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Thread: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

  1. #26

    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    I'm looking for somewhere to leave John McEuen's "Acoustic Traveller". I'm thinking the Snake River on I84 at the Idaho/Oregon line.
    hahaha...good spot...the catfish are hungry!

    Speaking of Blue chip picks, Im sending this guy one to see what he thinks...

    If he likes it Im in there!!!
    Look up (to see whats comin down)

  2. #27
    Registered User chip's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    According to the first post on this thread, "he got up with Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers last week when they came to Knoxville for a show. Matthew had let Chris try a few sizes and thicknesses and came to absolutely loving the TAD60." So IMO, he wasn't playing with them in the first place and now is on the website as an endorser. I doubt if he's endorsing these with philanthropy in mind...

  3. #28
    Registered User chasray's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    I'm endorsing CowChips...
    b/c right now I'm playing like ####

  4. #29
    Registered User chasray's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    I didn't know the word I used would be censored. It's wasn't the word you first think of...maybe the 2nd, though

  5. #30
    8 Fingers, 2 Thumbs Ken Sager's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    I probably wouldn't have bought a pair of TDR60s had I seen this post first. If Thile endorses them they must be bogus. On the other hand, they're crisp, fat, rich sounding. They're also slick on the strings but sticky on the fingers. I A/B tested it against shell and Tortis and prefer the Blue Chip. I must be a sucker. A happy sucker.

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  6. #31
    Registered User Chris Biorkman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    Quote Originally Posted by chip View Post
    According to the first post on this thread, "he got up with Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers last week when they came to Knoxville for a show. Matthew had let Chris try a few sizes and thicknesses and came to absolutely loving the TAD60." So IMO, he wasn't playing with them in the first place and now is on the website as an endorser. I doubt if he's endorsing these with philanthropy in mind...
    I'm sure there's big money in the boutique pick endorsement business.
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  7. #32

    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    I like the Jazzmando's and the new Dawgs. I think Dawg endorses his, so I don't have to. I will endorse the Jazzmando's though! They send you a keychain and some stickers when you order from them! How can you beat that?

  8. #33

    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    Another interesting BC thread. I recently dumped my bag of picks (I'm not the only one with one am I?) and tried the usual suspects. Interestingly enough I ended up narrowing it down to a Wegen 140, BC TAD 50, and a good ol' Fender extra heavy teardrop. I'll admit though that I can be a sucker for endorsements. Mike Marshall's might have weighed more heavily for me though, despite the fact that I enjoy Chris Thile.

  9. #34
    Notary Sojac Paul Kotapish's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    While I absolutely agree that purchasing a new pick (at any price point) is not going to revolutionize anyone's playing overnight, I think it's extremely useful for aspiring players to know what kind of gear their musical heros are using to produce the sounds that inspire so much adulation.

    By way of personal experience, it was a major revelation to me back in the '70s to discover that the mandolin players I admired most were all playing with heavy picks--often the rounded shoulders of heavy picks. I came out of a rock 'n' roll background where light or medium picks were the norm in my scene, and I was getting nowhere in terms of producing the kind of round tones I was looking for on the mandolin with my pointy Fender mediums.

    And several times over the years I've gotten a boost in my playing by trying the pick--or strings, setup, technique, etc.--advocated by someone whose playing I admired. The right pick can, in fact, make a tremendous difference.

    Great players with high exposure are always going to get lots of endorsement offers and free stuff tossed at them. That might inspire a healthy dose of skepticism, but it's no reason to dismiss the value of the actual gear that the pro does, in fact, use to make music. And although it may be true that most great players can make great music with the humblest of tools, most of the greats are pretty obsessive about finding the best tools for the job.
    Just one guy's opinion
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  10. #35
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    Quote Originally Posted by Youda View Post
    Do you know what kind of shoes Thile wears? Better go git 'sum!
    Believe it or not (and this is going to reveal my level of Chris Thile geek knowledge), during the heydey of Nickel Creek he actually had a shoe endorsement deal from Simple Shoes.

    *wanders off alone to lament a tragically misspent youth*

    EDIT: Also, I played for a bit with my buddy Sean Robinson's TD60 Bluechip and it was fantastic. However, my pick, capo, and anything-less-than-instrument-sized musical item losing habit will not let me financially support a Blue Chip habit... For my $$$ the Wegen TF140 is almost as good, and at a price I can afford to lose with reasonable frequency.

  11. #36
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    Hi all,
    I purchased a blue chip pick after hearing about them from Wayne Benson. But let me start by saying the I have only been playing for two years and according to my wife "I am ate up" with the mandolin and I play and practice very day for up to two hours.

    I am not the type of person to just run out and buy something for the sake of buying it but I am constantly on the prowl for things that make my playing easier or sound better. Once I find something like that I have no problem justifying the purchase. My motto has always been "hey I don't want to think that my equipment is holding me back".

    As soon as I realized that I was really going to stick with the mandolin I purchased a decent mandolin a gibson f5g. Once I was profiecient enough on it the I could actually distinguish tone I started experimenting with strings and that opened up a whole new world. Then I started experimenting with picks another new world of tone opened up.

    I have tried just about every pick out there including tortoise and my conclusion is that you can find a pick that will give you similar tone in a wide range of prices i.e. a golden gate and a Red bear kind of have the same type of tone to me anyway. One you can pruchase for a couple of bucks they other is 25.00 or so. So tone can not be the only deciding factor in the pick.

    Speed wise I would say that picks with a "speed bevel" have an advantage over picks that do not have one But again you can find picks with speed bevels in a variety of different prices.

