Trying a bunch of Jim Dunlop picks...

[zorrow]

I received a bunch of picks for review from one HFC member whose name I will disclose later, if authorized.

I've been trying them and so far I absolutely love the thicker ones, specially the black Primetones. Lot of articulation and sound projection from those. If you're into V-picks or equivalent, these ones do deserve a try. 

I will share some vids later. To be continued...  

[zorrow]

It looks like uploading a short video here is a true PITA. Had to cut a fragment and then use a video compressor to upload a little demo. Let's see if this works...

 

[ARM OF HAMER]

                            Sometimes its hard to pick the right pick.

[ARM OF HAMER]

[The Shark]

The Jazz IIIs.  Using them, except for a short time with V-Picks, for nearly thirty years. 

[Dasein]

Tortex Jazz/Jazz III

[Steve Haynie]

The picks zorrow has are Dunlop Primetones.  They were mentioned in another thread, so someone else here sent a private message about them.  We decided to buy a variety and come up with some opinions.  Primetone picks are expensive, so whether they are worth or not is going to bring out a lot of opinions.  According to the Dunlop site they are made out of Ultex, which is another line of picks, but these do not feel like the same material to me.  The thick black ones zorrow mentioned are the 3mm 305, 306, and 308 shapes.  They look like this:

 

Dunlop makes a 5mm version of these, too. 

I need to try out these black Primetones again to post my opinion.  My interest was in the thick hand-finished traditional shaped Primetone picks. 

Some of the HFC members close to me were sent an e-mail asking if they want me to drop off the set to try them out.  One replied, but we never set up a time to hand these off.   You guys know who you are. 

 

 

 

[Dasein]

Cool --- I've played nothing but the 1.14 MM tortex Jazz (purples) since the mid/late 80's, and recently found the same picks in all black (which I like even better). Is the 308 the last one? That's the Jazzesque shape it looks like - also with the beveled edges and the indented grip. I'd love to try one of these - are they in retail already or just prototype?  I could see the thicker pick addressing the warping that happens from heat (finger grip) and the indented grip helping with losing the pick from sweat etc... How are they so far Zorrow/Steve? 

[BTMN]

Tortex 1.5 Sharps .

[bubs_42]

You guys and the Jazz Picks, I have never been able to get use to them. I've been using these Chinese STADIUM Picks for over a year and i'm stuck on them. I love the sound of them but its hard to get someone to get me just the one size. 

[zorrow]

1 hour ago, Steve Haynie said:

The picks zorrow has are Dunlop Primetones.  They were mentioned in another thread, so someone else here sent a private message about them.  We decided to buy a variety and come up with some opinions.  Primetone picks are expensive, so whether they are worth or not is going to bring out a lot of opinions.  According to the Dunlop site they are made out of Ultex, which is another line of picks, but these do not feel like the same material to me.  The thick black ones zorrow mentioned are the 3mm 305, 306, and 308 shapes.  They look like this:

 

Dunlop makes a 5mm version of these, too. 

I need to try out these black Primetones again to post my opinion.  My interest was in the thick hand-finished traditional shaped Primetone picks. 

Some of the HFC members close to me were sent an e-mail asking if they want me to drop off the set to try them out.  One replied, but we never set up a time to hand these off.   You guys know who you are. 

 

 

 

Yes, exactly those ones, specially the 308. From all the thick picks, which I always prefer, those were the ones I liked the most. 

I will give several extra shots to the Ultex though. To be continued...

[ARM OF HAMER]

                                                     I like the orIginal Dunlop Jazz III....................the original run are a darker red...............the more recent ones are lighter in color.They seem to be different somehow,maybe that is all in my perception. I use them both though old and new.............and as you can see I have experimented with others.

[Steve Haynie]

We have some Primetone Jazz III picks to try out, too. 

[zorrow]

3 hours ago, Dasein said:

Cool --- I've played nothing but the 1.14 MM tortex Jazz (purples) since the mid/late 80's, and recently found the same picks in all black (which I like even better). Is the 308 the last one? That's the Jazzesque shape it looks like - also with the beveled edges and the indented grip. I'd love to try one of these - are they in retail already or just prototype?  I could see the thicker pick addressing the warping that happens from heat (finger grip) and the indented grip helping with losing the pick from sweat etc... How are they so far Zorrow/Steve? 

Now trying the two you see below. The one with beveled letters and symbols has of course way better grip. The darker one is slippery. Both snap great, but I prefer the safer grip and the more Ultex-ish feeling of the lighter-coloured one.

BTW, I'm used to the Big Stubby 3.0 mm and to the 1980 V-Pick --these later ones produce a great "swoosh" thanks to their unbuffed edges and to their rounder points, which to me are great for reggae and funky stuff.

Back to the Dunlop Prime tones though, I would definitively stick to the 308 for the grip and for its somehow more controllable attack. It feels more versatile to me.

Nonetheless, these other two I just (re)tried also are 3.0 mm and both provide great, loud tone. These are named "Sculpted Plectra". Their material seems to be very solid (in contrast to the Big Stubby, which wears out quite fast). I just played many riffs and licks with them, in several styles. Curiously, I tend to be less precise with them, for some reason (I guess I'm not used to their sculpted edges). However, they did feel great when I played some King Diamond riffs (better on the thicker, lower strings, maybe?) 

