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Loarcutus - Posted - 06/10/2016: 11:25:44
Pick choices among mandolinists is always an interesting subject: I'm curious for those like you who own both, which do you prefer and for what reasons?
I personally prefer my 2.0 TS if I want a "brighter" tone vs. what my BC TAD 3R 80 delivers....95% of the time I use the BC...YMMV
DHopkins - Posted - 06/12/2016: 12:53:08
I have tried both and don't use either. I use JT's Celcon picks or Dunlop PrimeTone.
Loarcutus - Posted - 06/13/2016: 13:06:31
One thing I've noticed about TS, is that they can tend to chip over time; requiring a filing device like a nail filer to keep the edges smooth. Anybody else have the same observations with TS?
TI_USER - Posted - 06/15/2016: 13:11:18
The main thing I don't like about TS, aside from the fact that I really like turtles, is the maintenance involved. What I love about BC is that the edge almost never wears down. I'll have a consistent edge every time I pick it up. I've played one TS pick years ago that I really loved, but even back then, I would never own one. Too much work to keep it sounding good. Plus, with the options available today it's just unnecessary. I'll stick with my BC TAD-3R.
ccravens - Posted - 06/20/2016: 08:40:32
BC for me.
TSSN - Posted - 06/20/2016: 14:07:15
Like DHopkins, I have tried both. Gravity picks rule the roost for me these days.
TexasTim - Posted - 07/09/2016: 11:51:08
I tend to like the Wegen TF 140, the Dunlop Prime Tone 1.4 and the Clayton Ultex large triangle 1.4 better than the few BCs I have. I have one TS but rarely use it.
Donnie - Posted - 07/26/2016: 08:06:00
Wegen Big City 1.4m
jslo - Posted - 10/07/2016: 18:02:33
I love the BC, been playing mando for 6 months but played guitar for 20+ years. I wished I knew of them years ago! I had mine for over 3 months and put at least 150 hours on it. It is still perfect on the picking surface.
m - Posted - 12/05/2016: 09:48:16
TS is illegal. I use BC's and some picks I got from Compton.
Loarcutus - Posted - 12/29/2016: 15:52:01
I don't believe it's illegal to "own" TS picks; just sell/distribute AFAIK...I've had one for almost 40 years
m - Posted - 01/02/2017: 00:33:58
About 7 years ago a woman in California was busted for pssession of TS flatpicks. She got a fine of $10,000 and 10 months house arrest. If you have authentification that you bought it before 1973, when CITES came into force then you can keep it. Can you prove when you got it? I had some back in the 70's but didn't like them that much.
Loarcutus - Posted - 01/06/2017: 10:40:59
I think the woman in question was busted because she was going to festivals and advertising her willingness to sell them...so many musicians have them that I doubt that a serious concern about legal ramifications is in order. Now I would never travel with one...on an interesting side note, the one that I had I took out on Christmas day and can't seem to find it now...and that's no BS, I'm serious!
m - Posted - 01/20/2017: 13:54:30
I don't hold to the notion that it is okay to break the law if you don't get caught.
phiddlepicker - Posted - 02/25/2017: 23:55:44
I've never tried a real TS....found a dead tortoise a few years back on an NC beach, but I was too apprehensive to touch it, because I didn't want to get fined. I got threatened once just for helping hatchlings get to the water and escape the seagulls that were having a feeding frenzy.
I do like the BC picks better than anything else I've tried over the last 30 years or so.
phiddlepicker - Posted - 03/06/2017: 16:42:25
Clarification....the animal I found was a large sea turtle. I've never run across a dead tortoise per se. When I saw the dead sea turtle though my first thought was to preserve the shell, but it was damaged, my next thought was the potential to fashion picks...if possible from a sea turtle. I decided to do nothing, because of the laws regarding sea turtles. Dunno why my brain crossed the wrong synapses and suddenly forgot the difference between a turtle and a tortoise. Marlin Perkins, forgive me.
no I wasn't drunk either ...I was horribly sober....really
phiddlepicker - Posted - 03/06/2017: 16:53:36
However...I may not be....at the moment
phiddlepicker - Posted - 04/14/2017: 20:29:07
Got a sample pack of V-picks. So far the V-Pick Lite Large seems to be bringing out the best sounds and felling in my mandolin. I still like the Blue Chip CT-55 better but these V-Picks cost much much less.
