For me, the obsessive part of me wants to find the PERFECT pick… after 25 years, I have come to accept using different tools for different guitars/music/tone. I have so many different picks it is kinda laughlable… a huge bag…100s
Take Jazz III Red seems slightly softer than the stiffer black, evident with gyspy jazz style on acoustic with heavy strings. It is a small pick, sometimes, too small. The tone is nice, the character of the attack is pleasing for metal or acoustic stuff. Versatile.
Ultex and the new, Primetone Ultex blend, are probably my fav. The Sharp, isn’t ridiculously sharp, just a 1.mm or son narrower at the sides of tip of the pick. The material is stiff and snappy, the character it is has brings out mids and highs, tightening bottom end. It is stiff enough for keeping the gauge low enough to hear the character of Ultex and pick scrapes! If your using 9’s or even 10’s you can get away with .88s to 1.14mm without bringing fatigue ( overshooting your wrist movement).
Snarling Dog ( brain) Nylons .88 to 1.0mm and or Dunlop Nylon .88, .96. 1.0 1.14 mm all work, more treble on pick attack, slightly more mid scooped in character it imparts imo, ymmv
Those are my choice picks for metal and rock.
If I am just lazy, or doing blues or acoustic or all the above, I will grab a tortex, or tortex edge .88 to 1.14
For acoustic, Jazz III Black, Ultex 1.14, Gator 2.0, Coconut shell ( custom pick), V-pick 3.5mm (triangle) are also usual go-to’s.
Notable mentions: Pickboy metacarbonate, very stiff, decent shape, little small, doesn’t like pick scrapes, Delrin, like soap-stone… wears fast, great with single coils in high gain or a very bright acoustic gtr.
Gator, .88-1.0mm, sharp edge, great for metal, however the tone becomes thuddy very noticably on high gauges 1.5-2 and higher), Big Stubby, very soft tip, decent with blues or strumming, celluloid - a standard, snappy pick attack, but a little soft, but all-around pick. Bone, shell, faux bone, can sound amazing, but can be costly to downright illegal ( tortoise). In fact, REAL hawksbill picks are what has inspired the faux tortoise shell celluloid picks, custom bone picks, faux bone picks, horn picks, and what led to Ultex and Prime. I know someone who got a hold of a real tortoise shell pick and he said, the tone is unique to anything he has tried. It is snappy, chimey high notes, blooming mids with mud or honky, tight bottom (no thud or wool) and blooming midrange. Sounds amazing huh? Well they are and they are illegal to own… sorry guys. haha
