Looking for some pick recommendations!

[Rex_Rocker]

Maybe I'm too picky (LOL, get it?), but I haven't found a pick that truly satisfies me. Several have come close, but I wish there was a way I could combine the best aspects from a couple I tried.

I'm pretty certain I dig the Jazz III shape and size. At first, I bought into the whole "more control" hype. But these days, I'm just too used to them that I find it dificult to go back to the larger-sized picks just out of habit.

I like the Jazz III Tortex and Ultex.

I find the Tortex 1.0mm PERFECT in sound and they feel pretty good. They have some give, but I actually don't mind it as much. But they just don't last. I play pretty hard, and 99% of my playing is rhythm, wide strums across several strings or heavy-handed palm-muted downpicking. I just shred through them like they were made out of paper. There was a time when I had time to practice more that these seriously wouldn't last me more than one or maybe two sessions if I was lucky without the tip becoming totally blunt.

I like the feel of the regular yellow Ultex Jazz III. They're not fantastic in durability, but better than the Tortex for sure. But the tone is not there. It's not bad, but once you really spend some time recording, and analyze them under a microscope, Tortex picks have a certain like "snap" to the attack, whilte Ultex has more of a "chirp".

I bought quite a few of the John Petrucci Trinities because I thought them having three tips would make them last longer. And they do, no doubt. But they're also really thuddy-sounding to the attack. Less bright than the yellow Ultexes for sure. Also slightly uncomfortable to hold compared to the standard-shaped Jazz III's. I also find that with these heavier/stiffer picks, I break strings more often.

So I'm lost now. I've tried the Stiffo, Nylon, and Carbon Fiber Jazz III's. All of them had too smooth of an attack compared to Tortex or Ultex. The Eric Johnsons were better, but not quite as attacky either. The Planet Waves/D'Addario Black Ice are also nice, but harder to get ahold of, and slightly clunky feeling. Not very durable either. The Ultex 2.0 and the Petrucci Ultex 1.5 were really thuddy as well (I guess that's the kind of tone that Petrucci likes out of his picks).

So what else can I try?

 

[Top-L]

Dunlop Tortex Sharp, 1.5 white. It probably has same control as jazz picks because of narrow tip.

The next two smaller sizes are also completely stiff and play the same, but have a stronger pick attack. The 1.5 gives the sound and feel i like.

The 1.5 tortex lasts pretty well.

By their nature, the sharps have stronger attack than the traditional shape, which means you can go thicker.

 

[Securb]

I use Gravity picks. They last forever, but the reason I use them is the tone and control

https://www.gravitypicks.com/

 

[Demanic]

How about these?

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[GuitarStv]

The thinner and pointier the pick you use the faster they seem to wear out. There's just less material to resist the strings, and if you're strumming a lot then you tend to be grinding them on the strings much more than if you're picking out notes individually.

If you like the sound of the Tortex Jazz III picks at 1.0 mm maybe try a slightly thicker tortex version, like a 1.35 or 1.5. There will be less give, but they'll last longer. You will also find that you'll adapt to strumming slightly differently with the pick when using the thicker ones. Instead of depending on the give of the pick, you will end up angling the pick slightly as you strum.

The Jazz III shape is pretty pointed at the end, and that gives less material that you're wearing out faster - you might get more mileage out of a slightly thicker tip at the bottom. Maybe try the Dunlop Tortex Flow picks in 1.0 mm . . . they should sound and feel about the same but the shape is likely to last you a little bit longer. The shape is a touch bigger than the Jazz IIIs but still in the same ballpark and is nimble for doing fast single line stuff.

 

[Mincer]

I settled on a Jazz III 1.1mm Tortex. Mine are made by a custom pick company, but that's just the printing. They are easy to grip, inexpensive (I lose them a lot), and don't shave off easily. They also don't have an annoying 'click' to them.

 

[Top-L]

no one wants to hear my story...

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys!

Well, the sharp picks are about as sharp as the Jazz III's. I have tried both. I actually used the blue sharps when I played bass, because the Jazz III's were just too tiny for the huge bass strings, and I played even more like a brute on bass, LOL (and no fast palm-muted gallops either). But they're just regular-sized, so I don't really find them all that comfortable for fast palm-muted stuff and shorter motions on guitar. I think I forgot to mention I'm a smaller dude with thin fingers, so I've never had problems holding on to the smaller Jazz III's. I'm sure I could get used to them if I tried, but if they're the same material as Jazz III Tortex, about as sharp, and the same thickness, so I don't really see them as being better for what I need to be worth adapting to. But maybe I'm not seeing something you're trying to explain with these?

About the Gravity picks... what are they made of? Because the material looks like it would sound super glassy. Sorta like the chirp I'm hearing from Ultex, only more. Is that the case? Also, how thick are they? I prefer thinner picks for tone, but if I go too thin, they start feeling rubber-band-y. I found 1.0 mm is a happy medium for me. But I can live with 1.14 or even 1.35. But more than 1.5 is just too clunky-feeling for what I'm used to.

I'm considering just ordering some cool like 200 pack of In Tune picks. I mean, they are the same material as the Dunlop Tortex, after all, right? And if I've got like a lot, and I can get them for cheap for buying so many, I could just live with them wearing fast.

 

[GuitarStv]

Try the flows, not the sharps. The flows are very similar to a jazz III in size and point, but a little wider as you go up - I don't like 'em quite as much as Jazz IIIs but they last much longer for me.

 

[Mincer]

Mine are InTune picks, and they are the same as Tortex. These days, it is cheap to order them, especially if you wait for the sales.

 

[Mikelamury]

I use the Dunlop max grip 0.60 that is the perfect thickness for me and they help with the grip(I lost some of the feeling in my fingertip and struggle with grip at times but it does seem to getting better with time)

 

[Phantasmagoria]

3.00mm Big Stubby's. Either the grey nylon one's or the regular translucent purple 3.00mm Stubby's.

Also the Ultex (translucent yellow) Jazz III's sometimes..

 

[Demanic]

I can't remember who makes this, but I think that it's stainless. And rather thin.

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[Metalman_666]

About the Gravity picks... what are they made of? Because the material looks like it would sound super glassy. Sorta like the chirp I'm hearing from Ultex, only more. Is that the case? Also, how thick are they? I prefer thinner picks for tone, but if I go too thin, they start feeling rubber-band-y. I found 1.0 mm is a happy medium for me. But I can live with 1.14 or even 1.35. But more than 1.5 is just too clunky-feeling for what I'm used to.

Ahhh yes, the pick preference. This keeps changing for me so I know how you feel.

I also found Gravity picks a couple of years ago and ended up trying a whole bunch. Most of their line is acrylic, unless you go go the "Gold" series (haven't tried those). My favourites from Gravity are 1.5 or at most 2mm with grip holes, and the Stealth shape. I never used to like triangle picks but I've come to enjoy the convenience of being able to get essentially 3x the pick and even use the edges that wear down over time for tonal variations.

The Gravity master finish is definitely "squeaky" and has more chirp in it as well as more control, where I find the polished finish is more slippery on the strings and has a duller attack, but it's still bright compared to your standard Tortex or nylon/Delrin

I find the heavier Gravity picks are most useful when my string tension is higher (25.5 or 26.5 scale), and with my hands they kinda "shove" the strings on the Gibson scale.

Every once in a while I go back to a black stiffo, Purple tortex, or Ultex Jazz III and remember why I love them. The picks that get the MOST play though? Brain Cat's Tongue picks! The orange (1.14) or grey (1mm) feel good in the hand, strike the string the right way with control, and still flex enough to let me be heavy handed. Just have to buy a bunch because they wear out quick

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