# Instruments and Equipment > Equipment >  Does anybody on this forum prefer a pick that is not a bluechip?

## pickyaboutpicks

I noticed that most of the people on the cafe LOVE bluechips and i do not understand why there are not many celluloid users (i do use tortex sometimes) like me so if your pick of choice is NOT a bluechip please tell me what it is. THANKS!

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## JeffD

I guess my favorite pick is the Red Bear C Heavy SB.  It produces the tone I most love.

But I don't have a pick of choice. I switch around depending on what sound I want. For some tunes the BC is more to my liking, for some venues I prefer the Wegen. And on my bowlback I often use either a Gibson or Fender Heavy.

But if you want my favorite, the Red Bear wins.

There are many many more celluloid users here and everywhere, than any of the high end picks.

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## Astro

Wegen TF 140.

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## Jim Adwell

I use the green Dunlop tortex picks mostly.

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## Mark Seale

I primarily use the Wegen BN120 available from Greg Boyd or a Red Bear Taterbug Special.

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## NickAlberty

Wegen............Love them!
They're the only ones I use.

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## Tom Wright

Fender 351 heavy in premium celluloid. Crisper tone than the classic celluloid or solid color ones.

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Ray Neuman

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## Jim Garber

I do mostly like my BC picks esp on guitar when I wear the edge down on one tune -- I play hard. In terms of tone, I also like Ultem/Ultex picks but they do wear out. One of my favorite celluloid picks is the small Gibson heavy black teardrop which are no longer made. I bought up a few on eBay and do enjoy those on mandolin at times.

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## DeamhanFola

Dunlop Ultex .73, the extra-pointy tip. The perfect combination of thickness and rigidity for the Irish trad that I play (fast triplets). The sharp point helps give a bit more clarity and cut in a seisiún as well, especially given that my mando's back/sides are EI rosewood and not the usual maple.

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## MikeyG

Last month I tried these JB picks

https://jbguitarpicks.com/#/shop/product/413

and love 'em.  They come in 1.0, 1.2, and 1.5.  Pretty inexpensive too (a six-pack for just $3 +postage).  To my ear, they give near-tortoise tone. 

I also like the Dunlop Ultex 1.14 and the small Gibson black teardrops (no longer available).  

Mike

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## John Adrihan

Pro Plec D'andrea. I use it now more than my blue chip now.

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## Denny Gies

This is a terrible answer on Earth Day but my favorite pick is an authentic tortise shell.

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## Ryk Loske

ProPlecs and Dawgs here for mandolin.  I do not like BCs.

Ryk

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## Shelagh Moore

Ultex (mostly), Kasho celluloids and a TS pick (that I've had for decades) for some pieces.

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## Loretta Callahan

Yes, Wegen M100 or M150 ... but they slip.  Jazz Mando VPick doesn't slip but clicks, which some folks like.  

Started out with the Pro Plecs and Fender Mediums ... very nice picks.

I'd like to try a Red Bear, but their website says they're all sold out for the time being.

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## Gary Hedrick

I like the old type of pick that I'm not allowed to say the name of.......and I've had them for over 30 years....

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## mandobassman

I go back and forth between a Fender 346 Extra Heavy and a custom Wegen.  The Wegen is similar to the TF-140 except it is 1.8mm and has a rounded edge instead of their standard beveled edge.  I do not like the sound the beveled edge produces.  I use the Wegen the most.

I'm curious to try the triangular version of the JB 1.5mm pick that MikeyG listed above.

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## ducky

While I do love my bluechip... I really like my Proplec triangle

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## custer

Never tried a BC.  I switch between my Wegen and Clayton picks.

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## Ray Neuman

Another Fender 351 heavy solid color lover. Crisp, clean, great ability to bring out tone.  I tried many others, including some of the high $ ones, and found these to be the best for me.

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## Caleb

> Yes, Wegen M100


+1

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## Bob Clark

Celluloid Jim Dunlop heavies, reshaped.

JazzMando Proplecs, slightly reshaped.

Odd little 30 cent Celluloid picks, about 1.25 mm thick, from a local music shop, not reshaped.

Also, a pick shaped like the Jim Dunlop, but blue in color, from the Blue Parrot Tavern in Wilmington, Delaware.  Not so much for playing, although re-shaped it's OK (just a little thin) but because it gets you $1 off a drink the next time you go back to Blue Parrot.  Great place for live Blues, good food, interesting beer selection...and, oh yeah, they give out free picks. :Grin: 

Not necessarily in that order.  My preference varies day to day.

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## Jim Broyles

These:

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## Markus

Wegen

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## ralph johansson

Ultex 1.14 or 2.0

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## Beanzy

I use both the BC CT55 and the Wegen T140 but prefer the Wegen for most styles I play, except bluegrass where the BC gets used.

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## bratsche

I make my own from various materials, as I mainly prefer the elongated Roman style plectrum, from 1.5 to 2.5mm thick at the center, but tapered down toward the edges.  I've made them from celluloid, ultem and ivory.  I'd also love to find a sheet of whatever ProPlecs are made of, as I like the dark sound of that material.  Bought a Blue Chip once, but it just didn't have the "it" factor for me.  Too much emphasis on the treble for my liking.

bratsche

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## raulb

I prefer the free picks  endors give out at NAMM.

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## Nick Quig

My favourite at the moment is a Dunlop Gator Grip 2mm - nice deep tone!

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## Dave Hanson

I use Dunlop Ultex 1.00 and 1.14 but re-shaped like the Dawg.

Dave H

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## Bertram Henze



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## Toni Schula

Wegen with self drilled holes.

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## John Flynn

My choice would be a Starpic, made from pieces of the 4 billion-year-old Gibeon meteorite. They are $4,600 apiece (I'm not kidding), but I can't afford one.



So I settle for genuine Mother-of-toilet-seat picks!  :Laughing:

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## AlanN

Harley Allen's old pick.

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Markelberry

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## rsgars

Wegen and V-Pick are my picks of choice . . . At least as of this morning they were.

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## mandroid

got a dozen Dawg picks 20 years ago , still have most of them, in use 
 Fender 346 , the Wankel triangle, the alternate..

 Herco that wrap around my thumb.. I don't Drop those,  playing..

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## Vernon Hughes

regular old fender extra heavy and a real tort sometimes.

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## minuteman

Got a coffee cup full of every kind I've ever found but I always end up back with the D'Andrea 358 Heavy.

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## Troutbum

Wegen bluegrass and TF-140.  My wallet doesn't like the B.C.

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## Dave Hanson

If there was anywhere here in the UK that stocked  Bluechip picks I would certainly give them a  looking at.

Dave H

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## Nick Quig

> If there was anywhere here in the UK that stocked  Bluechip picks I would certainly give them a  looking at.
> 
> Dave H


http://www.jp-guitars.co.uk/sales/pa...lue_Chip_picks
These guys sell them

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## Daniel Nestlerode

> Wegen TF 140.


 Me too.  

Daniel

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## lukmanohnz

JazzMando V-Pick

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## Pete Counter

I bought a blue chip, liked the way it stuck to my finger.. didnt care for the tone so much. Went back to a certain unmentionable organic material I had been using. Recently discovered the d'andrea Pro Plec.. love em, very close in sound and shape to my favorite pick! Wont be buying another BC, the good thing is its not hard to get your money back out of em if you dont like em.

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## Steve G

ProPlec or shell. Tried Blue Chip and it was too bright

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## Pete Summers

Horn. I like the "darker" tone and easy grip.

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## tmsweeney

I also like the Clayton Horn and Camel ( or cow I guess) bone ( about $4 each) 

the camel bone can be a little bright and scratchy - but I like it for mandola
the horn is darker - warmer tone - I prefer that for mandolin and octave mandolin

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## JeffD

The Wegen I use is the T140 which I see here is more popular than I thought.

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## Alyx Hanson

About six months ago I discovered Brossard picks. The horn ones are great (and I've used the ebony and bone ones on my octave with similarly pleasant results). I especially like the Solos: the hole helps with my grip. (NFI, just happy.)

