blue chip picks anybody?

jesussaddle

jesussaddle

Power User
Any metal players or guitarists who like thicker picks use these? I see that mandolin players for one seem to like these blue chip picks. They're made of a composite that sounds like tortoise shell but doesn't wear out - according to one reviewer anyway.

They're very expensive, 50 or 75 dollars for the 2.0 and 2.5 thick Jazz 3 and Large Jazz 3 styles.

"Not only was the tone great, but the material has a self-lubricating quality that reduces friction allowing for faster and more precise playing. Goins worked for two years to refine his picks. “I wanted to raise the bar for pick design,” he said. “Everything is precisionmachined with CNC equipment to extremely tight tolerances and then hand-beveled and polished. Blue Chip offers picks in several shapes and thicknesses, the newest design being a jazz model shaped much like the Dunlop Jazz 3 pick.” Goins also offers a thumbpick.

I was quite impressed with the picks’ performance and found that they did indeed allow me to play faster lines with less effort. Although quite slick on the strings, the composite material is very easy to grip with no slippage at all. In addition, the Blue Chips produce no pick noise and are incredibly durable with no signs of wear, even after several months of intensive use. Bottom line is that this is a groundbreaking product and well worth the $35 for the discerning player."
 
Tubed to Life said:
I have little wear on few-years-used Jazz IIIs.

Ten dollars for one of those....sdmaybe.......
Click to expand...

When you say "used"... do you actually use them? Last time I bought Jazz IIIs, I bought 100 of them. If I'm playing a fair bit, I'll wear one out in maybe a few days. :|
 
I don't know that I would want a "Self-Lubricating" pick. I'm notorious for dropping them, so much so that I like to carve a criss-cross pattern into them. I use Dunlop Tortex Sharps, which are super cheap, have the same point as a Jazz III, but are thin enough for strumming while still being viable for fast stuff.

I have to give a shout to these. Stylus Pick If you really want to invest in a good pick that will literally improve your playing, get a Stylus pick. Nothing will show you how to improve your technique more than that pick. If you use too much, it'll literally pull the pick out of your hand.
 
I have 3 of the blue chip picks. A 40, 50, and 60 mm. I paid around $30 for each. I primarily use the 50 for my acoustic and the 60 for my electrics. The 50 is just now starting to show a little wear (not affecting play at all) after 18 months of heavy use (1-2 hours of play per day). The 60 doesn't show any wear at all after about 6 months of use.

I was previously a Jazz III user and I still have bags of them, but they would typically start showing wear within a few weeks of play. The main difference is how smooth and easily the pick glides on the strings. Are they overpriced? For most casual players probably so, and there's also the increased concern of losing one compared to most picks. For me the price has been well worth it.
 
I would agree with the guy who said they are maybe a 5 or 10% improvement over other picks. My wife gave me one of the 60 Jazz models for my birthday and I have been trying it out for a week. It grips well and I can pick a little faster and more fluidly than normal. A 5 or 10% improvement doesn't sound like much, but at this stage of life and musical progress, it's worth $35 to try it for me. I have put about 15 hours on it and it doesn't show any wear yet. A normal pick (albeit at 1/50th the price) would show wear. I imagine the company is making a high margin on these, but so far I am perfectly happy my wife spent her money with them. I might even do it again myself if this one lasts for at least a year or so.

Seconds on the Stylus pick being a good learning aid, too.
 
Thought it was crazy at first...read several great reviews..decided to try em...long story short --love them to death. I think they sound better and play easier...Of course its still just a pick, and the differences will be lost on many, but if I happen to not have my blue chip pick around I miss it and can definitely tell the difference...
 
I have a huge 'jazz III' style pick collection (including all sorts of fancy ones like wegens, v-picks, red bear, gravity, timber tones, blah blah), but have never tried the blue chip because the price is just ridiculous at $50-$75 for the ones I'd be interested in. If you like thicker jazz IIIish picks, the best I've come across to date are undoubtedly the gravity classics with the optional master finish. Those picks have tons of character and aren't too expensive either. They don't try to sound like tortoiseshell, but IMO they absolutely destroy other jazz picks both in sound and comfort. The master finish adds an almost bow like tone to your picking, which is lovely!
 
Used to use Red bears but they wore out too fast since I play 5-6 hours a day (Teacher)
The Blue Chips are fantastic and they show very little wear even after hundreds of hours!
You can even do pickscrapes without it showing at all, that destroyed the Red bears...
 
DNW said:
When you say "used"... do you actually use them? Last time I bought Jazz IIIs, I bought 100 of them. If I'm playing a fair bit, I'll wear one out in maybe a few days. :|
Click to expand...

Same here. If I want to milk them for more life I'll sharpen the edges by rubbing them on carpet. Puts an excellent point back on them. :)
 
Narzugon said:
Same here. If I want to milk them for more life I'll sharpen the edges by rubbing them on carpet. Puts an excellent point back on them. :)
Click to expand...

I've paid a bit more attention lately, and I've discovered I can wear out an Ultex Jazz III (the urine-yellow coloured one) in a day. Really depends what I'm playing though. If I spend 6 hours practising with the band, chances are I'll have killed a pick by the end of it. If I'm sitting at home just noodling and playing non-heavy material and whatnot, it's a different story entirely.

But for heavier material, I do tend to pick quite hard, and often hitting the strings at a fair angle. So I think that takes the life out of 'em pretty quick. For other stuff I might pick lighter, and/or with the pick much straighter (so I'm picking more with the flat of the pick rather than the edge). I also finger pick and hybrid pick a lot more outside of the band, so obviously that has an affect too.
 
I play the 1.5mm thick Blue Chip Jazz 60. They absolutely allow me to play faster and more precisely. I don't seem to drop them and the tone is great. They don't seem to ever show any wear.
 
addedc said:
I imagine the company is making a high margin on these, but so far I am perfectly happy my wife spent her money with them.
Click to expand...

I don't think he is. I've met Matthew and seen how he makes these picks. The material is INCREDIBLY expensive. It took him a couple of years to figure out how to minimize the waste material in the machining process in order to get the cost down to where it is now. I've got a thumb pick for my Dobro, and I want a big jazz style. Andy Wood use to shock me by wearing out Red Bears. As much as he plays he's not wearing out the Blue Chip and it's his pick of choice. I also wouldn't overuse the term self-lubricating. There's nothing 'wet' about these picks or any deposited residue. They're just really hard and slick. If you're prone to losing picks the Blue Chip is probably too expensive. I bought some Petrucci Jazz IIIs for kicking around. They're pretty nice but no where near the quality of something like a Blue Chip.
 
Now I have been playing my Blue Chip exclusively for almost two months. It shows no wear at all after at least 60 hours of play. I do notice that when I use it constantly at a gig or rehearsal there is always one (and usually just one) moment when it gets slippery in my grip for a few seconds and then that goes away. Don't know why that happens and wish it didn't but I am still very happy with the pick and would even buy one with my own money.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom