BlueChip pick expierience

[AronW]

I love Blue Chips. I also use Wegen, Red Bear, have a couple V Picks, a couple Ivory picks, and regular Tortex, Delrin and Ultex picks. I reach for my Blue Chip picks 95% of the time. Plus, Matt is a great guy, and runs a really good business.

I own CT50, TAD50, TAD60 and a JD Thumb Pick. There are a couple more that I'd like to get from them. They're just more tools to use.

I remember reading an interview with Bryan Sutton where he said he'll use everything from Blue Chips, Wegens, Real Tortoise Shell to a .50 Tortex on a recording session, all for different sounds and purposes.

I've also never understood the people who complain about the price, but then rave about their custom $XX,XXX priced guitar. Like buying a Corvette but not having a CD player installed because it's going to be $100 extra.

[RoosterX]

I don't even know what happened to the pick I was holding 10 minutes ago. I'm sure they're great picks, but I know I'd misplace mine in a matter of days.

[Silly Moustache]

Will I have the last word on this I wonder?

When folks started talking about these things - I blanched at the price and thought it a "con".
I got on on e-bay - a TAD-40.

Then I decided to buy every kind of triangular pick I could get but none satisfied. Should have saved my money.
I bought another BC then another etc.

I now have a TAD-40 and a TAD 50 in the pick box of every dread I use, a TAD60 3r for my 12 string, a TAD50 3r for my mando.

I figure that if you have a good instrument you WILL see the difference in tone. If you tend to lose picks - then that indicates that you regard picks as disposables - and probably don't pay much attention to the tone of your playing.

I think that the Goins family (Blue Chip) have hit on a great product AND re-written the price/quality model for what have in the past been seem as cheap and so unimportant.

I figure that paying 1% of the price of the guitar is not much to pay for your personal satisfaction and getting the best out of your instrument, but if $35 represents a significant percentage of your instrument - then they are probably not for you.

I also worked out a while ago how much I'd spent on strings in a year - ouch! .... but I'm not about to stop buying them - BC picks don't need changing every month or two!

That's it - I'm outa here.

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

I figure that if you have a good instrument you WILL see the difference in tone. If you tend to lose picks - then that indicates that you regard picks as disposables - and probably don't pay much attention to the tone of your playing.

I agree that people like me who don't own an expensive pick view them as disposable since they're so cheap. However, I fail to see how that has anything to do with being aware of tone. My guess is once you buy a $35+ pick, you will no longer view it as disposable and will keep better track of it

[RoosterX]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

I figure that if you have a good instrument you WILL see the difference in tone. If you tend to lose picks - then that indicates that you regard picks as disposables - and probably don't pay much attention to the tone of your playing.

I don't see how viewing picks as disposable has anything to do with paying attention to the tone of my instruments, but I'll let you continue to talk out of your backside since it's Friday and I'm in a good mood.

[David-NJ]

Originally Posted by RoosterX

I don't even know what happened to the pick I was holding 10 minutes ago. I'm sure they're great picks, but I know I'd misplace mine in a matter of days.

I'll race you to see who loses picks faster -- and I think I'll win!

I looked at their site, and you can get your name etc. engraved on them, so maybe that would help.

All in all, you guys are right -- folks buy insanely great guitars and use exotic bridge pins, nuts, saddles, etc. -- it's not unreasonable that something like a pick directly affects the sound. I was just a little dumfounded because (i) i had never heard of these, and (ii) hadn't had my coffee yet.

As I said, I don't often use a pick, but I fully agree that when the edge gets burred it can make a really bad sound and become unwieldy. One wierd thing is that I never ever use the pointy part of the pick -- haven't for years. It just causes too sharp an attack and moreover hangs up a little on the strings. So I turn it and use a round corner. Why am I such a spazz that I can't play like a normal person?

[AronW]

Originally Posted by GraceGuitars

My guess is once you buy a $35+ pick, you will no longer view it as disposable and will keep better track of it

I think you got it right there, I bought my first Blue Chip about 4 years ago, still have it.

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by David-NJ

I'll race you to see who loses picks faster -- and I think I'll win!

I looked at their site, and you can get your name etc. engraved on them, so maybe that would help.

All in all, you guys are right -- folks buy insanely great guitars and use exotic bridge pins, nuts, saddles, etc. -- it's not unreasonable that something like a pick directly affects the sound. I was just a little dumfounded because (i) i had never heard of these, and (ii) hadn't had my coffee yet.

As I said, I don't often use a pick, but I fully agree that when the edge gets burred it can make a really bad sound and become unwieldy. One wierd thing is that I never ever use the pointy part of the pick -- haven't for years. It just causes too sharp an attack and moreover hangs up a little on the strings. So I turn it and use a round corner. Why am I such a spazz that I can't play like a normal person?