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tmsweeney

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## mandroid

Just have not been $35.00 worth of curious about how much one pick can make my right hand work better.

 the IRS, & ODR hoovered out enough money this month, i need that $35 for  pints to sooth the wound.

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## mtk

Another ProPlecer here.

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## JeffD

> Just have not been $35.00 worth of curious about how much one pick can make my right hand work better.
> 
>  the IRS, & ODR hoovered out enough money this month, i need that $35 for  pints to sooth the wound.



 :Laughing: 

I hear ya.

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## Levi

Currently I'm mostly using a felt pick on my tenor guitar. It is really thick, makes a scratchy noise on the treble strings, wears immediately, and leaves a felt dust behind, but it sounds incredibly warm, just like finger picking.  The tense, heavy courses on my mandolin destroy it, and it doesn't sound quite right, so 1.14 Dunlop Tortex remains my favorite for mandolin.

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## chasray

I keep going back to the proplec. I will use a fender heavy for electric.

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## CaskAle

Jim Dunlop Stubby. Never tried a bluechip, but I tried every pick in the store on my mando before I settled on the JD. It stood out as complimenting my mando by a long long way.

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## shortymack

Wierdo's!  :Laughing:    BC for me!!!  :Grin:

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Mike Bunting

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## Chip Booth

ProPlec Jazzmando large triangle.  The BC picks just don't sound good to me, though they have a great feel.

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## Jim

another 351 heavy user here.

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## Jstring

I have one of everything in my "pick museum".... Dunlop, Dawg, Red Bear, V Pick, Pro Plec, Wegen, et al.  And a lot of "homebrews" courtesy of my Dremel tool.... Of the non-Blue Chips, I think Wegen gives the best volume / tone combination- and they have so many combinations to buy and try.  Honestly, once you have a few mandos you love, what can you spend money on except picks and camps? (unless you're DataNick...I jest! I jest!)
   Like so many others, I tried Blue Chip and never touched another pick after I got my CT55. The two pro mandolinists who are kind enough to play with me / tolerate me, grabbed my new Blue Chip, flexed it, played a few notes, and then tossed it back to me with jokes about "amateurs who spend $35 on picks". Guess what they play NOW??? At least they were nice enough to say I told them so!

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## shortymack

Amen on the not touching another after seeing the light. Dont fight the force Luke, it is strong! :Cool:  :Wink:  :Whistling:  :Grin:  :Mandosmiley:

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Jstring, 

Mike Bunting

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## meveral3

I use mostly Golden Gates , Wegen, Dawg and ultex just depends on my mood or what is on top in the skoal can , that I store my picks in.

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## John Eischen

Read through this thread, and I've seen the 66 page Blue Chip thread. There seems to be a euphoric cult-like fanaticism surrounding BC. Are they manufactured by the Sirens of the Anthemoessa? Does the special material contain LSD? I'm afraid to try one.
Out of curiosity I checked Ebay and found this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Les-Paul-Gui...item588bd812eb. 

The Blue Chip appears to be a relatively good deal.

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## Levi

> Read through this thread, and I've seen the 66 page Blue Chip thread. There seems to be a euphoric cult-like fanaticism surrounding BC. Are they manufactured by the Sirens of the Anthemoessa? Does the special material contain LSD? I'm afraid to try one.


You make it sound wonderful so people don't call you an idiot for spending $35 on a pick 

I'm not saying bluechip buyers are idiots. I've never tried one, but I'm sure it's well worth it, if it provides the tone you like.

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californiajed

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## Jstring

Out of curiosity I checked Ebay and found this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Les-Paul-Gui...item588bd812eb. 

The Blue Chip appears to be a relatively good deal.[/QUOTE]

An $11,000 pick with "Les Paul" stamped on it? Sounds like the perfect plectrum for someone who would buy a $50,000 Duane Eddy mandolin...

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## Bob Buckingham

Wegen, 120 or 140 or 100 depending on my mood.

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## JeffD

> Read through this thread, and I've seen the 66 page Blue Chip thread. There seems to be a euphoric cult-like fanaticism surrounding BC. Are they manufactured by the Sirens of the Anthemoessa? Does the special material contain LSD? .


It couldn't possibly be that they are so good that people like them a lot and recommend them to others. Sometimes the enthusiasm is real. Sometimes its not the kool aid.

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## stringduster

Plec Pro

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## Steve Ostrander

I also use the Dunlop Tortex Rhino picks. Cheap and available at nearly every music store.

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## bmac

I am blind... So whatever comes out of the cookie jar is OK by me. Actually I use mediums and lights depending on what sound I want, or whatever I happen to have in my pocket at the moment. Were I performing publicly I suppose I would use a medium pick. But nothing more expensive than a dollar. Two for a dollar preferably.

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## f5loar

I just got wind on facebook that there is a new pick being handmade in Monroe, NC in custom sizes and thickness for $10 that is going to make the BlueChip obsolete.  Can't figure out why no one here has mentioned it.  I've heard rumors of pro pickers buying several dozens to give out to their friends.  I've heard other rumors of die-hard BlueChip pickers that threw them away when they got this new pick.

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John Eischen, 

Mike Bunting

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## Bertram Henze

> I just got wind on facebook that there is a new pick being handmade in Monroe, NC in custom sizes and thickness for $10 that is going to make the BlueChip obsolete.


Not in Monroe, NC. On Damogran.  :Cool:

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## xiledscot

Damogran is home to the Damogran Frond Crested Eagle, which is known to make nests largely out of papier-mâché, from which it is virtually impossible for any of the hatchlings to break out. The Damogran Fron Crested Eagle's beak when moulded into shape makes an excellent Mando Pick............not unlike the BC,and costing only 50 cents each! Shipping is free within the fashionable Eastern side of the Galaxy.

Think I'll wait for f5loar's alternative :Wink:

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## Elliot Luber

I like Blue Chips, but I also like Red Bear, Wegen, V-Picks and Dunlop Pro Plecs. It's really a question of what you're playing, where you're playing and how you feel at the moment. There are a lot of good choices.

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## Mike Bunting

> I like Blue Chips, but I also like Red Bear, Wegen, V-Picks and Dunlop Pro Plecs. It's really a question of what you're playing, where you're playing and how you feel at the moment. There are a lot of good choices.


I thought D'Andea made Pro-Plecs.

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## mandobassman

They do.

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## John Eischen

Tom: Have you tried them yet? They apparently put up a demo just minutes before I found their Facebook pages, along with a link to a website that has a countdown clock showing 15 days, 10 hours etc. 'til launch. There is a phone number on Facebook. Thanks for the tip!

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## Bertram Henze

Apparently, a prototype just went for 20 million Euros at Christie's.

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Jim Garber

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## dfalkiewicz

Well some of us own a Ford, some a Chevy or Chrysler........but the bottom line is they'll all get us back and forth. I think picks are the same. We all use different picks, and by experimenting eventually you will find the one for you.

Mike Marshall uses and recommends the Pro Plec D'andrea to all his students. Of course you can't compare this to the Blue Chip......those are amazing, but not all of us can afford those. Elderly has the Pro Plec picks - 24 for $13.35

http://elderly.com/accessories/names...ak--PRO346.htm

Keep on pickin!

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## xiledscot

> I just got wind on facebook that there is a new pick being handmade in Monroe, NC in custom sizes and thickness for $10 that is going to make the BlueChip obsolete.  Can't figure out why no one here has mentioned it.  I've heard rumors of pro pickers buying several dozens to give out to their friends.  I've heard other rumors of die-hard BlueChip pickers that threw them away when they got this new pick.


I think that the manufacturers of this new pick,should offer it to members of the Mandolin Cafe ,at a discount !!
We in return would give them our opinion as to how they compare to our picks,including,of course  B.C.

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## Bertram Henze

> I think that the manufacturers of this new pick,should offer it to members of the Mandolin Cafe ,at a discount !!


I think the manufacturer is Shmergel Inc, Brigadoon, Scotland. They are open for business for one day, every 100 years. The rest of the time they camouflage as a hotel and claim to know nothing about picks. Good luck obtaining a pick at all, let alone at a discount.

