Speaking of picks...

Just to follow up with Matt from Dunlop, regarding the idea of H3 style Ultex picks:

"There are no plans at this point but we are always trying something new and exciting. Inquire again in about a year."

Maybe I will. ;)

Well, I have to say that I just couldn't believe how many responses were generated by a simple question about
a pick!!!!
I was appalled, I have to admit. :D
Then I found myself reading through this thread - Yes, it drew me in.
And then - The unspeakable :shock:
I got my guitar out and actually played a few songs with a pick :twisted: (a quarter actually, I dont have any picks)
And.... I didn't do too bad :o

Yes, I did in fact learn to use a pick in the begining.
And even after I went fingers - I still had to use a pick with the band as I couldn't generate enough sound to
hear anything over my drummer (Big Joe, who had a likeness of the Muppet Animal on his bass drum, and whose favorite
drummer is Bonzo) while playing thru my 80 watt 2x12 with just my fingers. :x

To all you beginners out there - I see no reason why you shouldn't have to learn how to use a pick right away
just so you can decide after all that pain and suffering (and cases of broken strings) that you like using your fingers
better. :lol:

Anyway, as far as it goes - I like HEAVY picks. I have a very light touch and have to really alter my style to use
light picks. And I destroy them immediately.
So I paid attention to how I was doing it after reading thru this, and yes - very shallow with a bit of an angle as
most of the pick pros have probably guessed.
I also require large picks as I have rather large hands. I even like those huge rectangular picks.
Or I find that I hold regular picks backwards and pick with the rounder end.

I remember telling the kid that got me back into playing the guitar a few years back, that I had actually used a pick
the night before when I was practicing.
He asked me how it was for me - And I told him: It was like using a prophylactic with my wife :(
(That's not what I really said - just tried to clean it up a bit) :wink:

Anyway
I couldn't help myself - I had to post something

Racetruck1 - really dig that idea. I'll have to try that.
Those attractions that do that to pennys around these parts are called locomotives. :)

Ken

Ah, here's a scan of one of my last H3s:

Matt McDevitt from Dunlop was kind enough to send me a sample.

Can't wait to get home to try it. :)
Nice.

I'd be especially interested in hearing your thoughts on the pick noise and attack when using it in higher gain situations. And your general comments as well. :)

I had a pretty good chance to try it out last night because the high winds we've been having here in L.A. knocked the power out in our area. Still out this morning. So I got to just sit there with the candles in the living room, playing the Tele unplugged, listening and playing quietly, and basically it's exactly like one of those black Jazz III picks. Same mould, different material.

And I have to say I'm a little disappointed. I should have known, looking at the original picture, that it was going to be an exact replica of the Jazz III (which I like to a certain point), but...I dunno, I guess I was thinking more of what I wanted rather than actually looking at the pick itself. I assumed Dunlop was going to do a whole line of Ultex Jazz III shaped picks - you know, like the flat-stamped Tortex versions. Seems it would be simpler to manufacture since they're just like normal picks - except in Ultex, which I really like.

So, nothing wrong with the pick actually; it's just that I wanted a regular, stamped and polished flatpick - like their 351 shape Ultex, except with the Jazz III shape. I'm kinda hoping they will come out with that after they roll this one out in May, but I dunno what their marketing team has in mind. It's pretty much a Petrucci model as far as I can gather, and I guess they're going with that as a selling point.

For me, since these Ultex Jazz IIIs are so similar to the black nylon Jazz IIIs, I won't be getting any when they come out. I mean I like thicker picks, but more in the neighborhood of .88 to sorta match the 'Heavy' or 'Medium' of regular picks. The Tortex is okay, but I don't like the squared edges; the Ultex is great but it doesn't come in the J III shape.

I'm in a way still looking for a replacement for the Jazz III shaped celluloid picks they had in the 70s-90s, which have since been discontinued for whatever reason. For me that was the perfect shape, with the smooth edges like regular picks, and in easy-to-understand H, M, L gauges, lol. I mean they've said I can make a special order of like 14,000 picks or something, so I know they still have the dies to punch them out, but....

Why not just throw a sheet of Ultex in there?

So there you go; quite a letdown, though I have to say it's my fault for assuming what Dunlop would be putting out. These two picks will go in the box with all the others, and I think I'll just go back to the Ultex 351 shape for now.

