Are they really worth it?

[BluesPreacher]

Fairly often I see picks for sale on the mandolin and guitar classifieds. Those babies are listed at anywhere from $9 to $30.

I use medium-hard picks from the music store, approximately $6 for 5, or something like that.

Are those picks for sale on the Cafe's classifieds that much better, that they're worth $9-$30? What makes a pick worth that much more?

Just curious.

[MediumMando5722]

To me, yes, BlueChip picks are worth it. To others, they're not.

You won't know until you try one.

[mandocrucian]

No

[Hudmister]

I paid more than $30 for my Bluechip pick and now it is all I use. If I loose it I'll buy another one.

[Paul Hird]

I guess so. Of the picks I own the Blue Chip is always the one I pick up to play since I started using them. Second to that is the Wegen Mandolin pick. Less expensive, but again, I hardly ever use that any longer.

[JeffD]

It depends.

With the mandolin, for some reason, little things mean a lot. Everything seems to make a bigger difference, than with guitar say.

The picks that enable the best sound, (for me, for the way I play), don't seem to sound much different than any other pick, on the guitar (to my ears).

It has been objectively shown that different picks sound different. Is that difference in the direction you want? Hard to say. Everyone's pick grip and way of playing is different. Everyone's picking style is different. Everyone's mandolin is different. What players expect from their mandolin differs from player to player. Try one and see.

Is the difference (in tone, in playability, in feel) worth the price?

Again its entirely up to you. But let me offer this. You buy a high end pick once. A one time expenditure of say $30.00. Once in your life. I have every pick I have ever purchased except one that got lost, and that is over many many many years.

I have lived through scratchy times. I understand it. It seems to me though, that if a one time purchase of a high end pick is a burden, how the heck can you afford playing the mandolin in the first place.

[grassrootphilosopher]

Niles, you´re in good company. Steve Kaufman advocates medium plastic picks (of the average music store kind). Yet...

... I happen to think otherwise. But ...

there´s the rule that the better your instrument is, the more noticable are good picks.

What are good picks? The material that shall not be named comes to mind. I happen to be underwhelmed by the Blue Chip variety (and hype). Yet I like the Wegen, Red Bear and Hense picks. They vary in price allthough they are pricey (compared to your average Fender medium/heavy).

A friend of mine happens to have tried most everything. He now has settled with an average priced kind of pick (like Tortex sth. for a buck or so). He says he´s done looking for snake oil. For him it´s the rule of the diminishing return and he has a point.

[AndyPanda]

I just take an ordinary Tortex pick and shape the tip myself. Takes about 1 minute to shape all three tips of a triangle pick.

[T.D.Nydn]

To me,,definetely worth it....

[JeffD]

Take nobodies recommendation. Try it for your self. And try different picks from time to time, for your self. (That's one thing I love about festivals and jams.)

Nobody, ever, recommended the mandolin to me.

[Al Trujillo]

Worth it to me but I had to try them before I understood what others were saying. Yes, I'd probably be happy if all I used were my Wegens and Primetones but I had to try. Since I bought it I've used the Blue chip exclusively.

[Timbofood]

If what you are using works for you, my strong suggestion is, don't worry about the expensive ones! If you feel like experimenting, that's another question entirely. I have a friend how swears by her Blue Chip, I've never used one so, I can't offer an opinion. If you get really juiced up about trying one, just DO it! We will all have an opinion about every minute factor regarding strings, picks, set up, tone guards, tone right, relative humidity, proper tension of the elastic in our socks when playing so, that's why I say if it sounds like fun, just do it! It's still called PLAYING music.

[wooq]

Try it yourself. If your local music store doesn't carry a variety of fancy picks, there are a couple pick samplers making the rounds, with everything from freebie plastic picks to NASA material picks to exotic hardwood picks. I had one for a couple weeks, and tried dozens of picks of every imaginable shape, size, and material.

[George R. Lane]

I have been using my Blue Chip TAD 50 1r for 5 years and it is worth the $35. I have several others that sound nice, Primetone and Hense (thanks Bruce Weber), but the BC is my go to pick.

[sblock]

no

yes



(but heck, just try them and make up you own mind!)

[Beanzy]

Bought a CT55 one a few years back but it just stays in my pick pouch.
I'm so underwhelmed by it I've probably used it less than ten times in three years.

[Frogstar]

To me, yes, BlueChip picks are worth it. To others, they're not.

You won't know until you try one.

Nailed it in the first response!

[allenhopkins]

If I paid $30 for a flat pick, I would definitely feel that it was the best pick I'd ever used. Otherwise, paying a 50X price premium for a small piece of shaped plastic, would seem to be one of my more foolish extravagances.

It's like the discussion that sometimes comes up about mandolin prices: is a 1924 Gibson Lloyd Loar F-5 better than a '30's Fern? Is it ten times better, or only five times better, or only 1.5 times better? Does the price difference reflect actual qualitative factors, or do reputation and prestige and other non-musical factors push up the price differential?

