Blue Chip Thumb Picks

Tonu Timm · Post by **Tonu Timm** » 6 Jan 2012 5:36 am

Never had a chance to try them out. If somebody uses them, what size of Blue Chip (thumb) Picks you prefer for PSG? (I'm currently using that Golden Gate large one)
How thy feel and are they worth of price?

Jake Gathright · Post by **Jake Gathright** » 6 Jan 2012 1:30 pm

Dang right they're worth it. I've been playing mine HARD for over two years on PSG, Banjo, Dobro, and fingerstyle guitar and I see NO signs of wear, nor has it ever developed a rough texture on the picking surface. Not ever. At all. The J.D. Crowe model in size M is a pretty much stretch-to-fit-all pick.

Jake Gathright · Post by **Jake Gathright** » 6 Jan 2012 1:34 pm

My friend Hal Martin at www.martinmusicsupply.com has them priced cheaper than anyone I know of.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 6 Jan 2012 2:40 pm

$40, you've got to be kidding!

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 6 Jan 2012 2:46 pm

I could spend less than that for the rest of my life on my Golden Gate thumb picks and they work just fine. To each his own.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 6 Jan 2012 2:52 pm

Richard,
After my grandson broke my white National thumb pick, I went to a Golden Gate and now they are my favorites, too.

Jake Gathright · Post by **Jake Gathright** » 6 Jan 2012 4:14 pm

LOL When they first hit the market, they were going for $55.00 - $65.00. Mine was a gift, and I told the buyer that she was CRAZY. It laid between the necks of my guitar for about a week and finally I said well, I'll try it. I sized it to my thumb, and I haven't used another one since. Would I have initially paid those kinda dollars for one myself??? Most likely not. But now if this one ever gets lost, I'll not rest until it is replaced. It has become a big part of my pickin'.

Jay Jessup · Post by **Jay Jessup** » 6 Jan 2012 6:18 pm

I am in your camp Jake, bought one for myself about six months ago along with a new mando pick. Medium JD Crowe and I will never need another thumb pick. Say what you will about the price but it will always fit right no matter the temperature, has just enough flex and sounds better than anything else you could put on your thumb IMHO.

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 6 Jan 2012 8:59 pm

Haven't tried the thumbpick yet, but I play Blue Chip flat picks. I look at it this way. We spend so much on our signal chain: amps, speakers, pickups, cords, effects. Why not a pick? A pick is an important part of the tone equation. Esp. for acoustic instruments. I think it is worth the cost, esp. since it seems to not wear at all like other picks. I'd buy a BC thumb pick, if it kept that leading edge from getting raspy.

Fred Rushing · Post by **Fred Rushing** » 8 Jan 2012 8:06 am

I have looked at the picture from the above link and it really doesn't tell me much.

What is the pick made of and how is it adjustable?

Doesn't look much different that the ProPick metal, nylon combination to me.

Sounds like a Banjo thing to me. (just kidding)

Fred

Jake Gathright · Post by **Jake Gathright** » 8 Jan 2012 11:34 am

The band of the pick is stainless, and you can bend it to fit your thumb. Every time you put it on, it feels just the same. The old blue herco picks were made from a thin (or cheap) enough plastic to acheive this same goal of not turning the end of your thumb cold and blue as the thicker plastic thumb picks tend to squeeze your thumb in half. However, many people seemed to like the tone of the thicker plectrum much better than the thinner, somewhat "plinkier" tone of the thinner picks. The bluechip plectrum itself is where the real innovation and advantage comes in. I've been told by some people who I beleive to be "in the know" on the bluechip mfg process that the bluechip material is actually the same material used in Hi-Temp printed circuit boards. It has a higher wear-test rating than ANY other material they could come up with to stack up against it. If any of you have ever sat there trying to rub your thumbpick's blade on your leather boot or on the edge of your amp's tolex in efforts to remove those little scratchy spots on the picking surface, you can probably appreciate the fact that bluechip picks NEVER develop those scratchy spots. So, With a thick, snot-slick blade for tone and a rolled stainless band that never fits too loose or too tight, I'm sure the steel players will grow to love these picks just as much as Banjo players.

Jake Gathright · Post by **Jake Gathright** » 8 Jan 2012 4:43 pm

Jay, is there anywhere I can see full pics of the amber colored Zum in your profile pic? I LIKE that.

Gary Cosden · Post by **Gary Cosden** » 8 Jan 2012 4:58 pm

Have any of you tried the regular model thumbpick vs the JD Crowe version? From the picture it looks like the pick portion of the JD Crowe version is pretty short.

Jay Jessup · Post by **Jay Jessup** » 8 Jan 2012 5:19 pm

Jake,
It is a great guitar that really doesn't come out of the case anymore since I switched to the ZB E6/9 tuning. I can not remember if I posted pictures of it in the 'Zum's only thread' or not ( just checked I didn't) although pretty sure I put a pic of my converted keyless 82 S-12 Zum on there. That thumbnail pic doesn't get the color too good, Bruce put some yellow in the finish to make it look old but it is more of a blond guitar than the pic shows. My request to Bruce was to make it look as much like an old Bigsby as he could.
Gary,
I have not tried anything other than the Crowe version. I am 5' 8" and a very average sized person in all respects, including finger size so the Crowe is a perfect fit for me with no modifications, I do not find the pic portion of it short at all and I have used just about every kind of pic through the years. I do recall finding some of the larger size pics too long for my comfort so maybe that will give you something to base your decision on?

