The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    After settling on the Dunlop jazz 3 picks for more than a decade, I thought I'd try something different and ordered a pack of D'andrea pro plec 351.
    The difference between this and the jazz 3 is pretty mind blowing actually. The sound is very mellow and kind of velvety. Switching back to the jazz 3 was like turning on a bright switch and diming the treble :-/ I have yet to try the difference through an amp tho. It'll be interesting.
    I think I'll be looking for a pick that is in between the two. Not too bright, not too mellow... Any suggestions?
    Oh and one more thing... The d'andrea is quite a bit bigger than the jazz 3. Going back and forth seemed a little odd... After playing the d'andrea for a while, the jazz 3 felt like nothing was there.. :-/

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  3. #2

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    have you tried the various dunlop stubby's??..the thickness and size differences really change the sound...

    Just got a 12 pack of D'andrea Pro Plec 351-51dm03p6qrl-_sy300_-jpg


    also like the clayton exotics...the smaller bone and horn picks are thick yet their hardness keeps them bright...

    Steve Clayton USA - Exotic Guitar Picks

    cheers

  4. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by neatomic
    have you tried the various dunlop stubby's??..the thickness and size differences really change the sound...

    Just got a 12 pack of D'andrea Pro Plec 351-51dm03p6qrl-_sy300_-jpg


    also like the clayton exotics...the smaller bone and horn picks are thick yet their hardness keeps them bright...

    Steve Clayton USA - Exotic Guitar Picks

    cheers
    Cool! I'll start looking around for the stubby's

  5. #4

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    Or you might consider these:

    Jim Dunlop Jazztone Guitar Picks








  6. #5

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    jazztones are nice too..the very rigid/hard surface reminds me of the clayton exotics...gives it brightness, despite thickness


    cheers

  7. #6

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    Try the Ultex Jazz III pick. It's a bit brighter or firmer than the D'Andreas but much less bright than the red or black Jazz III picks. It may be the material or that the point is more rounded than the other Jazz IIIs. I alternate between the D'Andrea small teardrop and the Ultex Jazz III quite happily.

  8. #7

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    +1 on pro plec picks. They do yield a classic mellow jazz tone. I use the smallest teardrop shape. Work really well for me.

  9. #8

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    Someone on here sold me to ultra plecs. I lost one. Good picks

  10. #9

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    I really tried to like the Pro Pleks since I'd read that so many pros use them, but I was never able to get used to their muted tones.

    Like Bambus, I've been using Dunlop Jazztone 207s for years.

  11. #10

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    Hmmm...muted tones?

    Everything I post here is with a a pro Plec...including stuff like this:



    But to each their own...I think the Stubbys are ear splitting bright...I actually think they are the most horrible sounding picks ever...so goes to show, different strokes...

  12. #11
    whiskey02 is offline Guest

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    Damn you are an eclectic one Mr B.
    The stubbies are in no way "between" the jazz 3's and pro plecs, they are quite bright. Try the ultex jazz 3, they are just a tiny bit larger than the red ones, finished much better, very smooth edges, smooth release off the string and great sound.

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by whiskey02
    Damn you are an eclectic one Mr B.
    The stubbies are in no way "between" the jazz 3's and pro plecs, they are quite bright. Try the ultex jazz 3, they are just a tiny bit larger than the red ones, finished much better, very smooth edges, smooth release off the string and great sound.
    Just started using the Ultex jazz 3, xl series. My favorite pick, so far!

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cunamara
    Try the Ultex Jazz III pick. It's a bit brighter or firmer than the D'Andreas but much less bright than the red or black Jazz III picks. It may be the material or that the point is more rounded than the other Jazz IIIs. I alternate between the D'Andrea small teardrop and the Ultex Jazz III quite happily.
    I actually did use the ultex jazz 3 picks for a long time. However, lately I have mostly been using the max grip ones. I like both for different reasons.
    I have tried a couple of jazz tones, the 205 and the 208. They sound fine but the 205 is too small and the 208 too big.
    I recorded one tune (polkadots and moonbeams) with the d'andrea pick. It's on my Facebook page for anyone interested: http://www.facebook.com/asleroemusic

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    Hmmm...muted tones?

    Everything I post here is with a a pro Plec...including stuff like this:



    But to each their own...I think the Stubbys are ear splitting bright...I actually think they are the most horrible sounding picks ever...so goes to show, different strokes...
    Slightly off topic - my wife and I love Johnny Cash and we thought this was fantastic!! Really nailing the sound, there.

