Plectrum Shoot-Out! ("You spent HOW MUCH on a pick?!")

My guitar students often ask me what kind of plectrum they should use, so I thought it would be fun to try a direct comparison between various different types.... Listen with headphones for best results! Let me know which you think sounds best, and what other picks I should check out.
00:00 Intro music
00:47 What plectrum should I use?!
01:40 A bit of info about the picks
04:37 Comparing with a G major scale
05:50 Comparing with a chord progression
06:59 How do they feel when playing?
14:38 Conclusions?
The picks:
Blue Chip TP-50-1R
Red Bear Big Jazzer (Heavy)
Dunlop Prime Tone (1.5mm)
Wegen Gypsy Jazz
Dunlop Thin
Dunlop Tortex (medium)
The other gear:
Moon 0003 acoustic guitar
Elixir strings
Neumann TLM103 microphone
Zoom Q2N 4K camera
andywattguitar.com
andywatt.bandcamp.com
/ andywattguitar

[@RPSartre01]

If you are going to be fair, you should not compare a thin dunlop pic to a heavier bluechip pick. Dunlop has many different thickness, and you should have matched the thicknesses. A thin gauge tortex sounds very different than a 1.25 or 1.5 tortex. And a .73 mm tortex is not medium, it is light. Also, try the Dunlop Flow shaped tortex pick - they come in 1.0, 1.14, 1.35 and 1.5 mm.

[@uvp5000]

The Wegen surprised me. I didn't expect to produce such a loud sound. I had tried similar picks with comparable results (thick pick with an unexpectedly loud sound). I will likely play with many different plectrum over time to see what differences might emerge. Thank you for the comparison.

[@AshworthPhotography]

teh sound with that wegen is awesome, its like switchig from bedroom to hall, thanks for this

[@thomasszejnmann3917]

I made quite the same experience. So I use the BlueChip only at home (recording) because I am afraid to lose it, and I use the prime tone in everyday-life because it is cheaper. For me it also feels secure in the hand because it has this structure on the surface.

[@RefactoringRyan]

Blue Chip does sound impressive. I feel that the Prime Tones are close, but not quite there! Great for the price though

[@jaguarsunburst1570]

Really Great Job Man.! 🎸

[@jbcarseiii]

Just ordered a 3 and 3.5mm casein pick off of Reverb. The comments about the Wegen’s volume convinced me. Plus my fascination with the tone of Red Bear picks. Thanks for this video.

[@AndyWattGuitar]

Glad you found it useful - great fun trying out the different picks 😎 🎸 👍

[@andyclark1173]

Thanks for that informative vid. Didn’t realise the change in sound, always thought is was a comfort thing. We spend a fortune on our guitars and then we buy the cheapest picks due to the pick fairy. Thanks again for your time.

[@MsDenver2]

I agree with you on Blue Chip as I use there plectrums , they are wonderful , yes expensive but don’t where out and I find the tone is fantastic they produce .

[@keithnorvell3583]

I like immoderately thick pic but sometimes when playing acoustically and just strumming it is nice to use a thinner pick just for the difference in sound when playing something like America

[@skeres01]

Just what I was looking for. A primetone blue chip comparison. I think I'll experiment with the primetone to get the thickness I prefer then lash out on a .25 thinner blue chip. Thank you for the video!

[@musiccompositionadventures621]

I love a rosewood guitar. Sounds great!

[@bobsmith-ji2uh]

I think blue chip picks are one of the only pieces of gear that aren’t total snake oil. Tone aside, they never seem to wear out.

[@dbac2242]

You play very well!!!! I particularly liked the attack and tone you got with the Blue Chip pick. Can you talk about the various models of Blue Chip picks?

[@shanhaicanger]

I just bought bluechip, it so much better than my other picks, including primetone. But I am interested in trying wegan picks after watching your video. Nice job, thank you for sharing this video!

[@AndyWattGuitar]

The BlueChip is hard to beat, but the Wegen is definitely great fun for those loud, bright Django tones. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@JDStone20]

They all sound the same to me, save the Jim Dunlop Thin, that sounded brighter. I mostly play electric guitar, and so the picks are not supposed to make that big of a difference on the the electric.

[@ebeing2955]

I prefer the bluechip as well. I recently tried a Honey Pick Cricket Hunter. pretty decent too.

