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Thread: Blue Chip Uk

  1. #1

    Default Blue Chip Uk

    Would anyone have any advice how to best (most economically) get hold of a Blue Chip pick in the UK?(I'M after a SR60.
    Many thanks,
    Mollina

  2. #2
    Registered User Billy Packard's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    Mollina, did you try calling Blue Chip direct? They are super-nice folks.
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  4. #3
    Registered User almeriastrings's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    JP Guitars in Bristol:

    http://www.jp-guitars.co.uk/sales/st.../blue_chip.htm

    New Acoustic Gallery in Austria also carry them and have an SR-60 in stock. €45.

    http://n-a-g.info/index.php?option=c...&limitstart=10
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  6. #4
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    Have you actually used a Blue Chip SR60 pick ?. Purely as a suggestion,you might care to try out a Dunlop 'Primetone' pick (unless you already have done).There are several different shapes / thicknesses folk on here mostly think very highly of them,especially as they're a fraction of the cost of a single BC pick,
    Ivan

    Look here :- https://www.gak.co.uk/en/dunlop-prim...-514p1.3/98550 The price is for a pack of 3.
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  8. #5
    Registered User almeriastrings's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    Primetones and Blue Chips are very different. Different feel. Different sound. I have both and while the PT are good, I massively prefer the Blue Chip on mandolin.
    Gibson F5 'Harvey' Fern, Gibson F5 'Derrington' Fern
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  10. #6
    Peace. Love. Mandolin. Gelsenbury's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    I have no advice to give, but just to underline the importance of asking the question: I recently got charged £14 in customs fees, in addition to the shipping cost from the USA and the price of the pick itself, bearing in mind the weak pound.

    That's a lot of money for a pick. It's a nice pick, but still not my favourite.

    Incidentally, I've never been charged fees for other picks ordered from the USA. Luck of the draw, I suppose.

  11. #7
    Registered User mandrian's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    Hi,

    I would try a wanted ad. Probably like you, I struggle to find nice picks, armrests, tonegards, cases, etc in the UK.

    There are a lot of Uk members on the Cafe. Last summer I was looking for an armrest and put an ad in the classifieds. I got 4 replies and managed to buy a couple at about half the new price. Worth a try...

    Regards,

  12. #8

    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    Quote Originally Posted by Gelsenbury View Post
    I recently got charged £14 in customs fees, in addition to the shipping cost from the USA and the price of the pick itself, bearing in mind the weak pound.
    Same thing happened to me, plus (if I recall correctly) an £8.00 handling fee. A VERY expensive plectrum, I do love it but would not have paid that much if I had known before hand.
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  14. #9
    Unfamous String Buster Beanzy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    I ordered a CT55 one direct a few years back, but I always take it that a dollar price will be the same number but in pounds by the time I get it in my hands, so the additional costs weren’t a surprise.

    It was nice to do so I knew where it fitted into the grand scheme of things.
    I used it for a bit but haven't for quite a few years now as I found it lacked clarity and there was a lot of pick click by comparison with those I use now. I keep it to use it to let people try them out at sessions etc so they can get an idea if it suits them.

    Those ones Almeriastrings posted up from JPGuitars in Bristol seem to come up at a fair price.
    Last edited by Beanzy; Feb-27-2018 at 10:21am.
    Eoin



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  15. #10

    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    JP Guitars in Bristol, £38 for a Bluechip plectrum [ pick ], outrageous IMHO.

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  16. #11
    Registered User almeriastrings's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    They are $35.00 US..... so £38 including import costs and UK VAT is actually rather good....
    Gibson F5 'Harvey' Fern, Gibson F5 'Derrington' Fern
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  17. #12
    Registered User Hendrik Ahrend's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    Quote Originally Posted by almeriastrings View Post
    New Acoustic Gallery in Austria also carry them and have an SR-60 in stock. €45.

    http://n-a-g.info/index.php?option=c...&limitstart=10
    N. B., the New Acoustic Gallery is in Wuppertal, Germany, the very town where Caterina Lichtenberg and Mike Marshall reside.

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  19. #13
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    From Almeria - "..... is actually rather good.... ". Only if you actually like the pick !. A few Cafe members have used both BC & Primetone picks & a few have commented onthe similarity of one to the other - but,that will depend on 'which' BC & 'which' PT.

    The Primetone Teardrop shaped,1.5mm 'grippy' picks are the best i've ever used. A fellow UK mandolin player uses a similar BC pick which i've tried,it sounded very similar to my PT my ears, & i couldn't tell which was which when he played his mandolin with both.
    Possibly on other instrument / string combos. a 'difference' would have been heard - maybe !.

    Rob - The £8 ''handling fee'' - That's what the UK Post Office charges us for putting it on a shelf for you to collect. I used to get that on my string purchases from the US,so i started buying from the UK at a slightly higher cost,but at least i got my strings, usually within 3 days at the most.

    Gelsenbury - Our 'import allowance' from the US is £18 max. :- ".... and Import VAT (if over £18) on top of the purchase price...". On top of the cost of the item,add postal costs,& the total is what you'll pay UK VAT on + usually,a UK Post Office handling fee of £8,
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  21. #14

    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    I bought 3 direct from BlueChip, it attracted £16.87 VAT and an £8 "Royal Mail International Handling Fee". So the total price per pick worked out about £36. JP Guitars looks reasonable on that basis - you'll get it quicker and won't have to phone Royal Mail to find out where your parcel is.

