BlueChip picks

[PaulBills]

I'd love one, but they cost almost as much as the mandolin they'd be played on...anyone else think they're mentally overpriced?

[George R. Lane]

Paul,
They are worth every penny. They probably would make your mandolin sound even better.

[Cheryl Watson]

A Blue Chip pick costs no where NEAR as much as a good mandolin (or a violin bow).

[LongBlackVeil]

35 dollars for the medium between your fingers and the strings just doesnt sound like that much to me. As the the above poster noted, look at violin bows, a good bow is worth every penny. So is a good pick, bluechips are great imo. I have a CT55, gives a nice thick loud tone and doesnt wear out.

The pick is one of the most important things as far as tone goes. If you can spend a thousand dollars on a mandolin, you shouldnt have a problem spending 35 on a good pick. Of course you may not like bluechip picks, bluechip lets you return it if you dont like it.,

The reason it cost so much is because the material theyre made from is patented (not patented by bluechip) and very expensive. Theyre not just trying to rip you off

[Amanda Gregg]

Sorry to be a curmudgeon, but why does this topic come up over and over again? It's a market price. It's only so high because we're willing to pay it. And I'm definitely willing to pay it. I've used exactly one pick, a Blue Chip engraved with my name, for something like 4 years now.

[Jakerex]

Tried a bluechip, and didn't like it. Love the wegen's.

[f5joe]

I'd love one, but they cost almost as much as the mandolin they'd be played on...anyone else think they're mentally overpriced?

You know, there are a lot of great picks available these days. Blue Chips are made from a very high-priced raw stock, hence the price. I really like them for guitar and mandolin. Sometimes it takes experience to gain knowledge of "tone" and how to achieve it from the instrument and a plectrum. Good luck in your experiences.

[LongBlackVeil]

you should try a primetone though. ive never tried one myself but ive heard theyre somewhat similar. the primetone was made to somewhat cop the bluechip but at a lower price point

[biologyprof]

I'd have to agree with the positive comments about the BlueChip picks. I've had 1 CT55 for over 3 years. It gets a ton of use and it's in about the same condition it was when I first received it. I do have a spare just in case but...(knock, knock). If the cost of a BlueChip is prohibitive then try a Jim Dunlop 513P15 Primetone 1.5mm Triangle Sculpted Plectra Guitar Picks, 3-Pack. The 3-pack that I bought online cost less than $7. This pick is the closest to a CT55 that I've run across in size and playability. It's NOT a BC pick but you may want to give it a try.

[Mark Wilson]

I'd love one, but they cost...

And last a lifetime.

I bought a small bag of grocerys yesterday for about the same $$ as a BC and I'll have to do it again in a day or so.

[Cue Zephyr]

Granted, the prices are a little tough, but that's only because we're used to buying 12 picks in a pack for like $4 or whatever the price on those is.

I already own some Gravity, some V-Picks and some Wegen. The Wegen picks are my favorites because they play the smoothest out of everything. It's due to their bevel and Blue Chip bevels picks also.

Would I want one? Yes please, I'd probably get two - one for the guitar and one for the mandolin (most likely the CT55 ).

I've read somewhere (Acoustic Guitar Forum) that one panel of the material, measuerd 10"x10"x¼" costs about $4k. So that explains why they're so pricey.

Also found a link where one can purchase the material: http://www.polymerplastics.com/performance_vespel.shtml

[PaulBills]

I guess, if I'm ever in the situation where I can afford £2,000 for a mandolin, I won't be all that bothered about £30 on a pick, but, as I only paid £100 for my very lovely Ozark, and £10 for a set of strings, I'm not really willing to pay that amount on a teeny weeny piece of stuff to pick at it with...I quite like my dunlop 2.0mm stubby....although I wouldn't mind winning that V pick comp....

[edit] the Ozark was at a vastly reduced price btw...

[f5joe]

I guess, if I'm ever in the situation where I can afford £2,000 for a mandolin, I won't be all that bothered about £30 on a pick, but, as I only paid £100 for my very lovely Ozark, and £10 for a set of strings, I'm not really willing to pay that amount on a teeny weeny piece of stuff to pick at it with...I quite like my dunlop 2.0mm stubby....although I wouldn't mind winning that V pick comp....

[edit] the Ozark was at a vastly reduced price btw...

That's best for the situation you're in. Still, it's about tone. We each have to find our own way there.

[Jim Garber]

I'd love one, but they cost almost as much as the mandolin they'd be played on...anyone else think they're mentally overpriced?

