HIGH DOLLAR PICKS....Yea or Nay?? Do you Use One or No Way??

[Dave Greenspoon]

Different instruments seem to prefer different picks. When I plug in my Rigel I like a Dava control pick. Otherwise, the standards are DawgII and Proplecs and work fine; I also like a couple of the Wegen's. I gave away a Red Bear that totally underwhelmed me. At the end of the day, "take your pick---'cause YMMV."

[mandobassman]

So check back in when you have tried one (borrow one at a festival or jam or buy one and save the packaging to return it if not satisfied) and let us know if you like it and whether or not you notice a difference, and whether or not the difference is worth it to you.

After following some of the lengthy Blue Chip threads, it is clear to me that there is a certain percentage of people that will never allow themselves to be convinced that there is any tone or feel that justifies spending a lot of money on a pick. They have already made up their mind that the cost could never equal better sound.

I agree with you Jeff. I wish everyone that posts negative comments would just try one for themselves. But there are many that would never allow themselves to say they were wrong. There is certainly nothing wrong with not wanting to spend that much money, just stop criticizing others for doing so.

[Jeff Mando]

I guess the talking point is the fact that it is a pick, rather than some other accessory, right? Because, you can buy $49 tires for your car, or you can buy tires that are $400 each. You can buy a pair of shoes at Walmart for $10 or get some of those snazzy Italian jobs like OJ wore for $1200. Same in the mando world--you can buy the mandolin for $49.99 shipped on eBay or you can easily spend $20K+ buying one by a well known builder. Different strokes for different folks. (pronounced fokes) I'm thinking how about the $49 mandolin played with a $75 pick? Food for thought.....

[lostdawgz]

I buy every sort of pick that comes along. I love picks. I collect picks. The price can be disarming but considering what other musicians are paying for things puts it into perspective for me. For instances it might cost you as much as $100.00 to have your fiddle bow rehaired and $30.00 for rosin and how about $90.00 for violin strings.
They are "worth" it, but they may be too expensive. That's for you to decide.

As for people who complain every time a subject is readdressed when someone starts a "new" thread... you come off like school yard bullies or elitist to me. It's as if you just walked up to somebody in a music store who is asking about something, maybe picks, and burst in with.."Hey man! We talked about that last week! Didn't you get the memo." It is a good idea to steer people to past post but the ridicule is more a reflection on you than it is on them. You never know, people may be new to the forum or they might be beginners and something like a pick choice is something they feel comfortable asking about. I was always told that there are no bad questions.

Jim Jenigen
Bon Air, VA

Eastman 815-V *** main axe!
Gibson F-9
Martin D-28-V
Martin D-18-V
Gibson Les Paul
Daneletro Longhorn Bass
very old openback banjo

[Colin Lindsay]

I wonder whether it would be possible for a section of the forum to be created that would be a home for all these extremely numerous and oft-recurring sorts of threads - picks, strings, F versus A, etc - not a FAQ, but a FAQ section, so that people interested could

A) find what they want to know about such subjects, and
B) not start yet another thread on them

Lol try being a member of a Classic Car forum - EVERY DAY someone will post “What size of wheels will fit my car… what alternative seats will fit my car… what engine will fit my car” etc etc…… so we create ‘stickies’ that members can refer to and so save forum space.
But yes it would be great to have an area for reference - I was trying to find a thread recently on stick-on pickups for different instruments and it took a fair bit of searching to find it (Myers… I know now!)
So yes you’ll always fine new members - not necessarily lazy, but just unsure of the layout of the forum, the search limitations, or the words to search for.
Of course in any forum you’ll always get the farcical threads started by those with too much free time and too vivid an imagination…

[Jeff Mando]

Hmmm! I guess any "equipment" oriented hobby can be expensive. Mandolins can be expensive, but no more so than the hobby of photography. Once you have the intial equipment required, there is maintenance expenses of strings, picks, etc. Certainly cheaper than the classic car hobby!

An alternative would be to buy one instrument and just play. No MAS, no nothing. Old school like Doc Watson. If I remember correctly he had one guitar for years that he borrowed until Gallagher started making them for him. Now, that's economy for ya!

Or cheaper yet, become a writer. No equipment required other than a pencil and a tablet and your imagination! Heck, that's cheaper than tiddley winks.....

[Caleb]

Hmmm! I guess any "equipment" oriented hobby can be expensive. Mandolins can be expensive, but no more so than the hobby of photography. Once you have the intial equipment required, there is maintenance expenses of strings, pics, etc. Certainly cheaper than the classic car hobby!

An alternative would be to buy one instrument and just play. No MAS, no nothing. Old school like Doc Watson. If I remember correctly he had one guitar for years that he borrowed until Gallagher started making them for him. Now, that's economy for ya!

