Blue Chip. lose it and see how it affects you

[Whit 29]

I had a gig Saturday with my group for an outdoor event. They had us under a shelter and the flooring was regular treated wood decking about 8 inches off the ground. Well I'm sure everyone is familiar with the gaps between deck boards. Yep I dropped my Blue chip pick and watched it bounce and roll into a crack. This was 5 minutes before the show started. My extra Blue chip was with my other mandolin at home. I had to borrow an off brand pick from our guitar player. The results were, my Fern didn't have the same pop, I couldn't play worth a dern with it, I was mad, I was pouting, I hated the world. Our bass player actually ran into the feller who built this deck while we were on break from the first set. He said the tools were in the truck. While we played the second set, he was pulling up a deck board. The funny part was, he pulled out 2 of someone else's picks before he found my BC. All is well, I made $75 for playing 2 sets and didn't lose a $35 pick. The second set sounded much better. Whooooo

[Austin Bob]

Yep, that's why I carry two in my case. Picks have a way of getting away from you, and there are lots of small little cracks in this world for them to hide in.

[Frank Donnoli]

Dear BC Pick,
I will never take you for granted ever again.

[Astro]

Yeah, I struggled a bit adjusting to mine at first. Now I cant play without it. Its like watching TV without a remote. Its just not worth it.

[Jeff Mando]

This is why I've never tried heroin.......

[Kowboy]

BC's little wooden pocket case would be a good thing for you to purchase. 10 bucks and worth it. A good place to keep your back up pick and you won't have to fish for it in your pocket. I've got one and it can be engraved if you like.

[Cheryl Watson]

I lost one of my BC picks and searched and searched--it finally turned up, wedged under a foot of my bureau in my music room. It was like finding gold--well, not exactly, but close.

[Chughes423]

I've never tried a blue chip. Spending that amount of money on a pick seems outrageous. Am I missing out?

[Mandoplumb]

I have tried them, borrowed one for two songs from a friend at a jam. Didn't see where it was better than my Fender Xtra heavy. Someone said you had to get used to them, well I lose a pick about every time I play out somewhere ( I can usually keep up with them at home) so I don't want to become addicted to them. Gave up smoking because it was breaking me up, this would be worse

[OldSausage]

I've never tried a blue chip. Spending that amount of money on a pick seems outrageous. Am I missing out?

It depends. If you always play quietly at home, no, not really. If you play at jams or shows, then yes you are.

[Bill Baldridge]

I've never tried a blue chip. Spending that amount of money on a pick seems outrageous. Am I missing out?

Yes, you are, but I can't talk about it right now. The OP has given me a panic attack.

[Emmett Marshall]

I can totally relate to that. "Where is my Blue Chip? I KNOW it is in this room somewhere. I need to buy a spare. Oh there it is.....whew."

[Petrus]

Maybe attach a little chain to it, like those biker wallets. Or an RFID GPS chip that you can link to your smart phone and it'll show you where it is.

[UsuallyPickin]

I had a chocolate maroon carpet in my music room . I finally just replaced the darn thing. Pretty much each time I dropped a BC I had to get all the lights on in the room work a search grid on the rug..... R/

[terzinator]

I've never tried a blue chip. Spending that amount of money on a pick seems outrageous. Am I missing out?

Order one and find out.

From their site:

We guarantee your full satisfaction for thirty(30) days and offer a full refund if you are dissatisfied for any reason. Just return the picks and we will refund your purchase price.

Hide a dollar a day in your piggy bank and buy one after a month or so. (Not sure how many days in a month.)

If you don't like it, send it back and buy yourself a pizza with the refund.

No financial interest, I just like saying stuff. And quoting stuff.

