Hey Everyone! I'm a noob to the forum, so I first wanted to say there is some fantastic info on this site. I didn't know where people were putting gear reviews so I hope this is alright.
Ok now the good stuff. In my search for better picking I came upon the first post about the JazzIII's. I've been retarded insane with Paul Gilbert lately going through his instructional DVD's and what not, so I broke down my picking problem to the picks. My primary guitar is a 6 String Schecter006, but I got a 7string Omen a few months back which has become my main home practice guitar. Plays great after a few mods.
So in my own test of different picks I purchased 5 different types and here's my review.
Picks:
I picked a simple scale pattern, arpeggio and some chunky ryhthm riff and used the different picks with the same patterns.
Alternate Picking
I'll start with the J3's Nylon. First impression with the Red, very thick, small in finger grip. Alternate picking became instantly more defined and actually effortless to be consistent on all strings. The small size of the pick was bizarre at first but became very easy to adjust to. If you're not used to thicker picks then you better stretch out your picking hand.
Black J3's. One would think since it's the same brand but different color they should be the same. Well I guess there's some difference in the actual materials it's made out of. The black one's felt less bulky between the fingers but played just as good as the Red ones.
Dunlop Ultex Standard .73 and Dunlop Ultex Standard 1.0
These picks are very smoothe so if you are a sweaty bastard on stage these things will be flying around like crickets from your hand. They are your standard shape picks. Again there's little grip so, one handy thing is take a cuticle tool for your fingers, one with a pointy tip, and just scratch a waffle type design in each side. Hello Grip! These picks seem really bulky and fumbled alot. Seems like you have to put more effort into accuracy. But again, once you get used to them, it becomes easier to not fudge a note. I liked the 1.0 best, with being more stiff it was easier to play better.
Ibanez Sand Grip Wizard - Heavy
Now with these picks, I've never seen them before. On each side of the pick there is a sandpaper oval to grip your fingers. Very very nice. I'm part of the "My Hands Sweat Like A Pig Club" so this was a pleasant find. The picks are more squatty than standard picks and there is a nice point at the tip. These actually, for me, played everything the best. Same accuracy as the J3's, but has more grip and more pick to hold onto.
Arpeggios - Sweep Picking
It takes a little different approach to get a good sweep with the J3's. But once you get it, it's like "butta." The Dunlop Ultex seemed lethargic because of the pick size. The Ibanez Wizards cut through it like a nerds' WarCraft character slicing up some Orcs. Again I like the Ibanez Wizards, but the J3's played great too.
Chunky Riff - Meat and Potatoes
Now if you're a heavy ryhthm player with alot of palm muting, the J3's are going to make you feel like a pussy. With the small pick size it's more challenging to get a good sounding "CHUNGE" out of the strings. It's not impossible but just takes some practice. The Ultex picks did fine with the palmy stuff, but was kinda sloppy if you're palm muting and chunging a pattern. The Wizards' did a fine job, still getting the ballsy chunk and accuracy. I sound like I'm getting paid by Ibanez or something? Actually I'm not fond of Ibanez products so there!
So overall.
I hope this can help some people out. Good luck and of course this is just my opinion so no need to get into a pissing match about what's better and what's not. It's all about the music and how you feel it.
(PLUG: check out my band http://www.myspace.com/audiblethread and http://www.myspace.com/urinebath HAHAHA!)
Ok now the good stuff. In my search for better picking I came upon the first post about the JazzIII's. I've been retarded insane with Paul Gilbert lately going through his instructional DVD's and what not, so I broke down my picking problem to the picks. My primary guitar is a 6 String Schecter006, but I got a 7string Omen a few months back which has become my main home practice guitar. Plays great after a few mods.
So in my own test of different picks I purchased 5 different types and here's my review.
Picks:
- Dunlop Red Nylon - J3's
- Dunlop Black Stiff - J3's
- Ibanez Sand Grip Wizard - Heavy
- Dunlop Ultex Standard .73
- Dunlop Ultex Standard 1.0
I picked a simple scale pattern, arpeggio and some chunky ryhthm riff and used the different picks with the same patterns.
Alternate Picking
I'll start with the J3's Nylon. First impression with the Red, very thick, small in finger grip. Alternate picking became instantly more defined and actually effortless to be consistent on all strings. The small size of the pick was bizarre at first but became very easy to adjust to. If you're not used to thicker picks then you better stretch out your picking hand.
Black J3's. One would think since it's the same brand but different color they should be the same. Well I guess there's some difference in the actual materials it's made out of. The black one's felt less bulky between the fingers but played just as good as the Red ones.
Dunlop Ultex Standard .73 and Dunlop Ultex Standard 1.0
These picks are very smoothe so if you are a sweaty bastard on stage these things will be flying around like crickets from your hand. They are your standard shape picks. Again there's little grip so, one handy thing is take a cuticle tool for your fingers, one with a pointy tip, and just scratch a waffle type design in each side. Hello Grip! These picks seem really bulky and fumbled alot. Seems like you have to put more effort into accuracy. But again, once you get used to them, it becomes easier to not fudge a note. I liked the 1.0 best, with being more stiff it was easier to play better.
Ibanez Sand Grip Wizard - Heavy
Now with these picks, I've never seen them before. On each side of the pick there is a sandpaper oval to grip your fingers. Very very nice. I'm part of the "My Hands Sweat Like A Pig Club" so this was a pleasant find. The picks are more squatty than standard picks and there is a nice point at the tip. These actually, for me, played everything the best. Same accuracy as the J3's, but has more grip and more pick to hold onto.
Arpeggios - Sweep Picking
It takes a little different approach to get a good sweep with the J3's. But once you get it, it's like "butta." The Dunlop Ultex seemed lethargic because of the pick size. The Ibanez Wizards cut through it like a nerds' WarCraft character slicing up some Orcs. Again I like the Ibanez Wizards, but the J3's played great too.
Chunky Riff - Meat and Potatoes
Now if you're a heavy ryhthm player with alot of palm muting, the J3's are going to make you feel like a pussy. With the small pick size it's more challenging to get a good sounding "CHUNGE" out of the strings. It's not impossible but just takes some practice. The Ultex picks did fine with the palmy stuff, but was kinda sloppy if you're palm muting and chunging a pattern. The Wizards' did a fine job, still getting the ballsy chunk and accuracy. I sound like I'm getting paid by Ibanez or something? Actually I'm not fond of Ibanez products so there!
So overall.
- The J3's - Great for accuracy and speed is not an issue with these picks. Pick size and less grip could be an issue for sausage fingers. Chunky riff players may have a problem with these.
- Dunlop Ultex - Standard pick size, very smooth, could slip from sweaty fingers easily. But the 1.0 were better for accuracy.
- Ibanez Wizard Sand Grip - The Heavy picks worked great. Awesome grip, smaller pick, pointy tip, played chunky riffs well and speed picking was very accurate.
I hope this can help some people out. Good luck and of course this is just my opinion so no need to get into a pissing match about what's better and what's not. It's all about the music and how you feel it.
(PLUG: check out my band http://www.myspace.com/audiblethread and http://www.myspace.com/urinebath HAHAHA!)