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## JimRym

I had been using Golden Gates for years...they are cheap, accessible and do the job.  Then I started using Dawg Picks, which are a bit crisper sounding, but similar in feel to the GG's.  I had a tortoise shell a while back, but loaned it to someone who handed it back to me in two pieces (doh!)  I just can't justify the cost to get another...or the ecological guilt.  I prefer a rounded tip, so many of the suggestions above that use pointy tips wouldn't work for me...maybe for Irish or Old Time, but not for BG.  I haven't experimented with picks for jazz or swing...maybe I should.  Does anyone use a different pick for BG and jazz?  -Jim

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## Eric C.

I use Golden Gates, and when I can find where I left them, I use the Dawg picks. I just ordered a couple of different V-Picks to try out though the transparency scares me a little. Would hate to drop one in a dark location.

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## JeffD

I use a different pick for different kinds of music, for different kinds of tunes within the same genre of music, for different venues and playing situations, and for different mandolins. Blue Chip, Red Bear, Wegen, and a good old Gibson or Fender Heavy. 

On mandolin the pick makes enough difference that it pays to experiment and see what works with what.

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## Michael H Geimer

*Wegen* picks seems to even out the notes like a mild compressor. That can be a good thing.
*Dawg*/*ProPlec*/*GoldenGates* have a darker tone with little high-end or pick noise. That can be a good thing, too.
*Red Bear*/*Papa's*/*V-Picks* bring out a full low-end with a sharp pick attack. This can be a very good thing.

I do not have a Blue Chip, but I'll probably add one to the pick box eventually. I'll probably find some good uses.  :Wink:

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## Narayan Kersak

I love Red Bears and really like V-picks.  V-picks are probably my top choice, although I do have a blue chip.

Here are more of my thoughts on all this...

http://ashevillemandolin.wordpress.com/?s=picks




> I noticed that most of the people on the cafe LOVE bluechips and i do not understand why there are not many celluloid users (i do use tortex sometimes) like me so if your pick of choice is NOT a bluechip please tell me what it is. THANKS!

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## guitargain

I tried a couple different ones (never tried a BC) and settled on the Dunlop Gator Grip in 1.5 mm.  I bought 24 of these at a ridiculous low price and love them.

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## Mike Bunting

> _--product name removed by admin--_ is the best pick ive ever played with cheaper than blue chip and better quality check em out


I call B.S.

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## mandolirius

> Adam steffey is playing there picks I just like da pics I bought some from them a week ago


"da picks"? What, are from "da hood"?   :Cool:

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Mike Bunting

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## clobflute

I bought a Wegen M150 pick.

Really don't understand it. I get nicer tones from a cheap Dunlop 0.71mm guitar pick although I am always hunting for mislaid ones.

My most used pick is my credit card. I''ve filed one corner slightly and can still withdraw money  :Smile:  
Sometimes it makes a really rich tone when I strum in balance lol.
This is one pick I usually have at hand  :Smile:

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## Scott Tichenor

We had someone spamming the forum with a product they're launching soon and evidence of that individual remains in some of those quotes above. Made sure that account has been removed and we'll be watching for instances of that product name. Think this is a case of someone trying to load up a forum with keywords for search engine optimization, but certainly one of the clumsiest efforts seen in awhile.

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George R. Lane

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## terzinator

> I just got wind on facebook that there is a new pick being handmade in Monroe, NC in custom sizes and thickness for $10 that is going to make the BlueChip obsolete.  Can't figure out why no one here has mentioned it.  I've heard rumors of pro pickers buying several dozens to give out to their friends.  I've heard other rumors of die-hard BlueChip pickers that threw them away when they got this new pick.


I think you're talking about this:

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## Traveling Tracks

I've always used Dawg picks..but have found them hard to find sometimes due to their limited availability (in regards to Grisman's strict quality control and rejecting the batches that aren't up to par).  Recently while looking for Dawg picks I came across The Pick Shoppe in Canada....very nice guy...helped me out....recommended the D'Andrea 346 and I love it.    I recommend these guys as they were really nice and helpful.

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## Scott Tichenor

> I just got wind on facebook that there is a new pick being handmade in Monroe, NC in custom sizes and thickness for $10 that is going to make the BlueChip obsolete.  Can't figure out why no one here has mentioned it.  I've heard rumors of pro pickers buying several dozens to give out to their friends.  I've heard other rumors of die-hard BlueChip pickers that threw them away when they got this new pick.


You're definitely right about that. Plenty of wind on Facebook.

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## Ron McMillan

I found the seriously amateurish Facebook page of the guy in NC. Apart from a quite interesting youtube clip of a seemingly pro player demonstrating one of the picks, the page was like a guide on how not to market yourself, and the images of the picks on offer made them look like something a guy was bodging in his garage workshop.

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## Scott Tichenor

Gets better.

Owner of the mystery pick company sends me an email:

------------------

Hello 

Recently there was a user that was talking about our picks and we wanted to let you know that was not us. The company has grown faster than we thought and our fan base is all over the united states. Our website will be up in a matter of days so you can look at our information and credentials. All this is a matter of wrong timing of the user.

Thank you 
--company name removed--

------------------

IP address path of the email was _identical_ to the guy booted earlier. How unique is that IP address? Only instance of it ever used on this forum. 

It may be shown they can create a pick, but there's one thing for certain: these clumsy, bogus self-promotion efforts are some of the dumbest I've seen in a long time. And then the nerve to send me an email proving who did it. Two words: email headers.

Oh, and the poor grammar matches the content of the deleted posts.

EDIT: Gets better.

Now he registers for another forum account, anonymously of course, using the same email address from the same IP address as what he just used to email me privately with his name (hint: I'm the guy that answered the email AND administers the forum). Now have about a half dozen more cross-references ID'ing him. All IP addresses match identically. And there's more. Access to server logs, what a marvelous tool.

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## Ted Eschliman

"I didn't do it. Nobody saw me do it, you can't prove anything." 
Bart Simpson

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## John Eischen

Too bad, I was interested for a moment. (Like I really need more picks...)  But it's hard to resist trying a new one. I admit I still don't have a BC. I understand and believe what everyone says about them, I've just always had a problem with following others. Plus I grew up in the 3 for a quarter era. Just stubborn, it runs in my family. One of these days I'll probably give in just out of curiosity.

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## Narayan Kersak

Just imagine how much better Mike Marshall would be if he used a Blue Chip instead of those Pro Plecs!

 :Disbelief: 




> Well some of us own a Ford, some a Chevy or Chrysler........but the bottom line is they'll all get us back and forth. I think picks are the same. We all use different picks, and by experimenting eventually you will find the one for you.
> 
> Mike Marshall uses and recommends the Pro Plec D'andrea to all his students. Of course you can't compare this to the Blue Chip......those are amazing, but not all of us can afford those. Elderly has the Pro Plec picks - 24 for $13.35
> 
> http://elderly.com/accessories/names...ak--PRO346.htm
> 
> Keep on pickin!

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## Bertram Henze

> Just imagine how much better Mike Marshall would be if he used a Blue Chip instead of those Pro Plecs!


 :Laughing: 
Wait - that sounds familiar...

There is, or was, a poet. His name was Lallafa, and he wrote what are widely regarded
throughout the Galaxy as being the finest poems in existence, the Songs of the Long Land.
They are/were unspeakably wonderful. That is to say, you couldn't speak very much of them
at once without being so overcome with emotion, truth and a sense of wholeness and
oneness of things that you wouldn't pretty soon need a brisk walk round the block, possibly
pausing at a bar on the way back for a quick glass of perspective and soda. They were that
good.
Lallafa had lived in the forests of the Long Lands of Effa. He lived there, and he wrote his
poems there. He wrote them on pages made of dried habra leaves, without the benefit of
education or correcting fluid. He wrote about the light in the forest and what he thought
about that. He wrote about the darkness in the forest, and what he thought about that. He
wrote about the girl who had left him and precisely what he thought about that.
Long after his death his poems were found and wondered over. News of them spread like
morning sunlight. For centuries they illuminated and watered the lives of many people whose
lives might otherwise have been darker and drier.
Then, shortly after the invention of time travel, some major correcting fluid manufacturers
wondered whether his poems might have been better still if he had had access to some
high-quality correcting fluid, and whether he might be persuaded to say a few words to that
effect...
(Douglas Adams, _Life, the Universe and Everything_)

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## bratsche

If anyone finds out what kind of material D'Andrea uses to make ProPlecs, and if it is available in sheets, I'd love to know...

bratsche

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## Jim Garber

> If anyone finds out what kind of material D'Andrea uses to make ProPlecs, and if it is available in sheets, I'd love to know...