    On topic - I love the Pro Plecs, but I find them to be "gummy" and struggle to play quickly with them. We can only get the 1.5mm ones here, so maybe a thinner one would suit me better, I'm not sure. In a similar vein tone-wise are the Golden Gate picks, which I really, really like. They're a classic oval mandolin pick shape with no point however, so may be uncomfortable for you if you're used to Jazz/351 shapes. I also really like the Jazztones.

  16. #15

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    +1 for Golden Gate picks.

    Warmest sound I've had from any pick.....got on to them when I found out
    that's what Bobby Broom uses.
    Love his sound....immediately recognized.

    As described above the GG's have no actual point as such... the corners are rounded off
    to where they are nearly round picks.

    Also have a little of the gumminess of the Pro Plecs but much less so.....I couldn't
    use PP's at all they almost stick to the string and slow me down.

  17. #16

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    For a sound that's brighter than the one I get with a Dunlop Jazztone (207 or 208), but still full and warm, I use a 2mm Dunlop Delrin pick.

  18. #17

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    Elderly Instruments carries the Cool "Juratex" Jazz Pick In 1.0, 1.2, and 1.5 mm. I bought them in 1.5 mm and they definitely yield a warmer tone and have a nice sand grip. Nice picks as an alternative to Pro Plecs.

  19. #18

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    +1 for you trying the Dunlop Jazztone 205's. They're Jazz lll size but thick enough to have a sculpted edge to give you warmth.

    I use both - I love the mellowness of the ProPlec 651, and the 205's sound (to me) like a 651 with the guitar tone, or amp treble, turned up by three.

    I find the 205's and Jazz lll carbon fibres faster than the ProPlec 651, but the 651 just gives me a warm Wes tone (almost!). Not bad for a pick costing less than 75p!

    Cheers, Simon, Norfolk, UK.

  20. #19

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    I experimented with some new picks recently. I was using the Big Stubby 2mm and other gauges for a few years. The regular and Tortex Dunlop Jazz 3 sounded bright and are too small for me. Hated the Ultex Jazz pick, it sounds like something is scratching against the strings, it gives a weird extra sound. I like the Dunlop Prime Tone, it has a mellower tone than the Jazz 3s but again is small. I splurged and tried a John Pearce Slow Turtle 1.5mm casein pick but it is longer than a regular size pick and would take some adjustment. It does have a nice dark tone. I also tried a wooden John Pearce sarod pick but it makes too much of a clicking noise, way more than the Big Stubby. My favorite is the D'Andrea Pro Plec 1.5mm standard size pick. It has almost as dark a tone as the John Pearce Slow Turtle and is 1/10th the price. The tone differences between these picks is very noticeable.

  21. #20
    whiskey02 is offline Guest

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    Zepheyrrgent,
    Have you checked the PP 351 to see that they're really "flat"? I recently bought 2 dozen 651 jazz shape PP and they were terribly warped, to the point that I couldn't use them. I switched to a standard ultex which I like but I miss the PP tone.

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by whiskey02
    Zepheyrrgent,
    Have you checked the PP 351 to see that they're really "flat"? I recently bought 2 dozen 651 jazz shape PP and they were terribly warped, to the point that I couldn't use them. I switched to a standard ultex which I like but I miss the PP tone.
    I just checked the package of 12 that I bought and they are all flat. It sounds like there was either a bad batch or something happened to them in storage or transit before you got them. Have you or anyone else noticed a scratchy or scraping sound with Ultex picks? Maybe I got a bad batch of them. I can't use them due to that sound.

  23. #22

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    I like the ultex OK but I agree about the scratchy sound. But still not bad.

    My #1 pick is the PP351 too. I totally dig it. I may try some other shapes, but Pro Plec wins the day for me!

    Also, Dunlop 208 is a good sounding pick. I could live there if Pro Plecs were to disappear.

  24. #23
    whiskey02 is offline Guest

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    Are you guys talking about Dunlop ultex? I find their edges perfectly smooth and noise free. Those picks are run through a tumbler for days to smooth the edges, as are the Pro Plecs. I have tried Clayton ultem and they were simply stamped and had edges like a credit card, just terrible.

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by whiskey02
    Are you guys talking about Dunlop ultex? I find their edges perfectly smooth and noise free. Those picks are run through a tumbler for days to smooth the edges, as are the Pro Plecs. I have tried Clayton ultem and they were simply stamped and had edges like a credit card, just terrible.
    Yes, I tried Dunlop Ultex picks for the first time. They look normal and don't have any rough edges, but the sound they produce is like someone scratching or scraping the strings, unlike any of the other picks I mentioned in my post. It sounds like they are made of sandpaper.

  26. #25

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    I have found that the ProPlec warps slightly to my finger shape after using them for a few weeks. Maybe they’re susceptible to the heat and moisture from fingers.