A mixed pack of twelve picks in five materials and several thicknesses. Pick material and thickness change tone and grip more than most beginners expect, and neither can be judged from a photograph.
Jim Dunlop Variety Pack (12)
A mixed pack of twelve picks in five materials and several thicknesses. Pick material and thickness change tone and grip more than most beginners expect, and neither can be judged from a photograph.
Count
12
Materials
Ultex, Tortex, Jazz III, Gator Grip, Max Grip
Use
Electric and acoustic guitar, bass
Amazon reference
DE B0752N9XTL · US B07H277CDP · GB B0752N9XTL · FR B0752N9XTL · IT B0752N9XTL · ES B0752N9XTL
EAN
0710137102491
Answers the thickness question in one afternoon instead of over months
Grip materials included, which matter more than tone for anyone whose hands sweat
No US offer at the time of writing
Best for: A first month with a guitar, or anyone who has only ever used one pick.
DE B0752N9XTL · US B07H277CDP · GB B0752N9XTL · FR B0752N9XTL · IT B0752N9XTL · ES B0752N9XTL
EAN
0710137102491
Picks cost almost nothing and change the sound more than most pedals. The problem is that no description tells you which one suits your hands, and buying them one at a time takes months.
This pack solves that in an afternoon: twelve picks across five Dunlop materials — Ultex, Tortex, Jazz III, Gator Grip and Max Grip — in a range of thicknesses.
Two things to pay attention to while you work through them. Thickness, printed in millimeters, decides how the pick behaves: thin flexes and strums, thick articulates. And grip material decides whether the pick stays in your fingers after twenty minutes, which is a bigger issue than any tonal difference for anyone whose hands sweat.
Once you know what you like, buy that one in a pack of twelve. You will still lose them.
The questions players ask
Does pick thickness really change the sound?
Noticeably. A thin pick flexes and softens the attack, which suits strumming; a thick one transfers more energy and articulates single notes. Thickness is printed in millimeters on Dunlop picks — around 0.5 mm (0.02 in) for strumming, around 1.0 mm (0.04 in) and up for lead.
What is Jazz III?
A small, thick, pointed pick with a devoted following among lead players. It feels wrong at first if you are used to a standard shape, and it is worth trying precisely because it is so different.
A two-inch polypropylene strap with stitched leather ends and an extended end that carries three picks. It adjusts to 72 inches — the longest on this shelf — and the picks are a separate purchase.
Length
41 to 72 in — 104 to 183 cm (40.9 to 72 in). The longest maximum on this shelf; the other three straps here stop at 60, 60 and 56 in (maker’s bullet)
Width
2 in polypropylene webbing, stated for comfort and durability (maker’s bullet)
Ends
Quality black leather, securely stitched to the webbing (maker’s bullet)
Pick holder
An extended leather end holding up to three picks, on the lower front of the strap (maker’s bullet)
Picks
Not included, stated twice in the listing. One of two items on this shelf that contains no picks at all (maker’s bullet)
Pick gauges
Ernie Ball puts nothing in writing on this, because no picks are supplied. Three listings on this shelf publish millimeter figures for the picks they include
Load rating
Ernie Ball puts nothing in writing on this. No strap on this shelf publishes a load or a breaking strength
Color
Black (from the title)
Manufacturer reference
P04039
Weight
91 g (3.2 oz) in the product record
Amazon reference
B07N28MVG5
EAN
0749699100263
Seventy-two inches is the longest adjustment on this shelf — a bass worn low, or a tall player
Stitched leather ends rather than molded plastic, on the two points that actually tear
No picks supplied, where four items on this shelf include between four and twelve
Best for: A bass or an electric worn low, by a player tall enough that most straps run out.
Four blocks that clip over a strap button to stop the strap coming off, with no drilling and no hardware changed — plus a channel that anchors the lead and a holder with four non-slip picks in two gauges.
