Picks - A revelation!

PolarityMan

I didnt get on well with the yellow ultex jazz IIIs I tried, while I loved the pointedness of the tip I found the pick itself was too small. I tend to move my pick around alot so Im presenting a different area to the string depending on what sort of thing Im playing and I found that much harder to do with the smaller jazz IIIs.

Im using the james hetfield black fangs right now which im finding work pretty well.

Marktigere1

axisus said:

My revelation was to ditch picks entirely. I have lost a bit of speed and accuracy but gained a lot in feel and enjoyment.I can strum, fingerpick, alt pick, do tapping, get a soft note with the underside of a finger, and not worry about my plec pinging off when strumming (always an issue for me!)

Yep me too.  Stopped using picks in 1989 finding a warmer and more controlled tone with just fingers.

Can still 'pinch harmonic' with the best of them if required 

prh777

John  Petrucci Jazz III.  Make everything easy.

Apart from strumming a lot......

crunchman

I've been using Jazz IIIs on the electrics recently.  They don't really work for the acoustic that well though.  When I go back to a conventional size one then the seem too big and cumbersome.  I might look at some of the other options people have mentioned.

As others have mentioned you can get quite a big difference in tone by changing the thickness and material of your pick.

SquireJapan

I've always used Jazz IIIs, as that's "what you're supposed to do".

I recently (about a month ago) switched to Tortex .60 in line with what my god Paul Gilbert uses.

I think the change of pick, along with following the "Cracking the Code" videos has really improved my picking technique. I much prefer the Tortex .60

ElectroDan

My story was the same as the OP. Yellow Tortex picks all over the house.

Tried a Jazz III, and within about ten minutes I was a better player. I've tried loads of similar picks. I thought at one point the Tortex shaped Jazz III was better, but was back after a couple of days.

A mate gave me a John Petrucci pick last week (its pointed like a Jazz III, but thicker and a bit bigger). It feels like a paving slab to me.

So Jazz III all the way for me!

xSkarloey

Well about a fortnight ago I started to knuckle down and work on alternate picking.

I stepped up from the old grey Herco flex plectrum to the green Tortex. Not massively thicker but enough to help me a lot.

I did do the no pick thing for a few years, but it's good for me to try and be an all rounder.

Clarky

another lil' Timber Tone revelation…

the wood ones really suite my Strat

the bone and horn ones are better on my RG

mike_l

Clarky said:

the bone and horn ones are better on my RG

Your RG gives you a bone and wood?

 

monquixote

Another big fan of the Jazz III 

The carbon fibre ones are good if you want more attack.

bluechargeboy

Ultex Black Fang .94 or Ultex Sharp .90 for me.

 

My fave is celluloid (Fender Heavy) but it wears far too quickly. Ultex is the closest I have found to that celluloid attack.

 

Ultex!!!

Clarky

mike_l said:

Clarky said:

the bone and horn ones are better on my RG

Your RG gives you a bone and wood?

 

erm.... yes...

Clarky

the tips of my wood picks are starting to change shape already...

the horn picks are starting to develop a bevel.. which I'm quite liking..

the bone picks seem pretty much the same, but they've not been through quite so much abuse...

so.... although I prefer the tone and picking feel [pick on string] of the ebony and mahogany picks, my Dunlop 3.0mm Big Stubby picks still feel the best in your hand [size / shape / grip] and are by far the most durable [although I have been destroying these a little quicker than usual]..

the solution has to be for someone to invent a big stubby shaped pick that's slightly less pointed and made out of something that sounds like ebony that don't wear out so quick..

Corvus

Got interested in the Timber Tones, they do one shaped like my fave V-Pick, but lost interest at £6.50 post for one plectrum at their site..  but guitarplectrums.co.uk do the one I want to try for 69p post.

streethawk

Been using Tusq picks lately. I like em. 

monofin

octatonic;679645" said:

I used Jazz III's and H3's for about 10 years then went to these:





Planet Waves Black Ice 1.5mm.They are absolutely perfect.

Yup. That's what I moved to a year or so ago - great picks

Dominic

MINE IS THE BIGGEST !

@theMarlin gave me a V pick Snake (a mere 4.3 mm thick) - looks like a thick glass pebble,quite blunt and super sticky to the fingers

I laughed and gave it a go..........then another go ........then a challenge to see if I could play with it ......then I enjoyed the novelty

..........suddenly I found it comfortable ,then good then fast then bloody good .................

I am unable to use anything else now !!!!!!!!!!!

Clarky

sounds like the sort of pick the Gypsy players use

Corvus

@Dominic he did the same to me, with the same result

HAL9000

axisus;679518" said:

My revelation was to ditch picks entirely. I have lost a bit of speed and accuracy but gained a lot in feel and enjoyment.I can strum, fingerpick, alt pick, do tapping, get a soft note with the underside of a finger, and not worry about my plec pinging off when strumming (always an issue for me!)

This^