John Petrucci takes a break from

mixing the new Dream Theater

record (due out this summer)
to show us his pick of choice.

56 GUITAR ONE guitaronemag.com APRIL 2007

GEAR FEATURE

TALKING
POINTS
Dunlop Jazz III: The Players Pick

BY MICHAEL MUELLER

or over 20 years, and without fanfare, the Dunlop Jazz

III has become the pick of choice for many of todays
most demanding and technically proficient guitarists.
But a feature story on a guitar pick, you ask? Well,
the Dunlop Jazz III isnt just any guitar pick. Indeed,
according to our esteemed panel of players players, the Jazz
III may as well be some sort of super-pick, capable of improving
not only your articulation but also your tone.
Take, for example, Eric Johnson, one of the Jazz IIIs longtime
endorsers. While discussing our mutual fondness for the Jazz III,
he revealed that he prefers the original version of the pick, one
red one on which JIM DUNLOP appears in upper-case type on
the pick, to the current version, which has Jim Dunlop in script.
At first, this sounded like another spectacular dying battery
myth brewing, but in fact, Johnson gave me one of his picks to

ANNA DICKSON

JOHN
PETRUCCI

Red or Black: Blackthey match your

clothes better! Seriously, theyre stiffer than the red ones; theres some sort
of extra ingredient. That stiffness allows for a direct transfer of energy
from your hand to the stringtheres
no lag time.

compare (pictured at right), and sure enough, the

originals have a lower density and a bit more flexibility, which affects the attack, and thus, the tone.
And when it comes to tone, face it, you really cant
get one past ol EJ. According to Dunlop, Johnson recently sent one of his picks to the company, which then
performed a laser scan of the pick, so that they could begin
manufacturing them again specially for him.
Despite Eric Johnsons testimonial, its still fair to ask: Can
a guitar pick really improve your tone? The answer is: it depends a lot on you. But theres no denying that it plays an important role in your tone chain. Whether its right for you or
not can only be decided with a thorough trial. But be warned:
once you try the Jazz IIIbe it the red one, the black one, or
Dunlops brand-new Ultex versionyou might never touch
another pick again.

How I Discovered It I was watching a Michael Angelo instructional video, and he

was using one, so I thought Id try it.
Why Its My Pick Because it has a point on
it, if you angle the pick a certain way, not
parallel to the string, but at an angle to it,
theres very little resistance. And I like the
tone of it, the way the strings sound when
the pick comes in contact. Theres a certain
fatness, or sweetness, and the high end

comes through great. It seems funny that

a pick can do that, but if you experiment
with other materials, gauges, and shapes,
you can hear it for yourself.
Why Its the Players Pick Its for everything I stated above. Its very conducive to
playing fast; that is, it doesnt give way, or
antagonize what youre doing. The point
just glides on the strings, and it sounds
very precise with lots of clarity.

GUITAR ONE 63

GEAR FEATURE

MICK
THOMSON

Red or Black: The black onesStiffo!

Why Its My Pick Ive spent 20 years

playing with nothing but the black
Jazz III sharp. Every aspect of my approach is based around it. I have to
change the way I pick when I try using a standard, Fender-style pick.
Why Its the Players Pick Its
small and precise, and theres no
wasted energy. Simply said, it
goes where you put it.

MARK
TREMONTI
Red or Black: I use both, but primarily the black ones.

How I Discovered It Rusty Cooley loaned me a pick that was kind

of in-between a normal one and
a Jazz III. From there I decided to
get to the bottom of this whole
pick thing, so I went to a guitar
store, bought about 15 different
picks, and started reading guitar
forums on the Internet. And the

Jazz III was pretty popular. So I decided to play with only that pick
for a couple of days, and after that
my 1-mm nylon pick felt like a
paddle. Now I cant go back.
Why Its My Pick I think its an
articulate pick, its precise, and
it offers an inherent economy
of motion. Its great for technique playing, especially alternate picking and three-notesper-string stuff. Im not so sure
blues guys would dig it, but who
knows? After all, Joe Bonamassas on this list!

Why Its the Players Pick

Look at the guys on this list
theyre all fast pickers. The
Jazz III is so precise, and with
its size and mass it just makes
sense that a smaller pick with
a point will get to next note
quicker. But its not just for
that. I was jamming with John
Connelly from Sevendust and
told him to try it for a few
days. Sure enough, hes using
it. And hes not a technique
guy; hes more of a percussive
rhythm player, so it works
great for that, too.

JOE BONAMASSA

Red or Black: I prefer the red one. To me, it sounds better. Its a little shinier, has a warmer sound, and feels better in my hand.

ALEXI
LAIHO

Red or Black: Black, because its

stiffer and the red ones tended to
slip from my hand.
How I Discovered It I was using silver
picks, but they were like $3.00 apiece
and they stopped making them. I was
at a music store and saw the Dunlop
Jazz III, so I decided to try it.
Why Its My Pick Its the sharp tip. To
me, it thickens the sound and produces a great high end. I also like the
size of the pick. I tried the Jazz III XL,
but I prefer the smaller, original one.
Why Its the Players Pick I think its
because it sounds better with alternate picking.