    Gifts sent between private individuals don't attract VAT if the value is under £39, so another legal option would be to persuade a friend in the US buy one for you...
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  23. #15
    Chu Dat Frawg Eric C.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    Quote Originally Posted by almeriastrings View Post
    Primetones and Blue Chips are very different. Different feel. Different sound. I have both and while the PT are good, I massively prefer the Blue Chip on mandolin.
    I agree 100% with this. I would rate my pick preferences as the following: Blue Chip CT-55, Wegen (same shape as CT-55), Fender heavy (same shape as CT-55), and then the Primetones.

    I can never understand why people get in such a huff and try to talk people out of trying Blue Chip picks. I understand they are costly, but so are Ellis mandolins...

  24. #16
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    You should also check out Hawk plectrums in the UK. Similar material I believe but much cheaper (around £12). I got them to make something along the lines of the SB signature model, but with grip holes. Superb sound.

    https://hawkpicks.co.uk/simon-brady-signature-pick/

    Robbie

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  26. #17
    Registered User almeriastrings's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    Quote Originally Posted by ukrobbiej View Post
    You should also check out Hawk plectrums in the UK. Similar material I believe but much cheaper (around £12)
    Similar to Red Bear and several others - totally dissimilar to Blue Chips. Completely different material.
    Gibson F5 'Harvey' Fern, Gibson F5 'Derrington' Fern
    Distressed Silverangel F 'Esmerelda' aka 'Maxx'
    Northfield Big Mon #127
    Ellis F5 Special #288
    '39 & '45 D-18's, 1950 D-28.

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  28. #18
    Mandolin Botherer Shelagh Moore's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    I’ve bought mine from JP Guitars. I have a broad selection of picks including Primetones, Wegens, TS and V-picks and none of them are like the BlueChips which I much prefer for mandolin. They certainly are expensive and it took me a long time to take the plunge for that reason and general scepticism but, for me, they are worth it.

  29. #19

    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    Totally agree with Richard Moore, Almeriastrings, and others. Blue Chips are great picks - but you have to get the right one for you, your ears, and your mandolin!

    I've tried a couple of the more rounded ones, and they do nothing for my Northfield - I'm prepared to accept that this could be down to my playing style, as I've heard Jordan Ramsey use a rounded one in a jam and the tone he got from it was amazing. However a TP60 delivers a stunning, and beautiful, tone.

    The Prime Tones are also great picks - I reckon the large triangle plain brown ones in 1.4 or 1.5 are fantastic. But a BC is just that bit better. Put it this way - if I lost my TP60, I'd buy another one.

    At the end of the day, we're all different. Our mandolins are different and the way we play them also differs.

  30. #20
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    Try Wegen picks too, on the Netherlands

  31. #21
    Adrian Minarovic
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    Quote Originally Posted by Johnny60 View Post
    The Prime Tones are also great picks - I reckon the large triangle plain brown ones in 1.4 or 1.5 are fantastic. But a BC is just that bit better. Put it this way - if I lost my TP60, I'd buy another one.
    Few months ago I posted some blind recordings I made with four picks made of different materials but same shape/thickness. There was BC and Primetone among them... I remember no one really dared to guess which sample is played with which pick.
    Adrian

  32. #22
    Mangler of Tunes OneChordTrick's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    Quote Originally Posted by Ivan Kelsall View Post
    Have you actually used a Blue Chip SR60 pick ?. Purely as a suggestion,you might care to try out a Dunlop 'Primetone' pick (unless you already have done).There are several different shapes / thicknesses folk on here mostly think very highly of them,especially as they're a fraction of the cost of a single BC pick,
    Ivan

    Look here :- https://www.gak.co.uk/en/dunlop-prim...-514p1.3/98550 The price is for a pack of 3.
    Well I'm slowly upping the ante on my picks so I've hopefully got some arriving today. Enough people enthuse about various picks that there must be something in it

  33. #23
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    Other than the cost,i've nothing against Blue Chip picks & i even understand the reason for the cost = expensive material. The main reason that i don't use a BC pick,is because there's nowhere close to me for me to ''look at them / try before i buy''. I'm not about to buy via post,something that i might not like & need to send back. It's as simple as that. As i mentioned above in post #13,i've tried a very similar BC pick,& to my ears,it sounded very similar to my PT pick,both on my own Ellis "A" style on on my friend's Heiden "A" style.

    For me,when i got my first PT pick, it boosted the overall 'sound' of my mandolins to a degree that i thought was amazing. I simply cannot imagine any other pick changing the sound to a similar 'higher degree'. Yes,there may be a change,but would it simply be a ''difference'' & not an improvement ?. Until i can get close to a few dozen BC picks,i'll never know,but until then,my PT's sound excellent in every respect - to me,
    Ivan
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  34. #24
    Registered User almeriastrings's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    It is not just the sound. They feel different. Very smooth off the strings...
    Gibson F5 'Harvey' Fern, Gibson F5 'Derrington' Fern
    Distressed Silverangel F 'Esmerelda' aka 'Maxx'
    Northfield Big Mon #127
    Ellis F5 Special #288
    '39 & '45 D-18's, 1950 D-28.

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  36. #25
    Peace. Love. Mandolin. Gelsenbury's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blue Chip Uk

    Have you tried the Gold Series from Gravity Picks? It feels quite similar to the Blue Chip, and I like the sound even better.

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