Dunlop Tortex Pitch Black Jazz III Pick vs Sixpence Coin
The Dunlop Tortex Pitch Black Jazz III Pick and the Sixpence Coin are both picks sharing bright, tight, transparent. The Sixpence Coin leans sustaining.
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Blended from circuit-archetype lineage, dynamic feel, tone-signal overlap and tone-vector distance — the tone vector itself is derived from editorial description text, not a measured acoustic signal, so this reflects how similarly the catalog copy describes the two, not a lab measurement. Shown only within a gear class, and only where there's enough evidence to be meaningful.43% — somewhat different
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Derived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.- bright
- tight
- transparent
Sixpence Coin
Unknown brand · pick
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Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.The Dunlop Tortex Pitch Black Jazz III is a small, sharply pointed pick shape originally developed for jazz guitarists needing precision on fast single-note lines, made from Tortex, Dunlops nylon-based material designed to mimic the feel of vintage tortoiseshell picks that are no longer legal to produce. The Jazz III shape has become popular well outside jazz for its stiffness and precise attack on fast alternate picking. Andy Timmons, known for rapid, articulate lead lines, is associated with this pick shape and gauge.
Brian May has used an old British sixpence coin instead of a standard plastic pick for the majority of his career, favoring its rigid metal edge and the specific grip it affords for the intricate, layered guitar harmonies and precise picking heard across Queen's catalog. The coin's hard, unyielding edge produces a brighter, more percussive attack than a flexible plastic pick, part of the overall distinctive tonal character May achieves with his homemade Red Special guitar, and its use has become as recognizable a part of his public gear identity as the guitar itself, inspiring officially licensed sixpence-style pick reproductions for fans.
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Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Jazz
- Electronic
- Metal
- sustaining