What it does
Blocks that slip over an existing strap and button to stop the strap releasing, stated to protect against accidental drops and slips. The only strap locks on this shelf, and the product answer to this shelf’s own question about them (maker’s bullet)
Modification
None. Stated to need no permanent modification, so vintage and valuable instruments keep their original buttons — which is the difference from traditional locks, where the button itself is replaced
Quantity
Two pairs, four pieces — enough for two instruments (maker’s bullet)
Cable hook
A channel that anchors the lead to the lower block, stated to keep the cable plugged in and tidy underfoot. The only cable anchor on this shelf (maker’s bullet)
Pick holder
The upper block can hold picks (maker’s bullet)
Picks included
Four non-slip picks — two at 0.71 mm (0.03 in) and two at 0.96 mm (0.04 in). One of three listings on this shelf to publish a millimeter figure (maker’s bullet)
Fitting
Stated to clip onto the strap button, reusable across instruments (maker’s bullet)
Material
IVU CREATOR puts nothing in writing on this — no polymer, no metal, for a part whose whole job is not to fail
Manufacturer reference
IVU CREATOR publishes none. The listing carries no maker’s code at all, only the Amazon reference below
Recorded size
115 × 85 × 15 mm (4.53 × 3.35 × 0.59 in) in the product record, for four pieces
Weight
18 g (0.6 oz) in the product record — the lightest figure recorded on this shelf
Amazon reference
B0B12GXLQR
EAN
0767235257844
Strap locks that change nothing on the instrument: no drilling, no replaced button
A cable anchor on the lower block, which nothing else on this shelf offers
No material published, on a part whose only job is to not let go
Best for: A guitar played standing, or any instrument whose original buttons should stay original.
A capo, a chromatic clip-on tuner with pitch calibration, a two-inch nylon pickholder strap and six medium-gauge picks in six colors. The better-specified tuner on this shelf, and the narrower pick selection.
Tuner
Clip-on, chromatic, with a high-definition screen and pitch calibration, stated for guitar, bass, ukulele and violin. Battery included. The only tuner on this shelf that publishes either chromatic operation or calibration (maker’s bullet)
Capo
Stated one-handed operation, consistent fretting, and an adjustable fit for almost any neck profile (maker’s bullet)
Strap
Black nylon with leather ends and a built-in pick holder. 2 in wide, adjustable 40 to 60 in (maker’s bullet)
Picks
Six celluloid picks, medium gauge, rounded tip, in black, red, green, white, blue and purple. One gauge for all six — where another box on this shelf supplies four gauges (maker’s bullet)
Pick gauge in millimeters
MARTIN puts nothing in writing on this. *Medium* is stated and no figure is given; one box on this shelf publishes 0.46, 0.71, 0.96 and 1.2 mm (0.05 in)
Capo clamping range
MARTIN puts nothing in writing on this. Neither of the two capos on this shelf publishes a neck thickness or a clamping range, and *almost any neck profile* is the maker’s wording
Tuner accuracy
MARTIN puts nothing in writing on this — chromatic operation and calibration are stated, a cent figure is not
Recorded size
229 × 203 × 152 mm (9.02 × 7.99 × 5.98 in) in the product record
Manufacturer reference
18PROMO0002
Weight
320 g (11.3 oz) in the product record
Amazon reference
B0DFQHYFFJ
EAN
0729789679527
A chromatic tuner with pitch calibration, which no other tuner on this shelf publishes
Leather ends on the strap, which is one of two straps here to state them
Six picks in one gauge, where the shelf’s own reasoning says to try both ends of the range
Best for: A player who wants the tuner to be the good part of the bundle, and has already chosen a pick.
A metal grille rather than mesh, with slats angled to send air downward instead of scattering it — on a 12.4-inch gooseneck, and the only filter here to publish what its clamp will grip.
