz III. The tip is very hard and sounds brighter, but the main pick material bends a bit more than I like. If you choke up the grip a lot then it's usable for fast stuff . . . but I think this pick comes into it's own on acoustic rather than electric. You can grip it further back for easy non-clicky strumming and closer to the tip for articulate single note lines.
Max Grip Red Jazz III - Everything you like about a Jazz III, but won't slip out of your hand when sweaty
Matt Heafy Jazz III - Maybe a touch stiffer and brighter than a red Jazz III, with the awesome non-slip grip and gold sparkle.
Regular Red Jazz III (too slippery unless you scuff 'em up with your pocket knife) - The pick that started it all
Jazz III Tortex .073 - Sounds like a tortex pick . . . brighter but because of the smaller shape even in small sizes it doesn't flop around as much as the bigger ones do for me and can be pretty articulate. I like this for strumming on acoustic or fast funk playing on electric. Can get a little slippery, so I might end up drilling them
Ultex Jazz III - The invisible pick! Good luck finding the damned things when dropped. Other than that, they're pretty good. Brighter tone than a red Jazz III, and feels like there might be a bit less drag when sliding over the strings when the pick is worn in. The material grips your hands much better than red nylon, so it's tolerable even without much grip on it.
Ultex 2.0 Jazz III - This pick was disappointing. There's some sort of weird bevel going on so the picking edge actually feels thinner than the regular Ultex. I also find it to sound a bit brighter than the regular Ultex, and it doesn't seem to grip as well in the hand.
Black Stiffo Jazz III - Tiny bit brighter than red Jazz III and tiny bit stiffer. I think the stiffness translates into a tiny bit more control. A little better grip than a regular Jazz III.
Max Grip Carbon Fiber Jazz III - Kind of scratchy sound to it as it scrapes across the strings. Don't like it at all on acoustic or clean electric, and I swear the scratchiness slows down your picking.
Center:
Dunlop Flow 2.0 - A bit bigger than Jazz III (about the same size as the Dava), the beveled edges have a really smooth release that feels very fast for sweeping. It's also decently grippy. If you can't get over the small size of Jazz IIIs, this is probably a good choice. Great for single note runs on acoustic, but a little clicky when strumming.
Verdict:
For electric I find myself mostly playing the red max grips most of the time, occasionally using the regular ultex for a slightly brighter sound or the Flow 2.0 because it just feels great on certain types of fast playing.
For acoustic I like the Tortex, Dava, and green Kirk Hammet Jazz IIIs for general strumming/single note playing. The Jazztone is amazing for a very particular deep sound on single note stuff, and the Ultex 2.0 would probably to brighten up a dark/boomy guitar.
Comment