You might want to seek out a pick with a bevel; that is there is a bevel on the sides of the point which allow the pick to easier slide off of the string. You are not going to fine is on yur average molded Dunlop or Fender, but you also do not have to go to the extreme of a BC to get one either. You might look for a Wegen, which at around 4-5 bucks is not exactly cheap but not overly expensive either.

However, how sharp the point is has an effect to. I also like a little more rounded point.

TW

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by RoosterX

I don't even know what happened to the pick I was holding 10 minutes ago. I'm sure they're great picks, but I know I'd misplace mine in a matter of days.

That is what my friends use to say about my $50 Varnuet sunglasses; they regularly lost their $5 cheapos so couldn't justify buying something that cost more, even if they were better. Believe me, if you spend the money you will only lose them once. (Or not at all)

I've a pair of Sunclouds that I bought in 1978.

TW

[zhunter]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

If you tend to lose picks - then that indicates that you regard picks as disposables - and probably don't pay much attention to the tone of your playing.

Um yeah.

And people still wonder why these pick discussions get pissy.

OK took the bait. Keep on fishing.

hunter

[JSS77]

I'm still a beginner (only been playing 6 months). I really want to try blue chip & gravity picks. My problem is, I just can't seem to get used to strumming with a thicker pick.

Am I doing something wrong? I've tried god knows how many picks ranging from .50 to 1.14 and I just can't strum smoothly anything thicker than a .60.

I've tried loosening up my grip on the pick, and letting more or less of the pick stick out from my thumb. But nothing seems to help (especially with a 1 mm pick).

So what gives? Does the ability to use a thicker pick just come with experience?

[bancika]

I was like you. Used to play almost the thinnest pick I could find. Now I can't get anything under 1.4mm to work. And it has to be pointed. Jazz picks ruined me for life

Joking aside, I would try some smaller thicker picks. With larger picks you leave too much of the tip to dig in the strings and when they are thicker it's not easy to strum and pick in general. Smaller picks, especially pointed ones are much more nimble. And when you grab it, not much of the tip sticks out, so your contact with the string is more immediate, closer. You gain much more control.

Now I'm curious to try BC jazz...just not sure if I want to pay $35 for the pick or try to buy some vespel and make few of my own...

[JSS77]

Originally Posted by bancika

I was like you. Used to play almost the thinnest pick I could find. Now I can't get anything under 1.4mm to work. And it has to be pointed. Jazz picks ruined me for life

Joking aside, I would try some smaller thicker picks. With larger picks you leave too much of the tip to dig in the strings and when they are thicker it's not easy to strum and pick in general. Smaller picks, especially pointed ones are much more nimble. And when you grab it, not much of the tip sticks out, so your contact with the string is more immediate, closer. You gain much more control.

Now I'm curious to try BC jazz...just not sure if I want to pay $35 for the pick or try to buy some vespel and make few of my own...

Thanks for the advice. I actually have some Dunlop Ultex Jazz III's showing up in the mail today. Looking forward to trying them out.

[bancika]

not bad for start. I've created an interactive web page with pointed pick comparison where you can set criteria that suit your taste and get recommendations. You (and others) may find it useful. With any new pick (or other piece of gear) that is very different than what you are used to, the first impression will be negative more often than not. Got to give it some time to get used to.

http://diy-fever.com/misc/pointed-pick-roundup/

[rmyAddison]

Originally Posted by bancika

I was like you. Used to play almost the thinnest pick I could find. Now I can't get anything under 1.4mm to work. And it has to be pointed. Jazz picks ruined me for life

Joking aside, I would try some smaller thicker picks. With larger picks you leave too much of the tip to dig in the strings and when they are thicker it's not easy to strum and pick in general. Smaller picks, especially pointed ones are much more nimble. And when you grab it, not much of the tip sticks out, so your contact with the string is more immediate, closer. You gain much more control.

Now I'm curious to try BC jazz...just not sure if I want to pay $35 for the pick or try to buy some vespel and make few of my own...

I have to disagree about size, and it's certainly personal preference not right or wrong. Many of us old timers started electric decades ago and used thin picks. I never touched a thick pick until I went full acoustic 15 years ago, and the picks got thicker but also larger.

I went from TP Blue Chips to the TADs which are larger and I have better control with the larger shape. How much tip is sticking out is a result of grip (finger placement) not pick size, and those of us with arthritis have better control with larger things in general, I can't use jazz picks they are too small for me.

Again, no right or wrong, but good control is a result of technique and some folks prefer small or jazz picks and others larger, if technique is good you get results with either......