Warmest tone from Blue Chip pick?

[abmatt]

I have a Blue Chip TAD-1R 60 that I like a lot. But I also find myself reaching for a D'Andra Pro Plec when playing around the house because I like the warm, fat tone it provides. The thing is, the Blue Chip is much louder, much more crisp.

Is there a particular Blue Chip that you've found that would provide a good bit of that warmth while still holding on to the volume and attack? Thanks for any replies, and sorry if this has been covered elsewhere.

[MontanaMatt]

MY observations have been
TAD60, loud and warm, might be the same profile as your tad1r
STP60, more cut but smaller grip surface
CT55, faster and more attack
Happy pickin

[Nathan Kellstadt]

Have you considered a Blue Chip with a round bevel? I'm going to assume you're using a right hand speed bevel. It's possible that part of the warmth you're getting from the Proplec is due to the round bevel.

I use a TAD-3R 60 with a round bevel and find it to be a nice combination of warm & fat, while also clear & clean. YMMV.

If you have the funds, I'd consider buying a round bevel version of the same pick you're currently using.

[Michael Neverisky]

I have all of the above mentioned picks. I don't think you can get "warm and fat" and "crisp" from the same pick. You can move the tone produced by a pick in the direction of "warm and fat" or "crisp" by changing the angles of attack and by moving towards/away from the bridge.

[Frankdolin]

I have all of the above mentioned picks. I don't think you can get "warm and fat" and "crisp" from the same pick. You can move the tone produced by a pick in the direction of "warm and fat" or "crisp" by changing the angles of attack and by moving towards/away from the bridge.

??? Ill pick sentence #3.

[pops1]

Most picks 1mm and above warm the high's, it's the low's that make a difference to me. Prefer nothing over 1mm. or the low notes get muddy and too warm, if that is a correct term. BC I use a 35, the 40 and 50 I have don't sound as good to me on the low end. The 60's are long gone.

[Walt]

??? Ill pick sentence #3.

I think AKA Frosty meant you can't be simultaneously warm and crisp (they are opposite ends of the spectrum, assuming "crisp" means "bright"), but you can adjust your pick technique to move the sound closer to one or the other end of the spectrum.

Abmatt, keep us posted on what you find out. I'm assuming you're looking for something that has a pleasing warm sound, but not something so warm that it won't be able to cut through while playing with other instruments. I have a friend that has given me two Blue Chip picks. I know they are nice, but they are way way too bright for my taste. I use the round edge (not the pointy edge) of a Dunlop Gator Grip 1.5, pictured below.
I'm not a Blue Chip expert, but I'm kind of in the same boat you are. I'd like to try using the round corner of a heavy Blue Chip that's shaped like the pick I already use.

[Timmando1]

My suggestion is a "TP-1R" pick (I use the TP-1R50). This pick has one of the edges with a round bevel. Rotate the pick and use the "more pointed" edge for a different sound. Just a thought, two tones with one pick

[pops1]

My BC picks have 2 rounded edges, I rarely use the point.

[Perilous Deep]

I also play with the TAD-1R 60. In my experience, the rounded edge primarily affects the quality of the attack with each pickstroke. So it changes the articulation of a note, but not the tone itself. I also find that I get less volume from the rounded corner, but I don't play with it a lot, so I haven't acclimated to using that corner to its full advantage (which may be tremolo). But basically, I don't think you're going to get much of a noticeable difference in the tonal quality of your mandolin moving to a different Blue Chip pick with a different corner shape and/or bevel as long as you're keeping the material and the thickness the same. You can go thinner, but that will likely give you less warmth/fatness and more crispness.

Since no one has mentioned it yet, have you tried a Wegen TF140? To my ear, it's got a decidedly rounder tone than Blue Chip and no volume dropoff. The attack is a little less crisp than BC though. But the Wegen will definitely give you a different tone.

[MontanaMatt]

Try one of these
http://www.dragonsheartguitarpicks.c...rt-guitar-pick
I have one, not exactly to my liking but some will love it for mando

[varmonter]

I my wife recently found a customised bc in our couch. I had given up for lost. I went through the bc phase about 5 or 6 yrs ago. I now realize its more about technique than pick material.
I now use a fender extra heavy. Twenty nine cents
If you shop around and buy 100. Thickness/stiffness is important. To thin a pick sounds clacky.
I like the fender extra heavy because if i drop it
Its white and shows up on a flat black stage.
Blue chips are great but the difference toneally between a 35 dollar bc and a 29 cent white fender EH is just not that great.

[dorenac]

After much experimentation I have been using a CT55 with no bevel and find it works well for both rounder, warmer and easier attack. I also use a TAD60 with no bevel sometimes as well. Both sound to me similar to the ProPlec but with more articulation.

[MediumMando5722]

Since no one has mentioned it yet, have you tried a Wegen TF140? To my ear, it's got a decidedly rounder tone than Blue Chip and no volume dropoff. The attack is a little less crisp than BC though. But the Wegen will definitely give you a different tone.

Agree. I've been using the TF120 and 140 a lot lately. Sometime soon, I'm going to contact Mikel and see if he'll make me a slightly smaller TF130.

[dang]

After much experimentation I have been using a CT55 with no bevel and find it works well for both rounder, warmer and easier attack. I also use a TAD60 with no bevel sometimes as well. Both sound to me similar to the ProPlec but with more articulation.

After much experimentation I mostly use a TAD 60 with no bevel, but sometimes use a CT55 with no bevel.

[UsuallyPickin]

Well .... instrument, technique, strings, pick in order of importance for tone. They all make a difference to a greater or lesser degree. The more you know about good technique the greater difference can be had from strings and picks. So play on, continue to learn and experiment with your playing. Keep in mind we all have a tonal preference which may or may not be similar to the person playing mandolin in the next chair... R/

[Willie Poole]

The reason there are so many different brands of strings and picks is because all of us don`t like the same things, if we did there would only be one brand of each of these, one brand of autos, one brand of TV`s...You get the picture I`m sure...Just try as many as you can and they will talk to you, I have tried just about every brand of string and pick out there and on different days I use a different pick and it sometime depends on the acoustics of the building where you are playing so don`t just carry one pick with you when you go to do a show or to jam, take a hand full...

Willie

[abmatt]

Well this was very helpful, though as the original poster I feel a bit silly. I had the pick I was looking for all along. I bought the TAD-1R 60 used and didn't really notice that it had one rounded side to it until I started reading your responses. (I guess that's why it's called 1R ... duh). I switched to the rounded side and noticed an appreciable increase in the warmth, along with all the volume the Blue Chip brings. Next one I buy will be the 3R, rounded on all three sides, as Nathan recommended above. Thanks much, everyone.