The Traveling Pick Sampler - Anyone Interested?

[Chris Daniels]

Pick sampler #1 was in my mailbox today! Awesome! SO many pics in there.... I'll be adding a Red Bear if my memory serves me as to where it is... maybe others too... Thank you! Peter. How do I know where to send it next?

I got you, Peter. Standby.

A Red Bear will be an awesome addition! I'm surprised we haven't had one yet, although I do remember picking with one sometime. Might have been at a jam instead.

C ~/:/~

[CricketHouse]

Hmmm. There's a Blue Chip CT-55 listed as being with sampler #1, and sadly it's not here. I was excited to try one of these. I have also looked everywhere for my Red Bear to include and I can't seem to find it. It's a super thick jazz style pick. I know it will show up at some point and I'll mail it along to add to the group.

[Joey Anchors]

Could I be put on the Sampler list?

[Greg P. Stone]

I received sampler #2 yesterday. Preliminary thoughts:
My inclination towards medium size, triangular, rounded tips, seems confirmed.
I didn't think I'd like the very thick ones but after trying a bunch I think it is weight rather than thickness that I disliked.

I had gone to light A and E strings with medium G and D in order to get more even volume across the strings. One pick gave me the even tone I was looking for, giving the G and D more volume than the A and E and, I think, allowing me to go to a regular medium set of strings. What is so odd is that while my mandolin was being shipped I got three types of picks and only liked the Dunlop PRIME TONE 1.3 rounded. One of the picks I put aside was the Dunlop 477P207 JD Jazztone. and now I pull one out of the sampler and it's like magic the way it tailors my tone on my Olympia in the way I desire.

I think this illustrates how complex the interrelationship of factors are. I'm glad I waited to get the sampler because after several months with my mandolin I feel I'm in a much better position to evaluate these. I've barely started going through these and expect more revelations.

[Greg P. Stone]

I was overwhelmed by the number of picks so I organized them a bit.

When I received it there were two small groups separated into sandwich bags: 1) the ones under the yellow paper to which I've added two more and 2) the premium bag containing the blue Chip CT-55, two Wegens and some V-Picks, two Gravities and a Tusq. (I added V-picks which were not bagged)


Then I put all the Dunlops into a new baggie:


Then the Fenders into a new baggie:


Then what was left into a new baggie:


I'll keep playing with them until I get my orders on who to ship it to next. This has been very worthwhile for me, saved me a lot of time and guesswork. Thanks.

[jpugh]

I would love to get on the list here as well if I could..and will add a few picks as well, IE: a BC Kenny Smith 45 (too small for me) etc...
Thanks and have Great Weekends all!
jp

[Greg P. Stone]

On the day I was to send the picks on my Ike Bacon arrived, 3 weeks late. So, having solved which pick was best for my bass challenged Olympia, I kept the picks one more day to try on the Bacon. Having to rush through a minority of the picks my tentative conclusion is that the most expensive picks produced the best volume and most pleasing tone.

Since the CT55 seemed much too big I ordered a pair of TP50's.

[Paul Merlo]

I love that this is still going around. I got it a few years ago and had fun with all those different options, and am glad to see my additions are still making the rounds too. Yee Haw!

[Retsin2000]

So, yeah I'm just gonna post a request to be added to the mailing list as my very first post on the cafe.

(Although I swear it isn't really my first post but all evidence points to me being wrong about that. Memory is a funny thing. Anyway I lurk some on the forums but haven't felt like talking much. I absolutely for sure have bought and sold the same mandolin on the cafe classifieds. If that memory isn't true then holy hell, all bets are off.)

I can add a Wegen Bigcity to the collection which I think would be a new one looking at the pics Greg P. Stone posted.

I get it though if sending a couple hundred bucks worth of pics to a newbie doesn't seem wise. No worries.

[Mando_Wasden]

I would love to be added to the mailing list on this. Though not sure I can add much to the collection I can certainly try, as someone who hasn't been able to find "the pick" yet this would greatly help.


Not sure how this works but hope I can be thrown in

[snakehead_a2z]

I’d like to be added to the list too, please. I have a couple picks to add to the mix. Thanks.

[kegcrowe]

Greetings All! Any word on sampler #1 ?(I think I'm next in line for that one)

[kegcrowe]

Pick sampler #1 surprised me in my mailbox today! Yay!

[kegcrowe]

so here are some of my first thoughts on a brief run-through of all picks on my siverangel (and a very few on my Morris flattop), which, by the way, took several hours. The BC is very nice (thanks Mandolin cafe!), but I think I like the Dawg, Gravity axis, vpicks and golden gate nearly as well. Looks like I will have different favorites for the SA and the flattop. The metal fender pick and the weird thick rubber one kinda freak me out and make my skin crawl whenI play with them. The wooden ones were no good on my SA. Really like the Hawk.

I can see where I would like to give all these another try after changing strings in a few months (think I'm gonna try exp74 on my SA. currently have light elixirs on my Morris, thinking to change to something slightly heavier, like j73).so I think that could change my favorite list. But for now I'm gonna settle in for a couple weeks trying to whittle down my 'must purchase" list.

if someone could just hook me up with a single website to buy all my favs...