I am not sure if this is a generic term or actually indicates the type of plastic (from their *web site*):



> All 6 shapes in 1.5mm extra heavy shell-colored thermoplastic

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## Ted Eschliman

> If anyone finds out what kind of material D'Andrea uses to make ProPlecs, and if it is available in sheets, I'd love to know...
> 
> bratsche


I do direct business with them. The ProPlec material is highly proprietary. It is not available in sheets. It is made for them in this very specific 1.5 mm thickness.

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## f5loar

I found out the name of this new pick is McCary Pick and I finally got me a few to try out on guitar and mandolin.  My first thought was they are just like the V-Pick which is the clear plastic type pick.  When I tried those I could not feel the right click on the string and it seemed way too thick or stiff as it may.  Since I am more of the 1.0MM thickness when I got the McCary it was right on that thickness.  Came in a translucent blue color but I've seen other colors on facebook.  I have been a 40 BlueChip user I guess since they first came out and have not switched to anything else.  This new McCary pick is of a totally different material but the results to sound and clickablity to the string is pretty much spot on with how the BlueChip reacts.  Not so sure if it sticks to my thumb better than BC but they may have more to do with your skin type as to how much it will hold or stick in your hands.  I found them the same in that area.  That abilithy to stay put in your fingers was a big draw for me in the BC and the McCary pick does just as nice.  I know BC has done different thickness from I think a low of 35 to the 80's.  I'm still in that 40 area which is close to the 1.00MM I was use to in standard picks.  I might add I was hooked pretty good on the Clayton Black Raven 1.00.  That was a jazz pick that was hard to find and would use the Clayton golds or white if I was out of the black. 
When I go back to the Clayton it don't take me long to realize why I like the BC so much.  To me the McCary pick is so close to BC I can't really say it's better but I sure can't say it's worse.  I found better tone on the guitar with McCary but I am starting to sense a slightly better tone with it on the mandolin over my BC.  Picks are like many other "extras" for your picking pleasure.  You just have to try it to see if it fits your style and taste in what you want out of a pick.  If you are a BC user I would at least look into these new picks since they are so different in the material yet giving the same results and maybe better.  Not sure on the price.  I heard from $5 initial offerings to $10 and now I hear around $20.  Still over the $35 for the BC you can't go wrong with trying one out.  I think they carry the same warrenty as to breakage and wearing out.  I've never broken or worn out a BC after some 3 years of heavy mileage on them. I have heard tales of others breaking them but I know I'm a heavy hitter and they don't break with me.  Too soon for me to tell if the McCary will hold up the same mileage as a BC but others say it will.

----------


## Mike Bunting

Thanks for the objective review of this new pick. I've been really satisfied with my BC's over the last 4/5 years and since they appear to be about the same I see no need to buy one, especially since their pretty cheesy attempt to promote recognition via the spam lately really rubs me the wrong way. If your post was the only one I'd seen on the subject, I might have been tempted.

----------

Dale Ludewig, 

Mandolin-Tele

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## bratsche

> I do direct business with them. The ProPlec material is highly proprietary. It is not available in sheets. It is made for them in this very specific 1.5 mm thickness.


Aww, that's too bad.   I still have the picks you sent me when I ordered some strings, but they feel tiny in my hand now.  Love the tone, though.  I doubt they'd ever make a Roman-style plectrum from it.   Oh well.

bratsche

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## reverhar

I just ordered a couple of the McCray picks that are the same style and thickness as the BCs that I have been playing.  I expect them at the latest by Friday.  They were $10 each plus $2.50 shipping.  If they are half as good as the BC, that will be a big savings.  I have a couple of old BCs that I have been playing for several years and compared them with newer BC picks of the same type.  There is definitely some wear on the older picks.  Although not enough to make a big difference, the point is much more rounded.  I'll post an opinion on these new McCray picks when I get them in my hands.

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## Dale Ludewig

I like ProPlecs, 1.5's.  They're my daily pick.  Also BC TAD 60's.  
I'm interested in the new pick this person is hyping- a little.  The (to me) sleezeball  marketing tactics have turned me off so much to whatever the product might be will take a long time to make me trust whatever this person is selling.  Or how they'll stand behind it.  Too much 'in your face' marketing for me.

----------

Mike Bunting

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## Leigh Coates

I bought a "pick punch" some time ago, and then recently made a pick out of my credit card,... the very card that made it possible for me to buy many thousands of dollars worth of instruments over the past few years.  I figure that THIS is the most expensive pick of all.

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## Bertram Henze

> McCary Pick





> McCray picks


Continued conundrum - what are they called now? I think I'll settle for Mac Scary Picks - handpunched from genuine zombie shoulderblades by the light of the midnight moon. They might have the properties I want from a pick:
- sharp and thin to bring volume with lots of overtones
- large and triangular with a sure grip
 :Cool:

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## RobP

I used a proplec for ages, then I got a Wegen BN120 from Boyds and I like that a whole  lot.  Never tried a BC.

Interesting at Wintergrass this year.  Both Ronnie McCoury and Sara Jarosz both use ProPlecs.

Cheers,

Rob

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## Ron McMillan

> Interesting at Wintergrass this year.  Both Ronnie McCoury and Sara Jarosz both use ProPlecs.


Oh, say it ain't so! Might the impossible-to-quantify 'improvements' in tone achieved from buying a $30 pick instead of a 60c pick be imaginary?? For why else would mandolin giants like Ronnie and Sarah eschew the supposed benefits of the expensive options?

There is more nonsense written about 'premium' picks on this forum than there is nonsense on every other topic combined.

But that's only one person's opinion  :Smile:

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## Bertram Henze

> imaginary??


Time to take the red pill.  :Cool:

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## Ron McMillan

> Time to take the red pill.


Sure! By my reckoning, a wee red pill has as much chance of improving my playing as any overpriced pick might  :Smile:  And anyway, from now on it's a given that I'll be taking a Proplec with my breakfast every morning, along with a grain of salt, of course.

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## AlanN

I'd like to try one of them new picks. The BC never took me full bore. 

I bought a pack of picks a guy was selling on here for $30. One or 2 of them are usable, 1 in particular. It reminds me of the dunlop 207 jobs, but this feels and looks organic, maybe buffalo toenail.

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## Astro

When everyone on this forum agrees on the best pick, I'll buy one.

And eat it.

 :Smile:

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Bill Lemerise, 

MikeEdgerton

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## f5loar

If you are a follower of the Father of Bluegrass, his advice regrading what type of pick he used was "why that ain't no part of nothin' "  Translated to whatever pick he had in his hand at that time.  I am now afraid that the speed I get with this new McCary pick is so fast I will have a hard time finding a band that can keep up with me.  That pick just flys off the strings like a door knob greased up with deer guts.  Before with a regular plastic pick when I picked this fast the pick would fly out of my hands.

----------


## Polecat

For about six months I've been using these picks (sorry, I can't find a website in english). I bought them in 1,14  1,25 and 1,5 mm, they are made of galalith, a plastic based upon caseine, a protein found in milk. I used to use Jim Dunlop Tortex 1,14 picks and wore them down at a rate of about one every two months. The caseine picks seem to be very resistant to wear, which I like - as regards tone, I'm quite happy, but I belong to the "It's mainly who's playing not what they're playing with" school of thought. I mainly use the 1,25, but for some tunes I use for practice (Bach's "Sleepers Awake" and Carlos Bonnet's "La Partida") I prefer the 1,5, because I can produce a more "classical" tone.

