I'm ready to take the plunge. Have you?! (PICKS). And I need advice on BC, CL, etc.

[StrumNSing]

Ok, folks, I'm ready to take the plunge. Have you?!

I will be ordering BOTH a BlueChip Pick AND a Charmed Life Pick.

Here's what I currently use:
Dunlop (standard teardrop) Primetone (non-grip) .96 & 1.0
Dunlop (standard teardrop) Gator .96 & 1.14
Wegen (large triangle) TF120 (1.2)

I really like the control of the large triangle, but I'm fine with the standard teardrop shape as well.

I'm mostly a chord strummer/ singer, but I also like to pick out individual strings within a chord while I sing.

Right now I'm leaning toward a BC TAD40 or TD40.
Those that have taken this plunge: what are you using and liking? TP, TAD, TPR, etc.? What about from CL? Perhaps NTF? What sizes have you tried and compared?

(And if I'm missing a company/ pick I should consider, please include that as well).

[JAMKC]

Add EML casein picks to your list!

[jjrpilot]

I'd recommend the Vespel picks from both.

[Brucebubs]

I just ordered some - no, I'm not kidding guys.
I'm gonna try them and report back.
And yes, I ordered a T-shirt too .... both items are Free Shipping to me in Australia which is kinda cool!

[lar]

Hi Strum,

Maybe I can provide some useful information for you.

I've had my Charmed Life CLT75 brown triangle (vespel) for a few weeks now and like it a lot. It glides off the strings nicely, and has good tone. In the past I've found that when I want to add warmth to the tone (less bright trebles), the articulation of the bass strings suffer. But there is no such trade-off required for the CLT75 - it has both nice clear trebles with great articulation of the bass. It's also loud. The only con is that it is slippery, but I just use gatorgrips so it's not an issue.

My previous favorite picks (out of the HUNDREDS that I have - hey, it's a hobby) were the gator and the ultex picks. I think the CLT75 is better than both.

It looks like you prefer thicker picks than I do, so you could try the CLT1.0.

I agree with JJRPilot, stick with vespel from both.

Good Luck

[ataylor]

I haven’t tried any of the upper-tier picks — yet — mainly because I just don’t use a pick all that often to begin with, but when I do, I like the Dunlop Primetone 1.0 mm picks with the raised grip and John Pearse “Fast Turtle” 1.0 and 1.2 mm picks for something a little thicker.

[raysachs]

There's essentially no difference between the Blue Chip and Charmed Life Vespel (brown) picks in the same thickness. The ONLY difference I can tell is the Blue Chips are finished a little slicker and the Charmed Life are a little rougher, which for me makes the Charmed Life a bit easier to hang onto, but both are fine and they sound and play identically. So there's not a lot of point in buying both to compare them.

What I'd recommend is to buy one of the vespel picks from either Charmed Life or Blue Chip and then buy one of the Casein picks from Charmed Life. The difference between Scott's casein picks and vespel picks is PRONOUNCED - they're altogether different materials and they feel and play very differently. But both are excellent. I like both a lot, with the Vespel picks my choice for electrics and to calm down an overly bright acoustic, and Casein my choice for most acoustics. But buying two vespel picks, one from each company, won't tell you anything I didn't just tell you...

-Ray

[Steadfastly]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

I just ordered some - no, I'm not kidding guys.
I'm gonna try them and report back.
And yes, I ordered a T-shirt too .... both items are Free Shipping to me in Australia which is kinda cool!

I like the idea of the Zagar pick but I think I can drill those holes for a lot less then $20.00.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by StrumNSing

Ok, folks, I'm ready to take the plunge. Are you?!

I will be ordering BOTH a BlueChip Pick AND a Charmed Life Pick.

Here's what I currently use:
Dunlop (standard teardrop) Primetone (non-grip) .96 & 1.0
Dunlop (standard teardrop) Gator .96 & 1.14
Wegen (large triangle) TF120 (1.2)

I really like the control of the large triangle, but I'm fine with the standard teardrop shape as well.

