Yeah. It is enough to make you wonder if they are just putting his name on certain varieties to help with sales. I found a video very similar to the Trinity one I posted where he was raving about his Flow model in the same fashion.
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I don’t really mind if his name is being used to sell picks he doesn’t use. There are genuine differences in profile, gauge and materials. Dunlop aren’t just using his name on standard picks and selling them at a higher price. I just think there should be some transparency about what artists actually use.
I’d also appreciate it if somebody had a signature Jazz III which was the material of the old black Jazz IIIs but with the profile that’s used in the EJ and standard ultex versions.
I am not a JP pick expert by any stretch of the imagination, so this might be wrong, but there seem to be some themes:
- The newer endorsements are in Ultem?
- The newer endorsements are 2.0mm and 1.4mm thick (quite rigid)?
- The newer endorsements have bevels, e.g., no sharp corners?
- The newer endorsements have “broad shoulders” (just over 90 degrees?) around the point so it is hard to hang it up by accident?
- All endorsements have a point?
I don’t know how far back one can trace his signature models, but there seem to be themes of his that I have copied. Then again, I look at Paul Gilbert with a non-rigid pick and wonder if it’s just taste.
Well we do know for a fact that he did use the standard jazz 3 for a good number of years before his signature picks, so you really can’t go wrong using that. Unless there’s some sort extra something in his recent playing that you feel boils down to pick choice, I would just use whatever you like and works for you.
My curiosity isn’t so much about Petrucci’s playing, etc. I enjoy early-mid Dream Theater and I respect his playing tremendously, but I’m not very concerned with imitating him.
It just seems so strange to me that he has so many signature picks, I can’t help but wonder.
He’s had a lot of redundant signature everything in the last 8 years. 4 different sets of pickups, guitars etc… sometimes all concurrently.
I started trying out new picks last year and ultimately chose the JP Trinity, and not because JP endorsed it but it was just better than all the rest. It has the tip geometry of the Dunlop Flow (a great pick if you haven’t tried it), the size of a Jazz III, and the triangle shape ensures that you can’t grab it the wrong way. It hooks into the first joint of my index finger which keeps it from spinning around, my biggest problem with other picks. Three tips means you’ll lose it before it wears out.
They’re too expensive, but still worth it IMHO.
For fun I just ordered six 1.4mm Trinity picks to compare with my usual 2.0mm Flow.
So, what did you think? Buy the 40-count bag of trinity picks yet?
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I bought a 6 count shortly after this thread was created. I don’t see myself ever wearing those out but it’s since been my go-to pick. Great product!
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The best way that I can describe them is to take a regular Flow and cut down the top, so it effectively has three points. So in some sense they are clever, but on the other hand, I only need one point, not three. So it’s worth trying if you happen to want the same thickness and material, otherwise a regular Flow will more than suffice.
But note that the injection moulding processes will damage one of the three edges in its middle. This area is unlikely to hit a string, but the defect is there.
How about pick wear? I haven’t seen signs of it yet but I am sure at some point (no pun intended) soon there will be some regular wear, scratches or other damage. Pretty nice to keep the same pick, just rotate 120 degrees : -)
Also, I don’t play out but back when I did every once in a while I would either drop the pick and catch it mid air or have to grab another from the strip on my mic. A pick like this makes recovery easier since there is no fumbling in trying to orient it so the point is where you want it to be.
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They’re finished slicker than a regular Flow (which has kind of a somewhat matte feel to it), and there’s three points, so thrice the durability unless you’re sure to always use the same side all the time. The attack is a bit sharper and the pick immediately slips off the string, while the regular 1.5 Flow has a rounder attack (but still some chirp). There’s a bit of an edge to it that you can feel running your finger across it, while the regular Flow are perfectly smooth, which might explains the sharper attack.
And yeah, John Petrucci has turned into a human billboard over the years. Always new pickups, guitar finishes, now an amp sim (which is like the 7896469386348th prog metal sim from Neural DSP) on top of his signature amp, picks almost every two years and when you look at his mike stand live, they’re not always the same as retail. Always tinkering with something. I’m surprised he only has two signature pedals to be honest! 
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I’ve yet to see any significant wear on the trinity picks I use. I grab it randomly rather than try to orient it the same way, so theoretically each tip gets about the same amount of use. After several months they still look new.
Your mileage may vary.
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I’ll bet it will last for so long that you’ll lose it first! I must confess, there is an elegance to rotation.
To me, “Ultem” seems to last a long time, but I wonder if something new will become popular soon, as there seem to be so many fine plastics to choose from!
I think two of his signatures are essential the Jazz III primetones which are exactly that more ‘premium’ (wear better, harder material, better grip) Jazz III picks. I do like his 1.38mm Jazz III signature black pick quite a bit, its sharper than the normal jazz III primetones but the primetones have a better grip imo.
The one I have is this with just his initials either side
Is this not his regular pick then? I think is a great pick.
It’s his first signature pick… and not his last. As discussed above, there are others, and I’m not even sure he’s always using them. The Trinity is the last one, the one before that is the Flow, then the Primetone, then the first one is the one you use. Dunlop even made a variety pack of his signature picks.
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I know this isn’t the newest thread, but JP was on the Player’s Pick podcast -basically an hour long pod where he talks about all things picks:
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Thank you, that’s answered my question for the most part. Seems he’s mostly using the Trinity for now.
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