Brian Herder · Post by **Brian Herder** » 13 Jan 2012 5:54 am

A friend gave me a Blue Chip that I use on mandolin and I will say that if I lose it, I will be buying a replacement. I haven't bought a thumb pick because there are so many options that I don't want to spend $40 on the wrong thing. I have been playing my mando pick for 2 years and it doesn't even have a scratch on it.. It just glides over the strings and is indestructable. A 12"x12" sheet of the stuff they make these out of is $1355!-http://www.professionalplastics.com/MELDIN7001

Kenneth Farrow · Post by **Kenneth Farrow** » 13 Jan 2012 9:05 am

Has no one else discovered the incomparable Fred Kelly picks?? The very best , most durable, and reasonably priced! Try 'em: you'll like 'em!

Gary Cosden · Post by **Gary Cosden** » 4 Mar 2012 7:14 am

I would have found it hard to part with $40.00 for a thumb pick but I was intrigued and my birthday was last month so I dropped a few hints and sure enough I was given one. I really like this pick and the material the pick portion is made of is really different and special. It feels like it would never drag on the string no matter how you pick. The string just slides off with no drag or scraping or catching even to the slightest degree. You are not going to wear this thing unevenly or at all from the impression it gives. The tone is slightly different from plastic thumb picks as well and better in my view. One thing that you might not like is that because of the nature of the material its made from and the shape of the pick you really do need to use proper right hand technique and get your thumb extended so that your pick attack is at a right angle to the string to get the best tone. I think that this is true with any pick but seemingly more so with this one. If you are someone who wears out their thumb pick unevenly and then goes to a new one or someone who depends on thumb picks with the angled pick and don't want to work on your hand position then this might not work for you. I learned a long time ago and learned badly so my right hand position was not good at all when I got back to playing 7 or 8 years ago. I have made a concerted effort to improve my right hand technique and I feel that I have come a long way. To me, this pick not only works great in every other way but it also encourages me to make the effort to get my thumb out there that last little bit. YMMV

Lynn Kasdorf · Post by **Lynn Kasdorf** » 4 Mar 2012 7:52 am

I have settled on the Fred Kelly speed picks

For some reason, I prefer the narrow plucker on these things. I'd like to try one of the boutique picks though, just to see what they are like. However, when struggling to pay the mortgage, it is hard to justify this sort of thing.[/url]

Brett Lanier · Post by **Brett Lanier** » 4 Mar 2012 8:53 am

I have the regular shape bluechip thumbpick in a size medium. The difference in tone between the bluechip and any normal plastic pick is amazing and very noticeable.

Tony Glassman · Post by **Tony Glassman** » 4 Mar 2012 9:12 am

I've tried these, which are another "take" on the metal/plastic hybrid thumb-pick. They are much more realistically priced at $4.19 per pick, and sound very similar to blue Hercos

http://www.playbetterbluegrass.com/prop ... ium=Google

Marc Jenkins · Post by **Marc Jenkins** » 4 Mar 2012 9:29 am

I have found my Blue Chip the most comfortable thumb pick, with the best tone. By many miles.

Tony Williamson · Post by **Tony Williamson** » 4 Mar 2012 9:31 am

tortoise flatpicks are number one with me. forever. no exceptions. ever. but...if i do use another it is red bear. and its pretty close if you get it beveled. dont know if theyre making thumbpicks. but there up there in price and worth every cent. picks are like mics. people want to have a $3000 guitar, a $3000 sound system, and play thru a $75 microphone. my picks are extremely important. i play banjo with my original national fingerpicks from 1968.

Bobby Bowman · Post by **Bobby Bowman** » 4 Mar 2012 9:43 am

I havn't tried the Blue Chip. They are probably as good as you fellers are saying they are.
However,,,,at least for me,,,,they would really have to be better than great for me to change from the Fred Kelly Speed Picks.
BB

George Seymour · Post by **George Seymour** » 4 Mar 2012 12:48 pm

Bobby Bowman wrote:I havn't tried the Blue Chip. They are probably as good as you fellers are saying they are.
However,,,,at least for me,,,,they would really have to be better than great for me to change from the Fred Kelly Speed Picks.
BB

I tried the Bluechip, first tried one out a couple of years ago from the fellow that makes them around Knoxville at Banjo Thon in Maryville, then bought one and really tried to like it, but all in all the Fred Kelly pick (white) is the one I use and like the best for fit,and tone on steel and banjo. The Bluechip is not for everyone,although JD Crowe uses them and Robbie Mcoury, and them fella's are pretty darn good. Just not for me.

Gordon Hartin · Post by **Gordon Hartin** » 4 Mar 2012 3:35 pm

I tried them. I found the blade on the Reso picks to be too long for me. The Blade on the JD models was shorter and worked good for steel. But in the end, I went back to the Fred Kelly picks, not the speed ones. I found that the metal on the Blue Chip picks covered too much of my thumb, and if i was resting my hand in pick blocking position, and accidently moved my thumb back, somehow the string could get caught underneath the metal.

Gordon Hartin

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