$15 picks?

[Stephen Porter]

Wow...I'm a newb, but....? Is this my first glimpse into the dark side of mandolin ownership? And these are used!

Blue Chip Mandolin Picks

(Just looked up new ones are $35 ea. I guess that would be the cure for any tendency to lose picks.)

At least they've named one after me: the "STP50"

Seriously, maybe I'm missing something about how great a pick can be?

STP

[mandolirius]

Probably not that great if you're a newb. Once a person develops more technique in their right hand, subtle differences like picks can make a big difference. For beginners, just make sure you've got a hard pick (1mm or thicker).

[mandroid]

even after my non virtuoso 30 years, 1.50 Dawg picks is as High as I Go..

But heck if the car you consider adequate has to be a Porsche.

knock your self out..

[f5loar]

Well if you will do the search feature here for "blue chip picks" then up should pop about 66 pages of actual testimonials of how the blue chip pick saved their pee picking lives. These picks are not for the weak and misunderstanding. Nor are they for the cheap and "my glass is half empty" pickers either. These are for the real honest "geter' done" pickers that are serious about their sound and how a pick reacts and interacts with the approach as you attack the strings for maxiumn playabilty and tone. It will be the best $35 you ever spent for your mandolin ($15 if you can snag a used one but they are pretty rare).
PS: If you can afford to own and drive a Porsche you should be able to buy a $35 pick without a second thought. From one Porsche owner to another!

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

It'll be the last pick you'd ever buy or need, and the best $35 you'd spend to improve your playing and tone.

[Mandobart]

(Just looked up new ones are $35 ea. I guess that would be the cure for any tendency to lose picks.)...

Turns out it's not a cure for losing picks, in my case.

[terzinator]

Welcome to the Cafe.

[bratsche]

It'll be the last pick you'd ever buy or need, and the best $35 you'd spend to improve your playing and tone.

That is unless, of course, it isn't.

If they don't make you sound better, chances are they'll make you sound worse.

Tried it, and was less than overwhelmed. Less than whelmed, even. Mine will be up for sale as soon as I can find where the heck I set it in this cluttered place...

bratsche

[Jim Garber]

As you can see, you can sort of rent these picks to try them out. Buy one and try it. If you don't like it then sell it to one of use for a little less than you paid for it.

Personally, I like mine on mandolin but there are other picks that have similar tone to my ears and with my style of playing. Where the BC picks really shine for me is their toughness in my guitar playing. I pound the stuff out of my guitar -- I am usually the only rhythm when I play for dances and I used to wear down my std picks. With the BC I can play all night with almost no wear on the edges of the pick. I have had the same pick for about 3 years of tough playing.

Also: these picks are made of meldin an industrial grade plastic that is extremely hard and very expensive. A small sheet of it cost about $1300.

[calgary.fiddler]

I am primarily a fiddler player and from a violinists point of view $35 for the best picks you can get (Its subjective I know, but you can't argue they are pretty darn good) is a bargain. The way I see it the pick have as big an effect on sound and playability of your instrument as a bow does for a violin. The difference is a good violin bow cost a couple thousand dollars, over ten grand for a truly top of the line bow. That being said as a beginner there's no point on splurging on a really nice pick yet (especially is you have a habit of losing them) but when the time come you may find your self itching for the best pick you can find, then you should seriously consider these guys.

[mandroid]

Just dont Lose it.. Hard to lose a fiddle bow playing..

[Tobin]

What they don't tell you in the advertising is that a Blue Chip pick will make you stand taller and appear more attractive to the fairer sex. It also clears up acne, eczema, and dandruff. It boosts testosterone and reverses male pattern baldness. Totally worth the $35 in my opinion.

Seriously, I've used the same BC pick for about 3-1/2 years and it's my primary pick. The only time I switch is when I'm looking for a mellower tone. $35 really isn't that much when you consider how important a quality pick is, and stop treating it like a disposable inconsequential item.

[Nick Triesch]

F5loar and porschefan....Me too! Porsche owner! We could start a mandolin /Porsche splinter group!.....Maybe not. There is no substitute.

[jefflester]

What they don't tell you in the advertising is that a Blue Chip pick will make you stand taller and appear more attractive to the fairer sex. It also clears up acne, eczema, and dandruff. It boosts testosterone and reverses male pattern baldness.

With apologies to the Punch Brothers...

Blue Chip pick makes the band sound better,
makes your baby cuter, makes itself taste sweeter. Oh, boy!