How I Discovered It I used a Fender medium pick when I

was a kid. Then Danny Gatton turned me on to Fender jazz
picks, but they werent as easy to hold. So I went to a guitar store and bought some other small Fender picks, Dunlop Tortex picks, and Jazz I, II, and IIIs. The Jazz I was too
round; the Jazz II was better, but the Jazz III gave me this
sense of accuracy and articulation, and I found that it gave
me this big amount of attack with only a small amount of
picking. I was also able to do my half-assed Al Di Meola picking impersonation with it, which I liked. Then I read
that Eric Johnson and these other great players were using
it, and I was hooked. I cant use a normal pick anymore.
Once you go to the Jazz III, you cant use any other pick.
Why Its My Pick I play rhythm guitar a lot with my hands, fingerstyle, and the Jazz III is so easy to tuck away between your index finger and thumb. And it also seems to pop right back into place when I need it for picking. I
tried the bigger version of it (Dunlop Jazz III XL), but it just wasnt the same feel. The only problem I have with
the Jazz III pick is that I tried to get Dunlop to spell out B-O-N-A-M-A-S-S-A across the pick, but it just wont fit!
Why Its the Players Pick I think its good for the faster guys, as it suits that style. Its a dynamic pick
that allows you to play soft or hard. They dont wear out, which is nice. I dont go through a bucket
of picks at each gig. And theyre great for accuracybut be warned: they do bring out the mistakes if
youre sloppy. Its a tradeoff, but it forces you to be a cleaner player.

64 GUITAR ONE guitaronemag.com april 2007

Thompson: Retna; Tremonti: David Atlas/Retna; Bonamassa: Chad batka; Laiho: Jimmy Hubbard

How I Discovered It I picked one

up at a guitar shop when I was 13.

Red or Black: Usually black, but every once in a while

if weve run out, Ill
use the red ones.

How I Discovered It
I think I picked the
Jazz III because I
heard of some shreddy-ass guitar players who used those
picks. Back in the
day I was only an OK

soloist, so I wanted to find anything

that could help me
play like my heroes.
I picked up a Jazz III
and have been using
them ever since.

lean, accurate, sharp,

and to the point.
Why Its the Players Pick Id have to
say its due to the
fact that the Jazz III
doesnt compensate
for you. Its all about
accuracy and exactly what you need
to play to make the
note happen. That
is, I think the pick offers just enough
of what you need in
a pick to make the
notes happen.

Why Its My Pick I

play way more accurately with this pick
than any other. Ive
tried standard picks,
but I always seem to
play rather sloppy
with them. The Jazz
III plays and sounds
just like it looks

IT AINT THE FEET,

ITS THE
MOTION.

WE TEST IT

In the interest of full disclosure, Ive been using the

red Jazz III pick since 1991, when a music-school
friend who saw me filing the tip of a Dunlop Tortex
Heavy to a point, held up a Jazz III in his hand, and
suggested I give it a try. So we asked several G1 staff
members (who are also professional guitarists) to try
it out. Heres what they had to say.

Tom KolbAssociate Editor

My Pick: Fender Medium

I tried the red Jazz III pick and found it quite useful for
tremolo picking (mandolin lines, reggae rattles, and
hard-rock single-string passages). I dont like it for
funky strumming because I often hold the pick with
my thumb, first, and second fingers, and the pick is
too small to facilitate that particular grip. I like a bigger pick, in general, because its easier for me to obtain a wider variety of dynamic textures, which is a
major aspect of my playing style.

Michael ButzenContributing Writer

My Pick: Dunlop Jazz III

I really like feeling and hearing the pick hit the strings.
Theres something about the physicality of it makes
me play better. The Jazz III offers enough resistance
to do the trick but is flexible enough that it doesnt
feel like Im playing with a piece of granite. Also, the
surface area is perfect for me. To me, the commonsize pick feels too big and cumbersome. The Jazz IIIs
sharp point is perfect for accurate shredding. I prefer the red ones, though I cant pinpoint why. My
only complaint is that they feel a bit slippery, and as
a member of the sweaty hands society, thats a problem. So I burned the top edge for extra grip.

Dale TurnerWest Coast Editor

My Pick: DAddario purple .043 (discontinued)

I actually dislike picks with any sharp point on them
(like the Jazz III), as the lack of a slightly rounded edge,
in my hands, produces a thinner tone than that of traditionally sized picks. I find its most noticeable when
playing single notes on a clean-toned electric or on a
full-bodied acoustic. I also dislike small picks, in general. If you use a closed-fist picking grip, as I do, a traditional pick has a greater amount of surface area in contact with your hand, which I feel results in a warmer
tone and a more powerful and projecting sound.

MOTION CONTROL. The FIRST real

innovation in guitar expression since the
wah-wah pedal. Advanced effects control
combining a hand/body motion sensor
with our exclusive Wah Filters and Phaser/
Flanger effects consoles.

Chris GillTech/Senior Editor

My Pick: Whatever is within reach

SEE IT. HEAR IT. BUY IT.

WWW.SOURCEAUDIO.NET

?fk?Xe[NX_=`ck\ij

?fk?Xe[G_Xj\i&=cXe^\i

66 GUITAR ONE guitaronemag.com APRIL 2007

For me, my choice of pick depends on what style Im

playingIve used everything from a flexible standard-size stainless-steel pick to emphasize artificial
harmonics to a heavy Fender jazz for hybrid picking.
For years I preferred a green or yellow Dunlop Tortex
Sharp, but lately Im leaning more towards a black
Jazz III because it has the best attributes of all the
picks I likea nice sharp point for precise picking and
snappy attack; a small, comfortable size thats perfect
for hybrid picking; and a stiff feel. Plus you dont have
to choke up on the pick to get squealing, edge-ofthe-finger pinch harmonics.

RETNA

Based on a 25-year-old design by Bob Taylor, the 914ceLTDs Cindy inlay is exquisite.

GEAR FEATURE

MATT
HEAFY