John Petrucci Signature Ultex Jazz III Pick 1.5MM - 6 Pack

I quite like these.. They are pointy and therefore accurate in fast passages. They last longer than tortex picks of the same outline. They are flat, unlike beveled Ultex jazz3s and so many players will prefer this aspect of these picks to what is really the standard. If you like the undersized, medium sharp jazz3 profile, these might accidentally be the best ones on the market right now. They are actually slightly larger than regular jazz 3 picks and i like them more than primetones which are noticeably smaller... The only pick of this profile i like more is the regular Ultex version, (Oh wait, and 205s, if those count. Those are truly great for fast passages too) and that mainoly comes down to the bevel of those picks- They are thick in the center and thin out toward the point. They wear superbly. These wear decent, as they are flatpicks, many player will like these more. They don't take a bit of a learning curve to use if you've played other jazz3s, like beeveled picks such as ultex3s or stubbies.. The textured surface keeps them in hand and I actually quite like the polished edges (This is a feature of some pricier Flow picks and now, having gotten used to it, i think all picks should have polished edges). I think they are universally good picks for fast, single-line playing and associated genres such as bluegrass, jazz and metal. You really don't even have to know who John Petrucci is to appreciate them. I've watched a number of my students switch to these as they play faster music. I, myself, have used these and ultex 3s exclusively when teaching electric guitar for the past two years. I will go out on a limb and call them the best artist series pick ever released. I think that's true..

First and foremost, I want it out there that I've had these picks for a while, so this review takes into consideration the breaking-in period and whatnot. Long story short: These picks are amazing and well worth the price to even try them. Also, this is just my personal opinion. Different people like different types of picks, but this one is just fantastic for me and seems to fulfill everything I want in a pick: (in no particular order) 1. Durability/Material/Grip 2. Thickness 3. Size 4. Pointedness 5. Versatility 6. Price 1. Durability/Material/Grip: First of all, these picks are made of Ultex. Lemme tell you: If you're frustrated with picks that seem to wear out too quickly, you should get these picks on that basis alone. These picks will not wear out, or at least haven't worn out on me. I haven't even worn down one pick yet, and I've had them for quite a while. That's how durable these are. BUT, some people like being able to wear down a pick to their liking. I like my picks to stay fairly consistent in wear (or lack thereof in this case) so my tone can stay consistent. Also, there seems to be a general consensus that authentic tortoise shell is the best-sounding material you can have for a pick, but we don't want to be killing those tortoises, now do we?! And although I have no experience with legitimate tortoise shell picks, I've heard from others that Ultex material is as close as you can get to that authentic tortoise shell sound. Again, I have no experience with that, but I can tell you that these picks do sound quite amazing. Lastly for this category is grip. I really appreciate the raised JP logo grip. It gives enough grip to keep the pick in place, but not too much grip to prevent it from moving around when you need it to. It's a great compromise. However, if you want more grip, just get a file and file to your heart's content. 2. Thickness The thickness of these picks are similar to the Max Grip Jazz III Carbon Fiber picks (if not the same). So maybe about 1.38 mm, give or take. Not too thin and not too thick. It'll stay rigid during leads, but it's also very appropriate for strumming. I've found that thicker picks generally give more control to players, so they don't have to worry about how the pick will react when striking the strings. 3. Size These picks are slightly larger than your average Jazz III picks, which I prefer. Although Jazz III picks are fantastic for leads and articulate single note playing, they can be a pain when strumming. However, the slightly larger size of the JP Jazz III brings the best of both worlds together. Articulate lead playing and strumming isn't a problem with this pick. 4. Pointedness Another thing I've found over time is that pointier picks also give more control to players. They offer great articulation for lead playing, but they also work just fine in a strumming situation. This pick offers that for me. 5. Versatility This one is hard to quantify unless you just try them out for yourself. It's an amalgamation of all the above factors. 6. Price A pack of 6 is about 6 dollars on Amazon. That's a little more expensive than some of the other Dunlop picks, but it's totally worth it in my opinion. When you think about it, those "boutique" picks like Red Bear and Blue Chip can cost over $20 for just one pick! Here you get 6 quality, long-lasting picks for less than 6 dollars. Can't really go wrong. Again, this is just my opinion, and I probably seem extremely biased, but these picks are really that good. Once you break them in and get used to them, which doesn't take long at all, you may never look back. HOWEVER, if you're simply not a fan of Ultex, jazz, pointy, thick, etc. picks, then don't get these unless you wanna see if they'll make a believer out of you :P. Enjoy!

