Brad,
Now that is “paying it forward” or whatever that movie was about (I never saw it)… someone sends you a $1 pick and you offer to send someone else a $4 pick. I wannna jump back in the train on the receiving end when someone is volunteering their unused 1938 D-18.
Seriously, very nice of ya!
Blue Chip Free Priority Shipping
that’s what I figured Mike. You were so nice to send me one that I figured a good way to repay that favor would be to do another picker a favor in return, I mean I got 5 of em sitting here, 4 more than I will probably ever need.
I was trying to talk Dave out of his 74 D28 in another thread but he was havin’ none of it! 
— Begin quote from "TNTaylor414"
I was expecting them to blow me away when I first tried 'em. I thought they had good grip and sounded better than what I was using, so I bought one. I played it exclusively for 3 weeks then went back and compared the BC pick to the picks I had been using, and that’s when they blew me away how much better they are than anything else I’ve used.
— End quote
It was like that for me too. Kinda grey in the beginning, but now the difference is black and white.
alright guys here is a story for ya…
I got the Ultex 1.14 in the mail saturday that Mike sent me. It was kinda like xmas, I rip open the envelope and dash over to my guitar to try it. I like it very much, sounds better than the 1.00 I have already, you wouldn’t think 0.14 makes a difference but imo it does. the other thing I tinkered around with was using one of the rounded sides for strumming rhythm as opposed to the pointed side. I like that a lot. it gives the rhythm a fatter tone and also the pick seems to get hung up on the strings a lot less, especially on the upstrokes which I was having an aweful time with.
So, with that being said here is the real story
I was sitting here on my computer late thursday night when my mouse and keyboard misteriously went to bluechippicks.net and ordered a TP50-1R 
so I showed my buddy at work the pick that I bought friday morning at work, he isn’t a picker mind you, and he proceeds to look at the price of course and says, “what the heck is that thing the pick of destiny?”
I say “ya for that price it ought to be huh?”
So today I race home as fast from work as I “legally” can and grab the mail off the counter, rip open the envelope from bluechippicks.net, again like xmas. and there she is, I swear I heard angels singing, I really did 
so I strum it across the strings, again I hear the angels singing 
ok, seriously is it a good pick? yes, is it worth $35, dunno yet. But I will say this one of the many things that I like about it is that it slides off the strings like butter and because of that I do feel like I just picked up a couple BPMs when picking out a lead if nothing else. It also feels like I can grip it a lot better than the dunlop ultex but don’t know if the grip is better than a wegen, I think the wegen has a slight advantage there, need to tinker with it more. I think if they put a logo on the bottom side of the pick too then the grip would be solid as my index finger seems to slip the grip more than my thumb does.
I ordered the TP50-1R because I liked the idea of being able to use the rounded side for rhythm and the pointier side for lead and that’s exactly how it’s been working, really pleased with that. Also digging the triangle shape quite a bit more over the standard tear drop.
I think I will probably find me a triangle ultex 1.14 or two for backup picks as I really do like the ultex picks and if the internet ghosts wouldn’t have make me buy this bluechip that is what I would use
I took advantage of the free Priority Shipping and ordered a STP-50. My pick quest is over for now. It’s not too pointy, not too round. It has less surface area because of it’s smaller size which makes it easier to use when you’re playing faster. It’s smaller size also creates less torque on the tip of my index finger which makes it more comfortable to play with. I was worried about jumping from 40-50 but I’m finding the thicker pick more natural feeling. Glassy on the strings, tacky in the hand. I played my TP-40 almost everyday for 7 months and there was little pick wear. I was able to wear the pre-beveled edge into my own bevel angle from playing. The point was still there. So I imagine that the STP-50 will be equally durable(if not more because of the thickness.) Everything I want in a pick. The only way it could be better is if it was free, but like most things, you get what you pay for.
Wow… BlueChip got a nice little bump from the original post!
Brad, glad you got the pick of destiny. I should have thought to ask for that.