Or cheaper yet, become a writer. No equipment required other than a pencil and a tablet and your imagination! Heck, that's cheaper than tiddley winks.....

Speaking my language here. Writing is a serious hobby of mine. I do tend to geek out on pens and paper a bit though, but nothing outrageous. I have a quality fountain pen that cost about $25 (buy once and use for life) and my Moleskine notebooks run about $12 each and I get several months out of one. My only mandolin is my Eastman, though I do have two guitars. I think collections are great but they proved too distracting for me. I prefer a simpler approach these days.

[sblock]

... I was always told that there are no bad questions.

Jim Jenigen
Bon Air, VA

Well, whoever told you that was completely wrong. There most certainly are bad questions! The fact is that questions are pretty much like any other form of written statement. There are all sorts of questions. There are ignorant questions. There are foolish questions. There are nasty questions. There are prejudicial questions. There are leading questions. There are bellicose questions. And so on. But there are also wise questions. There are revealing questions. There are uplifting questions. There are good questions! And so on.

Questions can reveal every bit as much about the questioner as any statements they make. And they can reveal both good things and bad things.

Another incorrect statement that we often hear is that "Stick and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." The real truth is that words have done more to harm folks over the millennia, by inciting men to violence and other regrettable actions, than just about anything else!

Anyway, it seems to me that folks who keep implying that $35 picks are somehow "not worth it" are ignorant, in the original sense of that word. That is, they don't understand something fundamental about the situation. Some folks don't seem to understand basic economics, and what its is that sets the fair market value for something (and for picks, in particular). Others don't seem to appreciate that a lot of great mandolin players -- many with considerable skill and talent, admired by readers on the MC -- have no problem handing over $35 for a high-end pick, and clearly think it's "worth it" to them. Still other folks don't seem to appreciate that the materials cost alone for some of these picks (Melden polyimide, for example) exceeds $20 per pick. And a good many of them expressing a negative opinion have not even bothered to try out these high-end picks, so they're shooting from the hip, with an imperfect understanding, seemingly driven by their notions of how (some aspects of) the world works. Shame on them for that. And finally, some folks are just being TROLLS, and trying to stir up trouble!

So yes indeed, there are "bad questions!" Questions that seem designed to provoke silly disputations, like the one in this thread about whether picks are "worth it," are bad questions. That's my opinion. I think we can do better here in the MC, and collectively move past discussions like this.

[JeffD]

I'm thinking how about the $49 mandolin played with a $75 pick? Food for thought.....

The high end pick will sound different, all else being equal, and its up to the player to determine if different enough for the difference in cost. There may be other things the mandolin needs or that you could do, to improve the sound, but that doesn't negate that a good pick can improve things.

I don't think there is any connection between the cost of the mandolin and the cost of the pick, in this example.

OTOH when one spends several several hundreds of dollars on a mandolin, and all the other things that come with the mandolin life, it does seem kind of ridiculous to balk at a one time purchase of $35.00

[Austin Bob]

The only thing I would add is that the true cost of a BlueChip pick addiction may be more than you think.

It took me several tries to find the one I liked the best. Then I needed a spare. Now which one works the best for the guitar? And of course the carrying case with your name engraved is kinda cool too.

The good news is you can sell or trade the ones you don't like in the classifieds.

[Polecat]

...it seems to me that folks who keep implying that $35 picks are somehow "not worth it" are ignorant, in the original sense of that word. That is, they don't understand something fundamental about the situation. Some folks don't seem to understand basic economics, and what its is that sets the fair market value for something (and for picks, in particular). Others don't seem to appreciate that a lot of great mandolin players -- many with considerable skill and talent, admired by readers on the MC -- have no problem handing over $35 for a high-end pick, and clearly think it's "worth it" to them. Still other folks don't seem to appreciate that the materials cost alone for some of these picks (Melden polyimide, for example) exceeds $20 per pick. And a good many of them expressing a negative opinion have not even bothered to try out these high-end picks...

I "bothered to try" a Blue Chip pick, and was not particularly impressed. It did the job a plectrum is supposed to do, but in my opinion no better or worse than picks made of galalith, which I prefer to use. So BC chips are "not worth it" for me. To generalise the statement to apply it to everybody would indeed be ignorant, as would be a generalisation that because some famous mandolin virtuosi prefer to use BC (or any other) picks, it means everyone else should, which some people here seem to me to be implying. There's nothing wrong in forking out 35$ or more for a sliver of plastic if you believe it improves your playing and can afford it, and there's nothing wrong in not doing so if you don't. Arguing about whether you should or shouldn't is silly.
BC chips may not wear out, ones made of galalith do - in the meantime I have contacted the proprietor of This Website, which I believe to be one of very few sources for galalith, and for a little more than the cost of one blue chip pick I have obtained a sheet of ivory-coloured galalith 1,5X420X530mm, with which I can make more picks than I will ever be able to use in my lifetime. And no, I don't think everyone else should "go and do likewise", it's a matter of preference and taste.