    So to me what it comes down to is how does the pick feel in my hand. In my opinion and it is just that is the Blue Chip feels the best in my fingers of any pick I have tried, plus I give it an advantage in that I do not notice "pick click" with it.

    Since switching to the Blue Chip I have noticed a definite improvement on tone and speed. Is it the only pick I will ever use? I doubt it like I said I am always open to new things that will help me, but for know I have found the pick for me and it is a Blue Chip TPR 50, but I did modify one of the tips by rounding it off just a bit to give me a slightly darker tone when I needed it.

    Kelvin

  12. #37

    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    I don't think that the OP was discussing the merits of the BC, I think he's getting flack because of the aura of idolatry involved. Thile's a great picker as are any others mentioned and while I might take note of what equipment they might be using, I certainly wouldn't go ga-ga over it.

  13. #38
    Mandolin User Andy Miller's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    Quote Originally Posted by Paul Kotapish View Post
    By way of personal experience, it was a major revelation to me back in the '70s to discover that the mandolin players I admired most were all playing with heavy picks--often the rounded shoulders of heavy picks. I came out of a rock 'n' roll background where light or medium picks were the norm in my scene, and I was getting nowhere in terms of producing the kind of round tones I was looking for on the mandolin with my pointy Fender mediums.
    I had a similar experience and have to agree - I got a lot more mileage out of "you should try a heavier pick" than I have out of "you should try a Brand X pick." Having said that, I love buying tools. . . so I'll get around to trying out a BC eventually!

  14. #39
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    I feel more comfortable on stage with a BC, and you can't put a price on that. But if I could, it would definitely be more than $35.

  15. #40

    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Bunting View Post
    I don't think that the OP was discussing the merits of the BC, I think he's getting flack because of the aura of idolatry involved. Thile's a great picker as are any others mentioned and while I might take note of what equipment they might be using, I certainly wouldn't go ga-ga over it.
    If someone uses a pick or a particular instrument because THEY like it, then that's great. But, to do something because someone else (anyone else) does it sounds a little lame to me.

    Every great artist, from mandolin players to painters, broke some or all of the "rules." They were individualists, and were great because they did NOT do what everyone else was doing. Consider Monroe, for example. It is the artistic creativity, the self expression that gives good music, NOT because you can duplicate the sound or technique of someone else, no matter how famous or accomplished they may be. If I can duplicate the Mona Lisa, that doesn't make me an artist. If you use Thile's pick of the month, it won't necessarily improve your sound, your tone, or your artistry. If you use a BC and you really like it, then go buy one, and enjoy it. But, don't run out and buy one just because Thile got one for free and used it. IMHO.
    Last edited by Youda; Apr-06-2009 at 10:15pm. Reason: clarifying a statement

  16. #41
    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    I am glad Chris Thile decided to go with my pick of choice.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

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  17. #42
    Registered User chip's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    If you use a BC and you really like it, then go buy one, and enjoy it. But, don't run out and buy one just because Thile got one for free and used it. IMHO.
    Amen
    Last edited by MikeEdgerton; Apr-08-2009 at 11:52am. Reason: fixed the quote tag

  18. #43
    Registered User jefflester's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    Quote Originally Posted by Patrick Gunning View Post
    Believe it or not (and this is going to reveal my level of Chris Thile geek knowledge), during the heydey of Nickel Creek he actually had a shoe endorsement deal from Simple Shoes.

    *wanders off alone to lament a tragically misspent youth*
    Dang, I was going to post that he wore Simple Shoes, but I didn't know that he actually endorsed them at one time. Ya got me beat there.

  19. #44
    Registered User Miked's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    Quote Originally Posted by Youda View Post
    If someone uses a pick or a particular instrument because THEY like it, then that's great. But, to do something because someone else (anyone else) does it sounds a little lame to me.
    I'm a big lamester; I got a BC pick because of Rhonda Vincent!

    Seriously, what sparked my interest were the number of folks in the BC mega-thread that were totally sold. I ended up buying one on their endorsements.
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  20. #45

    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    I personally think that if you want to get a bluechip because Chris uses it, then by all means get one. The most important part to all this is the fact that you are happy with what you're playing and if it inspires you to play then please do whatever is necessary. I have been a huge critic of these bluechip threads and have been annoyed by them to put it mildly but I will say Matthew is one of the best marketers I have seen and I want to say congratulations in the business you're building.

  21. #46
    18 Wheels--8 Strings gregjones's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    Quote Originally Posted by Miked View Post
    Seriously, what sparked my interest were the number of folks in the BC mega-thread that were totally sold. I ended up buying one on their endorsements.
    Bad News: Me, too.

    Good News: From that experience, I saved $300 by not buying a Tonerite.
    Just when I got a paddle, they added more water to the creek.

  22. #47
    The Forrest Gump of Mando Rob Powell's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    Wow...Chris Thile and BlueChip picks in the same thread. This one is destined to be 10 pager
    "If you can make it to 50 without growing up, you don't have to..."

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  23. #48
    Registered User G. Fisher's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    Quote Originally Posted by Rob Powell View Post
    Wow...Chris Thile and BlueChip picks in the same thread. This one is destined to be 10 pager
    Let's try to push it to a 20 pager and add these hot buttons.

    Why do mandolins cost so much?

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  24. #49
    Gilchrist (pick) Owner! jasona's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    What is Rickey Skaggs playing these days?
    Jason Anderson

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  25. #50
    Registered User G. Fisher's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chris Thile using BlueChips exclusively

    Quote Originally Posted by jasona View Post
    What is Rickey Skaggs playing these days?


    Mandolin silly.
    “Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.”

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