clifford_bao_777's Reviews

Good For A While.

I use Thread Tape on the tremolo systems of my guitars. The screw-in style of tremolo arm can get a bit loose/wobbley after extencive use, so from time to time I'll take some thread tape and apply it to the threaded part of the arm. You have to put the tape on backwards or else it will unwind as you screw it in, I usually do 3-4 winds or however many I see necessary for the particular trem system. It makes the threads bigger but still threadable creating a snugger fit when screwed in, it might feel too tight at first but it'll loosen up to a comfortable level. However this only works for a while, I'll have to reapply the tape every two weeks to a month due to heavy use.

Ergonomic, Comfortible, Durible, and They Perform Well.

When I first saw these picks, I knew they were going to be interesting, both because of the "Majesty Symbol" logo on the front, and because John Petrucci's signature gear is always very playable and ergonomic. First time playing the pick, I was actually a little bit scared that playing hard the way I do would absolutely ruin it, but due to the Ultex material, after playing it the first few times it showed no signs of wear and I was using these on Bass, I even dragged it across the strings with only minimal wear. The small triangle profile is a little larger than a Jazz III, and a little smaller than the JP Jazz III XL, but it still feels fine either way, it's basicly a three sided Jazz III. the Dream Theater Logo on the Pick actually serves as a bit of a grip (Though I wish they would put it on both sides though, as the other side has "Jim Dunlop U.S.A." on it), and the edge is ever so slightly angled like the JP Jazz III XL, so you can get a smoother tone with less "pick-drag".

Overall, I would totally suggest these to a friend along with the JP Jazz III XL.

One Year Update

Still using some of these picks from this time last year, they're scuffed up but they're still holding up solid. Actually bought these for a friend, which is something I never really do.

Five Star Picks.

Comfortible, Durible, And They Play Well.

When I first saw these Picks I knew they were going to be great, (Plus the fact that John Petrucci's signature gear is always very playable and ergonomic). I got them and the first thing that stood out was how the tip looked different from the rest of the Pick, the tip was in more of a Gloss Finish wereas the rest of the Pick was in more of a Matte Finish, I'm not sure if it's for durablity or just asthetics but it looks and feels great. First time playing the Pick I was actually a little scared that playing the way I do would ruin such a good looking Pick, but thanks to the Ultex construction, apon playing it showed no signs of wear and I was using these on Bass, I even dragged it across the string and it still didn't wear. The Jazz III profile is comfortible and the JP Shield actually serves as a bit of a grip and the edge is ever so slightly angled so you can get a smoother tone with less "pick-drag".

Overall, I would totally suggest these to a friend.

Best Pick I've Ever Played.

Since I started playing Bass/Guitar I've always loved heavy gauge picks, in fact the first picks I ever bought were Dunlop Tortex 1.14mm, and Dunlop Big Stubby 3.0mm both in standard and triangular. Of the two, the 3.0mm picks were always my favorites, but they always wore down really fast, especially on heavy gauge strings like Bass or Baritone, as I found the Lexan material wasn't hard enough. These are perfect for me and my style of playing, the sloped edge provides a smoother tone, as you don't hear as much "pick-grind" from the edge of the pick scraping/catching against the strings. I've tried a few 5.0mm picks from Dunlop, but I kept finding the tip profile to be too blocky and took too much wearing in, so I keept falling back on these ones. I personally love the thicker-than-usual profile, the textured grip catches your fingers real well, and with these being made of Ultex, they're harder than the 3.0mms and very durable, so they last practically forever. Bottom line: It's everything I could ever really ask for in a pick.

Overall, I might not suggest these to my friends, but I might let them try one first and then see if they're interisted, as I don't belive everyone would like picks this thick.

One Year Update

I'm still using the same pick from last August, the tip & grip texture very wore down, but strumming is as smooth as a knife through butter. I notice the tone is a bit duller/smoother/rounder, but I also notice there's a brief, kind of "Glassy", "Harmonic" sound whenever it contacts the unwound strings. I can only describe it as kind of "Slide-like", as-in like the sound a slide makes swiping against the strings, but only for a brief moment, it's most noticable with the Tone knob set to full. I don't consider it a bad sound, but I can see where it might bother some people, I'll actually tap it or swipe it on the strings and use the sound in the same way some people might use a pinch-harmonic squeal to end a riff or lick.

Still five stars.

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D.O.A.

Dead On Arival. A while back I bought a DS-2 and it never worked right, they light would turn on and that's about all, I figured it was a one-off problem so I later bought a DS-1 and it didn't even light up whereas the last one at least lit up, I know Boss pedals do work with my setup as I also have a BF-3 Flanger that works fine, after those two perchases I've lost some faith in Boss but I still love the sound they make, however that's still gonna be $160 I'll never get back.

Over all I might suggest these to a friend.

Pretty Good, Needs Improvements.

Firstly, great asthetics, the graphics on the picks are Awesome, secondly, the grip is really nice, you can kind of feel it catching the rivets of your fingers, it's not the most grippy pick that I've ever felt, with the most grippy pick being the Dunlop Delrin 500 Prime Grip 1.5mm Guitar Pick which is like Sandpaper, but the grip on this pick gets the job well done.

My complaints: Well firstly, the graphics wear off to easily, I know its not a big deal, but with the great asthetics of the pick, it just kind of takes away from the experiance of playing the pick when the grapics are half-there. On top of that the grapics in the grip section won't come off, so you can't make it look clean either. Secondly, it does show some easy wear, not to a degree to where you should worry about it. Lastly, it could use a bit more of a grip to it, I do realize this is made to James Hetfield's standards, but this is just my opinion.

Overall, I would (and did) suggest these to a friend.

Simple, Versatile, High Quality and Perfect.

Got this pedal a few months ago and I haven't stopped using it. First, the setup is simple as can be, a 7-year-old could use it, it's got a Depth switch, Rate knob and On/Off button, so I think it's the best you can get for such a simple pedal. The sound is great, when paired up with a good amp you can get any sound you want, on a clean amp channel you can get Watery sounds on the low end, and Chimey sounds on the high end. On the Driven channel with the right settings you can get a really thick driven sounds which vaugely remind me of the tone from "Mississippi Queen" by Mountian. And of course I have to mention this was the same pedal used on "Come As You Are" by Nirvana, so with the right Amp settings, a Drop-D tuned guitar you can get the exact sound Nirvana had. The construction is good, however it's just good, it's not exactly built like a Boss Stompbox as it does feel a little thin and hollow, it feels like they wanted to go for a bigger pedal for looks there, however it is strong enough to survive, just as long as you aren't Stomping on it.

Overall, this is a 5-Star Pedal, I would recommend this to a friend, and I will definatly continue to use this pedal.

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