Quite a few have said they weren’t sure if they were worth the price… my thought is that if it’s the pick I prefer to use and there are no durability issues, then it’s worth it (both of which seem to be true). I think most of us on here play quite often. For the cost of a steak dinner, we have something from which we will get 100s of hours of entertainment. Are they 100 times better than a $0.35 pick? Of course not. But as you reach the upper end of things, small improvements cost a great deal more. What really seals the deal on the price being ok for me is that in this case, it is primarily driven by the cost of the material. The picks cost a bunch because the material costs a goofy amount.
Well I took the “Pick of Destiny” to the jam last night and after 3 hours picking with it I have to say I am completely sold on bluechip picks!
Typically at the jam I would attempt to play along with 2 or 3 songs and the remainder of the time I would just sit there holding my guitar and using it for a drum kit LOL
Last night I played along with every song, so much so that my fingertips on my fretting hand are on fire this morning and I think I burnt the coating off my B and E strings on the 3rd fret from playing soo much
At one point we had a song that required a down, up, down, up strumming pattern, something that I was previously having an aweful time with using my other picks, well the “pick of destiny” cut right through the strings and did those up strokes effortlessly!
The grip did get a little slick on me though cause it was soo hot and humid last night but I was able to wash the pick off with soap and water like I saw in another post here and grip is back to normal. My fingers tend to get a little greasy at times so I may try some talcum powder or something on them to keep the pick grip in good working order or maybe invest in that stuff Larry was talking about.
I will say that the thickness of the TPR50-1R reminds me more of the thickness of my Ultex 1.00 than anything else, it feels quite a bit thinner than the ultex 1.14 and definitely thinner than my wegen bluegrass, I think of which is a 1.2 or 1.4, not sure.
The tone is defintely brighter to me than the wegen, and sounds quite a bit like the ultex 1.14, maybe a little brighter and crisper than the ultex 1.14 I think the brightness has a lot to do with my guitar too as its a yamaha fg700s sitka spruce top and mahogany back and sides. I used my bluechip on a custom build guitar a guy had there that was modeled after a Martin D28 with the V neck and the tone was much deeper and just about on par with what I like to hear, Man I gotta save my pennies for a D28!
Good deal Brad, I’m glad you played a bunch.
Is the rounded corner significantly less bright than the pointy ones on your BC? Comparing my BC (TPR50 with rounded points) to my ultex and wegen, the BC is the least bright. I like all three tones, but I was curious how much of the tone difference might be due to point shape.
Mike,
The rounded side definitely mellows out the tone on the BC to me at least. I have been using the rounded side more for rhythm strumming and the pointier side for lead stuff. I am liking that quite a bit. The other thing I really notice is that I am able to do the down/up strokes that your recommended in my “She’ll be coming around the mountain” tab quite a bit easier with the BC most likely because it slips off the strings better.
Thanks Brad. I’m glad the BC is seeming worth the money.
— Begin quote from "mreisz"
Thanks Brad. I’m glad the BC is seeming worth the money.
— End quote
yep, another day into it and I am completely sold. Well worth the money. The more I use it the more I am falling in love. the tone just seems soo balanced on my yamaha now with this pick. before I would always seem to get an overpowering B string or high E in there at the end of my strums that would just annoy the crap out of me, honestly one of the reasons why I switched to banjo for awhile, figured if I was gonna twang strings may as well be on an instrument that was meant to twang
I dunno exactly what it is, the material its made of, the fact that it glides so smoothly through the strings or the feel of the pick enabling me to be more relaxed about my strumming, perhaps its all those things creating a trifecta and bringing it all together.
Just can’t seem to put my guitar down now, such an awesome feeling!
Ok, end of the bluechip commercial guys, GO BUY ONE! OR TWO!
Hey Mike, you should be getting a spotter’s fee from BC!
I took a look at this thread out of interest as there aren’t many posts in this forum (apart from the collab). Had tried a few different picks for mandolin but never thought too deeply about it as I didn’t know there were so many options.