In any case, picking up a pick is a very personal decision. One needs to get used to them as well. All these sound and feel awesome, and also seem to be built to last. It's up to you guys deciding whether they are for you... or not, but I will say they do deserve to be tried. 

Good night!

[BubbaVO]

I like those primetones too.  Ultra jazz iii are good.   

[tbonesullivan]

 I like thinner picks. The gator grips are nice. They have such a huge variety, it's easy to get lost in it. The gels are also nice.

[Steve Haynie]

A thick Gator Grip is in there for reference.

[burningyen]

Herco Flex 75

[SSII x 2]

21 hours ago, The Shark said:

The Jazz IIIs.  Using them, except for a short time with V-Picks, for nearly thirty years. 

Jazz III user for the last 5 years or so.  When I was a kid, I equated heavy pick with heavy sound.

Now, in my dotage, I play heavier than ever, and tend to use a pretty thin pick.  Thing is, I hold the pick

in such a way that only a little bit of it protrudes, so the thickness isn't really much of a factor.

Go figure?

[Steve Haynie]

The three Black Primetone picks have a nice feel to the plastic, not too slick similar to the Tortex picks, but they are definitely made of stiffer stuff.  The package says it is "bright and durable polycarbonate."  On one side there are grooves and a big "D" and on the other side there are grooves and a "USA."  The "D" sides have a concave indention on all three picks.  For me it felt best to have the concave under my thumb. 

Of the three, the 305 was the least comfortable to me.  Jazz III's have never been my thing, and the 305 has a slightly bigger shape than the Jazz III in addition to the thickness.  My assessment is going to mean nothing on this one.

The 306 looks to be 1/8" longer and it felt much better to me.  I spent the most time noodling around with it trying to decide if I liked it enough to want to buy another.  Actually, I could.  My grip on a pick is usually toward the neck pickup, not exactly centered on the pick.  The 306 still felt comfortable even with its more narrow shape. 

The 308 is about the same shape and size as a standard guitar pick, but it has a sharper point.  The 3mm thickness is close to what a lot of stone picks have, and in the same territory as a lot of V-Picks.  The polycarbonate feels lighter than acrylic, but the weight of guitar picks is so minimal to begin with.  Comparing the 3mm Primetone 308 to the 3mm Dunlop Big Stubby (made of Lexan) and 3mm Clayton S-Stone (hard plastic) I like the feel of the polycarbonate Primetone pick better. 

A pick manufacturer did a video showing how different picks make different sounds when dropped.  These thick black Primetones have a nice coin like sound when they hit my desk.  It is a little higher pitched than the Lexan and hard plastic. 

So, how do they compare in sound?  With the guitar unplugged there is noticeable difference.  The Primetones do not sound as bright as other types of thick picks.  The silhouette of the pick is just as pointy as other picks, but looking at the edge it is not as thin at the point.  Through an amp there is not as much difference.  I mangle anything I play through an amp, though. 

[The Shark]

6 hours ago, SSII x 2 said:

Jazz III user for the last 5 years or so.  When I was a kid, I equated heavy pick with heavy sound.

Now, in my dotage, I play heavier than ever, and tend to use a pretty thin pick.  Thing is, I hold the pick

in such a way that only a little bit of it protrudes, so the thickness isn't really much of a factor.

Go figure?

You landed on about fifty percent of what I like about the Jazz III picks.  They fit perfectly in my finger with just the tip of the pick protruding.  Then, the thickness and edge of the pick work really well with my usual .010 to .052 strings.  V-Picks of the same basic shape were great and had this little different sound that I could hear, when I wasn't using an amp.  It translated into the sound from the amp and I switched back to the Jazz III picks.  I know people think I'm crazy, but I could hear it.

[DBraz]

I like this topic!  Must investigate further.

Zorrow - respect for the King Diamond riffs.

[polara]

I just got a pick made of cocobolo a couple weeks ago, just because they were in this craft shop and locally made. I was shocked at how different a guitar sounds using one, especially the old archtop. If anyone's interested, I can try to remember where I got this. It was $7, I think.

[TobiTill]

Thanks for making me aware of these,

Zorrow and Steve Haynie.

 

I ordered the 305,307,308 and 505,507,508.

The 307 and 507 work best for me (bigger picks, round tip),

no surprise there, as I generally use the Dunlop Jazztone 207 .

 

So far (20 minutes of playing) I love the 3mm and 5mm thickness and the general influence on my tone.

Unfortunately the accompanying click-sounds are too pronounced.

 

Does anyone know about 3mm or 5mm picks (regular size) that don't sound so "clicky"?

 

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

Regards,

Tobias

[zorrow]

4 hours ago, TobiTill said:

Thanks for making me aware of these,

Zorrow and Steve Haynie.

 

I ordered the 305,307,308 and 505,507,508.

The 307 and 507 work best for me (bigger picks, round tip),

no surprise there, as I generally use the Dunlop Jazztone 207 .

 

So far (20 minutes of playing) I love the 3mm and 5mm thickness and the general influence on my tone.

Unfortunately the accompanying click-sounds are too pronounced.

 

Does anyone know about 3mm or 5mm picks (regular size) that don't sound so "clicky"?

 

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

Regards,

Tobias

Now you mention it, it's true hard picks tend to sound "clicky". I love that sound though, as I like the percussive side of playing guitar.

BTW, I'm getting used to the clearer Prime Tone 3.0 mm --the one at the bottom:

I'm loving it. I'm adapting well to the angle they gave to its edge. Getting addict to it here.