How To Avoid Losing An Expensive Pick

[Jonathan K]

Hi!

I bought a Blue Chip pick (CT-55). I love it. I plan on buying another to replace the one I expect to lose soon.

I have done some scientific analysis and I believe there are 3 classes of loss for me: 1) lost in my desk, 2) lost in my house and 3) lost in the musical wild. All are pretty much irretrievable situations.

How do you avoid losing your beloved Blue Chip picks? Do you keep them in a case or something?

Thanks in advance!

[Rdeane]

I have a small, 2-drawer band saw box that I made that I keep my picks in. One drawer is for guitar picks and capos, and one is for mandolin picks. It helps to corral the picks and keep my very curious cat from playing with the picks and losing them for me. He's lost at least 2 picks already. To date he hasn't figured out how to open the drawers, although he does sit and stare at it, and I know he's trying to discover the trick to get it open.

[foldedpath]

You have to develop a ritual and stick with it, that's all there is to it. Consistency is key. Here's how I handle it, with two identical BC picks.

1) One pick lives full-time in the accessory pocket of my Pegasus case, as a backup in case I lose the primary pick at a session or gig. I have another pick in there, an Ultex, as a backup for the backup.

2) The primary pick spends most of its time in a small jar next to my chair in our music practice room. It always goes back in that jar when I'm through practicing, or playing music at home with my S.O. or visiting musicians. Always, always.

3) When I go out to a session or gig, part of the packing routine is to transfer the primary pick from its home in the practice room jar, to the accessory pocket of the case. So now I have two BC picks in there, with the Ultex backup.

4) At the session or gig when the mandolin is out of the case, the pick is in my right hand when playing. If I'm taking a bathroom break or ordering another pint, the pick goes into my pants pocket -- always the left side, with nothing else in there. When packing up, the pick goes back into the case. At home, the mandolin is removed the case and put on a stand in the practice room, and the primary BC pick goes into its little jar there. I rotate every few months between the primary and backup to even out the very small amount of wear.

I never, ever depart from this routine: It's always Jar -> Case --> Playing or pants pocket --> Case --> Jar. Haven't lost a BC pick in years. The last time I "lost" one, it was because I had loaned it out to a stranger at a jam to try out, then I got distracted and the guy walked off with it. So that's the final rule: Never loan your BC pick to anyone else.


Everyone here who has managed to hang onto their BC pick(s) will have their own version of what works. Just keep it consistent, never depart from the routine.

[Gary Leonard]

I think the key is to always know where it is, and to know where it isn't. I have seriously lost mine in plain sight on my desk. The brown seems to blend into a lot of surfaces. I tend to keep mine in my hand at sessions, regardless if I am playing. At home, it is either on my desk (where computer is and where I work from home, with my mandos within reach), in my hand, or in my pocket.

Knowing where it isn't has saved my Bluechip twice, as it was in my hand when I tossed something away. Not too proud to dig through an good part of the day's garbage to find it. I also moved a heavy bookshelf that was firmly anchored to the wall to find an errant, wayward bluechip that had been missing for months.

I still have the three original ones I bought three years ago, which is pretty amazing. I now fully expect to lose one in the next few days.

[JeffD]

There are many ways, all of which have merit. The main thing is to decide not to lose it.

Tape a one hundred dollar bill to it. You will soon figure out how to not lose it.

[Gary Leonard]

...

Everyone here who has managed to hang onto their BC pick(s) will have their own version of what works. Just keep it consistent, never depart from the routine.

So true!

[UsuallyPickin]

I have one in the strings and one in the pick pocket on the instruments I regularly play. When I finish playing I put the pick in the strings and put the instrument in it's case and latch the case. If I am gigging the pick stays in my hand or in my pocket until time to go home. R/

[Zach Wilson]

Consistency is the key indeed!

Here's my version...

The good picks (my favorites) go in an old Altoids tin and left on top of my book case.

The rest go in an old coffee cup that rests on top of my book case.

When I need one for a gig, jam, etc. I bring it. If not I leave it there.

It's worked. I'll continue with it.

[Gelsenbury]

There are many ways, all of which have merit. The main thing is to decide not to lose it.

And that's the same regardless of whether the pick is cheap or expensive. You decide not to lose it, you become conscious of it, you pay attention to it. It's not failsafe, but then nothing is.

[pops1]

It is in the strings or my hand, haven't lost one yet.

[DHopkins]

There are many ways, all of which have merit. The main thing is to decide not to lose it.

Tape a one hundred dollar bill to it. You will soon figure out how to not lose it.

A hundred dollar bill?? I have no idea what that is.

[colorado_al]

Pick holder key chain
https://www.amazon.com/HSAN-Holder-K.../dp/B07DQHMFDK

[Roger Adams]

It is in the strings or my hand, haven't lost one yet.

+1.

In addition, If you allow someone to play your mando, make sure they don't accidentally walk off with your pick! (It's kinda like folks walking off with pens.) I take the pick out of the strings and put it in my pocket, and let them use their own pick!

[Eric Platt]

Have a little ceramic bowl made for Taylor Guitars where my BC picks sit when not in use. Otherwise, they go either in the strings (if I'm playing a specific instrument quite a bit for practice or gigs) or an Altoids tin. All my guitar cases and gigbags have a tin.

And that's how I lost one for a couple years. Was in a tin in a case where I didn't look for almost 2 years.

