Pick maintenance?

[Litterick]

A good one. Turn it around for added thickness.

[RJVB]

This -

Attachment 102311

Looks the same to me...

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Looks the same to me...

I don’t see an image in your post, so I assume you either tried unsuccessfully to insert one or my tablet is failing to display it.

[DawgBone]

This -

Attachment 102311
I found it last Sunday at our weekly blues brunch, ordered a bag of 6 that night, received them Monday, and used them Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. They’ve now my official pick

Back when I flat picked I used those same small stubby models until I found the big stubby. I think the original little stubby like that have been around since the early 90's. My local guitar shop got them in and I bought some as soon as I saw them. For the little guy the 3.0 was my preference. For the the big stubby 2.0 Then I found the big stubby triangle series and settled on the 2.0 and used it for quite a few years until I switched to finger picks. I still have a bunch of the triangles in a box someplace. I found the whole series of stubby have a great picking edge out of the box and hold it a good long time especially if you have a more delicate touch. Happy picking and it might be worth checking out some of the rest of that line if it turns out you like that pick a lot.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Happy picking and it might be worth checking out some of the rest of that line if it turns out you like that pick a lot.

I love it! I always avoided the fatties for no good reason - I just didn't like the way they looked. I started on small black Gibson celluloid picks when I got my first guitar in 1955, and I stuck with them for many years.



I think these were sold as mandolin picks back then, but Gibson then put out a similar pick as a Les Paul pick. I still have a few that are too worn to use, but they bring back wonderful memories. When they were no longer available, I used similarly sized and shaped picks from many makers. So fat ones just seemed wrong to me. But it turns out that I was wrong, not the picks

[omphalopsychos]

I've seen many posts over the years about how great the Blue Chip sounds, but no one offers specifics. Omphalo & BJB, in what way does it sound so great to each of you? Is the tone fatter than that from other picks you've used? smoother? Does it enable cleaner runs ? more note definition in chords? If multiple users report the same characteristics on different guitars and strings, I take it seriously.

I've used ProPlecs for general playing for a while now because they're warmer and richer sounding on my archtops than anything I've tried except Dunlop 477P207 Jazztones. But I like the feel of a smaller pick. Then I found a Dunlop 474P3 Stubby (which are made of Lexan) that someone left on stage last week. It looked interesting, so I cleaned it off with alcohol and tried it when I got home that night. I like it so much that I just bought a pack of 6 and have used them on 3 gigs this week. They're a tiny bit less warm than the ProPlecs because they have a slightly more defined attack, especially with harder picking. But keeping it gentle they're very rich for jazz on an archtop and still give the chime I like for fusion and blues. They're mechanically excellent for all kinds of playing too. They'e easy to grip consistently, so my attach is much more stable now. The ProPlecs shift around a bit in my fingers. And at $1 each, I'll toss them when they're worn enough to affect clean lead picking.

Blue Chip picks are remarkable for their durability, tone, and feel. I'll go into detail regarding each.

From a durability perspective they're unreal. I have a relatively heavy attack, especially compared to most electric players. I have a couple of blue chip picks that have lasted me 5+ years with very minimal wear. I use the TP shape, which is an equilateral triangle, so it actually has 3 different tips that you can use, lasting 3 times as long.

To echo Greentone, longevity of these picks only comes down to not losing them. As long as you're organized, it's not a problem. I use a pick pouch on my keychain. Haven't lost a pick yet.

Regarding tone, Blue Chip makes a number of different sizes and shapes, each one coming with different options for thickness as well as beveling vs no beveling. Before switching to blue chip I was using D'Andrea Pro Plec for electric and Dunlop Primetone for Acoustic. From D'Andrea, what I liked was the smoothness of the material. This smoothness of material softens the transients quite a bit, which can have an effect of perceived brightness or harmonic detail. I actually found that the D'Andreas were a little too soft, dark sounding. (Pro plecs are also physically soft, which is why they don't last very long). That's why I used the Primetones on acoustic, where I needed more volume and cut. But the issue with PrimeTones was that there was too much pick noise, i.e. the clicking and chirping you hear when the pick initially makes contact with the strings. You may not notice what a terrible sound it is until you change your pick material and/or technique. (Similar to how some acoustic players seem oblivious to finger squeak against their strings from sloppy technique). What I hear is that Blue Chips don't "click" or "chirp", practically at all. So from a tone perspective, you get control over brightness and warmth by trying different sizes and shapes, but you will always get a softer transient with no click. If you want a sharper transient, thats easy: get a blue chip pick with a sharper tip or thinner profile.

Feel is very important to me in a pick. If you are playing under a warm light, or just playing at high intensity for an extended period, your fingers will sweat. Even though Blue Chip picks are made of a smoother material, somehow they don't become slippery. This is great, since I tend to lower my electric volume and dig in pretty hard when comping. Last thing I need is the pick flying out of my hand.