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## Mike Bunting

> Oh, say it ain't so! Might the impossible-to-quantify 'improvements' in tone achieved from buying a $30 pick instead of a 60c pick be imaginary?? For why else would mandolin giants like Ronnie and Sarah eschew the supposed benefits of the expensive options?
> 
> There is more nonsense written about 'premium' picks on this forum than there is nonsense on every other topic combined.
> 
> But that's only one person's opinion


Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I don't believe your ear is the arbiter for the taste of others. Do you wear the same style of shoes etc. as Ronnie. Groupies ape their heroes.

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## f5loar

> Oh, say it ain't so! Might the impossible-to-quantify 'improvements' in tone achieved from buying a $30 pick instead of a 60c pick be imaginary?? For why else would mandolin giants like Ronnie and Sarah eschew the supposed benefits of the expensive options?
> 
> There is more nonsense written about 'premium' picks on this forum than there is nonsense on every other topic combined.
> 
> But that's only one person's opinion


Is not that the way it is for most anything new and different?  I think about picks like I do strings.  All types of strings to choose from and you try them out until you get one you like and then you usually stick with those strings......... that is untill another new type of string is marketed.  Look at it like all the 1000's of diet programs one can get on to loose weight.  They don't all work on everybody but some do work for certain folks.  Picks are the same way.  These high end picks just don't work for every picker.  But for the ones that it does work it works really nice.

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## mandogoshen

Yeah, I use Yellow Dunlop Tortex, I believe.  .73mm.  Love 'em.  Have used them for years for mando and guitar.  Order them online by the dozens, but this last batch has lasted me 2 years.  My 'pick box' is still full of unused ones.  My strings are Elixer nano-webs for both instruments.  They last me for months, as opposed to minutes for uncoated.  No, I aint givin' up barbecue.   :Cool:

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## JeffD

> Oh, say it ain't so! Might the impossible-to-quantify 'improvements' in tone achieved from buying a $30 pick instead of a 60c pick be imaginary?? For why else would mandolin giants like Ronnie and Sarah eschew the supposed benefits of the expensive options?
> 
> There is more nonsense written about 'premium' picks on this forum than there is nonsense on every other topic combined.
> 
> But that's only one person's opinion


Including the nonsense that it means anything at all that so and so uses this or that pick. Or that it means anything at all what picks other people use. 

Or that $35.00 is a lot for a pick, when I figure that almost half the mileage on my Jeep is music related. There is the real cost of this musical life, compared to which a high end pick ain't nothin.

----------

Phil Goodson

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## JeffD

> I doubt they'd ever make a Roman-style plectrum from it.   Oh well.


That would be something to try. I have the Roman style plectrum made of the Red Bear material. I like it. Once I got used to that style of pick and could manipulate it effectively, I started to really like it. The sound (if I am doing it right) is very bright and sparkly.

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## Ron McMillan

> Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I don't believe your ear is the arbiter for the taste of others. Do you wear the same style of shoes etc. as Ronnie. Groupies ape their heroes.


Try to make it personal if you like, but it is nothing to do with my taste, and (in my opinion) all about people being sucked in by marketing to believe that a $30 piece of plastic (or any other hyped-up synthetic material) might make them sound better. The makers of these things must laugh at their customers' gullibility. Dunlop and the other mass-market pick makers will be making a several hundred percent margin on their 60c picks; the premium guys are quite likely laughing all the way to the bank with profit margins in the many thousands of percent. If the devotees of the $30+ picks are happy, fine. I'll content myself with budget picks and stick with the only real, proven way to sound better: *practice*.

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## mandocrucian

I prefer the (large) Fender extra-heavy rounded 'triangular' picks (usually the solid white ones, which are much easier to find if you drop one.) Don't think they make these in XH any more though.  I may round off one point, and also thin the thickness of another point, so I have a _3-in-1 pick_ - simply rotate your "tone knob" to the sonic preference of the moment.

I also use my RH middle and ring fingers to pluck strings as well. I have come to really dislike the _every-note-with-a-pickstroke _  sound, so I use a LOT of hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides and bends (in addition to RH fingers), which gives me phrasing much closer to an electric guitar or fiddle. There are times when only 40-50% of the notes are actually played with the pick.

Paying more than $5 for a pick is a waste of money imo.

----------

Bill Lemerise

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## BradKlein

> Don't think they make these in XH any more though.


I like the extra-heavy Fender 346 shape that you show above, but for some reason, have had to order a half gross to get them in that weight.  Still, 72 picks for $20 or so is not too bad.

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## Johnno

Gee you blokes are so lucky to have such an array of picks, I go to my music store,lucky to see a mandolin on the rack and the picks well I I have hundreds of them $1 all S"@t except for a Fender Medium. Yep that's the best I get. Actually was handed a pick from Paul Duff at last years Bluegrass Festival in Brisbane but I wasn't able to pinch it.
I had a lesson with Mike Compton and after listening to him play, I reckon he could hammer out a tune with a wet piece of cardboard, I just don't understand the continuous chats on Blue whatever picks, I actually think it is overdone. Just my opinion! 
Apologies for being so frank.
Cheers
John

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## reverhar

Got the McCray picks in the mail.  Hey, they are actually blue.  Interesting.  First impressions, very good.  Not really any noticeable difference in tone in comparison to the Blue Chip.  Let's see how they work over time.

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/at...&thumb=1&stc=1

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## shortymack

> Try to make it personal if you like, but it is nothing to do with my taste, and (in my opinion) all about people being sucked in by marketing to believe that a $30 piece of plastic (or any other hyped-up synthetic material) might make them sound better. The makers of these things must laugh at their customers' gullibility. Dunlop and the other mass-market pick makers will be making a several hundred percent margin on their 60c picks; the premium guys are quite likely laughing all the way to the bank with profit margins in the many thousands of percent. If the devotees of the $30+ picks are happy, fine. I'll content myself with budget picks and stick with the only real, proven way to sound better: *practice*.


Theres a reason why Steffey, Thile, Marshall, Vincent, Skaggs, Lawson, Leftwich, Benson, Napier, (the list goes on) use BC's, and its not some marketing tactic. Think about it, why would some of the best players alive endorse something that is snake oil? They wouldnt. You are free to feel like its a big joke but it aint.

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## f5loar

You got that right.   Picks can be life changing.

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## JeffD

> If the devotees of the $30+ picks are happy, fine. I'll content myself with budget picks and stick with the only real, proven way to sound better: *practice*.


There is approximately nobody who claims or even thinks you won't have to practice if you buy a certain pick. I also doubt anyone would buy a high end pick and use it and admit it, if it didn't provide some benefit, considering the number of lower cost alternatives.

It isn't that you aren't entitled to your opinion, of course you are, and you can and should use any pick your heart desires. If you tried them and found them not to your taste, that wonderful. And if you haven't borrowed one and tried it but are not interested anyway, that fine too. 

But don't be surprised if it irks people a little to have you make them out to be gullible suckers and lemming like followers of fashion. I would think that the overwhelming majority just like the darn pick, and not because they are seeing the kings new clothes, but because it provides them some real benefit. 

I agree that the marketing can have a huge effect. But I haven't seen a real marketing campaign for BCs, no ads with gorgeous women promoting the TAD60, (my man uses a TAD60 or he uses no pick at all), or comparisons to fighter planes, (a pick, a girl, a piece of history), just a lot of folks enjoying them. Weird huh.

----------

FLATROCK HILL

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## Bertram Henze

> my man uses a TAD60 or he uses no pick at all


 :Laughing:

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## f5loar

From my cold dead right hand will you pry my BC pick!

----------

BradKlein

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## swampy

Same couple of dawgs i've always had

----------


## xiledscot

> 


The quieter you become. The more you are able to hear!

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## mandobassman

> the premium guys are quite likely laughing all the way to the bank with profit margins in the many thousands of percent...


Blue Chip probably has less of a profit margin than most of the less expensive makers.  A sheet of the Blue Chip material (Meldin 7001) is $1355.63 for a 12 inch square sheet that is 1/16" thick.  I don't have any idea what sheet thicknesses he buys, but that gives you an idea of the material cost. I'm sure he is making a profit based on the sheer number of picks being sold, but profit margin is a whole different thing.  This isn't celluloid or nylon here.  It is a VERY expensive material.

