I Tried A BlueChip Pick Again!

[@SillyMoustache]

Hi Aaron, being involved with bluegrass back in the day news of Blue Chips came to me in the UK pretty early. I was convinced that they were a scam ...until someone sent me one. I now have at least one for every flattop I own. from size "0" to dreads - not that I use picks on the smaller ones so much. Blue Chips are not the only brand which apply the bevels which to me is vital - hence my shared preference to Wegen picks. The point of the Vespel material is that it is self lubricating (so don't need to be held so hard) and they are more resistant to wear than anything else on the market. I like 'em, but I also like Wegens (esp. for 12 strings and archtops. I use large triangles - 346 size. and ten to use BC RAD 40 (1.m.m) no light gase strings and TAD 45 (1.25) and/or TAD 60 (1.5) on guitars with medium gauge strings. I find them consistent and rewarding to use .. BUT -- your audience will never hear the difference ... but a good guitarist and/or mandolinist will feel and hear. whilst I don't lose stuff, I keep my valuable picks and capo in individual boxes (one for each guitar) and NEVER in pockets.

[@aaronshortmusic]

Thank you for sharing. They definitely impressed me but I am so used to the Jazz 3 XL after 20 years that it’s hard for me to change to something else.

[@gair1944]

I have Blue Chip TD40, TD45, TD50, CTP55. I had a TD35 and it was my least favorite. I keep them in a Keychain pick holster. I usually use Dunlop PrimeTone .96mm and they sound great. Nice balance of thickness for warmth but good detail. Recently tried John Pearse 1.2mm Fast Turtles. They sound great too. Basic rule of thumb I've learned which is not new information; Thicker picks are warmer. Not always what you want. Sometimes it is. Choose your poison. Lastly, my favorite Blue Chip is the CTP55. It's a larger triangle shape, and the thickest. But speed bevels have been applied and it honestly sounds great.

[@staleyexplores]

I haven't tried the blue chips bc of costs, I went with a hense tortoise pick ~1.14 mm which is the stiffness I like in a pick. I have tried a bunch of different picks but the hense plectrum and the jim dunlop purple 1.14 mm normal size picks, sometimes I see them as midi picks and I can only find them online for some weird reason but I love them. I still have the same one from a decade ago! I also drilled a small hole in the middle and that gives me amazing grip on the pick. great video Aaron!

[@aaronshortmusic]

Drilling holes is a great idea!

[@69telecasterplayer]

I use their TP 40. Also got their key chain pick holster, so if I forget my pick, I always have one with me because I always have my keys in my pocket.

[@AcousticWisdom]

Blue chips do wear, but it takes a long time. I used my first one for about 10+ years, currently have about six of them (different styles). Thickness has nothing to do with flexibility. If you try to flex the thinner ones, they’ll snap in half. Think of the thickness more as EQ. The thinner, the brighter; however, I got an 80 once, and it was brighter than the 60s I normally use. That had to do more with the bevel that was on it. Because the material has a lubricant built in, graphite, the picks glide across the strings with very little friction. There is less friction and less pick noise, which is a major plus for me!I recently got a PEK-material pick from Apollo picks, and I love it! Very dark-sounding, which can be a nice thing to have if you sing and play. It’s kind of like putting a low-pass filter on your guitar.

[@aaronshortmusic]

Have you worn one out?

[@AcousticWisdom]

@@aaronshortmusic I can email you a comparison pic of it if you want. The edge has been worn down but it’s still useable. I play a lot, so the $35 he charges is totally worth it. I’ve heard the story of “but I’ll lose it” before too. You don’t lose $35 picks, lol. One thing to keep in mind is he always does sales during holidays. He will offer free engraving and free shipping. That’s when I always get mine.

[@aaronshortmusic]

@@AcousticWisdom Great tip thanks!

[@smandez2023]

I'm more of a fingerstyle guy myself but did get some Primetones (1.4 triangle) and couldn't believe that a pick could make so much difference. I love the tone and feel of them and some call them the "Poor Man's Blue Chip". I don't know how true that is but I can definitely state that there is a huge difference between the Primetones and green Dunlop Tortex I used for over 15 years. For purposes of your demo Aaron, I think the Blue Chip was a bit mellower than the Jazz III.

