Blue chip picks

**stratton7584** · Feb-11-2010, 11:42am

Ok I just purchased my first blue chip pick and at first I thought 35 dollars for a pick they must be insane. Well I now know that it is the best 35 dollars I have ever spent(on a instrument accessory), I love this pick and I have only had it a couple of days!! I would recomend this pick to everyone!!

**fishtownmike** · Feb-11-2010, 12:23pm

I was thinking of getting one but then opted out. I need more proof. How about everyone who owns one record a clip with out the blue chip and then with. I would like to hear if there is a difference between your previous choice of pick and the blue chip...Mike

**JeffD** · Feb-11-2010, 12:36pm

Originally Posted by fishtownmike

I would like to hear if there is a difference between your previous choice of pick and the blue chip...Mike

Don't want to take our word for it, eh?

**Mike Bunting** · Feb-11-2010, 12:38pm

Why worry about it, play what you got.

**mandroid** · Feb-11-2010, 12:41pm

man we got 40 pages of blue chip tossing discussions elsewhere, one starting here too I guess..

**OldSausage** · Feb-11-2010, 12:50pm

But to address the question of sound, I think it's quite plausible that you would be able to get the same sound out of a mando with many different kinds of pick. I do like the particulars of the sound I get with my blue chip, but I honestly doubt if I or anyone else would be able to hear those on a recording. I have old recordings of me playing sometimes with a blue chip and sometimes with a pro plec, and I couldn't tell you now which was which if you held a gun to my head.

The key difference is in the feel of playing with the pick, and how that makes you think about the sound your are making. Also because Blue Chips do not wear, the consistency is fantastic.

**Big Joe** · Feb-11-2010, 1:19pm

Picks, like underwear, are a very personal thing. Sometimes you just have to try boxers to see if they are better than briefs

. Sound clips will never tell you what a pick in hand will do. It is more than just the tone, but the feel and the way you can do things differently. In the violin world they have bows for tens of thousands of dollars. I also have them for 35.00. Trust me on this, the good bows are in a different league all together. The same with picks. The Blue Chip is not your .50 pick from the pic bin. The reason people are buying them and paying that much for them is because it makes a difference... to them... and that is what is important. It could be the best 35.00 you ever spend, or the worst 35.00 you don't spend. You've spent a whole lot more onother things you've found useless, but this one you can actually sell if you don't like and get your money back. Chances are you won't. You will find, like most others, it is well worth the investment in your tone and playing. Just my opinion. (I am not a dealer... I don't sell them, but I do play them).

**devilsbox** · Feb-11-2010, 1:19pm

I use a Pro Plec now, would it be possible to describe the different "feel" you get with the Blue Chip? Is it more or less flexible? Is it easier to keep a good grip on? Or like so many things, is it more of an intangible. I would spend the money if I thought I could see an improvement over my heavy Pro Plec. I haven't found any to try out. Thanks.

**Cheryl Watson** · Feb-11-2010, 1:56pm

Pro Plec vs Blue Chip. Other than having a clearer, brighter, crisper tone (and if you compare same bevel types) IMO, the Blue Chip is easier to hold on to and feels more fluid off of the strings. My pick strokes are more fluid with the Blue Chip. Also, if you want a bit less thickness, you can go with a 55. Some players like the 50 for mandolin but I find them a bit too thin. I prefer 55 and 60. The Pro Plecs are quite thick.

**Mike Scott** · Feb-11-2010, 1:57pm

I recently got one too. I have been in search of the "holy grail" of picks since I started playing mandolin 2 years ago. I have Dawg, Golden Gate, Wegen, V Pick, Red Bear, assorted Dunlop, Fender, Pro Plec, etc. My issue has been having the darn thing stick to my fingers and tone. I really don't see much difference in tone of the Blue Chip compared to the Red Bear and only slight differences with those two and the Wegen and V pick although the V Pick does make some interesting string noise sometimes. The V Pick and Blue Chip both stick the best to my fingers. I have had the Blue Chip a month and for the past couple of weeks that's all I've used. I think every one who has bought one likes them, because they don't want to admit they spent $35 for a pick that they then didn't like-lol.

**JeffD** · Feb-11-2010, 1:58pm

Originally Posted by devilsbox

I use a Pro Plec now, would it be possible to describe the different "feel" you get with the Blue Chip? Is it more or less flexible? Is it easier to keep a good grip on? Or like so many things, is it more of an intangible. I would spend the money if I thought I could see an improvement over my heavy Pro Plec. I haven't found any to try out. Thanks.

The BC is easier to grip and hold with no pick rotation because it sticks to the fingers as it warms.

And it sounds different. You may or may not like how it sounds different, but it does.