----------

Mike Bunting

----------


## mandobassman

> I prefer the (large) Fender extra-heavy rounded 'triangular' picks...Don't think they make these in XH any more though.


Fender does not make the white ones in extra heavy anymore.  It's a shame. I really liked them.  However, I recently found these.  They are the same celluloid material in the same thickness as the Fender Extra-Heavy.  I bought a dozen and they have a really smooth edge and sound very nice.  I have been using a custom ordered Wegen pick for some time now, but I started using the Planet Waves picks instead.

----------


## bratsche

Maybe it's just me (since I never use anything thinner than 1.5mm), but I just can't imagine calling something a mere 1.25mm thick "extra heavy".   

(I guess by these manufacturers' standards, I must like picks that range from "super extra heavy" to "super-duper extra-plus-ultra heavy"....)
 :Laughing: 

bratsche

----------

xiledscot

----------


## f5loar

> Same couple of dawgs i've always had


. I remember those first Dawg picks with his signature on them (1987?).  Couldn't wait to try one out. What a big disappointment.  Way too thick, no pointed end, slipped out of hand on first round of "rawhide".  Seems I paid a full dollar for it too.  Now those first Edition Dawgs are going for $35". I"ll take my BC/McCary anyday over an old Dawg!   :Grin:

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## Ron McMillan

I hadn't realised that one of my favourite picks I have - one of about seven or eight very different picks I rotate the use of according to whim - is, despite being labelled JazzMando, a Pro Plec. (I should have known: JazzMando make it very clear on their website that their 1.5mm wedge pick is made by Pro Plec / D'Andrea; I received the JazzMando free with a string order). The Pro Plecs are not as easy to get hold of as other 'big' brand makers, but I am assured that a guitar store in Bangkok stocks them, so next week I'll pick up one or two more. It's all the pick I need for now.

rm

----------


## Matt DeBlass

Well, I WAS using the Jazzmando picks, but I just got a CT55 for a Father's Day present, so I've been assimilated. I do however prefer a Wegen Big City or Dunlop jazz pick for my attempts at classical playing on my flat top.

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## CrocatoanPicker

Yep. no blue chip whatever the heck it is, here.  i never could use a pick. It just never felt right. i'v always just used my fingers. i'm new to Mandolin but i'v played fretted & fretless Bass for years, guitar some, and even Ukulele and can't / won't  use pick with anything. 
i say just just toss the pick altogether  :Smile:

----------


## dcoventry

CP,

Ow. That has got to hurt.

ME? Dunlop 1.14mm. Awesome and inexpensive.

----------


## CrocatoanPicker

Try eveything. ....
If you are picking with a pick now - that is not a blue chip (whatever that is) .....
and a 'Blue Chip' is just THE SHIZ-NIT, ....
then just imagine how much better you'll be with that elusive Blue thingy  in your grasp.

Bottom Line:
Be true to your style and to Whatever the picking  - is to the picking. Your Will matters most. 
Tell Blue i said "Hi !"

----------


## fredfrank

Scott doesn't have enough band-width available for a discussion on all the picks I have. And continue to use.

----------


## kenny boy

I love my McCary picks . I showed about 10 people in nashvillie & memphis this pick last week got alot great commets .

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## MWCarr

A long time ago Lou Martin showed me how to shape a pro-plec rounded triangle 1.5. I usually lose the picks long before I'm done with them. When the edge gets feathered I just go back to the fine sand paper and #7 auto buffing compound and I'm back to good. I buy these picks by the dozen or so every couple of years and the costs, compared to some of the picks I see talked about on this forum is very attractive. For my acoustic guitar I use the rounded triangle Pro-plec as it comes new.

----------


## pefjr

When BC price gets down to the 3 dollar range, wake me. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ OH...BTW I did try them, they are good picks, just not price competitive.

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## Nick Quig

> When BC price gets down to the 3 dollar range, wake me. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ OH...BTW I did try them, they are good picks, just not price competitive.


Come on! I can spend more than the price of a BlueChip down the pub!  and we all know what iv'e got to show for it the next day!

----------


## Cheryl Watson

You are very lucky, Croc, and obviously saving a lot of money on picks  :Smile: 




> Yep. no blue chip whatever the heck it is, here.  i never could use a pick. It just never felt right. i'v always just used my fingers. i'm new to Mandolin but i'v played fretted & fretless Bass for years, guitar some, and even Ukulele and can't / won't  use pick with anything. 
> i say just just toss the pick altogether

----------


## Eric Michael Pfeiffer

I've always used the Grisman "Dawg" pick in the past with a nice rounded, blunt tip. I also used. Those super heavy Dunlop jazz picks from time to time. However startin out I used the JDunlop tortoise picks

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## pefjr

> Come on! I can spend more than the price of a BlueChip down the pub!  and we all know what iv'e got to show for it the next day!


Oh..over the years I have tried them all except coconut. The BC is second best IMO. The Wegen 120mm is better for me and seems to work better for tremolo. I have had some coconut shell for awhile and just need some time to shape one up to try. I made some ivory picks from old piano keys. Those are very good and the tonal quality was excellent but they do wear some. The Wegen does not wear at all that I can tell.

----------


## Emmett Marshall

When I realized that guitar picks aren't what most people use on the mandolin, the first pick I actually bought was a Blue Chip CT55 and I didn't even know how to play (really still don't). When I saw the price, I thought it was insane. Well, I decided to be insane because it would be better to start out with some proven equipment that most people around here agree is good. This way, it's easier for me to focus on my own shortcomings instead of trying a bunch of different things right off the bat since I really didn't know how to play yet. I couldn't afford a mandolin that costs thousands, but, by golly, I've got me one heck of a pick. 

After I learned a few chords and a couple melodies, I bought a dozen Gold Gates because they were inexpensive and I was ordering other stuff at the time from Amazon.  I thought the Golden Gates were nice, but they just didn't have the sound or feel of the BC. I went back to the BC. I love to experiment, but I also need to have the confidence that I'm using a pick that can get my tone and technique up to where I'd like to be someday. From all indications so far, the BC will be my choice for quite a while and it lives up to it's claims.  I take great pains to make sure I don't lose that sucker because buying another one is going to hurt the wallet.

----------


## Nick Quig

> Oh..over the years I have tried them all except coconut. The BC is second best IMO. The Wegen 120mm is better for me and seems to work better for tremolo. I have had some coconut shell for awhile and just need some time to shape one up to try. I made some ivory picks from old piano keys. Those are very good and the tonal quality was excellent but they do wear some. The Wegen does not wear at all that I can tell.


Fair enough! I have experimented with putting bevels on picks, Tortex seem to work best as they polish up well, the Tortex TIII 1.5mm works really well as does the Planet Waves 'Black Ice' extra heavy (1.5mm). Putting a bevel on improves the volume and tone immensely!

----------


## Mike Bunting

What is the difference between a guitar pick and a mandolin pick. For the last 50 years I've used them interchangeably. Clay Hess uses a BC on his guitar, I use one on my mandolin. They are just flat picks.

"Putting a bevel on improves the volume and tone immensely!"
That is very subjective and doesn't merit an absolute statement like that. Some like bevels, some don't. It's as simple as that.

----------


## pefjr

> "Putting a bevel on improves the volume and tone immensely!"
> That is very subjective and doesn't merit an absolute statement like that. Some like bevels, some don't. It's as simple as that.


I attribute the bevel on the Wegen to a big increase in tremolo speed,..... which does improve tone and volume. The bevels on the BC do the same. I am afraid I am hooked on the beveled pick.

----------


## bratsche

I finally cleaned up my tabletop, and what did I find but my long-missing BC pick!  Contrary to some of my previous comments I had made, though, I probably won't be re-selling it after all.  While I found that it didn't do anything I liked for the tone on my mandolas and mandolins, surprisingly, it works well with my OM (the one I converted from a Baby Taylor guitar).  I had to do a double take when I tried it. It's not the only pick that sounds good with it, but it definitely does produce a nice sound, with an unexpected lack of the pick noise that I heard on the other instruments - plus I can't use the Roman-style pick on it that I've become accustomed to on the smaller instruments, due to the size and the angle/location my hand is situated in when playing it.  So the BC a keeper after all, and will be doing OM duty exclusively.  Incidentally, it's a TAD 60 that I ordered with no bevel, and they sent it with completely blunt, squared off edges, so I could do all the modifying myself.  I opted to make two of the corners slightly more rounded, and to slightly bevel the whole thing neutrally, the way I prefer the edges on my picks (neither right- nor left-handed, but 'even' on both sides).

