Blue Chip Thumbpicks

[Charlie Thompson]

Anyone tried these for Pedal Steel?
http://shop.bluechippick.net/categories/Thumb-Pick/

[John Booth]

No, I use similar ProPiks but I doubt I'll be paying $40 for a single thumb pick.
They seem to think very highly of them.

[Jamie Mitchell]

I've never used their thumbpicks, but I have two Blue Chip flat picks. They're great...

[Ken Campbell]

I think I remember that Jerry Douglas uses them....not that that means anything...

[Brad Bechtel]

I use one for both dobro and lap steel. I find it to be extremely comfortable and good sounding. It's expensive, but I wear out the edge of a Herco blue thumb pick regularly. I've had one of these for two years, going on three, and it still sounds as good as when I bought it.

[Tom Wolverton]

I use one for dobro. I've played it hard. Really hard. It's held up nicely. I like it. Have not tried it for electric steel (lap or PSG)

[John Owen]

I use them for dobro, lap steel and psg. I love them. As mentioned above, they feel great, are adjustable and sound great. I don't know about Jerry Douglas, but Rob Ickes was using/endorsing them.

I also use their flat picks on acoustic guitar. They seem equivalent to tortoise shell in terms of feel and sound but for less $ and with the added bonus of no endangered species contraband issues.

[Paul Smith]

Hello,

Ive used one for years, on both electric lapsteel and acoustic National resonator... Love that pick!! will get another in a second if lost

[Rick Schacter]

They're a bit expensive but worth it,IMO.
Most comfortable thumb pick that I've tried so far.
I have two (just in case I lose one).

FWIW, I also use their flat picks for guitar too.
This is the one I use for guitar:

http://shop.bluechippick.net/tad60-3r/

I seriously think the tone is better with these picks as opposed to others I've tried.

[Quentin Hickey]

I have tried just about every dunlop they make. Once I got the herco's the I never felt the need to try anything else. 3 bucks a pick. You can't go wrong.

[Gary Cosden]

I wouldn't have bought one either but I got one as a gift and now I would gladly pay $40 for one. They are extremely durable so perhaps the steep price of admission is partially offset. You can "dig in" with your thumb more without the thumb pick moving around on your finger and the tone and feel is just better than plastic. I was a long time herco user before I got my blue chip thumb pick.

[Brian McGaughey]

I keep one with my dobro and one in my pac-a-seat for pedal steel. Worth every penny. Will last forever or until you loose it.

Heads up, they usually offer free shipping around fathers day.

[Thomas Butler]

They have several versions of thumb picks - is there a preferred model? The BCT-RESO-JDL?

"These picks are laser etched, professionally machined, and hand beveled to create the best thumb pick available."

At $40.00 a pick, they must really be something.

[Jon Schimek]

A little late to the discussion, but I was reading this before I took the plunge and thought I'd do a quick review for people who search this out in the future. I forked out the cash for a BCT-RESO-JDL and am actually pretty impressed. Thought I'd share my experience:

As a reference, I usually use a golden gate Large (clown puke or Iveroid) thumb for both reso and PSG because these picks tend to hold onto my thumb well and wear out at a reasonable rate. After some serious gushing from a few folks and a sore thumb from too much consecutive playing, I laid down the cash figuring I could always resell them back if it didn't work out.

Anyways I ordered the JD-Reso-Large from blue chip and I'm quite happy. First off it's very comfortable with no slippage. Second, the sound is quite a bit more dynamic and robust. I did several A-B comparisons with other thumb picks and it is noticeable. I haven't read the philosophy or science of these things but my feeling is that the recipe is that it is both rigid and grippy. The gripp-iness helps the pick stay put, but also get better sound. I feel like when I want a hard thumb the string just snaps off the pick with more force than other picks.... like the string achieved slightly more tension before it came off the pick. I feel like a lot of the benefit of these picks is a bit more useful for playing a reso but the added comfort means I'll be playing it with PSG.

As far as the cost, I'm not too put off as I've heard the durability is amazing. With golden gate thumbs, I am pretty lax with keeping track of them probably wear out or loose enough to make up for being careful with a single blue chip. I'm already pretty careful with my fingers, as I struggle to get them "just right".

Summary: I feel the pick certainly adds more clarity to my playing, but I'm not all the sudden turning heads when I use them. I have no doubt that Lloyd Green will sound better with a melted plastic knife glued to his thumb than I will with an expensive pick. Still, I think my sound improved, but I know my comfort improved. If they feel better and I consequently enjoy playing more, or if I improve quicker because I play 5 minutes longer a day then it's worth the extra 35$ to me. For me the biggest downside is that I can no longer make fun of my friend for constantly worrying about losing his expensive blue chip guitar pick.

Anyways just thought I'd post because I was searching for this exact info and thought it may be helpful for somebody else.

-Jon

[Henry Matthews]

I've used the Blue Chip and also the Pro-Pic and can't tell any difference in tone. I bought a ProPic thumb pic at one of the conventions for $25 and found them on line for $3.75, LOL
They are more comfortable with heat shrink put on them.