View Full Version : Blue Chip thoughts
Last week I decided to buy a Blue Chip pick, a CT-55.
I've been using a 1.5mm Pro Plec by D'Andrea on my Mowry F5 and have been pretty happy with it. It produces a punchy sound especially in the low and midrange of the instrument, gives the player a really nice feel to every note and just makes you want to keep playing...that beautiful feedback you get from the tone of every note.
I was curious about the Blue Chip. When it arrived I immediately started playing with it to check it out. The first thing I noticed was the brightness, kind of surprised by that. There was less punch and midrange to the sound and the trebles were more ping-y and tinkly. But the clarity of chords was remarkable and all high fretboard work was very clear and open, very transparent.
During the week I've been playing with it, I've come to like it sometimes but it isn't a love affair by any means. I'm still rather surprised by the brightness, to the extent that I experimented a bit by sanding down one point to produce a slightly less trebly tone, but surprisingly it didn't help at all, in fact the tone was more strident.
I'll say that I am playing mostly Bach and other solo pieces on the instrument right now, not trying to cut through a band.
I'm just wondering how many experienced players have the same experience with this pick? It's interesting, because if you listen to any of Thile's recording or videos you don't hear any of the characteristics of the pick. Of course he's playing a Loar and he's Chris Thile after all, but still that tone doesn't have the sound of that pick, IMO.
I'm going to pick Blue Chip's brain in the next week...I'd love to get that clarity but not all the high end.
F-2 Dave
Oct-12-2014, 3:02pm
I have a CT-55 and a TPR 50. I've found that I prefer the tone I get when I use the TPR 50 most of the time.
sblock
Oct-12-2014, 3:05pm
Last week I decided to buy a Blue Chip pick, a CT-55.
...
I was curious about the Blue Chip. When it arrived I immediately started playing with it to check it out. The first thing I noticed was the brightness, kind of surprised by that. There was less punch and midrange to the sound and the trebles were more ping-y and tinkly. But the clarity of chords was remarkable and all high fretboard work was very clear and open, very transparent.
During the week I've been playing with it, I've come to like it sometimes but it isn't a love affair by any means. I'm still rather surprised by the brightness, to the extent that I experimented a bit by sanding down one point to produce a slightly less trebly tone, but surprisingly it didn't help at all, in fact the tone was more strident. ...
If you find the pick too bright or trebly for your liking, you'd be better off by sanding it to remove more of the BEVEL, rather than simply trying to round the corner, per se. Put another way, you should be rounding the edge more (in a plane perpendicular to the flat face), and not rounding the triangular tip more (in a plane parallel to the flat face). It's the string coming off the sharper bevel that gives it more "snap" upon release.
You can also purchase picks from Blue Chip that lack a bevel, of course, or try other shapes and sizes they produce.
There are umpteen threads on BC picks already on MC, and you can find this information, and a lot more, if you read up on these. I hesitate to respond to YET ANOTHER BlueChip thread!!
DataNick
Oct-12-2014, 4:38pm
+1 on sblock...
Mike Floorstand
Oct-12-2014, 4:56pm
I have a Pro Plec 1.5mm also a V-pick, both from JazzMando, I find them quieter and less bright than the Wegen M150 (also 1.5mm) which I normally use.
I haven't tried a Blue Chip but based on my experience I'm not surprised you find it brighter than the Pro Plec.
mandobassman
Oct-12-2014, 6:01pm
When comparing the CT-55 with the Pro Plec you're comparing very different picks. The Pro Plec is one of the warmest and softest sounding picks on the market. The CT-55 would be one of the brighter ones, mainly because of the more pronounced bevel. Sblock is correct about the bevel. If you were to buy a TAD 60 with a standard bevel and compare it to the TAD 60 with a rounded edge you will find a big difference in the brightness. The bevel makes it brighter and the CT-55 has a deeper bevel than the other Blue chips. the Pro Plec has no bevel and is made from a softer sounding material. If you're accustomed to the tone from the Pro Plec, the CT-55 will be very different. At the very least, I would think the Blue Chip would be much louder.
Doug Freeman
Oct-12-2014, 6:19pm
As glorious as CT's Bach performances are--both live and recorded--listening closely to the CD about a month ago I was struck by the sound of the pick striking the strings. It's a bit scratchy and strident, prominent in the mix, the first thing you hear until the note takes over. It got distracting after awhile. It's never occurred to me in his live performances, but for studio recording of classical repertoire I'd prefer a little less pick sound. On the other hand, I think it's pretty cool that his setup is his setup, regardless of circumstance.
Thanks for the education on bevels, everyone. I had never explored that territory before. I also didn't know that the CT-55 had a deeper bevel than other BC picks.
I tried a few alterations today, almost able to remove the bevel from one corner of a CT-55 and also adding a bevel to a Pro Plec trying to find a happy medium. They all sound pretty good and in the direction of what I'm looking for. I'll also probably order a few more BCs in various configurations.
Much thanks all around!
Mike Bunting
Oct-13-2014, 12:35am
I'm late, but it's true, get rid of the bevel.
