I use XL strings on my guitar and prefer a thin pick. Those white Dunlop picks are the best I have found so far. Well, there was a pick I found once. It was a clear triangle in the jar of picks at the local music store. The pick was super thin and plastic. It shattered to pieces after one set. There were no other similar picks in the pick jar. I’ve search high & low in other pick jars. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve seen every thin pick on the market. All stores sell the same thing.
For many years I never gave picks a serious thought…I always prefered a medium with a slightly rounded point. But that all changed when a flatpicker let me try a few of his picks. Now I understand voicing a little better, on guitars and mandos. It’s not unlike voicing on a piano. If you sand, or soften the felt hammers with a pin, you can substantially change the voice or tone of a piano. With a guitar, there’s nothing better than a tortoise shell, or a fake tortoise for some, or a composite Wegen pick, to bring out the best tone a guitar has to offer. Thickness and shape is a matter of taste and preference.
I like the yellow or green dunlops. for guitar, fender semi tri for mando.
I met some folks picking bluegrass , and a bunch of them had these 40$ yees 40$ picks. I tried one , it felt like a pick. who knows. I lose them too much for that.
If I was going to spend $40 on a pick, I could probably spend even more money on just buying a better guitar and changing my strings more often and improve my sound that way. I’m not playing anything that requires a $40 pick. And besides, the perfect pick that I did find was in the 3 for $1 pick jar.
After trying every other pick known to mankind (or almost), I bought a $36 Blue Chip pick, liked it so much for the tone and functionality of it that I bought two more for other instruments and now play nothing else. No, they are not cheap, but for my tastes they are worth every penny. Until then, the Tortis or Wegens were my favorites and are also worth the price for sure.
I forget the name (and it’s worn off) but I have a couple of three cornered picks made of a Dunlop-ish material that I like. The three corners are not symetrical-- one is rounded, one is mildly pointed and the third is elongated and hence a bit more flexible than the other two. By simply rotating the pick, I get different feel and tone from one pick.
I have a 40ish year old pre-ban genuine tortoise shell pick that I LOVE on my mandolin.
I’m with liestman. After a long period of skepticism, I finally sprung for the $36 Blue Chip pick. It’s my hands-down favorite.
There are many threads about this at Mando Cafe, and the overwhelming consensus is favorable to the Blue Chip. Go there if you want to see why people are willing to pay that much for a pick.
Yes at mando cafe they love expensive stuff. What they consider a entry inst. cost at least 1m, {{ unless its a Big Muddy or Mid mo."{ I have a Big M, super mando, unless your a grasser}} too rich for my blood. I cant imagine playing a 1500.0 -2500.00 mando around the campfire , or laying it down on my porch as I played & chatted.
But to each his own. If they "think " it makes them play better, it probably does.
absolutely NO offense intended to those who like blue chip or whatever, just my thoughts, a cut up credit card , makes a decent pick
These picks come as thin as .38mm and are only $3.99 p/dozen. The great thing about them is…
“Made with acetal, a unique durable material that produces clean overtones, fast release, and has a nonslip surface for sweat-soaked excursions. These picks sport a cool Clayton logo and come in a pack of one dozen..”
They also have much better picks for a little more.
I’ve used the Clayton picks before, I still have some that I wore out. They were OK but I like the white Dunlops better. Thanks for the link, I clicked through quite a few pages. I forgot about Sharkfins, I liked those, I haven’t seen them in awhile. I liked how the fin bent. I occasionally buy from there and on my next purchase, I’ll add some picks to experiment.
Dear Steve:
Playing around campfires rocks! I didn’t get to do that this summer. Everybody who hasn’t done this should give this a go, even if you have to crash a campfire. If you play the right music, I think most folks wouldn’t mind.
Nothing compares to Bluechip picks. Wegans are good, Red Bear are ok but BlueChip are amazing.
I know it is a lot of money for a pick but I must admit it boggles my mind that someone wouldn’t think twice about laying out multiple thousands for a mandolin because sound is everything but won’t consider spending money on a pick that really can make a difference in sound and playability. And I don’t mean a little bit of a difference, I mean a huge difference. I also own two real tortoise picks (made from an old tray that was made from a dead turtle, not directly made from a dead turtle) and they are not even close to being as good as the Bluechip. And I have seen these sold at festivals (under the table) for $100 or more.
No, I don’t work for Bluechip but I do own several and I paid full price for all of them. Not cheap but well worth it.
Right. I would have been the last to accept the idea of a $35 pick. What could possibly make it that much better? Answer, I don’t know, but it is. Strange, but true, (IMHO, of course).
I’ve thought about those, but I lose picks
like Bruce Willis loses hair. I can stand to
buy a pack of 20 picks per year, but not
so much with the Bluechips. I guess I have
to work on my organizational problems first.
I’d never heard of BlueChip picks till I read this topic recently. I’ve heard of Wegens for ages but never got around to trying them. So recently I went on a buying spree and ordered a pack of Wegens and a single BlueChip.
I don’t like the Wegens at all, but I think that’s because they’re much thicker than what I’m used to. I think I’ll give them to some bluegrasser friends.
Next the BlueChip arrived (TP40), and it’s closer in thickness to the grey .88 Dunlop picks I’m used to. I love the BlueChip – a definite improvement. I’m still having a hard time believing that it makes a significant difference. The skeptic in me suspects that maybe it’s all in my mind – my mind might be eager to believe that my money was well-spent. But, I don’t think that’s it, since I didn’t respond that way to the Wegens.
Thanks to all who brought the BlueChip to my attention.
Now, how can I make sure I don’t misplace that little $35 piece of plastic?