This has certainly  been a month of surprises with this new instrument!  First the FT74 strings that I never thought I'd use, and now the BC pick.  Oh, and also I even got a strap, for the first time ever.  (Uh-oh!  Look out for flying pigs overhead!) I still can't imagine using one with a mandolin or 'dola, but with this big unwieldy newcomer to the fold, it helps a lot!

bratsche

----------

Mike Bunting

----------


## Mike Bunting

> I attribute the bevel on the Wegen to a big increase in tremolo speed,..... which does improve tone and volume. The bevels on the BC do the same. I am afraid I am hooked on the beveled pick.


I don't quibble with your choice. I was just disputing the absolute statement that the bevel increases volume and tone because that implies that it is true for everyone and all situations. It isn't true for me and others so you can't make it an absolute, all encompassing truth.

----------


## Dale Pauline

> Wegen TF 140.


Same here.

----------


## Nick Quig

I didn't mean it at an absolute maxim,  just that the picks I beveled showed an improvement in volume & tone (to my ears anyhow)

----------

Mike Bunting

----------


## Mike Crocker

For the last several months I've been experimenting with a variety of picks, V-Picks, Gravity, John Pearse Fast Turtles and Studio Flat Picks, D'Andrea ProPlec, Red Bear, Swiss Picks, and my old standby Ultex, Wegen, celluloid, and Tortex. I still like Ultex on mandolin but the Fast Turtles and Studio Flat Picks, plus the Gravity Striker have become my favourites on guitar. Sometimes, if my tone is too bright or not bright enough, a change of pick is what it takes.

A couple of months ago I sourced the material that Blue Chips were made of and found a small sheet of the material was very costly, way more than I paid for my mandolins. One of these days I'll actually buy a Blue Chip, it seems it's more cost effective that way.

Peace, Mike

----------


## shortymack

The moral of mikes story, should of just bought a bluechip right off the bat and be done with the search. Now its going to cost twice as much.

----------


## Adam M Griffin

I think the name is McCray Picks

----------


## Mandolin-Tele

I love McCray mandolin picks 

The 2.5 triangle is my favorite

----------


## David Lewis

Jazz mandos, V-picks, fender heavies or Dunlop tortex... Solid body for the latter two, acoustic former.

----------


## Mandolindian

I've been diggin' the V-Pick Tremeloe!

----------


## Michael Bridges

Having a hard time finding where to view/order the McCray picks. Anybody have a link?

----------


## Iron

These...................

----------


## Goodness

I like the Dunlop Jazz I (the least pointy one)

----------


## terzinator

I totally thought this thread was more recent than this! Oh, well...

Brought it back from the dead for an important news flash... 

I found a pick I like better than my Blue Chips... Well, at least currently... it could change again.

*Wegen Trimus 250.*

----------


## dan@kins

Another vote for the Wegen Trimus 250!  That's all I use anymore.

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## DataNick

> Another vote for the Wegen Trimus 250!  That's all I use anymore.


I have the 350, but I like the BC better, sorrry!

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## J Mangio

Thankfully the Golden Gate MP-12 still works for me.

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## Rodney Riley

> I totally thought this thread was more recent than this! Oh, well...
> 
> Brought it back from the dead for an important news flash... 
> 
> I found a pick I like better than my Blue Chips... Well, at least currently... it could change again.
> 
> *Wegen Trimus 250.*


 :Disbelief:  Didn't know about these. Wife just ordered four different style Wegens for my birthday. Told Kyle at the Mando Shop that Eva Holbrook of SHEL used a Wegen and I wanted to try them. He told me...""my favorite is the Wegen because there is a warmth and depth to the tone I really like. I also hear they make you sound like Eva Holbrook but I can’t swear to that."  :Laughing:  Will have to put the Trimus 250 on my list to try next.

p.s. Kyle did say this about the Blue Chip. "I tried the Blue Chip and found it to be very clean sounding".

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## JeffD

> What is the difference between a guitar pick and a mandolin pick. For the last 50 years I've used them interchangeably. Clay Hess uses a BC on his guitar, I use one on my mandolin. They are just flat picks..


I am not predominantly a guitar player, but I have one, and I work at it. 

I have found that the guitar is much more forgiving than the mandolin. The type of pick (at least to my ear) seems to make much less difference to the guitar than to the mandolin.

My favorite guitar pick is a Dugain horn pick, but on the mandolin it is no good at all.

If I get more experience on the guitar I may feel differently.

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## Jim Garber

> What is the difference between a guitar pick and a mandolin pick.


I play both instruments but use a larger triangular semi-pointed pick on the guitar and a smaller pointed jazz pick on the mandolin. I generally play a lot more rhythm on the guitar and more melody on the mandolin. It is a different type of picking, at least in the styles I play.

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## mrmando

Wegen Gypsy Jazz here ... also just ordered some Dunlop 207s ... I have a BC but it's too small.

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## mandroid

Got 12 Dawg picks 20 years ago, still got most of them, Fender 346 are fine too, a bit different .

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## catmandu2

Dawg





> What is the difference between a guitar pick and a mandolin pick.





> It is a different type of picking, at least in the styles I play.


Yep, totally different string tensions and aspects.  Generally, the longer the scale length--the lighter the pick I'll use; I'll go heavies and sometimes mediums for guitar, as well as zouk--depending on how much attack is required.  For tenor banjo--lights

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## Jon Hall

I currently use a D'Andrea Pro 346 Pro-Plec but for many years used a Fender 346 heavy gauge, fat triangle.

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## jahscrumb

My favorite right now is probably the Wegen Big Dipper 1.8mm.  It has three different playing points which I think is pretty cool and I love the way it feels in my hand.

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## Mike Bunting

> Dawg
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yep, totally different string tensions and aspects.  Generally, the longer the scale length--the lighter the pick I'll use; I'll go heavies and sometimes mediums for guitar, as well as zouk--depending on how much attack is required.  For tenor banjo--lights


Yes, but you are just using flat picks, different gauges etc. for various uses. I often use the same one for both guitar and mando. Some newbys seem to get the impression that there are differences between a guitar flat pick and a mandolin flat pick, and I think that can lead to some confusion.

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## 45ACP-GDLF5

I still use the Golden Gate picks from time to time.  They were the original "David Grisman" signature picks back in the 80's.  I still have several of those too.

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## David Lewis

Jazz mando pick, Fender heavies or Dunlop tortex. All work for me. Oh, jazzmando V picks too.

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## Franc Homier Lieu

> I think the name is McCray Picks


Hi Adam,
I have been A-B-ing the McCray Tri-Point Edge (1.5mm) you sent me to try out against a bunch of picks for a few weeks now, including my BCs (CT 55, TAD 60, TAD 80, TAD 1001R). The McCray is, as many here have noted, very similar to the BC. Very stiff, glides through the strings in a way similar to BCs, and seems to be comparably durable. They feel pretty much the same between my fingers (not sure I could tell them apart if they did not have any engraving on them). The biggest difference seems to be the much brighter tone, which I think is the result of the particular bevel on the pick. The edge on the Edge is much sharper, and I think this might be the reason while the sound the McCray produces is so much brighter than any of the BCs, even the CT 55. I am playing an Eastman MD-505, and I primarily use the BCs, but also D'Andrea Pro Plec 346 and Papa's Faux Tortoise Shell when I want to get a mellower sound (which, with the 505, is often desirable). If anyone is looking for a very bright sound and good volume, I would say try out the Edge pick. Adam, you should put a link to your site (http://www.mccraypicks.com/) in your signature so people can try them out.

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## Bill Lemerise

Beveled edge for mando , liking the Surf pick and the Wegen.  Fender medium for acoustic guitar.  Fingers work great too.