Anyways I became more intrigued as I followed the dialogues here and the fingers started to get itchy. Now I had a few mando lessons years ago and I was told to hold the pick so loosely you could almost throw it away (I lost a lot of picks that way ) The problem I had was the pick moving around too much, I could never get a comfortable grip with the pick in the right position without having to hold it tight, and would get cramping in the right hand.
So I thought WTH, if Mike says it’s good, it must be worth trying, so I bit the bullet and ordered from Blue Chip. As shipping to Oz is $6 I figured I may as well save money and ordered two (go figure the math on that one), a TD40 and a TP40.
They arrived and I sat and played for an hour. I couldn’t tell you if the sound is better but the grip is fantastic, I can hold it lightly and it doesn’t move around. Also I swear it goes over the strings easier and I can play more smoothly and quicker.
Now over here noone’s heard of fancy picks, they won’t pay more than a buck for a pick, so when I took them to a couple of workshop gigs last week the other guys nearly fell over when I told them the price and they started reaching for the straitjacket.
But I lent one to the guitarist and after 2 hours with it he didn’t want to give it back . As I said to them, if you have an instrument worth $800+ isn’t it worth spending $35 to make it sound that much better and play easier?
So thanks a heap to you guys for the shove, not just for Mike’s recommendation, but the discussion between you all that convinced me to give 'em a go.
But I’m not going to start shelling out for wegens etc etc for a comparison - sometimes you can get just too picky
BTW my problem isn’t wearing picks out, it’s losing them - so someone please please give me a surefire way of not losing a $35 pick! Maybe a microchip with a remote location buzzer? Yeah, I know - then you can’t find the remote… ah, old age!
Hey ozzy,
Glad you like it. I am going to order another one someday. I got one with rounded corners, and I think I want to give the pointy one a try at some point (probably a TD50).
BTW, mine lost some of it’s grippiness after a while. A little soap and water and it seemed about like new. I probably average about an hour a day playing and I have no noticeable wear so I don’t think that’s a problem. As far as losing it, what about taping a string to it and then tie it to the mando?
Damn, then I’d have get another one for the guitar.
Or a 4" nail through it maybe?
I find if you lick your fingers before gripping it it sits there just fine, don’t know if we have any soap and water around the place here but thanks for the tip. I’m used to pointy picks, I tried using a rounded corner on one and it felt just weird, I didn’t know quite where I was.
Anyways I shall persevere with it all, now I’ll have to do something about the slow fingers on the left hand 
Oz,
I switched to a real pick a year or so ago and was worried about losing it. It’s a rounded triangle one with bevels (think of how your radiator fan blade is beveled). Anyway, I was worried about losing it and just put it in my head that I was gonna treat it just as importantly like I would a capo or tuner. Now there were times over the last year where I was in a panic in thinking I lost it but it appeared right where I left it! So put that emphasis on putting the pick in the same spot every time (routine) and you’ll hang onto it awhile. I store mine in weaved into the strings just like most and have made it a practice not to just set it down somewhere. Immediately after I play something and set the guitar down it goes where it belongs, even if I am going to use the bathroom or something and intend on playing more as soon as I get back, it is not put on the coffee table or anywhere else, it is weaved between the strings…we are creatures of habit and I suggest that if you want to keep your pick then I’d create a habit in regards to the pick!
After playing and getting used to a real pick I can say that it does not produce the volume as other pics but makes up more than that in tone! With the beveled edges it just glides through the strings.
Have fun with your new pick!
I couldn’t happier and I honestly could never see myself going back to a cheap pick once I switched to an expensive one!
If anyone is interested in two TAD3R 60’s and one TAD3R 50, I will trade all three for two CT55’s…I have spent the last year or more messing with different picks and these are the ones I no longer use. I like the rounded corners but have finally settled on the CT55’s and that’s all I use now. Jerry