[renoyd]

Mine slipped into a sofa into an unreachable spot. I could just feel a corner of it but couldn't pull it out. I turned the whole sofa upside down. Nobody else was in the house and the language was terrible. Still wouldn't come out. Plans regarding upholstery surgery and superglue were being formulated. I made a special tool and finally got that sucker out of there. Tonight almost fell into the same place. I can understand how if it was lost at a gig it would be that much more frustrating. Mandolin Store has a nice leather pick case keychain, that's where I keep my 3 BC's and a couple others.

Those who refuse to drop $35 don't have to go through the agony of taking apart wood decks and sofas but will never experience the joy of pick recovery either. And yes, they are worth it, just keep them away from the cracks that constantly seek them out.

[roysboy]

If I learned anything ( in a hurry ) when I first took up the mandolin several years ago , its that the right pick can make a 300.00 mandolin sound like a FAR more expensive instrument ...FAR MORE . I have the 300.00 instrument and the 75 cent 3.0 pick to prove it .

[Ivan Kelsall]

From the OP - "...my Fern...". Would that be a reference to a Weber "Fern" ?. I use DR MD11 strings on mine & have just bought some 1.5mm Dunlop Primetone picks,mainly for my Lebeda mandolin (MD11's on that as well). The combo.of the DR strings plus the 1.5mm primetone produces a heck of a lot of sheer 'punch'. The Primetones are around $8.0 US for a pack of 3. You could do worse that to 'buy 'em & try 'em'' as a back up for your Blue Chip. A few folk on here think that they're a better pick ''for them'' than the BC's,
Ivan

[Handy Hummingbird]

From the OP - "...my Fern...". Would that be a reference to a Weber "Fern" ?. I use DR MD11 strings on mine & have just bought some 1.5mm Dunlop Primetone picks,mainly for my Lebeda mandolin (MD11's on that as well). The combo.of the DR strings plus the 1.5mm primetone produces a heck of a lot of sheer 'punch'. The Primetones are around $8.0 US for a pack of 3. You could do worse that to 'buy 'em & try 'em'' as a back up for your Blue Chip. A few folk on here think that they're a better pick ''for them'' than the BC's,
Ivan

I'll second that; Primetone's are a great (and much more affordable) back-up alternative to a Blue Chip should you lose one. Anything to avoid the inevitable loan of a flimsy grey dunlop from a well meaning guitarist friend when you can't find your standard pick.

[jshane]

I've never tried a blue chip. Spending that amount of money on a pick seems outrageous. Am I missing out?

yes.

[Drew Egerton]

Well great. Guess I will go buy a backup pick now!

I have a TAD60-3R for mando and a TAD50-1R for guitar. I have once in a while needed to use one or the other on the other instrument during temporary states of emergency.
I usually have them in the strings at all times, but thinking I will take my nice leather keychain they sent me and actually put it use with a backup. Needed a new key chain anyway...sure...promise I did...justification? I think so.

[Capt. E]

I carry one in my wallet in the event I come upon a mandolin that needs playing. I keep the other one with my A-2.

By the way, has anyone ever worn one out?

[Lord of the Badgers]

I carry my picks in a little leather pouch on my keyring - you can get em in any musical instrument shop I'm sure. But I won't invest in a BC - too much as I do lose them! The Primetones are great. Best little investment for a while them.

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

I'll second that; Primetone's are a great (and much more affordable) back-up alternative to a Blue Chip should you lose one. Anything to avoid the inevitable loan of a flimsy grey dunlop from a well meaning guitarist friend when you can't find your standard pick.

I may as well third that. I order a pack last week, and they are scarily similar to a BC. I kept dropping them on a wooden table, and the sound it makes bouncing off the table is almost identical to that from a BC. They sound just a tad 'edgier' than the BC (a sharper attack sound), and a little more click noise. But for the price, they are just plain excellent, and I'm keeping one in my wallet as a backup

[Billgrass]

I was playing with BC's until I took a John Reischmann workshop. He let us try a Red Bear and I have never looked back. The warmth and fat-ness of tone is very apparent. No, they don't last forever and the sound may not be for everyone, but look at the bright side: I don't have to worry about dropping my BC any more!