The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    i have been round the block with picks. i just re-discovered two blue chip picks that cost me thirty or forty quid EACH. my god!but after coming back from round the block i went back to the first picks i ever used regularly - the red jazz dunlop III pick.its so much better than all the othersi love it - i'm sure some of you do too.butoh butbut but but but butevery single one of the little buggers has a plastic molding ridge going round the thin edge - and this little plastic molding ridge makes the pick sound crap.does anyone have a way of getting rid of this ridge without just having to play with the pick for a week so it gets worn off? i've tried sand paper but it ruins the pick for good....btw - if this isn't the ultimate bit of geekiness i'll eat my pick box. but I'm NOT a geek - I'm not! without the ridge the pick is easily the best of the bunch (and its a BIG bunch) - with it its average at best - and the pick is about as important as the guitar is for determining what sound you get....anyway - i'd love a solution - but if there's no solution a bit of fellow-feeling would help too

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    so i've got loads of jazz III picks - but only a magical and small subset of these are ridgeless and groovy - and i lose these all the time despite trying to mark them in various ways - so i have to use the scratchy ones i hate - and....(is it just me?)

  4. #3

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    Diamond nail file, mate.Make a sanding paddle and glue 1200 grit on it. Get a leather strop and just start buffing.

  5. #4

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    Isn't this just grand : I have been using the black JAZZ II picks for more than 30 years (with little variations in between) for my electric guitars and the best of them were/are those that are played down, i.e. with a self-inflicted bevel ! The black type is made from a different material which sounds different and reacts different to long-term use. The black type II is sometimes hard to get so I recently ordered a pack of red type III picks - I had to shave the tip off and used a file to shape a bevel and now they behave and sound to my liking although they're still not as good as the black ones. Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks .... !

  6. #5

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    i used to use the black ones - better articulation but the tone isn't what i wanti think i just need very fine sandpaper as Jabber suggests'sanding paddle?' - leather strap?

  7. #6

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    Strop!
    Attached Images Attached Images red dunlop jazz III pick blues-razor-strop-jpg 

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
    Diamond nail file, mate.Make a sanding paddle and glue 1200 grit on it. Get a leather strop and just start buffing.
    Could anyone explain this to an absolute technical outsider, especially the part “leather strip and just start buffing”? Is this a three phase operation?
    Last edited by Gabor; 10-11-2019 at 11:29 AM.

  9. #8

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    Funny I've gone through the same circle. Blue chips, Pro Plecs and what not. Recently played with my old favorite, Jazz III and loved the feel, accuracy and sound. Reds have a more nylon snap to them, blacks have a firmer feel and don't snap as much.
    I use extra fine wet sandpaper and buffing compound for beveling. I also like Fender extra heavy tortoise picks. There are two kinds one kind is thicker with a softer material, the other kind is thinner (even the extra thick ones) with a more rigid material. I like to second kind but I haven't been able to find what Fender calls them.

  10. #9

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    Have you tried dragging them across the carpet? That will burn off the edge

  11. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by v281
    Have you tried dragging them across the carpet? That will burn off the edge
    I do that since day one for the shaping and dulling of the tip... since I play rhythm guitar for about 70% - 80% of the song/set/gig I never bothered to buff the edges of my picks. The hard and constant strumming over steel strings takes care of that part ;-)

  12. #11

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    I use short-nap carpet. Pull the pick briskly across the carpet, in both directions, several times. If you do it very rapidly, the heat generated will help remove any roughness quicker. For most picks, it only takes half a dozen or so strokes in each direction, depending on the material the pick is made from.

  13. #12

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    Not to induce GAS but some people have success using a Dremel for this purpose.

  14. #13

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    I've "invented" this carpet thing by myself 30 years ago before the advent of the Internet. It sounded to me, it must work. Did not work. Since then I periodically return back the idea, that it must work, and periodically conclude it does not. Now I am reading others also use this, so obviously I am doing something wrong...

    My other experience in my "need for pick" that I use an 1000 grit rubber like (fret polishing?) piece, also with no success, the pick seems to be smooth by hand, even smother before the repair, but when try to use it feels rough, and sounds bad.

    Jazz III Red, JP Signature black,

    My current carpet for reference :-)

    Opps... can not insert picture, no toolbar....