[JeffD]

I have just tried the Dunlop Primetone 1.4 mm.

It is real good. Real good. I am just figuring out where it will fit in my arsenal of picks. Its a welcome addition.

[J Mangio]

After many years the Golden Gate MP 12 still works fine.

[Sven the Impaler]

Never spend more for a pick than you did for your first mandolin.

[Ed Goist]

Nay...Emphatically.

I keep trying fancy, expensive picks, and I keep going back to the JazzMando 1.5 mm Signature ProPlec Pick. $1.62 each!

[Bertram Henze]

I keep trying fancy, expensive picks, and I keep going back to the JazzMando 1.5 mm Signature ProPlec Pick. $1.62 each!

I keep trying fancy expensive picks and I keep coming back to the Clayton Spike triangle for approx. 50 ct each.

[mandobassman]

To generalise the statement to apply it to everybody would indeed be ignorant, as would be a generalisation that because some famous mandolin virtuosi prefer to use BC (or any other) picks, it means everyone else should, which some people here seem to me to be implying.

I have seen very little evidence that anyone is implying that everyone else should try a Blue Chip just because they have. I have seen just the opposite. Most people have said that you should use whatever works for you and your mandolin no matter whether it's expensive or cheap. I would agree, however, that many of the negative comments have come from people that have never tried one and have pre-determined that no pick is worth that much money. I don't know why people spend so much time trying to convince everyone else that they're wrong, or that the pick that they use only cost $.25 per pick, like that makes them a better person or something. Use what works for you and stop criticizing others for what they use or for their opinions of those products.

[mtucker]

I have a couple of BC's but honestly like the tone from ProPlecs better…not price related. The BC's are a tad brighter. The Plecs do wear and the BC's don't really, but I'm okay with that.

[Michael Weaver]

Just ordered one of these from Caravan Guitars in Chicago. A little cheaper than BC but not by much. I will give it a run... <img src="http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=125361"/>

Well, I got it in and have to say I'm really impressed. It was way too rounded and thick to use as a mandolin pick so I was going to send it back. The next day I pulled it back out of the packaging and tried it on guitar. Wow, I will not be returning it. In fact I will end up ordering a more pointed version for mando. I A/B it against a couple of different BC picks and it doesn't have the volume as a BC pick but it has a lot darker tone with almost no string noise. Perfect for recording.

[JeffD]

I have no beef with those who have tried a high end pick and prefer, for whatever reason at all, the cheaper ones. If you have tried it and you don't care for it, fine, we are all different in both what we want in the sound, and how much we value the difference, if any. It doesn't hurt my feelings you if you prefer different picks than me. In fact, I might try a pick like yours to see what you are getting at.

I am only enthusiastic because of the advantages I have experienced.

[David Lewis]

I use V picks at the moment. The clear jazzman do ones. They're about 10 dollars (including postage). But they work for me. I've got the Dunlop, which is nice, dawgs, which are fine, fender heavies, Dunlop ultex. It goes down to what gives you the best service. Blue chips? Go for it. A coin? All yours.

[tburcham]

This thread will be better understood after you watch the new Sci-if thriller "Interstellar!"

[Patrick Sylvest]

I like mine.

[DavidKOS]

it is clear to me that there is a certain percentage of people that will never allow themselves to be convinced that there is any tone or feel that justifies spending a lot of money on a pick. They have already made up their mind that the cost could never equal better sound.

I agree with you Jeff. I wish everyone that posts negative comments would just try one for themselves. But there are many that would never allow themselves to say they were wrong.

I've tried them, and could see how the premium picks could be ideal for many players - but I was still satisfied with a basic pick.

My interest is in why players choose the better picks, and does it have any correlation to using a thick rounder pick or not?

I keep trying fancy expensive picks and I keep coming back to the Clayton Spike triangle for approx. 50 ct each.

The ones made of Ultem? I've been favoring the Clayton regular Spike picks for mandolin lately, much closer to a regular Fender pick in price.

[Bertram Henze]

I keep trying fancy expensive picks and I keep coming back to the Clayton Spike triangle for approx. 50 ct each.

The ones made of Ultem? I've been favoring the Clayton regular Spike picks for mandolin lately, much closer to a regular Fender pick in price.

Yes, those. They wear down pretty fast and keep a max. of two weeks apiece, so they may be more expensive than a BC in the long run, but the tone is worth it for me.