Stefan - Posted - 01/20/2018: 18:59:43
I have used Fender heavy tear drop picks for 50 years and had never found anything better until Blue Chip came along. I now use A td-40. Yes, they are expensive, but it sure beats having to use a new Fender pick for every gig, and the Blue Chip sounds and feels much better.
ManjoMan - Posted - 03/08/2018: 10:35:36
If it is illegal to even own TS, then I suppose that no one here should be admitting that they do.
I have used "natural material" picks for over 35 years and finally switched over to BC last year. One thing I really agree with is that there is no maintenance on BC like there is on the natural material ones.
Edited by - ManjoMan on 03/08/2018 10:37:48
kimmattis123 - Posted - 03/18/2018: 12:19:29
BLUE CHIP- I i have one for my mando and guitar- different sizes and gauges--ive used TS i really didnt like them
UsuallyPickin - Posted - 03/02/2019: 07:01:53
Well the natural shell is better for lack of noise but worse because they require maintenance …. and oh yeah that endangered species thing. I used shell for years but am down with the critters so I spent some time finding the best alternative. I did finally settle on Blue Chip picks though Wegan TF 140 was a close second. BC's are just easier to hang on to along with not wearing put them in first place. If you had told me in 66' I would spend 35.00$ on a pick I would have laughed . Tempus fugit. My first guitar didn't cost that much. R/
MandoTom2 - Posted - 03/02/2019: 20:11:42
I got to play with a tortoise shell once.
It was an experience. Not great or bad...
I've stuck with Fender Medium (tortoise shell color) since 1968.
I prefer the larger sized picks, but will use the regular size any time.
I never got overly excited about picks.
And @ 3 picks for $1.08, that's enough of an investment for me.
The inexpensive picks will go for years without maintenance.
I typically lose them or misplace them before replacing them.
Guess I'm a dull guy...
Oh, well…
MandoTom
Grannycrowe - Posted - 01/11/2020: 20:53:56
Grannycrowe
Lisa Walker
I like BC myself and am as well as being a hard core music lover I am also devoted to saving and protecting our planet's endangered species. That being said there are many TCs out thete that were produced before the tortoise make it onto the endangered species list and as such I hold no animosity towards anyone lucky enough to own a few. I do love the tone I get from my BC so it's BC for me.
Keep a song in your heart,
Lisa aka Grannycrowe@gmail.com
Edited by - Grannycrowe on 01/11/2020 20:55:54
mandoist - Posted - 05/27/2020: 01:30:49
It's mostly my instrument that tells me what "my" choice will be!
mandoist - Posted - 05/27/2020: 01:39:55
quote:
Originally posted by phiddlepicker
I've never tried a real TS....found a dead tortoise a few years back on an NC beach, but I was too apprehensive to touch it, because I didn't want to get fined. I got threatened once just for helping hatchlings get to the water and escape the seagulls that were having a feeding frenzy.
FWIW: The only viable Tortoise shell is the Hawksbill. Anything else is too soft and often too 'grainy'.
If you want to know what T-shell is like, the closest I have found the past few decades is a pick mentioned elsewhere here: Wegen picks. He uses his own material which he uses for his sculptures, etc. It is slightly more abrasive than T-shell but with minimal maintenance they are fine. The Wegen pick's tone is very similar. Don't know the why or how.