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## Terry Allan Hall

.80 Clayton Ultem...never found anything I like better.

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## MusicNut97

I have been using and really like the Jalapeno pick by V-Picks, kind of a poor man's Bluechip.  I like that it gets a little tacky and doesn't turn and isn't easy to drop.

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## catmandu2

> Yes, but you are just using flat picks, different gauges etc. for various uses. I often use the same one for both guitar and mando. Some newbys seem to get the impression that there are differences between a guitar flat pick and a mandolin flat pick, and I think that can lead to some confusion.


For me, there are significant differences

In general, the gauge is more significant than the shape.  I can work with anything, but I like thick, round and beveled for mandolin.  Not so for other strings.  Mandola is mostly as for mandolin, but I will use a variety here--depending on the style at hand

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## bratsche

I forgot that I mentioned up-topic that I was keeping my one BlueChip for rare OM duty.  Well, that is now obsolete, as the BC went down to only number 3 or so in line for duty there, and even lower after I started experimenting with making picks from leather to simulate the bare fingers, which sound very good on the OM! 

So I sold the BC.  I prefer many others over it.  

bratsche

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## Neal Clark

I love the Wegen M250 picks.  I haven't found anything else that has the same shape and the thickness is perfect.  The Wegen TFs, BC, etc. all seem to have too pointed a tip for my liking.  I even had Wegen make a hybrid 250 size pick that was the M shape but the diameter of a TF (w/ holes).  Unfortunately, it was still too pointed (fyi, I'll gladly trade that out if anyone's interested).  

I'm open to suggestions if anyone knows of pick that's similar to the M250 in thickness and shape.

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## Pete Braccio

> Unfortunately, it was still too pointed


Try rounding out the corners with different grades of sandpaper then re-bevel using finger nail buffers (emery boards?) of different grades.

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## TheBlindBard

At the moment, I'm really enjoying the D'andrea 351 proplec, a very nice pick. I can use the point if i want, or the rounded shoulder. The bevol on them is very very smoothe and clean. I also like the jazz mando pick, the bevol is nice on that one as well :Smile:

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## JeffD

> Yes, but you are just using flat picks, different gauges etc. for various uses. I often use the same one for both guitar and mando. Some newbys seem to get the impression that there are differences between a guitar flat pick and a mandolin flat pick, and I think that can lead to some confusion.


You are talking about picks "designed" uniquely for the mandolin, and which while one might use them for guitar they are not generally considered guitar picks.

For that I would submit the roman style plectrums. They are used almost exclusively on mandolins. I use one sometimes. I don't know what, if anything, precludes their use on guitars.

Secondly, there is a small shaped pick, made by various folks, looks like a little fat tear drop that you can almost hide under your thumb. When I first started, and asked for "mandolin picks" that is what was handed to me. I think the size may make them awkward for guitarists.

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## Jackflyn

Want a laugh?  Type "blue chip guitar pick"  into amazon and see what comes up.

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## TheMandoShop

I use the Wegen TF140 for both mandolin and guitar.  It's my favorite!

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## Bryan Gunsher BG Pups

V-Picks for me..Been playing them for years.

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## Pittsburgh Bill

My Go-To Pick continues to be  the V-Pick Tremolo.
After trying almost all the picks I have read about on this site I finally broke down and bought a BLUE CHIP TAD-3R 60 with a round bezel. Perhaps if I had another Blue Chip model I might feel differently.  At $35.00 each I'm not willing to try them all until I find the one I prefer. I do like the way the BLUE CHIP rolls off the strings for tremolo and the almost total absence of pick click.
I like the additional volume of the V-Pick Tremolo and the way it sticks to my fingers as well as the fact that I only get slightly more pick click from the V-Pick Tremolo. I would prefer the V-Pick Tremolo to be slightly thicker. 
I also like the fact that the V-Pick Tremolo costs less than 1/3 as much as the Blue Chip. $35.00 while not really a lot in terms of what we tend to pay for our instruments, but a lot for something that is small and prone to loss.

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## catmandu2

> Yes, but you are just using flat picks, different gauges etc. for various uses. I often use the same one for both guitar and mando. Some newbys seem to get the impression that there are differences between a guitar flat pick and a mandolin flat pick, and I think that can lead to some confusion.


I'm sure that I don't understand what you mean, Mike.  There are substantial differences between a "Dawg" pick (which I use for mandolin/mandola--only) and the assorted flatpicks I use (in various shapes and gauges) for the rest of the plectrum instruments.  Can you clarify?

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## Mike Bunting

> I'm sure that I don't understand what you mean, Mike.  There are substantial differences between a "Dawg" pick (which I use for mandolin/mandola--only) and the assorted flatpicks I use (in various shapes and gauges) for the rest of the plectrum instruments.  Can you clarify?


Are not they all just flat picks? From some of the questions that I see it seems that some think mando picks are not flat picks , like flat picks are for guitars and some other pick is for mandolin. As I see it, of all the various sizes, shapes, textures, edges and thicknesses of flat picks, some combination of the above will be useful an individual for whatever use, mandolin or guitar or whatever. Nevertheless, your Dawg and my BC are simply flat picks.

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## Herbm55

Not me.....I use a TAD50.  BUT....I like Clayton Ultems in 1.20mm and used them for years.  I used real TS for years before that.  If Blue Chips weren't around, I'd be just fine using either of those.  I also like Wegen's tone but find them a bit harder to hold.

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## TheMandoShop

> I also like Wegen's tone but find them a bit harder to hold.


Even the ones with the holes in them?

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## catmandu2

> Are not they all just flat picks? From some of the questions that I see it seems that some think mando picks are not flat picks , like flat picks are for guitars and some other pick is for mandolin. As I see it, of all the various sizes, shapes, textures, edges and thicknesses of flat picks, some combination of the above will be useful an individual for whatever use, mandolin or guitar or whatever. Nevertheless, your Dawg and my BC are simply flat picks.


Well, okay.  However, what I find particularly useful for mandolin is its (Dawg pick) NON-flatness--on the edges

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## Markelberry

I have a blue chip some of the new v picks and I find I keep goin back to my Wegen! I also like playin with a teardrop style pick somewhere between medium and heavy kinda like the sound  of a pick that bends a little at times. Could be any brand too some just sound good randomly. Back in the day they didn't have all the new tech and sometimes an old fender pick sounds great to me.

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## Mike Bunting

> Well, okay.  However, what I find particularly useful for mandolin is its (Dawg pick) NON-flatness--on the edges


From the Dawgs I have, I'm assuming you mean the so-called round bevel. I agree, I don't like a "speed" bevel at all.

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## catmandu2

> From the Dawgs I have, I'm assuming you mean the so-called round bevel. I agree, I don't like a "speed" bevel at all.


What's a "speed" bevel?

 I simply bought a bunch of Dawgs after trying one years ago, and so haven't bothered with anything else (I don't play much mando).  Prior to that I liked the GG, but after acquiring a Dawg--I could never use a GG again.  Big difference.  My back-up (if I can find it) is  Jazz mando.  The pro plec looks good, but I've never had the opportunity or compulsion to try it.  I'm sure there are several which I would find suitable

for the other plectrum instruments--I've used so many

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## doon can

As far as I can see I'm only the second here to sing the praises of the Wegen Dipper, though in my case 1mm. I love it for cittern, and though I've been settled on Ultex 1.14 for mandolin AND guitar for a long time, I'm finding my way with the Dipper for guitar too. Still prefer the Ultex for mandolin, until I drop the thing on a bare wooden dancefloor........

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## DHopkins

I recently started using the Dawg II pick.  It seems to bring out the tone a little better than others I've used.

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## Brandon Sumner

you know what is strange, I started a blue chip pick thread a while ago because I was and still am very impressed by the tone and feel, but, I am using my Wegen M 150 almost exclusively for practice sessions anymore, just feels right in my hand? tone is not quite as good but hey? I keep choosing it for some reason.

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## carleshicks

I have a BC CT55 and numerous styles of vpicks but I prefer my wegens T140

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## NoNickel

I have used Blue Chips (and am going to try the SR series), but really like Red Bears, Dawgs and Pro-Plecs the best.

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