Fancy picks.

Started by Silence Dogood, November 05, 2026, 11:46:31 AM

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This seems to be the golden age of fancy picks: Bluechip, Token, Apollo, ToneSlab, Wegen, et al.   I'm really enjoying a Wegen 1.0mm on my mandolin and sometimes on my guitar, though I still grab a regular pick from time to time for it.

The Wegens can be had for about $6 each, where a Bluechip is around $40, and some of these fancy makers are even higher.  It's kind of bananas considering we all grew up playing on whatever free pick we swiped from the local guitar shop.

Do you use these new high-dollar picks?


Im intrigued by the blue chip picks, but id never pay that much for one.

Also, my OCD kicked in when I saw that they aren't even the color blue.
Larrivee P-03
Larrivee Forum VII
Larrivée OM-03R maple leaf inlay

That's funny about them not being blue!  It is a strange name for a brown pick.  Here is my Wegen:



Short answer, nope.

I'm not much of a pick user and when I do, Dunlops of different materials work just fine for me.

It'll be a frosty day in **** before I lay out huge bucks for A pick.
Herman
L-10, L-03 Custom shop Flamed Maple, OM-05, Forum VI, Forum VII.
And *others*

 Being an audio guy and tone seeker I've bought some high-dollar picks. They generally sound less scrapey/scratchy and emphasize more midrange clarity vs full frequency brilliance I hear in most picks. While the materials can definitely sound a little different, I've not found them to be flat out "better" than my long-time fave, the good ol Ultex.

 Two things I've noticed that makes high end pics different w/o actually being all that different are the polished edges and that they are typically on the thicker side. I'd recommend anyone on a budget just try going with a thicker pick and using some automotive sandpaper (1,000 grit) on the edges.

 Also, Dunlop makes a "primetone" pick that seems to be a bluechip alternative and I actually like it better because I can get the primetone in a Jazz III XL (my ideal size). It behaves a lot like the bluechip and others. I'd absolutely recommend those and I use them.

 All that said, most of my acoustic playing is fingerstyle so my feelings on this are mostly based on semihollow/hollow jazz electrics and some acoustic strumming.

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