[@markwillie]

I use Clayton Ultem Standard .94.

[@keithnorvell3583]

Pearse thin are still pretty thick and very good for about $10. Snark picks are nice at about $8 for 3 I think.

[@SamVecchio]

Nice review. Just ordered a Blue Chip. Question for you. What guitar is that? Sounds great. Could be your playing too. Well done

[@AndyWattGuitar]

It's a Moon 0003 - made in Glasgow, Scotland. My main acoustic guitar for the past 16 years! 👌🏻

[@SamVecchio]

Sounds great

[@olliecarson5150]

Really cool video, I’m thirteen so sadly blue chip are too expensive for the stuff I’m into, I find my picks wear out a lot. The Taylor thermex series is very cool.

[@AndyWattGuitar]

Thanks! A Blue Chip is certainly a big investment! I've never tried a Taylor Thermex - I'll look out for them 👍🏻

[@markoshun]

Yup, that’s why I’m here too. My last two fav picks were the Tusq and Taylor picks. Love the tone, but they wear out way too fast for me. A couple weeks at best. I’m trying to find a pick that ahas the tone without the fast wear. Blue Chip seems to be the one to beat.

[@olliecarson5150]

@markoshun Yeah definitely. Those tusqs sound so great, but you're right, they wear out seriously fast.

[@ramspencer5492]

You can polish a pick that wears out too quickly with 3,000 grade sandpaper.... You can use a higher grid initially if you really lost the edge.... You fold the paper and press the end of the paper all the way to where the paper is folded. I like the sound of the gray tusqs that are like 1.25 or something like that.... It's on better with a little bit of fine grit sandpaper and you can keep them in good shape that way

[@Gk2003m]

The thin pick sounded… thin. All the others sound good, with slight variances in tone but nothing that would change a performance. Personally I like mother of pearl picks

[@bkt6025]

Dunlop, best, but I'm thinking in context of whole music group I make music with

[@markoshun]

Thanks for posting this, but an opportunity missed. Dunlop picks are cheap. I wish you’d used a couple in the same range of thickness to the others. I find when I’m used to 1.14, even going to a .96 changes the tone and feel. So going from a .77 to a 1.5 is no longer really a comparison of material. Really interested in that you said you bought your Blue Chip pick 11 years ago. Did I hear that correct? If so, the price is irrelevant since I spend that much in a year with fast wearing picks.

[@blairswanson44]

BlueChip TAD 50 is my go to for acoustic as well. You may like the Wegen TF 120 - also a favourite of mine (basically same size & thickness as the BC TAD but w/ holes for grip). The Dunlop Primetone triangle 1.4mm (w/grip) is nice. Very fine video. Thanks for that Andy.

[@AndyWattGuitar]

Thanks, I'll check out that Wegen TF 120! Glad you enjoyed the video 👍

[@Melvorgazh]

I wish Dunlop made 0.62-63 Nylon plectrums

[@sleepy4x]

They have an orange .67 nylon (midi) which you should try.

[@keithnorvell3583]

Bet you like Al DiMeola

[@christineblack4654]

best new picks EVER! the 3d pick from Anatomy of sound, with asses or boobs to hold them lol what else could you need? lol you will thank me latter. the white ones, heart attacks they are pointy and hard. great company. it plays so great for shredding omg!!

[@danmills8521]

Blue chip picks hmmmm the day I spend 40 dollars on a damn pick is the day a donkey wins the derby on a day when gasoline and oil ain’t worth jack!

[@Andreorsel]

Blue Chip picks are in fact cheap because they will not wear. I have mine for 4 years now and still no wear.

[@danmills8521]

@@Andreorsel did you measure every edge with a micrometer for comparison from new to current? Probably not. Maybe you became used to it and don’t realize how much it actually has worn

[@Andreorsel]

@@danmills8521 no of course i did not measure it with a micrometer; i have never done that with any pick. But, in comparison to every other pick i have tried (and that are a lot!) you can't feel or see wear. It does not get scratchy, like most other picks do and it does not wear to a point where the attack is gone or starts to sound and feel different; that is until now. I have the TAD which has three of the same tips. So if it eventually starts to wear i still have two more tips to go. Blue Chip rules!