The Traveling Pick Sampler - Anyone Interested?

[Mark Gunter]

Very glad that Sampler I turned up again. This thing has turned out to be a very cool deal. Thanks again to Chris Daniels for keeping the train rolling smoothly.

+1

[mandobassman]

Received the Sampler 2 from Coolwood yesterday. There are several good ones that I have tried before and am giving them a second chance. The big surprise so far has been the V-Pick Lite Freakishly Large. I had tried several acrylic picks before from V-Picks and from Gravity Picks and found all of them to be very scratchy sounding to varying degrees. But this model seems to be much less so. It provides a depth and complexity to the tone that I can't get from other picks, even my Blue Chip which I love. This V-Pick model has very good clarity but still has the warmth that I love from my mandolin. Others I liked were the Dunlop Ultex triangle 1.14 mm. The Blue Chip CT-55 is ok but I like my TAD-50 3R better. Same for the Wegen TF-140. It's ok but I have a custom Wegen TF-180 without a bevel that I also like better. The buffalo horn picks were all to scratchy sounding for me. I didn't really try any that were either too thin or too small for me.
I am going to add a Gravity Striker 2 mm and a sample pack of JT's picks all 2mm.
Thanks again to all who have participated in both of these samplers. I got something out of both and have ordered picks because of each. I'll probably mess with them for a couple more days then mail it on.

[mandobassman]

Spent a little bit more time tonight going through the picks. I'm really getting to like the Dunlop Ultex 1.14 mm. It's a bit thinner than I normally like, but it's got a nice feel to it with lots of stiffness and good even sound. Very smooth on the higher strings but still lots of depth and warmth to the low-end. I might have to get some of those.
Something that I've discovered after going through all those picks is that all the ones that have some sort of group aid, such as holes or raised lettering, I actually find more difficult to hold onto.

[MontanaMatt]

I would love to be added to the list please. It that how one does it?
If there is a different procedure for getting in line please let me know.
I have several additions that are in my collection that are not in my active rotation that I will add!
MAS, string addiction, and pick addiction...so many vises to manage!
Happy picking everyone!

[mandobassman]

...all those picks is that all the ones that have some sort of group aid, such as holes or raised lettering, I actually find more difficult to hold onto.

Can't. Believe I didn't see that before. It's supposed to say "grip" aid. Group aid makes no sense at all.

It seems that the picks with holes or raised lettering as on the translucent Primetones, actually make it harder to hold onto.

[John Garcia]

I would also like to get on the list, or in the line. Is there an official list somewhere??

[Chris Daniels]

I would also like to get on the list, or in the line. Is there an official list somewhere??

John,

Your post is sufficient to get you added. I'll include you in my next update coming soon.

C.

[Chris Daniels]

Check it out in all it's glory folks, the original and infamous Pick Sampler #1:



It seems to be more or less intact since the last inventory many recipients ago with some interesting additions. I don't have much time to dig into it until the middle of next week but when I do I'll get an updated list plus start taking notes for reviews, which I neglected to do with the other sampler. I do notice some of the unexpected breakout stars from #2 are not represented to I'll look to resolve that with my additions.

Here's the new recipient list for both. The next four or five hops are pretty much set but there will need to be some shuffling among the latest additions so one person doesn't end up with both at the same time and/or everyone has a fair shot of getting at least one of them in a reasonable amount of time. I'll be reaching out to each to confirm they are still interested (and because some have only posted once to the forum) and their sampler preference so I can prioritize.

Sampler I

Chris Daniels - Current holder of Sampler #1. Pearl pick from Caleb added. Waiting on generous contribution from Kalasinar.
Paul Merlo
RFMando
jtv
Lowlands Blue
Kennyz55
henryswift
Popolopolos
Mando Barber
MontanaMatt
John Garcia

Sampler II

mandobassman- Current holder of Sampler II
Mark Gunter
Starbuckna
mtm
RFMando
Kennyz55
henryswift
Mando Barber
John Garcia
MontanaMatt

C.

[Caleb]

Great pic, Chris.

[Chris Daniels]

Great pic, Chris.

Thanks Caleb, though I now notice with no small amount of disappointment that Pick Zero (i.e. your Wegen) is somewhat buried in the mix instead of being in a more appropriately prominent position like it would have been had I planned the shot beyond making sure the more identifiable picks were face up. Very glad it's still there however. But where have all of Tim's purple Dunlops gone?!?

The current flaw in composition does give me an idea since I'll be taking another pic for posterity once the latest contributions have been received.

Anyway, I must say this community resource has come quite a long way, in more ways than one, since your original flash of inspiration.

C.

[jtv]

Very cool! Glad to hear everything got sorted out and I cannot wait to get it. So many options to try!

[Kalasinar]

The Hawk pick arrived while I was at work yesterday, so I've packed everything up together and am heading down the post office now.