[bluejaybill]

I've seen many posts over the years about how great the Blue Chip sounds, but no one offers specifics. Omphalo & BJB, in what way does it sound so great to each of you? Is the tone fatter than that from other picks you've used? smoother? Does it enable cleaner runs ? more note definition in chords? If multiple users report the same characteristics on different guitars and strings, I take it seriously.

I've used ProPlecs for general playing for a while now because they're warmer and richer sounding on my archtops than anything I've tried except Dunlop 477P207 Jazztones. But I like the feel of a smaller pick. Then I found a Dunlop 474P3 Stubby (which are made of Lexan) that someone left on stage last week. It looked interesting, so I cleaned it off with alcohol and tried it when I got home that night. I like it so much that I just bought a pack of 6 and have used them on 3 gigs this week. They're a tiny bit less warm than the ProPlecs because they have a slightly more defined attack, especially with harder picking. But keeping it gentle they're very rich for jazz on an archtop and still give the chime I like for fusion and blues. They're mechanically excellent for all kinds of playing too. They'e easy to grip consistently, so my attach is much more stable now. The ProPlecs shift around a bit in my fingers. And at $1 each, I'll toss them when they're worn enough to affect clean lead picking.

Much of what you say here is true for Blue Chips as well. BC's are warmer than most, with less pick noise as someone said. More fundamental, somehow warm and clear at the same time. (It sound like I'm describing PAF's here!).

There is quite a difference between gauges; I use 35 for rock style guitars and 40-50 for jazz. The 50 is fatter than the 40, quite dramatically.

As they warm up they seem to grip better, for some reason I never drop them, but I do other picks. They glide nicely over the strings without that grab you get from wear. There is a tiny bit of wear (bevel) after 4 years of daily use, but it isn't rough so it doesn't affect playing. Worth trying! Just don't lose them.

[nyc chaz]

This -

Attachment 102311
I found it last Sunday at our weekly blues brunch, ordered a bag of 6 that night, received them Monday, and used them Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. They’ve now my official pick

I used these picks about 20 years ago and liked them.The problem with these picks and any pick 2 mm and over is the chirp it produces.If you are playing in a loud band situation it is not so noticeable.But if you are playing acoustically,that chirp for me becomes annoying.I was just the opposite from you and went to 1.5 mm picks and under,i found a better tone and minimal pick noise.That's one of the great things about a Blue Chip is that even my 2.5 mm has minimal pick to zero pick noise especially on flats.

[sgcim]

Has anyone tried sharpening picks made out of celluloid?
They seem to lose their point pretty quickly, but does sharpening them with a file or something change their sound like it does with Jazz IIIs?

[pauln]

You're forgetting about the felt picks some people use...

I need to get one and hear how they sound; but I'm afraid I'll end up trying to pinch a blob of lint after a few minutes. I have to get some to find out.

[RJVB]

I don’t see an image in your post, so I assume you either tried unsuccessfully to insert one or my tablet is failing to display it.

What if you follow this link?

I need to get one and hear how they sound; but I'm afraid I'll end up trying to pinch a blob of lint after a few minutes. I have to get some to find out.

AFAIK they're used on ukes...

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

What if you follow this link?

[ccroft]

Has anyone tried sharpening picks made out of celluloid?
They seem to lose their point pretty quickly, but does sharpening them with a file or something change their sound like it does with Jazz IIIs?

I've never sharpened them to reshape the point, but when I get enough 'propeller' wear seen in Paul's sketch (post 23) I sometimes take some scotch-bright to the edges to restore the rounded edge. Which also kinda sharpens them a bit.

I played round strings my whole life and just recently put flats on my Borys. I'm expecting much less wear in that department. The coiled string is like a file to celluloid.

[RJVB]

Here's what I get by clicking on that link:


If you can't see that either you should definitely follow the suggestion to notify the site administrator

(did you try on a desktop computer btw?)

[RJVB]

What are the symptoms of "propellor wear" on playing/sound?

[Litterick]

To smooth the side edges use Scotch-Brite (1 inch square will last a lifetime), rub along the edge
The restore the curve of the tip edge shape, rub Scotch-Brite along the edge (eventually the pick will become shorter in its longitudinal axis)
To restore slant wear, rub Scotch-Brite along the edge (put a hard object behind the pad to get a square edge, use finger behind pad to get a bevel)

Attachment 102308

Green Scotch-Brite is heavy, man. I will be taking your advice, but with the blue Scotch-Brite, which is gentle and made in Canada.

[RJVB]

About that propellor wear... can't you just prevent that by alternating which way around you hold the pick (for those that can be reversed)?

[Litterick]

Scotch-Brite works.

[CharlesR]

Regarding tone, Blue Chip makes a number of different sizes and shapes, each one coming with different options for thickness as well as beveling vs no beveling.

What's your preference regarding the beveling?