Blue Chip pick makes your heart beat louder,
makes your voice seem softer, makes the back room hotter, oh

[gauze]

I play old time it'll never matter

[Elliot Luber]

A violinist will pay thousands for a good bow, so we mandolinists get off easy. The right pick (at whatever price--high or low) can really boost your sound, speed and volume. My advice is to try a whole bunch of them, and if you're taking lessons ask your teacher what he or she recommends. Mine said to buy one of "those good picks," but didn't have a brand preference. I showed him a Red Bear pick and he was pleased. These days I'm stuck on Blue Chips but they are expensive, but they don't break as easily, though the price was far more than $15 -- shipping was $5 just to put it in an envelope and mail it. In fairness, past discussions here have explained that sheets of the material used are quite expensive.

[JeffD]

$35 really isn't that much when you consider how important a quality pick is, and stop treating it like a disposable inconsequential item.

Bingo.

If you can't afford $35 for a pick, what were you thinking getting a mandolin?

[JeffD]

I want the best mandolin I can get, and how many picks can I get for a quarter?

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

I agree with everything being said here, but also see where bratsche is coming from:

If you try a Blue Chip and it sounds the best to your ears, then don't let the price tag stops you.

If you don't care for the tone of the Blue Chip, but rather find some other pick more pleasing, then by all means use those instead.

The bottom line is, you don't know until you try it.

[shortymack]

Do you go to garcia's used tires to buy tires for your porsche? A tire is a tire after all, how much difference could it make.

[Timbofood]

Sorry but, I think there is a HUGE difference between a bow and a FLATPICK. I am sure there are folks who cannot live without the perfect flatpick, there are many here who have been around well before the influx of "premium" picks, ther used to be pretty much three, thin, medium and heavy. All, pretty much the same from any name on the pick. With the possible exception of the famous (for some old hands) Wabash blue, they were all tortoise colored plastic. Then came the "Fender" extra heavy, and the race was on!
I have sold tons of the early stuff, Dunlop made the first picks in worthwhile non generic plastic (other than the infamous Herco's) picks I can remember. Gauged plastic was early and, cheap! Nylon followed then, Delrin, Tortex, etc.
In my musical lifetime, genuine Tortoise has been unavailable in the honest market, good for that! I have had to appreciate the difference in "tone" from the above stated materials ( plus some of the numerous newer ones). They do indeed sound somewhat different but, the fifteen dollar pick seems an extravagance for me and i have said before, i would lose it.
Nothing to do with what one drives, what is paid in rent/house payments or, anything else but, it just seems when you are learning, buy things you don't need to worry about, like a fifteen to fifty dollar pick. Pick with whatever is at hand. I made picks out of Lexan, hand beveled them and all that, I was at a shop with equipment and could do it. I got tired of it. A gross of good picks can be gotten pretty cheap, and replaced whenever need arises.
It takes more than an expensive pick to be a good musician, it's more about knowing what you want to get out of the instrument, you will find the tools, and everyone finds what works for them, or not. The balance of the instrument, strings, set up, pick and attitude which makes it work.
Most importantly, it called PLAYING music so, have fun and play!

[Nick Triesch]

I'm sure BC picks are very good. But I have been using Fender medium picks for 40 years and they work just fine. They don't seem to wear out because I have a bunch in my guitar/mandolin case so they are always good when I grab one. Several years ago I read that Fender picks were the number one pick in the world. I bet they still are.

[JeffD]

The bottom line is, you don't know until you try it.

My guess is that you will know right away. So if you can borrow one from somebody, at a festival or jam, trying it may not cost anything.

If it doesn't work for you, you would be a fool to use buy it, or use it. Its very individual what picks work and what don't and how much difference they make.

For me its the cheapest way to make that much difference in tone.

And as for the losing risk, well quit it. Stop losing your picks. Its not that hard. I haven't lost a pick in whole bunches of years.

[Ray Neuman]

I am just glad that Bill Monroe had expensive picks or whatever would we play now?

(Well said Tim)

[Jeffff]

Guitar players carry picks all the time because you never know when you may run into a guitar that needs playing and you know you need YOUR pick. That is why they lose picks. I know this because I am a guitar player.

Mandolin players know that the chance of running into a mandolin is so slim that they can safely leave their picks in a gig bag or the case.

This is one of the ultimate truths of the Universe.


As an aside, as a bass player all I need are my fingers.