What plectrum does everyone use?

[droneshotfpv]

Me too I've tried a bunch of the other Jazz III but always stick with the red 1.38 originals

For a while, a few years ago, I was "retraining" my pick holding, as I had allowed myself to get sloppy in my holding and picking. To do this, I started to use smaller picks, such as the small Jazz III's. It forced me to hold the pick a certain way to play what I liked to play. I was also able to go a little smaller even, but still somehwat similar to the Jazz III's, which is the Graph Tech TUSQ Tear drop picks. These suckers are SMALL... lol But also made from Synthetic TUSQ, like their nuts. Excellent plectrums if you like small sizes. They also sound like you dropped glass on the floor when they get dropped due to the synthetic bone material.

 

[Username123]

Try the John Petrucci dunlop pick pack. I am not a shredder, and I don't listen to John, but the picks are all exceptional. My favorite is the John Petrucci prime tone signature. Very small pick. Great for fast complex picking, like hysteria by muse.

 

[finebyfine]

Ultem Jazz IIIs or Jazz III XLs depending on how warmed up my fingers are. Haven't been able to use any other kind of plastic since I first tried ultem decades ago, they all just feel so wrong!

 

[Username123]

Dunlop flow are alright too. Not my cup of tea, because my favorite is 3 times smaller...

 

[finebyfine]

Love the jazz III shape. Not trying to hijack, but D'addario black ice picks are great as well. My guitar teacher uses those. His advice is to go for a thicker pick. In his opinion, you should not go thinner than 1mm. He knows his stuff. Graduated Berklee with honors...

Those are delrin right? I hate how loyal I am to ultem/ultex/pei lol

 

[Username123]

Those are delrin right? I hate how loyal I am to ultem/ultex/pei lol

Yup. I love ultex too. My absolute favorite picks are ultex. My first ever good pick was a .60mm ultex pick. Miss that thing. So good for strumming on acoustic. Don't really play acoustic very much anymore. Also would not go back to such a thin pick...

 

[Cucurbitam0schata]

I've been a historic picker (dunlop greens .88mm)... and a nail-biter. I've dabbled with a bit of finger picking, but it never sounded good because of the stumpy nubs.

Upsides to the pandemic: I thought it was a good time to stop putting my fingers in my mouth. Finder picking with nails is so fun, but overcoming the muscle memory has been a challenge. Rewarding once things started to click/pick!

 

[Nostradoomus]

Dunlop 88 or 60 for strumming/folk/rock etc.

Dunlop 1.5 or 1.14 for metal.

 

[SYLV9ST9R]

I'm in the .88 club also, mainly nylon or tortex.
I had bought a Dunlop variety pack when I picked up the guitar again 3 years ago, and I'll also just reach for the nearest when nothing's in sight. That, or a Fender celluloid medium which I have a few lying around.

 

[Coda]

Dunlop Tortex Sharp...the yellow ones (.73mm). Robert Fripp recommended them for those looking for the Guitar Craft picks...

 

[Feral Feline]

Depends on what I'm playing. Starting out I liked paper-thin super flexible, then a friend turned me on to the joys of thicker picks, went up to 1.2, settled on 1mm for the longest time, have tried Hercos thumbpicks and Jazz III and ... variety is the spice of life.


Most recent pick used...

I was experimenting with 16th notes on my upright.
Before that I was experimenting once again with the "picks" used to open electronics...

Great sounding, but super-slippery and wearing out fast are the GraphTech picks. I love 'em 'cause they're thin yet stiff compared to other picks of the same gauge.
.

 

[Paradox916]

Dunlop max grip jazz III (I think it’s 1.38mm?)... that has been my go for a while now. Helps me a lot with lack of speed and articulation... I’m nether fast nor articulate in any manner so take that one with a grain of salt.

 

[uranium_jones]

These:

JAZZ III PICK VARIETY PACK

From picks to pedals and every accessory in between, Dunlop Manufacturing has been creating world-class gear for musicians for over 50 years. We consistently create the best selling picks and analog electronics, and carry a large line of accessories that set industry standards in their...

www.jimdunlop.com

But also some peso picks from this guy:

Reverb

reverb.com

 

[Username123]

I would not recommend tortex or fender tort picks. It is so steeped in pick tradition that many only use those picks. The are normally very thin and flexible, making any fast or technical picking much more difficult than it has to be. Traditional picks are also massive, again making it hard to control. The smaller the pick is, the easier it is to control.

 

[finebyfine]

Also for anyone looking for online stores, finding stringsandbeyond was a blessing. Tried to find someone with three different ultem ones I wanted to try and wanted to pull my hair out trying to find them at one place

 

[JamieJ]

I definitely need to go down the pick rabbit hole. I have always used the dunlop tortex 1mm ones - only because I haven't tried anything else.

I recently ordered some new patch cables and added my usual pack of picks to the order and also the dunlop 1.14mm ones. I was amazed how different they sounded the two picks sounded.

 

[AubreySound]

JAZZ III XL

 

[Dali]

I am overwhelmed with jealousy

Just to pull your leg... The day I met Robert (and Trey and Adrian) in 1998 during Projekct 2. I'm on the right of the picture.

 

[Bricksnbeatles]

Just to pull your leg... The day I met Robert (and Trey and Adrian) in 1998 during Projekct 2. I'm on the right of the picture.
View attachment 13875

Nice! I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Adrian, Tony, and Pat— three of the nicest guys you’ll meet!

 

[Tiwar]

Dunlop Tortex 1mm and 1.14mm
Dunlop Flow 1.35mm and 1.5mm