Howdy.... I started that thread over at the Petrucci forum. Ironic that you end up getting the free sample(s). :wink:

So am I correct in understanding that the main reason you didn't like the Ultex Jazz III was the bevelled edge? For me, the reason I like Jazz III's are the combination of the bevel and the pointed tip. I also like the Tortex Jazz, but not quite to the same degree (better grip, but a scratchier sound).
I also got a few of the Fender 551JZ's.........normally, celluloid isn't my first choice in a pick material, but I do like the pointed tip. Is the older Dunlop H3 model you posted a picture of pretty much the same? If those older H3's are your favorite, I hope you found a good stock of them. :)

If you want, I'll trade you a pick of your choice for the Ultex Jazz III sample via snail mail. I experiment a lot with different types of picks, and probably have something that might interest you. Thanks!

Howdy.... I started that thread over at the Petrucci forum. Ironic that you end up getting the free sample(s). :wink:

So am I correct in understanding that the main reason you didn't like the Ultex Jazz III was the bevelled edge? For me, the reason I like Jazz III's are the combination of the bevel and the pointed tip. I also like the Tortex Jazz, but not quite to the same degree (better grip, but a scratchier sound).
I also got a few of the Fender 551JZ's.........normally, celluloid isn't my first choice in a pick material, but I do like the pointed tip. Is the older Dunlop H3 model you posted a picture of pretty much the same? If those older H3's are your favorite, I hope you found a good stock of them. :)

If you want, I'll trade you a pick of your choice for the Ultex Jazz III sample via snail mail. I experiment a lot with different types of picks, and probably have something that might interest you. Thanks!

Hey, welcome!

Anyhow, no, the main reason the Ultex Jazz III didn't do it for me is the fact that it's exactly like the black Stiffo Nylon Jazz III that's been out for years in that it's molded (or however they do it) instead of stamped like regular picks. I liked the nylon Jazz III when it first came out, but it was too stiff and too thick, and I gravitated toward the H3 celluloid because it came in standard gauges - Light, Medium and Hard - with me favoring the Hard H3 more than anything.

I mean, sometimes when you're playing live (or at least me), with all the tension and excitement and adrenalin, a thick pick will just about tear the strings off the guitar, lol, so it's good to be able to back off on the gauges a little bit. :)

Both of those, the H3 and the Jazz III have beveled, polished edges, whereas the Tortex H3 has that flat-cut edge that some people don't like because of the scratchiness upon release of the string. What I was hoping for was that Dunlop would have the Jazz III Ultex and an Ultex H3, H2, etc.

I've got a few of those celluloid H3s left, but I stopped using them and sorta boycotted Dunlop for a few years because they had the nerve to discontinue my favorite pick, lol! and went back to using the standard shaped (Fender) 351 shape, knowing that I could get picks of that shape anywhere, anytime. I don't like playing with rare things - not even guitars. I love the idea of using something that's standard and easily available. :)

Then I tried the Ultex 351 and liked the feel of the Ultex and have been using those.

Anyhow, email me your snailmail, and I'll send one of the Ultex Jazz IIIs off to you. Matt sent me 2, so one's yours.

Best regards.

Oh, it's [email protected], or you can PM me here.

Isn't it amazing how anal retentive we can get over a piece of plastic that isn't our credit card? :wink:

If you want just a stamped pick, Clayton makes the "Spike" series in the H3 shape with no bevel whatsoever. My only problem with them is that the thickest version is .80 mm, which is a bit thin for my taste.

http://www.steveclayton.com/spike.html

I have a few of these, I can send you one if you'd like. It's a tad scratchy for me, but I like the feel of the surface. That's one of the reasons I'm itching to get ahold of an Ultex Jazz III, to compare its tactile quality (hey, I feel articulate today) to the red and black Jazz III's.

I scanned a few of mine, for size and shape comparison.

The Fender 551JZ is at bottom, 2nd from left. It is very slightly larger than the Jazz III and Tortex M3 in the same row to the right, and slightly smaller than the Pickboy Edge pick above it. Makes the green delrin 351-shape look huge!

I got the 551s yesterday and did a highly scientific comparison last night. :roll: In short, they are a good in-between alternative to the darkness and stiffness of the Jazz III and the scratchiness of the similarly shaped Tortex. Pretty much exactly what I expected, though on some of them the edges are not quite as smooth as I had hoped. They will probably smooth out from playing though; just feels like there's a little bit of leftover plastic on them.

The only pick I like better is the Pickboy "Carbon Nylon" Edge pick, which has the properties of the Jazz III but is a little larger and thinner. Unfortunately, nearly impossible to find in small quantities at a reasonable price.

When I got 12 of those 551JZ's, I was very suprised to finally find a Fender pick that I actually liked. :wink:

I also got a bag of the JD 208's. I really like whatever material the coating is made of....it has a great grip, but they make unwanted chirpy overtones that I really don't care much for.