After a couple decades of playing guitar, I finally started exploring a variety of picks, with the goal of finding my ultimate pick (why did I wait so long to start exploring this crucial aspect of plectrum based guitar playing?). I love these for electric guitar playing in a variety of styles (I tend to play clean, in jazz to indie/alternative styles, but other things too). I find the tone and playability generally superior (for my purposes!) to the regular red or black Jazz III's. The red jazz III comes close... albeit with a different, lighter sound (also very excellent, in my opinion). For acoustic (nylon or steel string) I absolutely prefer the red Jazz III instead, and don't particularly care for this pick. All of this is pretty subjective, and so the best thing one can do is just buy a bunch of different picks and see what works best. For me, red Jazz III's are some of the best picks, but for electric playing, I think these JP JazzIII's may just slightly have an edge. It's a close call. I personally don't love the Jazz III XL's (red or black) - found them both disappointing. Red and Black regular Jazz III's are great, but I prefer the red. JP Jazz III is fantastic for electric guitar. I will say that the JP Jazz III is a little bigger than a normal Jazz III, both area wise and thickness wise. But smaller in area than a Jazz III XL (but still thicker). I find the size to be fantastic... a little more secure than the little red Jazz III, but still small and nimble compared to "normal size" picks. I definitely recommend giving them a go! In my experience (YMMV), Jazz III's in general are some of the nicer picks out there, and any of them I've tried (red, black, XLred, XL black, and JP) are better than many other picks out there, by far. These generally just feel good in the hand (maybe with some adjustment period for the smaller picks, like the red III's), and the tone is really special, I think. Enjoy experimenting!

If you're at all a fan of Jazz III max Grip picks you should definitely give these picks a try. Since odds are if you're looking at these, you've already used Jazz III Max Grips (or at least looked at them), that's what I'll primarily be comparing these to. Pros: The JP signature picks are a little larger than the Max Grips, and I think this puts them at the *perfect size* for a pick. They are otherwise about the same dimensions. The John Petrucci picks are also made of a better material in my opinion - they are harder and last longer than most all other picks The material is kinda musical - dropping an assorment of picks on the floor, the JP has a more musical, chimey sound than the more dead sounding Max Grip or celluloid; although this does not necessarily mean it will affect your guitar in the same way. The JP is overall a very refined pick, is all around smooth and classy and doesn't have rough edges or burrs. Cons: Fairly expensive for plastic picks, losing them will set you back more than dime-a-dozen celluloids. Less grip than Max Grips and arguably less grippy than celluloids as well. Make of that what you will - I think the JP is a fine pick for the shredder or rocker, just perhaps not the most economical. Reviews, DIY and more: mattwins. blogspot. com

I started playing with the red/black Jazz III XL's, then found the regular III's a few years later, switched to the Ultex III's, and now I'm on the JP Jazz III's. I feel like I've got a good bit of experience with the Jazz III's to write an unbiased review. Size/Width: 1.5mm is a good thickness, although coming from the regular III's at 1.38mm might take a little getting used to if you've been using them for a good while. For a size comparison, it's literally the step between the regular and XL III's, so it's a great compromise on size. While the red nylon III's bend quite a bit and the black stiffo III's bend ever so slightly, these bend even less. The ultimate stiffo quality yet made from ultex. Tip: It reminds me the most of the black III's, both regular and XL (more like the XL), except for it's slightly sharper. This thing *glides* and makes sweep picking almost too easy compared to the other Jazz III's. Grip: It's made of Ultex, but it honestly feels like a midpoint between the black stiffo and ultex. To me, the black stiffo was too slippery when my hands were sweaty which is when the ultex became *extremely* "grippy" (I swear it's impossible to drop those things). The JP III's don't have quite that same ultex grip, but they aren't slick like the black stiffo material either. Tone: The JP Jazz III tone seems to be a combination of the warm ultex tone and the presence/brightness of the black XL's (the regular black's don't seem to be as bright, probably due to less mass in the pick). In comparison to the regular reds, the JP III is a huge step up as the regular reds seem to have a very flimsy or weak sound, especially on the upper frets. Petrucci himself likes this small presence boost (which is also heard in his signature pickups), so I can see why he made these picks the way he did. Long story short, it's a great tone, which surprised me since I thought it would sound exactly like a normal ultex, warm with no brightness. Durability: I'm using 10-46's and playing mostly metal, just to clarify. If you're playing country, obviously your picks are going to last longer. The durability seems most like the regular black and XL's (which last a good while, maybe a month before most people would hear or feel a difference, depending on how much they play) which again surprised me, as I was expecting the durability of an ultex pick, which seems to have less durability to me than the black III's. I compared one to a new one after playing two hours a day for a full week and I could only tell the difference, although very slight, by running my finger across the edge. Appearance: Less critical, but the JP emblem looks a lot cooler than looking at "Jim Dunlop USA" and "Jazz III" all day (I know what pick I'm using, Dunlop, but thanks for trying to show me constantly). The only issue with appearance I have is that I like to always play with the same edge of the pick as I think some picks play better after they've worn down a little. However, the pick is identical on both sides, so I have to make a little scratch on one side to make sure I always use the correct edge (don't have this problem with the original III's since they're different on each side). If you use picks like I do, this is the only real flaw you'll find with these picks. Otherwise, continue thinking I'm OCD. TL:DR These picks are a great combination between the black Jazz III's and ultex picks and are a great alternative to any Jazz III pick. If you use any Jazz III series pick, order a pack of these and try them. Worst case scenario, you'll be down $5 and have six more picks sitting around, but more than likely you'll have a new pick of choice.

