I just geeked out on picks...
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KingsXJJ
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Well, color me surprised but the Casein 2.0mm pick is really something else. I’ve never had any pick make this much of a difference in tone.
It happens every time I use it and it adds something no matter whether playing softly or hard. I would never had believed it without seeing it myself. I guess there is a reason they are so dang expensive. I ordered four more because they are that good. I wish Dunlop would come along and strike up some competition.
It happens every time I use it and it adds something no matter whether playing softly or hard. I would never had believed it without seeing it myself. I guess there is a reason they are so dang expensive. I ordered four more because they are that good. I wish Dunlop would come along and strike up some competition.
Boudoir Guitar
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I like that pick a lot. Fairly warm and quiet on the strings; can play it flat against the strings without getting the "slappy" sound a lot of picks do, so from there to fairly rotated and its moderately rounded point there is a looooooot of tonal range. The larger triangle size has even grown on me.
KingsXJJ
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Thanks for contributing! They really are remarkable. I’m amazed.
GuitarGorilla
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Hey, cool thread. I'm new here and a regular on TGP and some other forums. Looking forward to getting to know this community.
I spent most of my playing career using medium 351s. Then I got a Jazz III in my hands and my playing improved dramatically. I wondered if there was something better. That set off my current pick collecting madness. These days I prefer thick jazz-adjacent, Flow, and small triangle types. Here are some current picks of my collection. I love talking about this stuff. Hoping to meet more pick nerds here.
I spent most of my playing career using medium 351s. Then I got a Jazz III in my hands and my playing improved dramatically. I wondered if there was something better. That set off my current pick collecting madness. These days I prefer thick jazz-adjacent, Flow, and small triangle types. Here are some current picks of my collection. I love talking about this stuff. Hoping to meet more pick nerds here.
Warmart
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My gawd man! Suhhhweeeeet!
Sort of afraid to ask what your wife's shoe collection looks like.
GuitarGorilla
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Thankfully she doesn't care about shoes. She does have her own music gear though.My gawd man! Suhhhweeeeet!
Sort of afraid to ask what your wife's shoe collection looks like.
Sascha Franck
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Ok. Dilemma! Looking for advice.
I thought I was settled regarding picks for the rest of my life. Jazz III Max Grip Carbon is what I ended up with. In fact, pretty much any Jazz III I tried does the job, but the grip is in fact helpful and they last long.
Alright, quite a while ago a mate (former student) gave me a Dunlop Ultex Jazz III John Petrucci pick to try. Only played it briefly and didn't like the size, so that was it.
Now, yesterday I stumbled across that pick and just gave it another testride. My-oh-my! For anything single string picking, that thing is gorgeous. Which, at least that's what I think so far, is mostly about the tip. It's like just pointing to a string with the tip and it automatically plays. Glides through the strings like butter, too. Excellent articulation on top.
Also feels extremely well when using hybrid picking (in my case usually pick, middle and index fingers), which I do a lot for chord work. The slightly larger size even seems to help a bit here.
So, here's the dilemma: I play quite a lot of funky rhythm stuff. And that's where I just can't seem to make this pick work well. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be the size but a mixture of the tip and the almost polished feel of the thing. Especially when my thumb and index finger's tips are dry (not sweating much anymore these days), it feels really slippy and while it's not actually happening, it feels like losing control - quite astonishingly so, because when playing single notes, control is outstanding.
When doing funky stuff, the sound isn't exactly how I like it, either.
Now, I will purchase a 6-pack of those with my next order from Thomann and file one down to the size of a regular Jazz III, another one to an inbetween size and I will also add some scratches/structure to the surface. Maybe some of that adresses my issue.
Anyhow, what I'd like to know from you pick gurus: Is there any pick kinda covering a sort of middle ground? A Jazz III with a somewhat similar tip and more grip or so? Anything else I should try? And can anyone even relate to my issue?
I thought I was settled regarding picks for the rest of my life. Jazz III Max Grip Carbon is what I ended up with. In fact, pretty much any Jazz III I tried does the job, but the grip is in fact helpful and they last long.
Alright, quite a while ago a mate (former student) gave me a Dunlop Ultex Jazz III John Petrucci pick to try. Only played it briefly and didn't like the size, so that was it.
Now, yesterday I stumbled across that pick and just gave it another testride. My-oh-my! For anything single string picking, that thing is gorgeous. Which, at least that's what I think so far, is mostly about the tip. It's like just pointing to a string with the tip and it automatically plays. Glides through the strings like butter, too. Excellent articulation on top.