The biggest disappointment for me was the Nylon Big Stubbies. I was hoping their texture would be more like the black Jazz III instead of just as slick as the Lexan stubbies. If they put some Stiffo in there, I'd want to try one.

As far as the Pickboys go, yes they are hard to find in quantity, and they're usually expensive. http://imperialguitar.stores.yahoo.net/ has them for mail order cheaper than the US distributor ( http://www.brooklyngear.com ) charges. If you like celluloid instead of nylon, the Ibanez Paul Gilbert picks are the exact same shape as the Carbon Edges. I like the Carbon Reefer picks even better than the Carbon Edge, but they're impossible to find in stores.

http://www.tonetoys.com/ is a German company that has an *extremely* diverse selection of picks to choose from. Run the site through Google's translator.

The only "normal" (351) shaped pick that I like now is the Steve Vai signatures from Ibanez. Once I started playing with pointed-tipped picks, I don't want to go back to regular ones.

I also got a bag of the JD 208's. I really like whatever material the coating is made of....it has a great grip, but they make unwanted chirpy overtones that I really don't care much for.

Yeah I can imagine that on electric guitar strings, but on nickel bass strings they are killer. I got the 206 and 207 Jazztones as shown (same material as the 208s) for bass, and I think they give the biggest roundest warmest tone of any pick I've tried - like fingerpicking on steroids. Even the 2mm delrin 500 sounds too bright to me, in comparison. That being said, I don't like them as much on the stainless steel strings I'm currently using ... I might try to find some 2mm nylons for those.

The biggest disappointment for me was the Nylon Big Stubbies ... If they put some Stiffo in there, I'd want to try one.

Agree 100%!!! (I did like the slick release, but the tips wore down very quickly ... I did not like the lexan version at all - way too clicky and glassy.) But yeah, a 1mm Stiffo Big Stubby would be my choice. And a 2mm for bass as well. They could call them Big Stiffos ... 8)

As far as the Pickboys go, yes they are hard to find in quantity, and they're usually expensive. http://imperialguitar.stores.yahoo.net/ has them for mail order cheaper than the US distributor ( http://www.brooklyngear.com ) charges. If you like celluloid instead of nylon, the Ibanez Paul Gilbert picks are the exact same shape as the Carbon Edges. I like the Carbon Reefer picks even better than the Carbon Edge, but they're impossible to find in stores.

Thanks for the tip about the Pickboys! Looks like I can get a dozen shipped for about 75c each ... that's quite a bit cheaper than elsewhere. I saw the reefer picks ... but I can't take those to church. :lol: I didn't realize the Paul Gilbert picks were the same shape as the Edges. I was actually looking for those when I came across the Fender 551s!

Slightly off topic, but did you come up to DC for the G3 show? I noticed that Petrucci didn't throw his picks into the crowd, unlike Satch and Gilbert. In fact, he was throwing Gilberts picks! :lol: Well, needless to say I didn't catch any, despite being in the 5th row ... :x

Yep, I was in row K myself. That was the 2nd of 3 G3 shows I went to. Myrtle Beach, DC, and Sayreville NJ. The last show had Gilbert's band in tartans doing a Riverdance in the middle of Petrruc's "Glasgow Kiss", a miniature Stonehenge a la Spinal Tap during Joe's set, and a stripper during "Foxy Lady" in the jam. ;-)

I got one of Satch's picks in Myrtle Beach. I have plenty of black Jazz III's, I should have thrown one to Petrucci ;-)
The less said about DC parking and traffic, the better. :roll:

BTW, Paul now uses an orange Dunlop tortex instead of the Ibanez signatures.

DemoEtc, many thanks for the sample pick, I got it in the mail just the other day.

Man.

I absolutely **LOVE** the Ultex Jazz III !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot wait until they're available for sale, I want to buy a few bags of them already. Methinks I have found the Pick of Destiny, and it isn't green!

:wink:

Sweet - I'm glad you like it!

Best regards.

I emailed Dunlop about making a Big Stubby pick out of the Stiffo material ... they ignored the suggestion, but said they'd send me a sample of the Ultex Jazz III. :D

I'm down to my last couple of picks. I bought half a dozen a couple of years ago, the others are probably in the washing machine - I have a habit of putting them in that little pocket in the front of my jeans, just in case I need one. See if you can guess where I got them.....

:D :D :D

Vic

Waaaay cool picks, Vic.

Methinks another visit to the Cavern be neccessary before I vacate the north.....

Pete