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by gitman
    Isn't this just grand : I have been using the black JAZZ II picks for more than 30 years (with little variations in between) for my electric guitars and the best of them were/are those that are played down, i.e. with a self-inflicted bevel ! The black type is made from a different material which sounds different and reacts different to long-term use. The black type II is sometimes hard to get so I recently ordered a pack of red type III picks - I had to shave the tip off and used a file to shape a bevel and now they behave and sound to my liking although they're still not as good as the black ones. Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks .... !
    Plus One. As I've mentioned before, when I got my '06 ES-175 I tested all my picks, scores of them. A played-in Black Jazz II was the clear winner. I keep it in a special tin, and try to match my pick experiments to its superior tone. I have a collection of files, bits of stone, and wood for the wearing simulation; and leather for the final buff. Definitely worth the effort.

  16. #15

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    Paper is also good for final buffing. Plain paper is essentially an extra super fine sandpaper.

  17. #16

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    Plain paper works, but very slowly. I often use it as a final step for sharpening a knife, using it like a strop.

  18. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tal_175
    Paper is also good for final buffing. Plain paper is essentially an extra super fine sandpaper.
    I use plain brown paper to shine my frets.

  19. #18

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    I noticed the ridge on the red 111's 30+ years ago when I first started using them.

    Very annoying...feels/sounds bad to me ....so:

    I have played classical guitar for over 40 years and have a low tolerance for finger nails that are rough.

    ...I've always used 1200 grit wet and dry paper for smoothing nails Not sand[glass] paper....far too coarse
    Just adapted the three level of 1200 wear to finessing picks.
    I keep the slightly used, squares of 1200 and also very well used bits too...

    You can start off with the new piece of paper round the edge of the pick ...that's the coarsest
    piece. Take it easy so you don't screw the edge up. [BTW I also will rub the 1200 against another like piece to
    smooth it a bit more sometimes]
    Once I've done the rough shaping of getting rid of the ridge I'll use the two finer grades to smooth the edges.

    So I have a cool little trinket box on my desk with probably 50 or so red 111's smoothed and ready to go.

    It's tedious work....but it's something I do while watching TV .....Takes a little practice but you'll love your picks.
    ...Or you could try Dunlop Primetone sculpted Jazz 111's ....they come with a perfect bevel and a round grip surface.
    You just won't drop these bad boys....however the material they're made of give a bit brighter tone [and they cost a couple of dollars more.
    I warm the tone by angling the pick a little more than I would with the red nylon ones.

    You should be good to go if you do the above.....assuming I described what I do clearly enough.

  20. #19

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    I just buy picks that don't leave me to remove stuff the manufacturer should take care of. That includes most picks.

  21. #20

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    The Ultex version doesn't have the edge, thus my favorite version of the Jazz III, especially the XL size. Currently, 90% of the time, I use an Ultex Jazz II XL or a ProPlec 1.5 (fender shaped) for almost everything. Occasionally an Ultex 1.0 or 1.14, or a fender medium. Love that Ultex!

  22. #21

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    I used a 4 sided nail buffer, readily available for a few bucks at places like Target, Walgreen's, etc.

  23. #22

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    Gee, I've been playing Jazz IIs for more than a decade and never noticed it – I just had a look at some of the unused ones from the bunch I bought like 5 years ago, and they seem to be pretty smooth. I prefer the rounder tip to the Jazz III so I'm not uninterested in good tone – strings and picks are the most important factors to fine tune tone IMHO (Ok, guitar and amp have to be decent). I use the red ones 'cause they are easier to find if I drop them – never thought there would be a difference. And I have no carpet, only wooden floors. Am I just ignorant?

  24. #23

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    Jazz III user for as long as I can remember and it’s 2000 wet sandpaper for me on every pick. Well worth the effort.

  25. #24

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    I like Ultrex picks too. But their rough surface brings out too much of the overtones for my taste. Especially on high E and B strings. So I polish the tips with buffing compound and paper. They sound much better like that with archtops IMO. I also like Primetones which are very similar to Ultex's. I do the same treatment to them to. It mellows them out without losing definition.
    Last edited by Tal_175; 10-12-2019 at 10:09 AM.