I'm mostly a chord strummer/ singer, but I also like to pick out individual strings within a chord while I sing.

What would you recommend for me, both in Blue Chip and Charmed Life? Thanks!

(And if I'm missing a company/ pick I should consider, please include that as well).

StrumNSing, so it's come to this. There is no help now for you, brother.

Part of your decision may come down to the thickness you want. A number of vendors do different things with thickness, so this could be a determining factor. Frankly, I'd rather you hear recommendations from the other members here vs. me or another pick vendor who may have a vested interest in selling one model or material over the other.

If I can be of service, please PM me here or email direct at charmedlifepicks @ gmail. BTW, on the board here, as most folks know, I'm just as likely to recommend BC or RB or EML or even Dunlop, as it's my job to know the marketplace, and I'm always more interested in people finding the best pick for their playing, whatever the brand.

FYI, you would probably get more and better responses if you changed your subject line to read something like, "I'm ready to take the plunge. (PICKS), BC, CLP, EML -- I need your advice." Just a thought.

Best to You,
Scott

[Borderdon]

Good Luck with it, hope you find the right fit.
“Taking the plunge” on a pick(s) is relatively painless purchase !

[Lee Callicutt]

Sounds like you would enjoy a BlueChip TP.

[Murphy Slaw]

I often use a pick I made out of Slate.....

[StrumNSing]

Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks

StrumNSing, so it's come to this. There is no help now for you, brother.

Part of your decision may come down to the thickness you want. A number of vendors do different things with thickness, so this could be a determining factor. Frankly, I'd rather you hear recommendations from the other members here vs. me or another pick vendor who may have a vested interest in selling one model or material over the other.

If I can be of service, please PM me here or email direct at charmedlifepicks @ gmail. BTW, on the board here, as most folks know, I'm just as likely to recommend BC or RB or EML or even Dunlop, as it's my job to know the marketplace, and I'm always more interested in people finding the best pick for their playing, whatever the brand.

FYI, you would probably get more and better responses if you changed your subject line to read something like, "I'm ready to take the plunge. (PICKS), BC, CLP, EML -- I need your advice." Just a thought.

Best to You,
Scott

Thanks for all the replies from everyone!
Scott, I edited the OP a bit, hopefully that will help.
I will also call you later today to discuss.

This is going to be a fun journey!!!!

[StrumNSing]

Originally Posted by raysachs

There's essentially no difference between the Blue Chip and Charmed Life Vespel (brown) picks in the same thickness. The ONLY difference I can tell is the Blue Chips are finished a little slicker and the Charmed Life are a little rougher, which for me makes the Charmed Life a bit easier to hang onto, but both are fine and they sound and play identically. So there's not a lot of point in buying both to compare them.

What I'd recommend is to buy one of the vespel picks from either Charmed Life or Blue Chip and then buy one of the Casein picks from Charmed Life. The difference between Scott's casein picks and vespel picks is PRONOUNCED - they're altogether different materials and they feel and play very differently. But both are excellent. I like both a lot, with the Vespel picks my choice for electrics and to calm down an overly bright acoustic, and Casein my choice for most acoustics. But buying two vespel picks, one from each company, won't tell you anything I didn't just tell you...

-Ray

Thank you, this is very helpful. I think this is the route I will take. I'll report back after I've played both for a month or so.

[tnez13]

Allow me to throw a curve and suggest another company and a slightly different route. Take a look at Gravity Picks, specifically their acrylic picks. These picks are around $5 each rather than over $20 each. When I went down the pick rabbit hole a couple years ago, I ordered several picks from Gravity with different sizes, shapes, thickness, grip hole options, etc. That allowed me to experiment and determine the the size, shape, thickness, etc. that I like and worked for me. I then stepped up to the premium picks based on understanding my preferences. I would recommend trying picks you think are too small/large and too thick/thin to really determine your sweet spot with pick selection. I was surprised when I liked a smaller pick size than I had previously used.

Good luck on the search. It's actually a lot of fun trying out new picks.