TFW you forget how much pick choice affects tone

Dolphinado

Member
About a year ago I started experimenting with some of Dunlop's new Flow picks, made from Ultex, and landed on their ridiculous 4.20mm jumbo picks as my go-to pick for everything. Up until trying those out, I used to use 4mm Gravity Razer picks almost exclusively, but I wanted to find a replacement for them because even though they feel and sound great, guitar strings shred them into acrylic dust surprisingly easily.

Since switching to the Dunlop Flow picks, I haven't been super satisfied with my guitar tone, no matter what amp models I used or how I tweaked them. I thought it must've been me being bad at dialing in tones on the amp models, or that my guitar has a weird midrange response, or my cables, and that was why other folks' presets that sounded great with their guitars sounded really off with mine. But it never occurred to me that it might've been my change in picks.

Anyway, fast forward to the other day - I found one of my old Gravity Razer picks, and on a whim decided to use it, playing on an FM3 preset I thought I knew really well. It was a night and day difference - everything I hated about my guitar tone, the weird, dull high-end roll off, the midrange honk, the boomy bass, was suddenly balanced. I touched no parameters in the preset - the only thing I changed was my pick. My PRS CE 24 Semi-Hollow finally sounded like what it was - a bright, but balanced, percussive guitar with great sustain. It finally sounded alive. I just never realized how much this fat, dead pick was sucking my tone.
 
After using the same picks for most of my life, I too went on a pick quest. Unlike you, I found the Ultex material to be exactly what I wanted (different horses...). It was actually the First Petrucci Jazz III's that turned me on to the material, but I didn't like the thickness. I've ended up with the Ultex Jazz III.
 
Do you know which Gravity Razer would be about the size and shape of the old John Petrucci Jazz III pick? (not his new Ultex picks, don't like those)?
 
I've been on Ultex for a few years now. But last night I recorded a clip using an old Tortex blue I found kicking around. I was Tortex for a long time before Ultex. I kind of liked it. It's like flipping the pickup selector -- a new flavor. Not necessarily better, just different.
 
After using the same picks for most of my life, I too went on a pick quest. Unlike you, I found the Ultex material to be exactly what I wanted (different horses...). It was actually the First Petrucci Jazz III's that turned me on to the material, but I didn't like the thickness. I've ended up with the Ultex Jazz III.

I like the sound of Ultex picks when they're thinner, but it turns out 4.2mm Ultex sounds a bit dead to my ears - go figure.

Do you know which Gravity Razer would be about the size and shape of the old John Petrucci Jazz III pick? (not his new Ultex picks, don't like those)?
I used to use those too! I think the Razer Big Mini is closest, but because of the thickness I use (4mm) and the bevel, it might be slightly smaller than the old Petrucci Jazz III picks. The next size up from there is Standard though, and those feel a lot bigger than the old Petrucci Jazz IIIs.
 
I'd been a devout user of the Dunlop Tortex Jazz picks (the purple 1mm) for a long time.

The other guitarist in my band got a JP III Jazz pick from his teacher and let me try it.

I liked it enough to try some out.

I've been going back and forth between the 2 for about a year now.
 
Was a long time user of the small Tortex Pitch Black 1.0 but switched to the Tortex Flex 1.14. Just feel better.
 
Long time Tortex user, switched to Dunlop Petrucci but didn't like the chirp. Pick search ensued, discovered Chickenpicks. Loved the size and feel of the Shredder 3.5mm and really like how it sounds striking the strings- Curt Mangan nickel wound. My pick search is over. About to take out a second mortgage to purchase a few more.
 
A long strange trip, indeed... many years ago, I was expressing frustration with the flatwounds on my jazz box, and someone handed me a Dunlop 208: Wow, that was just the ticket: Smoothed the attack characteristic just right without going dull, and getting all the richness of the sustain. Great for flat picking electric bass too. Tortex gets the call more often for roundwounds and solid bodies. By now I've got probably 50 types of pick, from leather and felt to carved jade and a fossilized trilobite. Never boring.
 
1991-2017: Fender Medium
2017-2019: Dunlop Flow 1.5mm
2020: Fender Medium

Funny how things change, although I do have some 0.73mm, 0.88mm, and 1.0mm Dunlop Flow picks on the way to try. I really like the feel and sound of the Ultex compared to celluloid. It feels snappier and has a “glassier” sound to my ears.
 
About a year ago I started experimenting with some of Dunlop's new Flow picks, made from Ultex, and landed on their ridiculous 4.20mm jumbo picks as my go-to pick for everything. Up until trying those out, I used to use 4mm Gravity Razer picks almost exclusively, but I wanted to find a replacement for them because even though they feel and sound great, guitar strings shred them into acrylic dust surprisingly easily.

Since switching to the Dunlop Flow picks, I haven't been super satisfied with my guitar tone, no matter what amp models I used or how I tweaked them. I thought it must've been me being bad at dialing in tones on the amp models, or that my guitar has a weird midrange response, or my cables, and that was why other folks' presets that sounded great with their guitars sounded really off with mine. But it never occurred to me that it might've been my change in picks.

Anyway, fast forward to the other day - I found one of my old Gravity Razer picks, and on a whim decided to use it, playing on an FM3 preset I thought I knew really well. It was a night and day difference - everything I hated about my guitar tone, the weird, dull high-end roll off, the midrange honk, the boomy bass, was suddenly balanced. I touched no parameters in the preset - the only thing I changed was my pick. My PRS CE 24 Semi-Hollow finally sounded like what it was - a bright, but balanced, percussive guitar with great sustain. It finally sounded alive. I just never realized how much this fat, dead pick was sucking my tone.
I really love Ibanez Sand Grip picks for rhythm stuff and for lead stuff I found a new favorite for myself:

Dunlop Primetone small triangle. There are not cheap but come with a nice packaging which kind of reminds me of the packing of Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups and they kind of flow over the strings so it is pure joy to play with them. Dunlop states that the edges are handmade so that could be a reason for the price 🤷‍♂️
 
The flow picks definitely sound dull to me. I tend to use the edge of the pick and tend to like sharp picks. I’ve been trying to get back to a little more traditional picking using the flat part and went to a standard pick shape again. I like Delrin picks a lot, Tortex and Ultex nice as well.
 
Just recently found the Dunlop John Petrucci Trinity picks 1.4 mm. Everything I like about Jazz III’s and nothing I don’t. About as good a mass produced pick can be from my standpoint. Fast, articulate, great grip and awesome for pick slides. 3 chances to have the pointy end land correctly in you grip...... LOL.......😎
 
Just recently found the Dunlop John Petrucci Trinity picks 1.4 mm. Everything I like about Jazz III’s and nothing I don’t. About as good a mass produced pick can be from my standpoint. Fast, articulate, great grip and awesome for pick slides. 3 chances to have the pointy end land correctly in you grip...... LOL.......😎
Do you happen to have a Jazz III pick? I'd love to see a pic of them side by side.
 
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