As far as intangibles, I think it picks faster, or more accurately, I seem to be able to picks a little faster with the BC. Perhaps because of the sureness of the grip, or perhaps how it glides across the strings, I don't know.

**JeffD** · Feb-11-2010, 1:59pm

Originally Posted by Big Joe

Picks, like underwear, are a very personal thing. Sometimes you just have to try boxers to see if they are better than briefs

I doubt there will be a better quote on this message board in 2010.

**Randi Gormley** · Feb-11-2010, 2:01pm

I just tried one at my lesson on Saturday -- my teacher had me try both the 40 and the 50 just to see what they'd be like on my bandolim (i usually use whatever free pick i can find, or the 600 for 99 cents ones); it did make a difference in my playing, but just about anything would... for me, the difference was in the literal feel of the pick. It felt smoother in my fingers and it glided over the strings faster and easier than other picks (making it great for tremolo). Sort of the difference between feeling fine silk and, say, smooth cotton. I don't play hard enough consistently to wear out picks, but my teacher told me that he would wear out a pick or two per performance and the blue chips don't wear out. For someone at my (intermediate) level, it's not worth the $35, because I'd probably just lose it anyway. But it was fun to try one, just for the feel of the thing. I'd never felt a pick like it, but my experience is limited.

**fishtownmike** · Feb-11-2010, 2:21pm

I tried the wegen which have the bevel and i didn't like them because of the single edge right or left hand bevel. I prefer a slight bevel all around the pick on both sides like the dunlop ultex triangles have. The blue chip also have the single edge bevel. Why not offer with a standard full bevel like most picks have? The single bevel forces my hand in a way i don't want it to go. Or do they? Cant tell from their website.

**Kate D.** · Feb-11-2010, 2:55pm

First a disclaimer- I don't have a blue chip pick. But I do have sweaty hands sometimes when I'm playing, and when they are sweaty my pick grip shifts. When my grip is how I like it, I hear the tone as better. But, of course it is. The pick is hitting the strings at the angle I want, my hand is staying at the angle I want, and my arm is it's most relaxed. When the pick shifts the tone drifts. If any pick of any material stayed put, my tone would probably make me happier, and therefore be worth 35 dollars.

**stratton7584** · Feb-11-2010, 3:13pm

It stays put very well.

**yankees1** · Feb-11-2010, 3:21pm

945 posts on BC thread in other room! A long way to go!

**rmartinez** · Feb-11-2010, 3:42pm

Originally Posted by fishtownmike

I tried the wegen which have the bevel and i didn't like them because of the single edge right or left hand bevel. I prefer a slight bevel all around the pick on both sides like the dunlop ultex triangles have. The blue chip also have the single edge bevel. Why not offer with a standard full bevel like most picks have? The single bevel forces my hand in a way i don't want it to go. Or do they? Cant tell from their website.

For some reason I'm not finding it now on their site but under FAQs I seem to recall there being a 'standard bevel' option that they offer. I could be completely wrong here but I recall reading this. The 'standard bevel' would be expressed in the notes section.
Does this sound familiar to anyone else?
rm

**chasgrav** · Feb-11-2010, 3:49pm

I don't have the energy to read another thread on this subject. But FWIW, I'll never give up my Blue Chip! I went from skeptic to fan, and won't be going back.

**Geoff** · Feb-11-2010, 5:22pm

I just recently got a Blue Chip. The picks I used beforehand are the big triangle 1.14 dunlops. About two months ago I got the CT 55 from Blue Chip. I still prefer the tone that I got with the dunlop, the Blue Chip is a little bright for my tastes. But I prefer the Blue Chip over all. I notice a definite difference in speed and smoothness and the pick definitely sticks between my fingers much better. A slight difference in tone is a more that acceptable trade for speed, grip and smoothness. Also the blue chip is louder and it's good to be heard.

**devilsbox** · Feb-11-2010, 7:23pm

I'll have to find one of these to try out. If they grip better that would really be a plus.

**ccravens** · Feb-11-2010, 8:55pm

Count me as a BC believer.

Only 923 posts to go!

**stratton7584** · Feb-11-2010, 10:56pm

They are great!

**mandolirius** · Feb-11-2010, 11:08pm

Originally Posted by ccravens

Count me as a BC believer.

Only 923 posts to go!

At this rate, 923 turn into the number of BC threads.

**Laird** · Feb-12-2010, 9:25am

The grip on a Blue Chip is unbeatable, though I've gone back to Wegen because they give me a brightness of sound that I don't find with the Blue Chip. But you won't find anything with better grip (though a Golden Gate with a few holes drilled in it works pretty well, as far as that goes).