[@dennispurdy3533]

I have a bunch of pick types, including the Dunlop, and when I first tried a BC pick, (because I noticed Billy Strings uses them) I thought it blew all the other picks out of the water. So now I have a TP40, TP48, TP50, and TP 60. I have come to prefer the 60 above all. But there is one other advantage to Blue Chip picks and that is customer service. Not only will they make any style in any thickness that you ask for, they will also adjust the tip shapes at you request. So you can get a TP which has three tips all the same or you can request one tip to be pointy and one to be rounded and one to be normal. Also if you break a pick they will replace it for free. I have never lost mine permanently... just for a few days then happily found it.

[@aaronshortmusic]

Great info thanks!

[@jimwaller5465]

I bought a BlueChip TAD-3R 40m a while back. I it has 3 rounded edges and I thought it would be a great choice for a "Strumming" pick. The Jury is still out. I like the quality, but I need to try another that comes closer to the Dunlop Primetone 1.3s. I really like these coming off the Snarling Dogs 1.1 Brain Picks.... Hey, and I do remember when slapping a Dunlop .60mm was the way to go... Try doing a lead with one of them! lol Thanks!

[@Methos19795001]

I was one of those guys that used to say that anyone that pays $35 for a guitar pick is an idiot. Then I tried one. Now I'm one of those guys that loves Blue Chip picks and uses them exclusively. My preferred size is the TAD large triangle with preferred thickness from 40-60. I like the CT-55 the best and have several of those. I also use a TAD-503R which has three rounded corners and help darken the tone on my overly loud and bright IRIS DF. They do not seem to wear at all. The other thing I love about Blue Chip is the material they are made out of gets a little tacky as they warm up from your body heat. These are the only picks I ever used to that do not suffer from what I call 'pick drift' where the pick moves/rotates between your fingers which is another big selling point for me.

[@barryhambly7711]

Blue Chips for some reason always sound more even across the strings more than any other pick I have heard meaning you don't get that sudden change of sound when you get to the trebles.

[@johnwashburn3793]

Yes, they do sound similar. I rarely play with a pick, but I have recently begun trying them again. I always listen through headphones or a Harman Kardon Bluetooth speaker.

[@michaelhayes9773]

Kudos to Blue Chip and to those who pay for and use them, I thought about buying one, and I'm not afraid of losing it, but I decided I'm not paying that much money for a pick. I recently tried the Primetone and I see and hear no difference from my cheap Fender celluloid picks. They might be a tad bit easier to hang onto but no difference in sound.

[@Childofbhaal]

I thought the same but I splurged and bought one. 100% worth it. It’s a decent investment as it will last forever and I believe it sounds and feels far better than any pick I’ve used. I legit cannot use any other pick now

[@rosewoodsteel6656]

I just bought a Bluechip, TD 35. It took 10 days for it to be shipped from Tennessee to Maryland, but it finally arrived. Shipping cost me $5. I asked BC for a refund for the shipping because of how long it was taking and heard crickets. I could have sent it in an envelope for the cost of one stamp.. At any rate, I couldn't wait to try it out. I used it on my OM Bouchet acoustic and compared it to the Fender medium I usually use. I liked the Fender medium better. The Fender had a brighter, crisper sound. So, I tried it on my D-18 and liked the sound of it better, but when I cappoed 7 frets up to play "Here comes the Sun", there was a lot of noticeable pick noise. Once again, the Fender medium pick sounded better. I will say this, the BC was easier to grip than the Fender. This is my first evening using the BC, so I'll give it some more time. But at this point, the 16 Fender mediums I just picked up at Amazon for around $5 were definitely worth the money. The BC cost me the same amount for the postage alone.

