Bluechip picks | Not that great

[CityPickn]

TP48 crew checking in.

I've only had one for a week but the pick feels great. Suits my flatpicking style of playing.

[roadbiker]

I just can't bring myself to spending $35+ for a pick. I'd be really pissed off if I misplaced it. I have been using Gravity picks and love them. They are worth trying. https://www.gravitypicks.com/

[Jaxon]

Some people prefer the tone, some don't. It certainly isn't a measure of ones playing ability. I prefer my fingers personally.

[catndahats]

Curiosity got the best of me.
I bought a BC 50 from a friend cheap to test the hype. I am impressed with both the tone and feel in my hand, not sure if I'd buy a bunch due to cost.

[Tnfiddler]

I have 2 BC picks(TD50, TP50) and go back and forth between them and a Wegen 1.2 Bluegrass. I play Bluegrass 90% of the time and my Bourgeois and a BC are a Bluegrass match made in Heaven. I use a Wegen when I play at church and their Brighter tone really brings out what I’d call a shimmer when I play my D41, which is the guitar I use at church.

[dnf777]

I have a couple BCs, and while I do like them, its for their grip and attack, not so much tone related. I doubt Ill pay $40 for any more since Ive discovered V-picks. ($5 each).

Of course, if Im planted on my couch and a Fender 351 is within reach, Ill be perfectly happy with that. Like Ive said before, its not lack of proper pick thats retarding my career as a Nashville session guitarist!

[Brent Hutto]

Originally Posted by J Patrick

…..in essence it lets the strings do the work…..what a BC does do…for me…..and it does it very well….is push through the strings with ease offering minimal resistance….that in turn makes my playing a bit cleaner and a bit more dynamic….

That's the Blue Chip deal right there, well stated. If that's not how you want a pick to work the money-back guarantee is something worth considering.

….I only wish they came in a more attractive color…..

There's probably someone, somewhere for whom a nice, medium dark brown is their favorite color. I have not met that person yet

[Sasquatchian]

I have seven or eight Blue Chip's in various thicknesses - I kept trying thicker and thicker until they were just too thick, but there's only one way to find out. I really like the TAD 1R's as I use the rounded edge more for strumming and the pointier sides more for single note lines, but it really depends on the guitar and the strings. I seem to have settled on that particular pick style in the 40, 50 and 60 thicknesses but sometimes use an 80 for bass.

For me, these picks bring out the inherent tone in a guitar better than any other I've tried. Primetones are ok sometimes but are just lacking in tone compared to the Blue Chips. I will say that it can take a couple of months to adjust your picking style and really learn how to get the most from these, so be patient, and once you "get it" you probably won't go back. But that's just me and everyone likes what they like, until they don't.

Yeah, they're expensive, but compared to how much we spend on guitars, dropping a couple hundred to get even better tone is downright cheap. Or inexpensive.

Go listen to Billy Strings. He plays Blue Chips. 48 one thousandths I believe.

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Your are getting a lot of pick click there Andy, particularly as you go up through the thicknesses. That's not unsurprising (and not related to the Vespel material). Also, the large triangle TAD (346 shape) picks are just about the worst for pick noise that I have tried so far. Again, it is just to do with the shape, not so much the material. A 1.5 Primetone in 346 would be just as noisy. Pick click in itself is not necessarily "bad" - it is just part of the overall guitar timbre - so it really depends how much you want as part of your sound. But I think that it is worth pointing out how much is there.

I sill think that Vespel really doesn't do bluegrass rhythm as good as some other materials. Too little boom and too much chick!

BTW - I love that maple Waterloo!

[Sage Runner]

Love my B C picks. I bought six of them -for various approaches. Typically use a 60 or 55 large triangle for Flat pick on most Flat top Guitars. Use a smaller triangle 45 or 50 on my Carved Arch top’s. Use a 50/55 when I play my Mandolin. The players technique has more to do with it -than the pick used! Thinner picks produce a brighter sound/Thick heavy produce Darker mellow tone. —Blue chips play smooth and true and don’t wear out. Most other plastic picks wear out fast and produce a barely slight audible noise. I play some electric guitar but seldom use Blue chips when playing a Solid body Telecaster’ - but use a small B Chip Jazz pick when I’m playing my ES 175 Arch-top.

[DBW]

I have some TP Blue Chips (40, 48, 50, 60). I found that I have better attack (for flatpicking) with them than with nylon. Better grip too. I also get less pick click with them versus my D'Addario .70 nylon picks that I used to use. I also like certain V-Picks as well (1.5 mm Keaggy, Tone King come to mind).

[bluesman1148]

I prefer Wegen

[zoopeda]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

I sill think that Vespel really doesn't do bluegrass rhythm as good as some other materials. Too little boom and too much chick!

What do you like better for bluegrass rhythm?

[Tnfiddler]

Originally Posted by zoopeda

What do you like better for bluegrass rhythm?

I’d like to know too. A TD50 is my favorite rhythm pick of all!

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by zoopeda

What do you like better for bluegrass rhythm?

Originally Posted by Tnfiddler

I’d like to know too. A TD50 is my favorite rhythm pick of all!

It is very much a personal thing, but I like some of the Wegen picks. I mostly play the M100 but also the Bluegrass 1.4 or 1.2 or 1.0. I also like casein and TS for their tone but they are quieter than BC or Wegen.

I have no idea what material Michel uses for the Wegen picks? I have wondered if it is a hard nylon, the sort of material that you would machine bushings from.