I did find another 'potential' pick maker who makes the best sounding Casein pick I ever heard, if one is shooting for the T-shell tone/feel. He's a guitar maker in Belgium who, unfortunately, is not all that anxious to get into the painstaking labor of making Casein picks. I hope he does. They few he made are amazingly Tortoise shell-like.
BTW: It's not illegal to own T-shell.
mandoist - Posted - 05/27/2020: 01:43:48
quote:
Originally posted by m
About 7 years ago a woman in California was busted for pssession of TS flatpicks. She got a fine of $10,000 and 10 months house arrest. If you have authentification that you bought it before 1973, when CITES came into force then you can keep it. Can you prove when you got it? I had some back in the 70's but didn't like them that much.
Actually, the CITES statute you mentioned applies to raw Tortoise Shell itself (unprocessed).
TSSN - Posted - 05/27/2020: 11:10:50
Ok... I have not had the privilege of playing with an actual TS pick, but have played a lot of picks from music store Dunlops all the way up to BCs. There is a vast difference, to my ear, in what each of those can do. None are bad, and some are much better than others.
With that said, is TS really worth all the fuss? If so, please elaborate. Or is it just because 'that's how Bill did it' ?
Thanks.
Jim Yates - Posted - 05/30/2020: 06:51:22
I've been using Fender medium tri-corner picks for about 50 years and they suit me just fine. I use the same picks for guitar, mandolin, tenor banjo and bouzouki and always have 3 or 4 in my left front pocket. The only time I use a different pick is playing the dulcimer, where I use a thin triangle pick.
I prefer the white picks, since they are easier to find when they fall on the rug, but I'll use a tortoise coloured one in a pinch.
mandoist - Posted - 05/31/2020: 03:17:46
quote:
Originally posted by TSSN
Ok... I have not had the privilege of playing with an actual TS pick, but have played a lot of picks from music store Dunlops all the way up to BCs. There is a vast difference, to my ear, in what each of those can do. None are bad, and some are much better than others.
With that said, is TS really worth all the fuss? If so, please elaborate. Or is it just because 'that's how Bill did it' ?
FWIW: Monroe used anything and everything. whatever he had in his pocket, or whatever he could borrow. Didn't matter.
As for "is it really worth all the fuss"... for 2 of my instruments, yes, to me it is.
But that would go for any pick material, shape or size, right? If it's what 'does it' for you, it's worth all the fuss.
TSSN - Posted - 06/05/2020: 04:07:31
So like most things, it really is personal preference. Ok, I can live with that.
Loarcutus - Posted - 07/28/2020: 11:48:28
Hey Mr. Lynch,
I've seen some of your posts on the other site over the years...thanks for setting straight the TS legalities in this thread...
That instrument you have for sale is a beaut Brother!
Big fan of it's previous owner as well...maybe we'll cross paths someday...Europe trip is on my bucket list...would love to take a band over there...btw I agree, pick preferences are just that.
Stay safe!
GeoB - Posted - 07/28/2020: 14:10:36
Purple Tortex
GeoB - Posted - 07/31/2020: 03:09:12
quote:
Originally posted by GeoB
Purple Tortex
I also use Fender TS heavy jazz picks (358).
To my ear the 358 in TS sounds more like a fingernail.
The Tortex material "click-clacks" which is okay for electric instruments but is sort of annoying (to my ear) on acoustics.
Yooper - Posted - 08/03/2020: 12:58:10
Dawg picks on mandolin. Fender Heavy (or the Martin logo replica) for guitar. As long as I can hold onto it, the sound that a pick makes on a string is probably the least of my worries with regard to trying to sound good. ;) And I like Jim's point about using white picks so that you can find them when you drop them. Great idea. Tortoise shell patterned picks are the worst to find on the floor.
TSSN - Posted - 08/05/2020: 03:31:39
quote:
Originally posted by Yooper
.....Tortoise shell patterned picks are the worst to find on the floor.
