JIM DUNLOP Acoustic Guitar Tailpiece (24427150106)

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/Grip2. Thickness3. Size4. Pointedness5. Versatility6. Price1. 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. ThicknessThe 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. SizeThese 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. PointednessAnother 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. VersatilityThis one is hard to quantify unless you just try them out for yourself. It's an amalgamation of all the above factors.6. PriceA 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!

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:DRThese 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.