Here's a list of picks I'm sending:

Timber Tones Resin ‘Moondance’
Timber Tones Macassar Ebony
Timber Tones Horn ‘Starfish’
Gravity Striker Standard 1.5mm (‘Master Finish’ edge)
Gravity Axis Standard 1.5mm (polished edge)
Gravity Axis Standard 3mm (polished edge)
V-Pick Lite Medium Round
V-Pick Large Round
Clayton Acetal Standard 1.52mm
Jim Dunlop Americana Tri Pick Round 1.5mm x3
Clifford Essex ‘Mandolin 100’ rounded horn 1mm
Clifford Essex ‘Buffy’ horn 2mm
Snark Neo Tortoise heavy 1.07mm x3
Dogal x3 (flexible, medium and heavy)

Plus of course, the pick kindly donated by Hawk Picks!

[Chris Daniels]

Well folks, the gang's all here now that Kalasinar's generous contribution to Sampler Numero Uno has arrived stateside. Get a load of this eye-candy!



I'm about to start chewing through the whole sampler, taking inventory and making notes along the way. I will post results once I finally get to the bottom of the now-very large pile of plastic. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it!

C.

[mandobassman]

Looking forward to your thoughts on the Hawk and the Snark picks. Those are ones that I've been interested in.

[mandobassman]

BTW, Sampler II has been sent to Mark Gunter. I have really enjoyed trying some different picks. Ended up buying a couple. I don't think any of the ones I bought will replace my Blue Chip as my main pick, but they are nice to have for a different flavor once in a while.

[Paul Merlo]

I'm about to start chewing through the whole sampler, taking inventory and making notes along the way. I will post results once I finally get to the bottom of the now-very large pile of plastic. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it!

C.

Thanks for the update Chris! good luck with your "ordeal"

[Mark Gunter]

Sampler II arrived today, I spent a couple hours enjoying my mandolin tonight and comparing a lot of picks

It will take a while to settle in to it before I'm ready to send it on down the line. But already I have plans to order some picks based on what I liked tonight. I already own a lot of the picks included in the sampler. Here are a few standouts that I don't currently have, there were some favorites here that I don't want to do without.



I was a lot more impressed with the Blue Chip this time around.




Likewise, these JT Picks that Larry Hunsberger added had an interesting tone, I plan to order some Style #2 picks from them now.




And this group of picks from Coolwood got my attention. The two gray picks in the middle were awful! Like using a pencil eraser for a pick. But the others had some strong points for me. The one with the pot leaf is a Pickboy "carbon nylon" .88mm and what I liked about it was VOLUME. I haven't looked them up yet, but if they have a variety of shapes and thicknesses, I'll get some (I like large triangles). The second from the left marked 207 was another favorite. I feel like I should recognize the logo, but I don't. Anybody know who makes this? And likewise, I found the Dunlop gator to be interesting.

A note: Several of the little baggies with notes in them listed more picks than what was in the baggies. I assume that the picks just got shuffled into other baggies; I can't tell for sure.

So far, this has been another great experience for me, just like receiving the first sampler was over a year ago. I'll play some more with them and contact Starbuckna when I'm done.

[Chris Daniels]

The second from the left marked 207 was another favorite. I feel like I should recognize the logo, but I don't. Anybody know who makes this?

That's actually a Dunlop also. Here's a Cafe thread about them:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...D-JazzTone-207

Glad you're having fun! I'm also neck deep in picks and learning way too much.

C.

[GASguy]

Hello,

New member here who would like to be added to the list.

Thanks,
Ron

[Mark Gunter]

That's actually a Dunlop also. Here's a Cafe thread about them:

www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?67022-Dunlop-JD-JazzTone-207

Glad you're having fun! I'm also neck deep in picks and learning way too much.

C.

Thanks for that, Chris. I knew I should have recognized that logo.

[JeffD]

Glad you're having fun! I'm also neck deep in picks and learning way too much.

Now there is a description of heaven.

[Paul Busman]

Could you please add me to the list again? I had the picks 'way back when the tour started but I'd love to try some of the newer additions. Thanks.

[ApolloPicks]

Could I be added to the list as well?

Thanks.

[Chris Daniels]

Howdy folks!

So I'm finally nearing the end of my exploration of Pick Sampler #1 and have got to say; there are A LOT of picks to go through! I play pretty much every day and even trying to rotate through 4 or 5 at at time with enough picking allotted to get a true feel for each has taken longer than I expected. I can confirm I've learned a ton and have blown apart some previous assumptions about my preferences so some new pick purchases are coming in the near future.

I'm in the process of wrapping up my notes for posting overall comments plus reviews of my top ten, and I just received the picks I wanted to add to the pile so will be sending the whole shebang on to Paul Merlo very soon. I'll also update the recipient lists with the latest requests.

Thanks for your patience and a word of advice if you have one of these awesome resources headed your way: Get your mind and your pickin' hand ready for total immersion!

C.

[Mark Gunter]

Thanks for the update, Chris. I'm the current holder of #2, and I have to say that I have become enamored with the BC CT-55 contained therein. I've been playing almost exclusively with it lately. There are many other good choices in here, IMHO, but most of them I own already, except the ones I mentioned in an earlier post.

I'll try to add a pick or two and get this sent off soon.