Clear acrylics might be worse to find, but they actually do stick to your fingers some after they warm up. The V-Pick Tremolo is worth a look.
stevedenver - Posted - 02/18/2021: 06:51:23
Ive come full circle. Celluloid to dandrea to prime tone To blue chip to....anything.
355, dawg, 346.
While i use bc, primarily, im fine with almost anything that’s heavier thickness.
Picks are important, but, .....its all good.
One thing for sure, bc’s don’t seem to wear.
Otoh, losing one is a drag.
mandoist - Posted - 02/19/2021: 01:06:02
All the personal preferences, particularities and physical attributes of this subject have been covered by now.
However, I don't recall anyone ever mentioning this fact regarding various pick materials:
Every pick material and/or gauge of pick will sound different on different instruments.
To the discerning player, there is no one "one pick fits all".
yankees1 - Posted - 04/24/2021: 09:14:11
Anyone tried the D’Addario CT casein pick ?
TSSN - Posted - 04/24/2021: 14:13:34
Yessir. I have one. Liking it a lot, though I still favor my acrylics. I am not hearing a significant improvement in tone, and acrylics cost way less.
yankees1 - Posted - 04/24/2021: 16:57:33
To ME , all the casein picks are a bit more mellow with not as sharp or a loud sound . I also own the above pick and my PAS has been satisfied ! Maybe ! ??
mandoist - Posted - 05/05/2021: 03:06:55
quote:
Originally posted by yankees1
To ME , all the casein picks are a bit more mellow with not as sharp or a loud sound .
Exactly... with the exception of a Belgian guitar maker I think I mentioned elsewhere?
Perhaps there's someone else with less-than-mellow Casein results but I've not found them yet.
His guitar pick Standard and Triangle casein pick material was so close to the brighter response of a quality T-shell that it took me several minutes to discern the minor differences. Unfortunately, he is not likely to reach any level of production due to time, and distractions from his guitar building. Fine guitars, by the way. I place this guy in my top ten list of contemporary acoustic instrument luthiers. His necks/fretboards intrigued me in particular. Amazing action and feel (comfort). His sound boxes are second-to-none in balance, tone, and volume. The percussive characteristics of both his D-size and O-size bodies (using Elixir strings) are outstanding.
peterbright - Posted - 08/01/2021: 19:07:11
Love my Blue Chips, but also like Golden Gates, Prime Tones, Big Stubbys and Fender 208s and 207s.
yankees1 - Posted - 08/02/2021: 00:20:43
I have tried most all of the picks mentioned but I always go back to BC ! I do prefer the thinner chips from BC 40 up to 50 but nothing thicker ! I do have a BC 35 also but the tune being played dictates to me what pick I use.
Ron Lacey - Posted - 08/02/2021: 07:10:14
Never tried a TS, but I’ve used the rounded Golden Gates for years on mandolin. I recently got a BC TPR-60. At first I was a little disappointed because I didn’t see the same speed increase as I saw when changing to a BC thumb pick on banjo. But, there is a significant improvement in my tone. The lack of a speed increase is probably due more to my limitations than the pick. At least I’m not any slower and I may be a slight bit faster.
peterbright - Posted - 08/09/2021: 20:15:09
Just bought some Dawgs and Wegans...try them all.
yankees1 - Posted - 08/11/2021: 04:38:20
Even though I can tell a difference in the tone produced by various picks I am sure the audience can not ! May be the same with mandolins also ! Now, I am positive that the audience can tell the difference between my playing and Chris Thile's though ! :)
robhanesworth - Posted - 08/18/2021: 15:06:57
I tried to buy a Blue Chip pick but couldn't get financing.
Edited by - robhanesworth on 08/18/2021 15:07:26
peterbright - Posted - 08/19/2021: 16:19:19
Sell a kidney...you only need one. If you lose picks ( not me), use less expensive ones. Received the Dawgs (seem very similar to the Golden Gates) and the Wegans (have not given them a good try yet).