[Chris Daniels]

Howdy all!

As usual I'm behind in posting updates to this thread, but I do have some excellent news. Both samplers are in circulation with new recipients, and recent reports of missing picks were simple cases of there being so may picks that certain ones were easy to overlook. So, a CT55 (far and away the most sought after) is still in each, as are all V-picks and others! And with a new BC pending to one of them (woo hoo!)

I'm in the process of confirming that posters of recent requests are still around and wanting to take part, so I'll post an updated recipient list very soon. Both are super short at the moment so anyone else who wants to be added, now is the time!

C. ~/:/~

[zakry3323]

What a fantastic idea! I'm coming from the world of guitar and I've never been into picking. Please add me to the list, transitioning to picking is definitely weird for me and this will be incredibly helpful in allowing me to figure out what I'm most comfortable with!

Cheers,

Zack

[Chris Daniels]

Updated recipient list. Addresses for the next in line have been forwarded:

Sampler #1

kegcrowe - Current holder
Retsin2000
snakeheada2z



Sampler #2

jpugh - Current holder
Mando_Wasden
Joey Anchors
zakry3323


C. ~/:/~

[Stopstop]

I would love to be added to the list if you’ll have me. Thank you everyone for making such a fantastic resource available!

[mandobassman]

I love that this is still going around. I got it a few years ago and had fun with all those different options, and am glad to see my additions are still making the rounds too. Yee Haw!

Me too. I was pretty early on the list and it sure has grown. Hard to believe it has gone this long, but I hope it continues to do so.

[kegcrowe]

So sampler #1 just left, driving across the country for the next lucky dog. I threw a few picks in, nothing exciting as someone else had already filled the bags with that! Unfortunately, instead of narrowing down my pick choices it added to my ”must haves” list. Have fun!

[Mando_Wasden]

Received Pick Sampler #2 in the mail yesterday! What a surprise to come home to, will have lots to do this weekend. Many Thanks to Jpugh for sending.

Can't wait to really get into them this weekend, hopefully can finally solve my great pick identity crisis.

[Retsin2000]

So sampler #1 just left, driving across the country for the next lucky dog. I threw a few picks in, nothing exciting as someone else had already filled the bags with that! Unfortunately, instead of narrowing down my pick choices it added to my ”must haves” list. Have fun!

Thanks for sending kegcrowe. It arrived today. Holy wow that's a lot of picks! Thanks to all who have contributed and kept this thing going! Can't wait to dive in.

[Steel]

I alluded to this idea in another thread and would like to gauge the interest in this project.

The idea is this: send along, via US mail, a growing sample of quality picks to various Cafe members to try out. This could give people the chance to try lots of picks they've only read about here, and it could be lots of fun.

I will start by donating this Wegen pick. I will mail it to someone who will add another quality pick to the mix and agree to pass them along. I don't expect that anyone will put a Bluechip in the mix, but who knows (I don't own a BC). There are many great picks that don't cost a lot that I'm sure several members have lying around unused. There is Wegen (various types), Primetone, Golden Gate, DAWG, V-Picks, etc, etc.

Even if the lot got up to over a dozen or so, I'm sure a standard postage stamp would cover shipping to the next member. Would probably be best to keep them in a baggy or taped down to cardstock for the journey.

This might make for a fun and certainly an interactive thread. And when interest seems to have died down, whoever ends up with the lot could sell it in the Classifieds and donate the money to the Cafe. A good faith effort all the way around.

Is anyone interested in doing this? If so, PM me with your address and I'll get the Wegen in the mail to you.

I discovered two picks after many self modified picks over the years. One is a red pick with a smile (broken in) another called MojoGrip, also on Amazon...these are great for someone who has had picks fly out of his hands. Punched holes--I was doing with a leather punch in the 1970s!

[Steel]

Hello Larry,

I discovered a Jersey Grass tape dated 7/23/78 recently. Where did this come from--I can't recall. However, it is pretty good, I was still developing my own style and like the tape. I recognize you and Ed Lick. I met Ed again, Ron Greenstein, John Stey at a 2008 Skookil Express reunion--if there was a 40th, I wasn't invited.


You probably don't know violins but I've made some great violin and bow purchases...professionally appraised.
I have a CS-Bluegrass Martin with LSV and Torrefied Adirondack top--really an amazing instrument with Guatemalan Rosewood.
I have some Phoenix Mandolins, handmade by Rolfe Gerhardt, I was a dealer @1995-2002. You may see one listed here.

Also an 82 Gilchrist I want to sell is on eBay. Stan Werbin appraised at 25,000. My favorite is my 2010 Ellis F-5 Varnish.

Is that Ibanez PF5 the lawsuit mandolin?



Victor Alpher

[mandobassman]

Hi Victor, great to hear from you. I’ll send you a PM when I get a chance so we don’t discuss personal band history on this unrelated thread.