Outrageous Price of Picks

[Duane Graves]

I don't know, call me out of touch or worse if you like but I have to fly some red-flags when I see the price of some of these picks. This 'Blue Chip' which by the way is 'red' (go figure) costs us 50 smackers here in Canada. That's 5 times the price of a real good set of strings. What's going on? I think the pick manufactures see mandolin players as easy "pick-ins" (excuse the pun)and will pay anything to get the "Certain Sound" they all have in their ears.

Another thing. I just bought the Wegen TF 140 (2 in a package) for $20 ($10 each) Canadian. I bought them via internet and primarily because Chris Thile is quoted that he uses them. NOW, I see Chris Thile uses the Blue Chip also. Give me a break Chris. You could play the mandolin with your fingernail and make is sound great. Anyway, I get my Wegens home and they are too stiff for me as I would like to try the TF 120s or the 130s. So, on and on it goes. What happened to the 49 cent pick.

My grumble, Capo

[Bob Stolkin]

[GTG]

Grumble grumble. Yeah, but at least we're not fiddlers, who have to pay another 50% on top of the cost of their instrument to get a decent bow. And you don't 'need' a $50 pick to play mando, just like you don't 'need' a $25,000 mando to play the mando. For 4.5 of my 5 years playing I used a pick that cost a buck or less and did fine. My upgrade to a RedBear was purely for fun, chasing that legendary tone...

Actually, the high end pick market seems highly competitive these days, with Wegen, RedBear, BlueChip, V-picks, Dugain, etc. available for the discerning plectrum-lover. Hey, what can you say, labour costs are high in the wealthy side of the world these days.

[John Flynn]

It's like any other accessory: If it's worth it to you, buy it, if not, don't. I'm with the OP. Any pick over a dollar is overpriced for me. But for others, they say if you can improve your playing and tone for only $50, that's a good investment and I appreciate that position. It's all discretionary spending: There is no right or wrong about it.

FYI, there is another thread running about "bread bag closer" picks, where people are talking about using picks made out of surplus items that don't cost a thing. That's too far the other direction for me. I insist on picks made from genuine "Mother of Toilet Seat!"

[mrmando]

I dunno ... I did an experiment where I blindfolded my friend Joe and played him a tune, first on a $10K mandolin with a 25-cent pick, and then on a $25 mandolin with a $50 pick. Joe said he couldn't tell the difference. Then we discovered his hearing-aid batteries were dead. Maybe it would have helped if I'd chosen a tune I actually knew how to play.

[JEStanek]

I still like my Dawg pics the best. You can make similar arguments between Folger's and Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. A decent bottle of Aussie Shiraz vs a premium one. Some folks swear by the difference. Nobody will force you to purchase an expensive accessory. Never underestimate the markets ability to add a premium end to itself.

Jamie

[Mike Bunting]

1. Read all the years worth of posts and you'll get an idea of why BC's are expensive.
2. That you bought picks because you read that Chris T. uses them is hardly a valid reason to buy them!

I don't know, call me out of touch or worse if you like but I have to fly some red-flags when I see the price of some of these picks. This 'Blue Chip' which by the way is 'red' (go figure) costs us 50 smackers here in Canada. That's 5 times the price of a real good set of strings. What's going on? I think the pick manufactures see mandolin players as easy "pick-ins" (excuse the pun)and will pay anything to get the "Certain Sound" they all have in their ears.

Another thing. I just bought the Wegen TF 140 (2 in a package) for $20 ($10 each) Canadian. I bought them via internet and primarily because Chris Thile is quoted that he uses them. NOW, I see Chris Thile uses the Blue Chip also. Give me a break Chris. You could play the mandolin with your fingernail and make is sound great. Anyway, I get my Wegens home and they are too stiff for me as I would like to try the TF 120s or the 130s. So, on and on it goes. What happened to the 49 cent pick.

My grumble, Capo

[Glassweb]

you can still get a 49 cent pick... no problem!

[Charley wild]

49 cents? Why waste that kind of money? Fender extra heavys are still three for a buck over this way.
Look at it this way; Chris doesn't play your mandolin!

[Ted Eschliman]

Waiter: Would monsieur care for another bottle of Chateau Latour?