Also feels extremely well when using hybrid picking (in my case usually pick, middle and index fingers), which I do a lot for chord work. The slightly larger size even seems to help a bit here.
So, here's the dilemma: I play quite a lot of funky rhythm stuff. And that's where I just can't seem to make this pick work well. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be the size but a mixture of the tip and the almost polished feel of the thing. Especially when my thumb and index finger's tips are dry (not sweating much anymore these days), it feels really slippy and while it's not actually happening, it feels like losing control - quite astonishingly so, because when playing single notes, control is outstanding.
When doing funky stuff, the sound isn't exactly how I like it, either.
Now, I will purchase a 6-pack of those with my next order from Thomann and file one down to the size of a regular Jazz III, another one to an inbetween size and I will also add some scratches/structure to the surface. Maybe some of that adresses my issue.
Anyhow, what I'd like to know from you pick gurus: Is there any pick kinda covering a sort of middle ground? A Jazz III with a somewhat similar tip and more grip or so? Anything else I should try? And can anyone even relate to my issue?
Ed DeGenaro
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If you wanna over spend the JD Jazz glide ability is there with Blue Chips
Mikael Dez
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Sascha Franck
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Yuck, way too expensive. Not that I couldn't afford one, they also seem to last very long (I researched some reviews of them a while back already), but it is how it is; I keep losing picks. And losing €30+ with a single pick isn't exactly what I'm after.
Sascha Franck
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Hm, they have a Jazz III variation as well. And at €12.90 for 3, that'd possibly be worth a try.
Mikael Dez
Rock Star
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I bought them for getting into flatpicking since Blue Chips are highly regarded in Bluegrass - I like them a LOT
Sascha Franck
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Seriously, what really amazes me is how well I get along with that JP thing for any single note actions, especially after playing Jazz IIIs for over a decade exclusively (and the carbon things for well over 5 years already, too). And at the same time, it "amazes" me how little I can get along with it once I'm trying to play some funky 3-4 voice chords.
Sascha Franck
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What about the grip of those Prime Tones? Defenitely seems to be one of the issues with the JP pick (I'm just sitting here for quite a while already, trying to get some funky stuff going with it...).
Sascha Franck
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Can kinda confirm the grip issue. ATM, my right hand is as dry as a desert, the JP thing slips around once I start strumming chords. So I just washed my fingers and the little left over moisture served to add some kinda adhesion. Instantly better. But obviously no solution. And I'm sure that under really sweaty conditions, it'll be back to slippy heaven again.
As it's the only JP pick in my posession, I won't scratch the surface just yet, but I'll certainly do once the next Thomann order arrives.
As it's the only JP pick in my posession, I won't scratch the surface just yet, but I'll certainly do once the next Thomann order arrives.
GuitarGorilla
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I'm not sure I 100% follow what you like about the JP mid jazz that you want to transfer to your funk playing. But what I'm gleaning from your post is that you want a jazz III with good grip and more resistance at the tip compared to the slipperiness of the JP mid sized jazz pick. Is that right?
These are the picks that I thought of:
Left: ThiccPiccs HollowPoint. Buy them on Etsy. The grip is unreal. You can definitely feel the tip pulling at the strings.
Top: LunarBlack Phase III (Delrin) 1.5mm. Another extremely grippy pick and the tip is just a bit more rough than the JP.
Right: Honey Picks Hornet, small size. Comes in a lot of different materials. Both the honeycomb grip and texture grip are very secure. They're slightly less pointy than the other two picks I mentioned.
If none of those are a fit, another idea would be to take a soldering iron to the grip of the JP. I've never done that but I've seen a few samples of people doing it. It creates a crator-like pattern. (Never do this with a celluloid pick as it will burst into flames.)
Another general principle is that if you feel like you're getting lost because you don't know where the pick tip is, choosing a pick with slightly more flex can be helpful. An example is comparing the ~2.5mm Blue Chip Jazz 100 to the ~1.4mm Jazz 50. I like the 100 more for very fast playing due to the feeling of effortlessly pushing the strings aside, but it gives very little tactile feedback. When I need a better sense of where the pick tip is, the 50 works better because it vibrates more when I'm picking.
Boudoir Guitar
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I will say that if grip is a concern -- the blue chips ABSOLUTELY stick between the fingers - dry or sweaty, they just stick.