Ellen T
Oct-13-2014, 1:38am
Ok, I am a true cheapskate, but this is an honest question: What is the point of getting an expensive pick if you have to alter it to make it usable? I really don't understand.
Ivan Kelsall
Oct-13-2014, 2:12am
Buy a pack of Dunlop 'Primetone' picks of a shape you like & try those. Several cafe members have tried them & like them more than the BC picks that they have. It's all a matter of how things sound to us personally,not of 'one pick is better than another',one is simply 'more pleasing to us' than others,another person might think the opposite,
Ivan
Mike Bunting
Oct-13-2014, 3:31am
Ok, I am a true cheapskate, but this is an honest question: What is the point of getting an expensive pick if you have to alter it to make it usable? I really don't understand.
You can buy it without the bevel so you don't have to alter it.
pheffernan
Oct-13-2014, 4:50am
You can buy it without the bevel so you don't have to alter it.
And you can return it if you don't like it rather than altering it.
jshane
Oct-13-2014, 5:59am
Over the last year or so I have tried a bunch of picks. Probably most of the brands/styles mentioned on the forum. All had plusses and minuses. I finally bought a blue chip pick (without a bevel), and I really like it. I like the way it feels in my hand and I like the tone I get with it.
Ok, I am a true cheapskate, but this is an honest question: What is the point of getting an expensive pick if you have to alter it to make it usable? I really don't understand.
I agree. (Or as my friend says: "I know, right?")
I am not very handy and find it easy to resist the urge to modify and customize picks, or anything else. That said, I haven't had to. I have been happy right out of the mailer with the picks I have acquired.
LongBlackVeil
Oct-13-2014, 8:46am
When comparing the CT-55 with the Pro Plec you're comparing very different picks. The Pro Plec is one of the warmest and softest sounding picks on the market. The CT-55 would be one of the brighter ones
the CT55 a bright pick? i dont think so at all, yes when compared to the really rounded ones like golden gate, proplec etc. but ive found all of the bluechip picks to produce a pretty warm tone, especially the thicker ones like the CT55. In fact thats what i like about them
As glorious as CT's Bach performances are--both live and recorded--listening closely to the CD about a month ago I was struck by the sound of the pick striking the strings. It's a bit scratchy and strident, prominent in the mix, the first thing you hear until the note takes over. It got distracting after awhile. It's never occurred to me in his live performances, but for studio recording of classical repertoire I'd prefer a little less pick sound. On the other hand, I think it's pretty cool that his setup is his setup, regardless of circumstance.
I've always noticed that about Thile's playing, even back when he was a dedicated Wegen pick user. Any time you hear him playing solo (without other instruments to mask the sound), the pick-thump sound is very prominent. FWIW, I notice it with Mike Marshall's playing too. If you focus on it too much, it will really take over your listening experience!
It gives me solace when I hear a lot of thumpiness in my own playing...
LongBlackVeil
Oct-13-2014, 9:06am
I've always noticed that about Thile's playing, even back when he was a dedicated Wegen pick user. Any time you hear him playing solo (without other instruments to mask the sound), the pick-thump sound is very prominent. FWIW, I notice it with Mike Marshall's playing too. If you focus on it too much, it will really take over your listening experience!
It gives me solace when I hear a lot of thumpiness in my own playing...
I think its because these guys play with a very light touch when theyre playing fast, So their playing isnt very loud but the volume of the pick hitting the strings is about the same. Maybe?
spufman
Oct-13-2014, 9:12am
My CT-55 is easily my favorite pick because it feels great and has a good variety of sweet tones from punchy to rich to soft to tinkly, depending on how I grip and angle it. Pro-Plec is cool as are Primetone 1.4 and Gravity Striker 1.5. But the CT just works best for me, no matter what or how I'm playing.
Phil Goodson
Oct-13-2014, 9:30am
Buy a pack of Dunlop 'Primetone' picks of a shape you like & try those. Several cafe members have tried them & like them more than the BC picks that they have. ....
Ivan
If you don't want 'bright', be sure to get the Primetone WITHOUT 'GRIP'. The picks with 'grip' are harder feeling and brighter sounding.
But I agree, if I couldn't use BC, I'd use Primetone.
:)
I think its because these guys play with a very light touch when theyre playing fast, So their playing isnt very loud but the volume of the pick hitting the strings is about the same. Maybe?
I rather tend to think it's the opposite. They play with drive and follow-through, to command full tone from their instruments. There's no getting around the physics of picking a string. The thump of the pick as they pick through the strings (as opposed to simply glancing off the tops of the strings) is inevitable and necessary for developing the full potential from the instrument. The thicker and stiffer the pick is, the more tone and volume it will create - and the more thump will be developed as a side-effect.
Doug Freeman
Oct-13-2014, 10:17am
The thump is one thing, but what I'm reacting to is a grainier sound in the pick hitting the strings. One of the issues with recording mandolin is the instrument's inherent quickness of attack. I notice in most quicky recordings of mandos using built-in camera and computer mics that they're almost always distorted. I think it's due to the rapidity of the soundwave--it hits the mic element and overloads before the built-in compressor/limiter can do its job.