Navin: Ah yes, but no more 1966. Lets splurge! Bring us some fresh wine! The freshest you've got - this year! No more of this old stuff.

[JeffD]

I think the pick manufactures see mandolin players as easy "pick-ins" (excuse the pun)and will pay anything to get the "Certain Sound" they all have in their ears.

What I don't get is folks who spend hundreds, even thousands, on a mandolin - an object you can't eat, can't smoke, can't wear, can't even store data on, and takes many years to learn how to operate, in fact you have to pay extra for lessons on how to use it - so some folks buy these things, usually for no other purpose than personal entertainment, and then they complain about spending more than a buck for a pick.

What is up with that?

[Wendell Jeong]

49 cents? Why waste that kind of money? Fender extra heavys are still three for a buck over this way.
Look at it this way; Chris doesn't play your mandolin!

Fender/ Dunlop picks for me too. Cheap picks work for me.

[Chris Biorkman]

I don't really see what the big deal is. You can still buy your cheap picks, right? A lot of people think these more expensive picks are worth the $, myself included. If you don't like the price, don't buy them. I like the way the BC sounds and the way it cuts through the strings. I have had the same one for well over a year, with no wear whatsoever. If you spend 10 grand on a mandolin because it sounds better than a cheaper one, I don't know why you wouldn't spend $35 for a pick that improves your tone.

[Ole Joe Clark]

I think the price of a Blue Chip is outrageous! So is a gallon of gas, Rapala fishing lures, Garcia fishing reels, and a decent rod to put it on....... But, I still buy gas, lures, etc., and even (God forbid) a Blue Chip pick.

If a quarter pick suits you, or a cane pole, so be it, I don't begrudge you that.

As we say in the South, "whatever boils your water."

[Rick Schmidlin]

Dunlap 1.0 gives me the best bang for the buck, my MF 5 needs nothing bettter then that.

[Doug Edwards]

I guess I HAD more money than sense, I have $225 invested in six picks and a pouch full of others. Maybe $250 all together. Not looking to buy anymore...although that TAD-40 seems nice.

[mandodan1960]

Played golf today paid

$50.00 Green Fee
$6.00 3 lost balls
$6.50 Lunch
$2.00 Tip

Chipping it in for birdie from 30 yards out (yes yards)

Priceless...

[Miked]

This 'Blue Chip' which by the way is 'red' (go figure) costs us 50 smackers here in Canada. That's 5 times the price of a real good set of strings.

Look at it this way: That BC pick will last a lot longer than your 5 sets of strings. You just need to change the way to think about picks.

A few weeks ago I had a mild panic attack when I opened my case and there was no BC. After sweating it for a few minutes, I found it in a shirt pocket. Since that little episode, my BC will never taste another pocket and stays right next to my mandolin at all times!

[Jim MacDaniel]

Waiter: Would monsieur care for another bottle of Chateau Latour?

Navin: Ah yes, but no more 1966. Lets splurge! Bring us some fresh wine! The freshest you've got - this year! No more of this old stuff.

Now I know your "special purpose" Ted: leveraging obscure quotes as meaningful metaphors.

[Tim2723]

To heck with picks, I want to know how Dan ate lunch at the golfcourse for only $6.50!!!

[300win]

BLUE CHIP, BLUE CHIP, BLUE CHIP, thats the one for me !!!!!!!!!!!!

[pops1]

When i compare picks for people who aren't musicians, even they hear the difference in sound between my BC and a thinner cheaper pick. Some times i want the brighter sound and i will use the old pick, but very very seldom.

[mandroid]

Got a dozen Dawg picks 20 years ago , still have and use the same ones,
assortment has spread out to include Herco thumb/flatpicks ,
and Fender H big 'Wankel' picks too. 3 or 4 fer$ these days ..

[Tim2723]

There's no way I could afford these boutique picks. When I finish a show, picks are scattered on the floor like autumn leaves. I'd be bound to loose $100 worth a week. If someone were to supply me with them for an endorsement, sure, but otherwise, I got a living to make. I buy picks by the gross. Seriously.

[Dave Hanson]

A thousand dollar pick won't make you sound like Bigmon or the Dawg, you cant buy talent.

Dave H