Pretty good picks, Definitely my top choice for something like a Jazz III thats not as small as a Jazz III, Good for bigger hands and can definitely make your precision way more efficient if you have a bigger hand.

Excelente producto de calidad

A little bit of my pick history and reasoning: I've used the orange Dunlop Tortex (.60mm i think?) for the past 10 years. I've been happy with them and I thought I had settled with the best possible pick to suit my needs. I like a medium flex. I feel like I can play dynamically softer but still get some good chunk & chug with a medium thickness pick. I play everything from soft blues, to classic rock, to modern rock, to metal, to progressive rock/metal, so I've always felt my pick needed to have a versatile feel, therefore having a medium pick that felt good seemed to be the best option. Like most guitarists, I've tried hundreds of picks over the years and none of them felt as good as my Dunlop Tortex .60mm to me. I've also used other Jazz III picks and didn't like them enough to switch and pay the money for them. I felt like they were a bit insensitive for some of my needs. Well, that all changed IMMEDIATELY after I struck the string with the JP Jazz III pick. I finally gave in a tried one after hearing JP talk about his work & development with Dunlop for years, and I've gotta say these are great. They're my new favorite pick. They are a bit on the thick/firm side, but since it has such GREAT glide across the string I feel that it makes up for the stiffness. That little shiney black V section of the pick is all glide. It's slick. The coolest thing I've ever felt on a pick. John talks about how it's very important for the pick to glide off the string effortlessly and have low friction, light weight, certain shape, etc, etc. I thought it was just a bit over-the-top and just something that wouldn't make a difference to me......because I'm not a god like JP and nowhere near his skill level. Well, he's totally right and knows what he's talking about of course....and this pick definitely improves my playing. I noticed it as soon as I started playing. I've been using this pick heavily for about a week now. I've probably put about 20+ hours into playing with it. ****PLEASE READ THIS SECTION**** I know lots of people will already know this but for folks that were like me and wanted to try something new again or take a chance on seeing what else is out there, read this. It might remind you of the small/simple things that make a huge difference with guitar playing. -Think about it...when using thin/flimsly picks, it requires more drag, effort, and time for the pick to strike the string. I believe they're great when playing dynamically softer licks. I feel like it allows you to "get more out of the note" and manipulate it better. -Now let's talk about thick/firm picks. They do not budge nor give when you strike the string. That means these picks are ideal for hard chugging and fast picking. With thick picks...it doesn't matter if you're playing a fast passage and you barely hit the string or not, that pick will strike it for you. They're great for that. If your picking is a bit inconsistant or weak, then a thick pick will make up for your slack. The thicker picks let you strike the string with less effort because there is less friction and way less "give" when the pick strikes. So with those points being made, I've found that the glide the JP picks provide is phenomenal and it kind of substitutes of makes-up for the lack of flex in the pick. I feel that it allows me to play softer in a slightly different way while still making a %100 strike even though my hand might have a sloppy moment and not strike the string with %100 effectiveness as intended. The string glide mixed with the thickness/firmness of the pick really complement themselves and make thick pick very unique. The BIGGEST difference in this pick compared to the Tortex picks is the glide and when you strike the string it makes it "click" or "tick" noise. The JP pick is very lightweight too and I've found it makes a difference in my picking hand. I tend to hold the pick tighter the more intense my playing gets (frown face lol. I really need to work on not tensing up when playing full throttle) so my thumb muscles will get really tight and tired after a while of constant intense playing. The JP pick releaves a lot of that friction and drag combined with the lightweight feel, therefore taking less of a toll on my picking hand and getting less tired and allowing me to stay consistant longer :) The Tortex feels like it gets more of a grip on the string and makes more of a dull thud striking noise. I realize that my points of view or way of thinking for picking might be wrong, but that's how I feel it works and that is the logic I've made from my experience. I hope this review helps everyone and I strongly encourage you to try this pick, even if you're a softer player.