[addamr]

I'm with Pops1 and Rodger. Stays tucked in the strings or in my hand. I keep a couple of cheap spare picks in my case if some one needs a pick.

Adam

[foldedpath]

In addition, If you allow someone to play your mando, make sure they don't accidentally walk off with your pick! (It's kinda like folks walking off with pens.) I take the pick out of the strings and put it in my pocket, and let them use their own pick!

That's ONE of the reasons I don't like storing the pick in the strings. I'd much rather lend out my mandolin for someone to try than the pick, and in a recent house session we did a lot of back-and-forth mandolin trading. The pick stays with me.

The other reason is I just don't trust the pick to stay there. I've played wedding gigs where we set up over grass outdoors, or on a beach, or on a wood deck with gaps in the boards. Those are all potential hiding places if a pick falls out of the strings, and a BC is just about the worst color to locate. If it's never out of my hand, or in my pocket, I feel safer playing over something like a wood deck.

Although the wood deck, especially over water like a dock, still gives me the heebie jeebies. It's been a long, long time since I've dropped a pick while playing, but theoretically it could still happen!

[yankees1]

Buy a cheap pick and you will never lose it ! I have four BC picks-one 35, two ct55 and two 45 just in case I lose one !

[MontanaMatt]

Buy lost of expensive, perfect picks, then that's all you have access to if you loose your current favorite.
I have a box of bc, red bear, hence, itone, eml, prime tone, j.pearce, and more. I don't loose any, but if I do I got backups to spare.

[LadysSolo]

I keep mine in a small plastic container with a screw-on lid, actually I have two of them, one for my everyday picks and one for my back-ups. The picks are always in the plastic container if I am not using them. I keep all my picks this way, BC and Fender and everything in between. Haven't lost a pick in awhile, knock wood! Now I have probably jinxed myself and I will!

[wormpicker]

I wish I could chip my “Chip”...

Last summer, right after I got my CT55 pick, I brought it to a music festival, where we camped and played non-stop for 5 days. I switched off between my fiddle and mando, keeping my pick in my shorts pocket when I wasn’t using it. About midway through the festival I developed a miserable cold, blowing (literally) through a couple boxes of tissues, stuffing them into my pocket as they piled up (you can see where this is going) and periodically unloading the wads of used tissues into our campsite trash bag.

After playing fiddle for a while I went to play my mando and reached into my pocket for my pick. Disaster! The pick wasn’t there. The second-worst part of the ordeal was explaining to everyone why I was so panicked about losing a pick (“It’s just a pick. Don’t you have extras?”). The worst part was reaching into the trash bag through all the discarded lunches and snacks, beer residue, etc., not to mention my snotty tissues. But I came up with my pick! Haven’t lost it since, but I’ll let you know how next summer’s festival goes.

[Jeff Mando]

I guess that's never been a problem for me. I stick 'em in my front pants pocket with my spare change.....so I know where they are.

And yes, I still have picks from the early 70's that have never been lost......still in regular use!

[Ivan Kelsall]

I don't use expensive picks myself,but if i did i wouldn't treat them any different than i do with the Dunlop Primetone picks that i do use. I have a pick for each mandolin. Each pick is slipped under the strings at about the 2nd or 3rd fret when the mandolins are in their cases. When playing 'anywhere',the pick is in my hand,or,back under the strings. I've never lost a pick,but when i started playing mandolin,not being a pick user on banjo or guitar, (finger picked),i had one heck of a time keeping me & the pick in the same location.

One thing - NEVER put your picks or 'whatever' somewhere safe !. That's almost guaranteed to make 'em disappear,
Ivan

[John Soper]

When we moved recently, I found the first Bluechip that I had lost many years ago, under a couch in a room with a brick floor. I swear I had moved the couch and look under it when I'd dropped the pick initially. That initial loss prompted me to eventually get 3 BC picks - one for each of my primary instruments, kept between the strings, and a spare in a "Pick Wallet" that attaches to my keychain. When I'm playing in a jam and taking a breather, the pick goes back between the string, or if someone wants to try my instrument, either in the pick wallet or the watch pocket of my jeans.

> 8 years without losing a Bluechip, and now I have 4!

[CES]

FP, the lake dock is my nervous place, too. I always use a Wegen or Primetone there. Haven’t lost one yet, but I’m not willing to chance it with the BC yet.

The only picks I’ve ever truly lost were ones I loaned out, so the Wegens and BC don’t get loaned out unless it’s to a close friend, band mate, or we’re in my house. I’ve had a couple of scares when switching instruments and from fingerstyle to flat picking guitar, usually because the pick gets knocked off the stand when changing music. I usually keep them in the strings of the instruments to which they belong, but have on occasion had a moment of mini-panic when I stuck one in my pocket for “safe keeping.” The scares have occurred when I deviate from my routine. The routine is the key!

And, now, I’ll probably lose 3 today

[sblock]

The advice above is correct: you need to develop a routine, that is, a fixed and consistent way of dealing with your pick. This will keep it handy, memorable, and if you do happen to misplace it, located in a very small number of possible places. There is no substitute for this excellent practice. Develop a routine that works reproducibly for you -- even if it seems awkward and inconvenient at first. Later on, it will become second nature.

I am one of those people who likes to store it in the strings when not in use. This works fine unless your action is high, or if you tend to loan your mandolin to another player.