I just geeked out on picks...

la szum said:
Cool. Same colour. :cheers

The ones I just got were 1.40mm. Half as thicc? Or is it twice as thicc?
Click to expand...

You're stronger and more manly than me - you clearly have what it takes to wield such thiccness 💪

I've been on the Tortex green 0.88 for a while (à la Julian Lage, Mark Speer). But decided to compare these with the Tortex.

I read that Ultex was a little stiffer, so decided on Ultex 0.73 to get in the ballpark of Tortex 0.88. I'll get back to you on it, if that was a decent guess.
 
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Update: I'm liking the Ultex 0.73 mm.

Great Job Reaction GIF


The pick is just that little bit brighter, such that a JTM45 isn't quite so wooly in the bass which can be hard to control, if you still want enough bass for that fullness. I like the feel of the pick too.

The Tortex is greater for softer, rounder jazzy tones and I do like it, but it still needed a touch more attack for "general use".

I'll certainly be sticking with this for the next few days. Hopefully not a honeymoon thing 🙏
 
jellodog said:
Update: I'm liking the Ultex 0.73 mm.

Great Job Reaction GIF


The pick is just that little bit brighter, such that a JTM45 isn't quite so wooly in the bass which can be hard to control, if you still want enough bass for that fullness. I like the feel of the pick too.

The Tortex is greater for softer, rounder jazzy tones and I do like it, but it still needed a touch more attack for "general use".

I'll certainly be sticking with this for the next few days. Hopefully not a honeymoon thing 🙏
Click to expand...

I had similar experience with Ultex. I like the extra brightness and attack it gives.

Tortex has a lot of good qualities, but I always thought it sounds a bit dull.
 
jellodog said:
You're stronger and more manly than me - you clearly have what it takes to wield such thiccness 💪

I've been on the Tortex green 0.88 for a while (à la Julian Lage, Mark Speer). But decided to compare these with the Tortex.

I read that Ultex was a little stiffer, so decided on Ultex 0.73 to get in the ballpark of Tortex 0.88. I'll get back to you on it, if that was a decent guess.
Click to expand...

Haha! I don't do that schtick, JD!! Not flexing pic thiccness or string gauge.

Not hyper-masculine enough for that kind of bullshit. :rofl

I have sourced as many thicc pics as I can in different materials, though.
Tortex, Ultex, Delrin. :chef
 
jellodog said:
Update: I'm liking the Ultex 0.73 mm.

Great Job Reaction GIF


The pick is just that little bit brighter, such that a JTM45 isn't quite so wooly in the bass which can be hard to control, if you still want enough bass for that fullness. I like the feel of the pick too.

The Tortex is greater for softer, rounder jazzy tones and I do like it, but it still needed a touch more attack for "general use".

I'll certainly be sticking with this for the next few days. Hopefully not a honeymoon thing 🙏
Click to expand...

Cowboy Chirping GIF by Bachelor in Paradise Canada


I am totally kidding. I have heard people say Ultex is chirpy.

:idk

I just think that a lot of the qualities that some people don't
enjoy are exactly the same reason why other people might
enjoy them.

That's what is so cool about playing guitar and hunting gear.
We can all end up creating our own tonal recipes. :chef
 
The Jazz III journey got me all the way up to 2mm+ picks and I tried a bunch in that range...honestly I can play better and cleaner with thin picks than thicker ones. With the thick picks I have to play with a really light touch otherwise it chokes out the string. They also seem to emphasize low end in my guitars which I don't want or need with humbuckers.

Trying different pick shapes, I really like the Jazz 3 XL. The pointed tip again makes faster or more complex picking easier and cleaner sounding. Regular size J3 is too small, I'm constantly bumping into the strings. I also tried different Flow shapes, and they feel a bit clumsier than the J3XL. Thicker ones sound really dull but thinner ones are not bad.

For material, I don't like Ultex in thicker picks, it's too stiff and has too much lows. I do like it a lot more in thinner picks though. Nylon I like in thicker picks because it has more flex. I really like the Fender celluloid material even though it wears down fast, it plays fast too and has a clean sound. But I keep coming back to Tortex which just sounds right, it has a good snap to it and honestly I like the colors a lot.