Really, $30 is a lot of money to pay for a single flat pick, but it's not a lot of money; you may spend more for a restaurant meal, or a tank of gas. Once I'd laid out 30 bucks for a Blue Chip or whatever, I would have invested a good deal of psychic capital it it being a quantum improvement over the regular pick I'd been using before. This could well lead me to "recognize" certain improvements in my playing, that would justify the quantum increase in cost that I'd accepted.

That's not to say that the improvements are only in the player's head, just to say that if I'm going to buy a Mercedes instead of my Honda, it better be a big improvement, to justify its cost, and I will have some incentive to search for an emphasize the areas where it's a better ride.

By the way, I use Dunlop Ultex picks, and find them satisfactory -- not inspiring or revolutionary, but definitely good for what I do.

[dwc]

They are to me. Why? Well, the best thing about Blue Chips is that they get slightly tacky or sticky when slightly moist. I live in Charleston, SC where humidity is 100% most of the year. I don't drop Blue Chips at the rate I did other picks. They are also almost indestructible. I have had a CT 55 for almost 3 years; there is a tiny amount of wear on the leading edge, and some superficial scratches, but I think I will be able to play with the same pick for a decade without having to work on the edge or file off burs. Amortized over a decade, that is $3.50 a year. I bet lots of people spend 3 bucks a year on disposable picks.

[stevedenver]

I have 2 blue chips. Tad 60 1 r. Rh speed bevel.
I like them.
I have a dozen each of the various prime tone variations, translucent, opaque, rounded.
And golden gares, pick boys, dunlops.

With retrospect of 3 years, i find i most use my wegen and primetones, but also use my bc, and alternate during sessions depending on the attack and cut i want.

I dont find my bc pick indispensable, but, i would replace them i think.

For me the worst part is fear of losing the thing. Its one more thing to manage.

Get over the sticker shock. Like many things that seem pricey, often there is a reason other than marketing or fashion.

Bc DOES have a superb bevel, and imho, it does make a difference. Sound, speed, ttemelo. And, the material from which bc is made justifies the price. It is a self lubricating surgical type plastic. This runs about $1300 for a 24"x 12" sheet, i recall.

[Jeff Mando]

I think the restaurant analogy is good....some people are cool with eating ramen noodles and a can of soup and that costs ya about $1 a meal or less. Others like Taco Bell. And some others go someplace fancy and spend big bucks. Is it worth it? To them, it probably is. I played music at a fancy restaurant a couple of Saturdays ago. I glanced at the menu and the first item was a $41.50 steak. They also had oysters, lobster, etc. I looked at the singer and said, "I hope they feed us, because we can't afford to eat here at these prices!" At the end of the night they were nice and had dinners wrapped up for us to take as we were leaving. (in addition to getting paid!) I must say, that was some of the tastiest food I've EVER eaten. Then again, if I had to actually pay for it, I would probably be weighing in my mind, the price paid vs how good the food tasted. But, that's just me...

[dhergert]

I use a Fender heavy flatpick. I get a dozen of them at a time for about $6.

I've always preferred them because they are inexpensive to replace, and I like how they shape to fit between my thumb and finger. Within a week or so of consistent playing they form the slight curve that fits just right. And by then the tips have also burnished very nicely, allowing smooth attack to the strings. They seem to last forever as long as I don't loose them, and once broken in like this, they feel and sound great.

If they were available already broken in like this, I'd gladly pay $30 to $50 each for them.

[CWRoyds]

I have a bucket of picks.
I have tried most of the talked about Mandolin picks.
A lot of them are OK and are usable.
A few are head and shoulders above the rest.

I my favorite pick is the Blue Chip, by far.
Absolutely worth the cost.
I have used it for a couple of years and it is still rocking.

My secondary pick is the Wegen TF140.
It is also awesome, but has a more bluegrass brashness to the tone.

Sometimes I use the Wegen for a different sound, but for most things I always use the Blue Chip.
I say try them out and see what works for you.
If you don't like the BlueChip, which I doubt, you can always sell it to someone here.
They are the preferred pick of a good many Cafe members.

[Jes Woodland]

I've never had opportunity to try the expensive blue chip,etc, picks, but if they work for you then why not..a chef would favour good quality pans and knives,a joiner will always prefer quality tools, why should musicians be any different. Its not like they need to be replaced every few weeks so the ratio of time used over cost is worth it for those that prefer them.

[Caleb]

Fairly often I see picks for sale on the mandolin and guitar classifieds. Those babies are listed at anywhere from $9 to $30.

I use medium-hard picks from the music store, approximately $6 for 5, or something like that.

Are those picks for sale on the Cafe's classifieds that much better, that they're worth $9-$30? What makes a pick worth that much more?

Just curious.

Sign up for the Travelling Pick Samper and see. http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...one-Interested