Jazz III’s are a popular favorite in my area, although I’ve almost always bought the cheapo Fender mediums and heavys. My dad played these powdergripped Dunlap tortexes for years, but they always felt so weird and out of place to me. I have a professional musician friend who swears by BlueChip flat picks. I’ll defer to the community towards fingerpicks, felt picks, and sixpence coins.
I can half recommend them! I was in a rut and saw a guitar player I like called Steve Albini used them, and as all good decisions go figured why not? 😅
I think they make me play more intentionally, as there’s a mental note that this probably is likely to snap strings (not happened yet in the year I’ve used them), but also I found the lack of flex means the attack can be clangy or scratch, so there’s that too.
I realise these sound like drawbacks… I may have made guitar harder accidentally
It’s been a year though, I guess I keep coming back to them! Likely worth trying a coin before getting a bunch (I think my set of 20ish were cheap Amazon ones, £5 max)… The picks are way thinner than coins, but it’s a non-commital trial!
I have been experimenting a ton with picks in the last few months. I bought three Bluechips, an assorted pack of TUSQ picks, and Taylor’s “Darktone series” pick tin.
My favorites are, in order:
Dunlop Tortex. Old reliable. Just feels like home.
TUSQ picks. They are the most resonant picks I have ever used; they make month old strings sound like a fresh set. They also come in three different sound profiles, bass-heavy, treble heavy, and “warm” i.e. mids heavy. The differences are noticeable, and it feels like having an analog way to EQ my guitar. For the money they are the best
Taylor Thermex Pro from the Darktone series pick tin. It is the pick that gets closest to the sound of a fingernail
Bluechip - fancy but kinda underwhelming. They are definitely great picks but I’m not feeling the hype after using them for three months
Dunlop Brass ‘Teckpick’ for me. With a rough edge filed along the edges at the pointy end. Fast, accurate picking with an awesome warm acoustic tone. I had one sitting untouched in my collection for 35 years until I started messing with it two years ago. I’ve since found that Dunlop produce them so ordered enough to last a long time.
I’m using 0.85mm D’Addario Duralin Precision picks, but just because it’s what they have at my local music store that “felt right” after I tried a few. Before that I used to play 0.88mm Dunlop Tortex Standard and I feel little to no difference at all
Used to use nylon for years because of durability and sharp texture for grip. Then moved (back) to jazz III, preferably grip or ultex. Seems I can’t have both.
Tortex in particular will be worn and slick and bent in a second. Nylon tends toward the washboard effect. Stiff jazz, despite the name, is pretty much the only way to fly.
I’m a big fan of 2.0mm Jazz III-sized picks in general. Doesn’t have to be Dunlop, I just like em small so I keep my thumb close to the string to minimize movement. The thickness helps with stiffness and with a nice loud attack to counteract the fact that I try to use minimal effort to play.
Basically it’s all about comfort (small hands), speed, and precision for me.
I went on a long and expensive pick quest a number of years ago and have tried just about every type of pick I could get my hands on. Different materials, different thicknesses, different shapes, etc. I learned a lot and these days I’ve settled on 3 or 4 picks that I use depending on the guitar that I’m using or the style of music I’m playing.
With that said, I’ve been playing 1.20mm Pick Boy Home Plate picks mainly. Herco Holy Grail and Dunlop Heavy Gels are my 2nd choices. I also like the Dunlop Flows. I have a few different versions ranging in thicknesses and materials from Tortex to Primetone. I’ve been experimenting with some thumb picks as of late, too.
Interesting topic! I guess I’ve only semi-consciously thought about it over the years, and I’m a pretty simple guy: I prefer a textured, softer pick for playing acoustic guitar, and a firm, smooth one for electric.
Are there any better ways to select the right pick?
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