It is a nice pick that some of us like (not all). If you'd love one then save your pennies and get one. Worst come to worse, if you hate it you can prob sell it for close to what you paid for it. Or buy one used from the classifieds when they come up.

"mentally overpriced"???? what does that mean?

[PaulBills]

"mentally overpriced"???? what does that mean?

Sorry, british idiom, it means...when you look at something you yell "HOW MUCH!!??"

[Tom C]

I've tried a few shapes and sizes. I just picked up a new one at Grey Fox. I think TPR-40. 1 of the 3 corners is more rounded.
The proprietor told me he threw one in a vat of molten lead and it came out the same.

[LongBlackVeil]

It is a nice pick that some of us like (not all). If you'd love one then save your pennies and get one. Worst come to worse, if you hate it you can prob sell it for close to what you paid for it. Or buy one used from the classifieds when they come up.

"mentally overpriced"???? what does that mean?

Again, you can also return it if you don't like it.

It's funny, I almost returned my ct55. I was on the fence about it, but for some reason after playing with it for awhile, it's like I learned how to use it and it became the only pick I use now on my mandolin. You can really punch through the strings with this pick

[Jeff Mando]

Haven't played a BlueChip, but they are compared to tortoise picks, often. About 10 years ago, I bought a tortoise pick from an old bluegrass guy who comes to the guitar shows. It wasn't cheap, but I wanted to find out what everyone was talking about. WELL, the look of it and the sound it makes are completely different than a plastic or nylon pick. Basically, it makes any acoustic instrument sound better and that makes it more fun to play and hear.

I should clarify, it wasn't me, err, a friend, yes, a friend of a friend, I really barely knew the person who bought the pick, honest, officer! It wasn't me.....................................

[PaulBills]

I should clarify, it wasn't me, err, a friend, yes, a friend of a friend, I really barely knew the person who bought the pick, honest, officer! It wasn't me.....................................

You could always claim it as a heirloom made before the trade in tortoise shell was criminalised... )

[FLATROCK HILL]

If the cost of a BlueChip is prohibitive then try a Jim Dunlop 513P15 Primetone 1.5mm Triangle Sculpted Plectra Guitar Picks, 3-Pack. The 3-pack that I bought online cost less than $7. This pick is the closest to a CT55 that I've run across in size and playability. It's NOT a BC pick but you may want to give it a try.

Not trying to nit-pick but...I believe the pick that is closest to the CT-55 (in thickness) offered by Dunlop is the Primetone 1.4 triangle.

[John Hill]

Never heard of 'em.

[barney 59]

Granted, the prices are a little tough, but that's only because we're used to buying 12 picks in a pack for like $4 or whatever the price on those is.

I already own some Gravity, some V-Picks and some Wegen. The Wegen picks are my favorites because they play the smoothest out of everything. It's due to their bevel and Blue Chip bevels picks also.

Would I want one? Yes please, I'd probably get two - one for the guitar and one for the mandolin (most likely the CT55 ).

I've read somewhere (Acoustic Guitar Forum) that one panel of the material, measuerd 10"x10"x¼" costs about $4k. So that explains why they're so pricey.

Also found a link where one can purchase the material: http://www.polymerplastics.com/performance_vespel.shtml

I priced the stuff once it's not that much,more like $1400 but it was not 1/4" --much thinner and I think the piece was 12" sq. When you divide the piece by 144 ,and that is a big assumption that 1 sq inch makes one pick, it comes to about $10 apiece for the material. Then you make it,then you market it(and that can be costly.) It's likely that the maker can make a nice living at this but I doubt he drives a Tesla! Also it wasn't called Vespal (I have some kind of mental block to remember the materials name)and was manufactured by Saint Gobain not Dupont---there was when I looked only one distributor in the US

[Cecily_Mandoliner]

I am glad I bought mine! It makes my mandolin ring so much clearer, and I have more control over the volume. And, the pick stays in place and doesn't slip away. Mine's engraved, too. And, I earned it! I made it the carrot on the stick to encourage my improvement.

[F-2 Dave]

I bought a TPR 50 about three years ago. I use it everyday and it still looks like new.

[Nick Pooch]

I thought 35 bucks was steep for a pick too. But after trying a buddies out I ordered my own to the thickness and shape i liked. And unlike the growing desire for new mandos of all shapes and sizes, my PAS (pick acquisition syndrome) is completely cured. I got the only pick I will ever need.