[@marcelchaloupka]

I know lots of bluegrass players that love Bluechip picks but outside of the Bluechip thumb pick I’ve never liked them. But it’s not that the pick itself is bad it’s the thickness combined with the shape. Yes I know you’re playing a similar thickness Jazz 3 pick but the shape makes all the difference. Bluechip picks makes the guitar loose lots of presence and top end and generally sound duller and in my view you loose a lot of attack and punch. Because Bluegrass players are doing lots of soloing the Bluechip pick thickens up their sound and makes for a fuller single note and single note runs sound a lot more fuller. Event though the Jazz 3 pick is a similar thickness, I think because of the point of the Jazz 3 you are getting more presence, zing, clearer top-end and more attack and articulation. That being said and as far as I’m concerned when I drop a pick on a hard surface I want to hard a chunk sound and not a thud sound that why I’d never play a nylon pick and there is no attack nor percussiveness from the pick

[@caseyholford]

I slightly preferred the worn Jazz 3 in this demo. The strumming sounded nice and round and you sounded comfortable with it. :-) I’m sure that could change over time. Years back I liked Gator Grip because I found that with my animated picking style at the time I had a hard time hanging onto picks. Then I discovered Tortex, I like the feel of those too. These days I tend to go for the good old standard, Fender medium.

[@LoraxChannel]

Like you, I use small and very hard picks. I feel like any give in the pick just reduces my control. The teardrop shape lets me rotate and get all kinds of nuance in tone. I also like to play runs and riffs between strumming, so my guess is that's why we've gravitated toward more hardness. Extra heavy picks also don't change in sound over time, they last forever. I'm running out of my old extra heavy clayton teardrops from decades ago, and the new claytons aren't same feel. Hoping I will eventually find the feel I'm looking for, because I'm down to just two picks left.

[@jurgengartemann5508]

For me the best picks are Red Bear Picks! They are expensive, about 25 $, but you can get them in many different forms and thicknesses. No picking noise! No wear after 3 years! Try one of them.

[@iamPROTOTYPE]

other picks to check out - dunlop primetone Red Bear Hawk [uk based] Tone Slab Michael Wegen blue chips are really nice

[@dividedbytimestudios]

I have couple TP-35’s I have a love hate relationship with them. Picking or raking is great, strumming fast and hard not so much, but near to have in the pile

[@markjohnson6485]

Hi Aaron liked the review I used blue chip for years and still do but I also use a Wegen pic that is very awesome as well .Very stable all sizes shapes and thickness I found mine at the Acoustic Shoppe. They also carry blue chip . The Wegen run around the same $$ . Thot I would tell you in case you hadn’t tried or heard of them .Take care. To me the Wegen has a fuller tone but everyone is different

[@markjohnson6485]

My bad Aaron I remembered it wrong the Wegen cost less than blue chip but they do work well

[@aaronshortmusic]

I’ll check them out!

[@TheChicagoTodd]

LOL....the more expensive your pick is.....the less likely you are to lose it... ;-). I used to have a few of the Blue Chip picks, and need to pull them out for my acoustic playing again. For electric, I've switched over to what @ToneWars recommended, which is a Gravity pick. I use their Sunrise Big Mini model, with a 2.5 thickness. These are also around $26 a pick or so, and also made out of a composite material that does not seem to wear.

[@FormerlyknownasT]

I couldn't justify 'paying 50 bucks ( plus shipping to Ireland ) for a pick .. I'd loose it .. and then I'd be pissed off with myself .. Happy out with my Nylon Jim Dunlop .80mm .. I moved from .46 to the .80 because of the video yourself and Maury did awhile back ...

[@Andreorsel]

That’s what i tell fellow guitarplayers when they laugh at me that i buy such an expensive pick; they just do not wear, so in fact they are cheap! Still my favorite picks because of that, and also the sound they produce is exactely what i like to hear. For me they grip better the any other pick i have tried. Somehowe the material (Vespel) sticks to my vingers.

[@aaronshortmusic]

I did like it a lot but I am back to the Jazz 3 XL for now because of its grip and feel. I just got so used to them over the years.

[@Andreorsel]

@@aaronshortmusic i understand. I used the Jazz XL also in the past, but for me they wear much to quick and i like the sound of the Blue Chip more.

[@eddiejr540]

I’ve tried chicken picks, V picks, Red Bear…but I always go back to the dunlop jazzIII XL…around 1mm👍

[@aaronshortmusic]

I get it!

[@DavidEidelberg]

Try a Charmed Life pick.

[@justinpaquette224]

I kill blue chip td 40 picks in about 4 months, if I wasn't broke I'd get a new one ever 2 months. That is playing 1 single pick for 1-6 hours a day 6-7 days a week. But I can kill a primetone in a couple days so I might still be saving money with the blue chips