So I dug out all my Jazz III XL Tortex yellows and they are a tiny bit too much flex but I'll roll with it. The Tortex Flow yellows are the same size but with the shape they feel a bit too stiff and again a bit clumsy. I may try picking up some of the orange ones because that might be right in the middle.

Oh, and my test riffs for these are a bunch of Ozzy songs that I've been listening to...stuff like Miracle Man, Shot in the Dark, Bark at the Moon, etc. I can't play them for shit, but that's exactly why it's such a good test!
 
aw yeah. i have a coupla gauges of clayton acetals inbound for monday- i think 1.3 and 1.56mm. using ultex flex 1.14s right now, having moved on from reglar old yeller ultexes, finding they clack a bit more than i like. always liked claytons, but didnt find em very often!
 
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Jarick said:
The Jazz III journey got me all the way up to 2mm+ picks and I tried a bunch in that range...honestly I can play better and cleaner with thin picks than thicker ones. With the thick picks I have to play with a really light touch otherwise it chokes out the string. They also seem to emphasize low end in my guitars which I don't want or need with humbuckers.

Trying different pick shapes, I really like the Jazz 3 XL. The pointed tip again makes faster or more complex picking easier and cleaner sounding. Regular size J3 is too small, I'm constantly bumping into the strings. I also tried different Flow shapes, and they feel a bit clumsier than the J3XL. Thicker ones sound really dull but thinner ones are not bad.

For material, I don't like Ultex in thicker picks, it's too stiff and has too much lows. I do like it a lot more in thinner picks though. Nylon I like in thicker picks because it has more flex. I really like the Fender celluloid material even though it wears down fast, it plays fast too and has a clean sound. But I keep coming back to Tortex which just sounds right, it has a good snap to it and honestly I like the colors a lot.

So I dug out all my Jazz III XL Tortex yellows and they are a tiny bit too much flex but I'll roll with it. The Tortex Flow yellows are the same size but with the shape they feel a bit too stiff and again a bit clumsy. I may try picking up some of the orange ones because that might be right in the middle.

Oh, and my test riffs for these are a bunch of Ozzy songs that I've been listening to...stuff like Miracle Man, Shot in the Dark, Bark at the Moon, etc. I can't play them for shit, but that's exactly why it's such a good test!
Click to expand...

I keep coming back to the tone of thinner picks because I love the sound of the attack, thicker picks are too round sounding for some stuff. And anything over 1.14mm starts to sound too clanky when I’m trying to pick softly.
 
Finally pulled the trigger and ordered an IBJ55 from Blue Chip. It's their Andy Wood inspired pick. Supposed to be in between Jazz III and Jazz III XL, I think about 1.4mm thick, and with grip holes drilled, and a beveled tip. Until then I'm digging some Jazz III XL Tortex .88 picks I found in my stash.
 
Jarick said:
Finally pulled the trigger and ordered an IBJ55 from Blue Chip. It's their Andy Wood inspired pick. Supposed to be in between Jazz III and Jazz III XL, I think about 1.4mm thick, and with grip holes drilled, and a beveled tip. Until then I'm digging some Jazz III XL Tortex .88 picks I found in my stash.
Click to expand...
I looked at that model. On paper, it should be the perfect shape and size for me. Still on my year-of-no-new-gear, and given the cost, I’ll have to wait.
 
My latest pick rabbit hole has been stone picks. I have been slowly building up a ridiculous collection of various stones and minerals including amethyst, jade, turquoise, abalone shell, obsidian and a bunch made from various nice looking shit I can’t remember, spehl correctly, or pronounce. Other than the abalone, they all sound and play pretty much identical.

I do find I much prefer the stone to acrylic picks and they should last a heck of a lot longer. Like almost forever. Which begs the question why I would ever need more than a couple?
 
Jarick said:
Finally pulled the trigger and ordered an IBJ55 from Blue Chip. It's their Andy Wood inspired picked. Supposed to be in between Jazz III and Jazz III XL, I think about 1.4mm thick, and with grip holes drilled, and a beveled tip. Until then I'm digging some Jazz III XL Tortex .88 picks I found in my stash.
Click to expand...
Been using these maybe 2 years? I think you will love them and they really last. I started with custom 45 but they didn't hold up like the 55's.
 
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