I just geeked out on picks...

[Ed DeGenaro]

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.

I used to. But I got 2 Blue Chips like 17 years ago. Still in great shape never lost them. So I actually got 3 more last year.

Knock wood

 

[gearJunkie]

 

[Sascha Franck]

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?

Nah, no more resistance of the tip. That's the stunningly great part of the JP. And where the Jazz III Carbon just feels slow in comparison. But I want more grip for my fingers. Wouldn't mind a tiny tad more resistance of the tip as well - just not as much as with the Jazz III Carbon.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

Have you compared a Blue Chip to these?

View attachment 51527

I've heard they're a cheaper alternative

I got a boat load of them like and quite like them.
But between the glide-y factor and their tone and longevity nothing touches them. Soylent for that insane price close second is the English guy whose name I don’t remember them red bear then v-picks.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Fwiw, regarding grip, the Jazz III Carbons are absolutely perfect for my needs once played for some hours.

 

[DrewJD82]

Grabbed these last week to give a shot-

There’s a Petrucci pick under the middle one for a reference point.

The biggest reason was because i got sick of dropping the Petrucci picks on a black carpet or mousepad and not being able to see the damn things. These glow with all the dumb lights in my studio and living room!

I’m digging them enough to push through the adjustment period.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Grabbed these last week to give a shot-

I had a pick with such sharp shaped edges once (don't remember the brand anymore) and didn't like it for rhythm playing at all.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Top: LunarBlack Phase III (Delrin) 1.5mm.

That seemed interesting to me, but at least a quick search resulted in zero hits for german suppliers. Goddamn musical stoneage we're living in here. And in case I might find some supplier, I'm sure they'll add a healthy dose of "we have that special stuff" fee.

 

[Sascha Franck]

I will say that if grip is a concern -- the blue chips ABSOLUTELY stick between the fingers - dry or sweaty, they just stick.

At least good to know. So which of them are the closest to a standard Jazz III? The Andy Wood signatures?

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

At least good to know. So which of them are the closest to a standard Jazz III? The Andy Wood signatures?

dunno -- I don't really like Jazz III shape

 

[Sascha Franck]

dunno -- I don't really like Jazz III shape

Took me a looong time to get into them, but once I was there, I couldn't deal with pretty much any other pick anymore. Hence my astonishment regarding this JP pick.

 

[GuitarGorilla]

Nah, no more resistance of the tip. That's the stunningly great part of the JP. And where the Jazz III Carbon just feels slow in comparison. But I want more grip for my fingers. Wouldn't mind a tiny tad more resistance of the tip as well - just not as much as with the Jazz III Carbon.

Fwiw, regarding grip, the Jazz III Carbons are absolutely perfect for my needs once played for some hours.

That seemed interesting to me, but at least a quick search resulted in zero hits for german suppliers. Goddamn musical stoneage we're living in here. And in case I might find some supplier, I'm sure they'll add a healthy dose of "we have that special stuff" fee.

Ah, I get it now. For that type of grip but better, the closest things are the Lunar Black picks, and the Honey Picks texture grip. For Lunar Black, he's a tiny new pick maker, so I think the only way to buy them is directly from him. If his store doesn't ship to Germany you may consider sending him a message. I've found the small pick makers will often accommodate special requests.

In comparing the JP to the Max Grip, one is a thicker, more rigid pick with a more beveled edge, and the other is a thinner and more flexible pick with a more punched-out edge. This is how I think about the factors that affect pick speed:

1. Material lubricity - some materials such as Vespel are super slick and some are rough. Ultem is in the middle.

2. Tip/edge polish - The punched-out edge of the Max Grip will have more rough spots than the more polished JP

3. Tip shape - A rounded bevel or a more angled bevel will have less string resistance. A sharp and narrow type bevel will have more string resistance. Thin picks are by necessity sharp and narrow.

4. Flexibility - if the pick needs time to flex and snap back it will slow you down. Some won't care about this. I do as a metal player.

Another pick I thought of that could be interesting to you is the BHL Exultem Overkill jazz size, which you can see here in the lower left:

It's an Ultem pick with a polished bevel and a really, really good grip. They run about $5 or so. The only problem with BHL is he can take a long time to ship things. Otherwise awesome pick maker and one of my favorites.

 

[Stone]

Will be trying these

MISHA MANSOOR CUSTOM DELRIN FLOW® PICK

​

 

[FuzzyAce]

Grabbed these last week to give a shot-

View attachment 51530

There’s a Petrucci pick under the middle one for a reference point.

The biggest reason was because i got sick of dropping the Petrucci picks on a black carpet or mousepad and not being able to see the damn things. These glow with all the dumb lights in my studio and living room!

I’m digging them enough to push through the adjustment period.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Fwiw, regarding grip, the Jazz III Carbons are absolutely perfect for my needs once played for some hours.

I have some too. I really tried to like these but they don't feel right to me, a little bit slippery even. I prefer the standard Jazz III even though I don't use it a lot either.

 

[paisleywookiee]

Have you compared a Blue Chip to these?

View attachment 51527

I've heard they're a cheaper alternative

I’m not Ed’s caliber, but those aren’t close to a Blue Chip.

I personally didn’t think the Primetones were much better than Flows. But what do I know, I’m happy with Cool Picks.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

I’m not Ed’s caliber, but those aren’t close to a Blue Chip.

I personally didn’t think the Primetones were much better than Flows. But what do I know, I’m happy with Cool Picks.

I used to live Cool Picks. Kinda hard to find here though.

You know what’s my low cost go to… the Dunlop Tortex Pitchblack 1.14 Jazz3

 

[paisleywookiee]

I used to live Cool Picks. Kinda hard to find here though.

You know what’s my low cost go to… the Dunlop Tortex Pitchblack 1.14 Jazz3

My other, cheaper pick is an IntuneGP Jumbo Jazz, in their Tortex-like material.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

My other, cheaper pick is an IntuneGP Jumbo Jazz, in their Tortex-like material.

Had to look them up.

 

[HotRats]

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?

Have you looked into v-picks offerings?

In my experience nothing grips like those plexiglass picks.

On a side note...I'm a long time nylon jazz XL user but when I tried the Petrucci I was amazed on how good felt. There's something special in that little fucker!