Currently I’m using a 1.40mm Ultex Sharp pick. I find it very good and comfortable to use. Ultex is my favourite material for picks. I haven’t found anything else that has that grip yet, when it starts to wear at the tip and has a nice bevel, the strings just seem to slide off it.
What about everyone else? What are you using for picks?
I am also using Ultex Sharp picks, but mine are 2 mm thick. They just feel very comfortable and I also like the fact that the edges are smooth, not like tortex for example, which allows the pick to glide through the strings without much effort. I really recommend everyone to try them!
If you haven’t already, definitely check out our pick choice poll here:
https://troygrady.com/2017/01/18/poll-which-pick-do-you-use/
We collected lots of data points here, and included breakdowns of combinations like pick gauge by instrument and by musical genre.
It’s heavy on electric guitar; rock / metal…but over 3000 responses so lots of interesting data! TL;DR is that Dunlop Jazz III- style picks seem to be a pretty dominant choice.
Note, lots of charts here, as well as the survey itself with images, so it’s a bit easier to view on a larger screen.
Thanks Brendan. I voted when I saw the Youtube video. It certainly was an interesting study and I have never seen anything like it before - I would say there is a fair chance the CTC team are the first people to conduct such a survey.
The Jazz III point is hard to beat! I checked earlier and the Ultex Sharp tip appears to be identical to an XL Jazz III point.
As an interesting aside, I remember reading the Jazz III XL was originally designed for Buckethead!
I am now putting m tape on my picks and it feels great! Currently digging the jazz 3 xl in tortex material but my preferences change often. .88 seems to have better tone while 1.50 feels faster
Anybody tried the Swiss Picks? The normal sized ones work great for me (better than the Dunlop Jazz III JP edition). The mini ones not so much. I have been using the Swiss picks even with acoustic the last few months. I got attached to the holes in the pick. They offer perfect grip for me.
The downside, I don’t like using any other sort of picks since getting used to these ones!
Anyone here has experience with Swiss Picks? I think they are used by Rusty Cooley. Can’t touch his licks though 
Cheers \m/
Ah MAN!!! I gotta try these Jason Becker Bleu Cheese’s! I didn’t know they have a 1.50. I only seen the .80
-Hank
I use a ton of different picks. Jazz III, Ben Eller by BHL, a bunch of varieties by V-picks. I try not to fall too deeply in love with a specific pick. I’ll use anything in a general Jazz-III shape and I’ll use anything from 0.75mm to 4mm.
I use V-picks. it was a game changer for me. Being acrylic, they just slide off of the string for me. I can’t believe more people aren’t using them. Used to use the jazz III but not anymore.
I use dunlop max grips in .73mm and Big Stubby Nylons 1.0 mm sometimes.
I’m not super finicky, as long as it’s pointy. And I prefer “medium” or heavier, and in a “traditional” size. In practice that means Jazz III XL, or one of the sharp full-sized Tortex or Ultex offerings, anywhere from .70mm up to about 1.5mm. If I’m stuck with a non-pointy pick, I like Tortex Standard .73mm or .88mm
Yeah I have Swiss Picks, they are pretty nice picks. I actually got them when I saw Troy posted a video of Rusty Cooley using them.
I think I have a pick problem to be honest…
A few years back I got into stone picks. I love the tone for electric. (agate)
jazz III shapes 1mm to 3mm (no flex in either) although 3mm feels weird tip is too round top to bottom.
at first I just bought some. but liked them so much I ground some of my own.
I’ve made picks of several materials (each with a distinct tonal contribution)
Wood, brass, turtleshell, abalone, bone, hoof, antler, micarta, glass, coins, etc.
Lot’s of comparison. here’s what I liked:
Agate stone for electric. zero wear. easy on strings. no flex. no clicky plastic sound.
cons: expensive if you lose it. can break if you drop it on hard surface.
Deer Antler for acoustic guitar. best tone. warm loud. holds a good edge, gets grippy if you sweat
if you like i’ll up some pics of my pics.
I must try some agate picks after reading your post. I always thought they would have been super hard on the strings, especially on the wound strings.
Please, stick up some pics!
Just using tortex jazz H3 picks here, seem to be wearing through the tips fairly quickly as of late though.
I’m looking into trying some. Very curious about the super thick ones. What type of V-picks are you using?
My current favorite for the electric guitar is a 6mm Classic Gravity Pick. Super comfortable and just glides from string to string.
I used to only use Sik Piks, but decided to try something new to see if I could improve my accuracy. Gravity Picks did it for me.
For acoustic playing I really like the 3 mm Dunlop Prime Tones.
John, I’ll email you through your site sometime this weekend. I have some extras v-picks that you can have if you want, though they may not be the super thick ones you are looking for.
I’ll take video or pictures and send them to you. It’s the least I could do for the content you put up on your channel.
I saw this and had to immediately order some.