Filter
A durable metal grille whose angled slats divert air downward — a different mechanism from mesh, which scatters it
Gooseneck
12.4 in — the only gooseneck length published on this shelf
Clamp capacity
Mounts to most microphone stands or boom shafts up to 18 mm (0.71 in) in diameter — the only clamp figure on this shelf
Material
Metal. One filter here is nylon mesh, one is foam, one layers mesh, metal and foam, and one offers all three as separate filters
Stated purpose
Shielding recordings from popping while preserving vocal quality, for podcasts, broadcast, streaming and vocals
Layers
Gator puts nothing in writing on this. A metal grille is a single structure rather than a stack
Diameter
Gator puts nothing in writing on this. One filter here publishes 6 in
Cleaning
Gator puts nothing in writing on this, though metal is the one material here that can be wiped
Weight
113 g (4 oz) in the product record. One filter here is heavier still at 209 g (7.4 oz), and the three-filter package weighs 980 g (34.6 oz)
Amazon reference
B08VBMH1M3
EAN
0716408555799
The only filter here that publishes what its clamp will grip — shafts up to 18 mm (0.71 in)
The only published gooseneck length, at 12.4 inches
The most expensive filter on this shelf, at six times the cheapest
Best for: A desk arm whose shaft has been measured, where the filter needs wiping rather than replacing.
A padded bag for a 49-key keyboard with an X-shaped zipper that opens the whole top, a reflective strip on the front, convertible straps, and two elastic bands inside to hold the instrument still.
Fits
49 keys — the M size, stated in the maker’s own bullet. The only bag on this shelf sized below 88 keys
Opening
X-shaped zipper, stated to give easy access rather than the struggle of a straight zip. The only X-zipper on this shelf (maker’s bullet)
Visibility
V-shaped reflective strip, stated for low-light conditions. The only reflective element on this shelf (maker’s bullet)
Carrying
Single shoulder strap, convertible to a dual-strap backpack, adjustable (maker’s bullet)
Shell
Stated thick, durable and waterproof material, against rain, spills and accidental bumps (maker’s bullet)
Inside
Two mesh pockets on each side for chargers, phones, microphones and manuals, and two elastic bands that hold the keyboard against sliding in transport (maker’s bullet)
Padding
GETTOONE puts nothing in writing on this. One keyboard case on this shelf publishes 6.6 mm (0.26 in), and the two guitar bags here publish 8 mm (0.31 in) and 12 mm (0.47 in)
Recorded size
911 × 300 × 90 mm (35.9 × 11.8 × 3.54 in) in the product record
Manufacturer reference
GET-EPB-3S
Weight
Not in the product record
Amazon reference
B0D25VD6BG
EAN
0762206599497
An X-zipper opens the whole top, so the keyboard lifts out instead of being threaded through a slot
The only reflective strip on this shelf — which matters walking back from a venue at night
No padding thickness published, on a shelf where another page publishes the scale that decides it
Best for: A 49-key controller or keyboard that travels on foot or by bike, often after dark.
The only pure nickel strings on this shelf and the only ones with silk-wrapped ends, in ultra-light 9-42 for electric guitar — on a listing that prints one of its five bullets twice.
Instrument
Electric. This shelf also holds three acoustic sets and one classical nylon, and none of the three is interchangeable
Gauge
Ultra light, 9-42 — the lightest gauge published on this shelf, against 12-53 on the three acoustic sets
Wrap wire
Pure nickel, which Gibson states gives a smooth warm tone that still delivers a punch — the only pure nickel on this shelf
Ends
Silk-wrapped, stated to reduce ambient noise — the only silk ends on this shelf
Made in
American made, in Gibson’s words — one of four strings here to publish a country
Core
Gibson puts nothing in writing on this. Three strings on this shelf publish a hexagonal high-carbon core
Quantity
One set. Two packs on this shelf contain three
Listing repetition
Bullets three and four are identical: *Silk-wrapped ends to ensure the least amount of ambient noise*, printed twice. Five bullets become four
Amazon reference
B0002D0CC6
EAN
0711106532080
The only pure nickel strings on this shelf, which is a warmer alloy than the usual nickel-plated steel
The only silk-wrapped ends here, which Gibson states reduce ambient noise
One of its five bullets is printed twice, so there are really four
Best for: An electric with a set-up for light strings, where a warmer nickel voice is wanted over a modern bright one.
