BC 40 or 45 to my ear. I have used BC, Primetone most of the time for a few years now but I'm starting to use the Dunlop Flow Jumbo more now as it seems to project like the Primetone while also maintaining that warm, defined tone of the BC. They glide off the string better to me. Great comp video!!!
Both sound great, thanks to the guitar. But the Blue Chip 0.5 was my favorite. The Blue Chip picks have noticeably more projection, less string noise, a rounder tone I feel. Still not sure I want to drop $35 on one, haha.
The Blue Chip 35 sounded best to me. The thicker the pick, the more deadened the strings. This is exactly what I experienced with Dunlop Jazz III shapes, both nylon and Ultex. 2.0mm Ultex picks leave the string sounding less resonant, whereas nylon 1.14s slide off the string cleanly, producing a clear snap that allows the string to ring out as opposed to sounding deadened.
My ear prefers the Blue Chip 50 as it creates a more lush, fuller, "beefier" sound. The Prime Tone .88 is my fav of that brand. Rich timbre, especially on the treble strings. Response very even across all strings. The PT .96 sounds thinner to my ears than the BC 40. All this said, they all sound great on that beautiful 2018 Reimagined Martin D-41! I'm glad you chose that particular guitar for this comparison video. Ultimately your playing technique is what makes the instrument sing - no matter which pick you use. Congratulations on yet another great video. Very informative to the discerning ear!
Thanks Linda. I didn't like the BC TD35 at all. The BC TD40, TD45 and TD50 are. all much better. Rich and warmed the thicker they get (Higher number is thickest). I love them all. THE TD45 is a nice balance. The surprise was how musical and competitive the Dunlop Primetones are. I love the .88 for the detail combined with warmth. But the .96 Primetones are great too. They simply wear. After using the Primtones for a bit, the writing wears off and you can;'t tell which is which. If you settle on one gauge and that's all you use, no big deal. But its harder to feel the difference between the .88 and .96 once the writing and thickness lettering has worn off.
@@gair1944 Interesting that I too didn't care for the BC35. Too thin sounding for me. Also interesting about your inability to tell the difference between the Primetones once the lettering wore off. Nonetheless I think I'll try the Primetones just out of curiosity. Have you ever tried the Blue Chip thumb picks when playing fingerstyle? I use the Dunlop Ivoroid. I work the tips to get the tonal response I want, however with time they do wear out. I also have to heat them up in hot water and bend them to fit my thumb properly. I was thinking of trying the BC thumb pick, however I don't want to waste $40. ;-) If you happen to have a demo using a BC thumb pick please let me know.. Thanks.
Is your name actually Linda? I keep replying that way. LOL I disliked the BC35. I actually gave it to a friend and it wasn't his favorite either. I like the TD40,TD45 and TD50 a lot. Any of those are musical. The TD45 sits in a sweet spot. But I noticed I get more detail from the thinner Dunlop Primetone .88. The ones I got are the smooth ones. Not the textured / radius Primetones. I haven't tried those yet. To your point, I don't use thumb picks so I cannot offer any opinion or experience. I should probably try sometime. But I don't do a lot of finger style. Feel free to email for any ongoing dialogue; gairman1@gmail.com
@@gair1944 Yes, Gary, my name really is Linda. ;-) You might find it interesting to know that I play fingerstyle almost exclusively due to my classical guitar training. What is probably surprising to most is that I love playing classical style on a steel string dreadnought! I love the depth of sound achievable on the dread. While it is difficult to find a dread which has a full, "sweet" top end and whose bass doesn't overpower the top end, now with my exceptionally beautiful-sounding 2018 reimagined D-41 I have found that voice and balance I've been looking for. In addition, the "performance" neck with the 1.75" nut width makes it easier to play technical literature than with the narrower width necks of other Martin D's. I am now trying to expand my horizons and learn to play with a flat pick, thus my interest in your video on pick comparisons.
Blue Chip 45 a great all around pick and tends to be the one I grab first. I was using the TD50 most, but then got the TD45 and TD40. As time goes on, I lean toward the TD45 and TD40 as I have developed a lighter touch that seems to work well with the TD45 and TD40 better than the TD50. But all of them sound great.
Steve Kaufman Says Blue Chip Picks Are Really Great To Hold On To And With The Speed Bevel They Are Really Good For Flatpicking. He Doesn't Endorse Them Or Any Products Though.
Are you TNFiddler on AGF by any chance? It's been a while since I recorded that. To my recollection, they were the stock Martin Lifespan Medium Gauge strings. I just received the guitar at that time, so that's a safe bet. I don't think I had switched to the Martin Authentic Lifespan 2.0's yet. I love the new Martin Authentic Lifespan 2.0 Phosphor Bronze Strings and they are a current favorite.
Yes, Gary. I put the lifespan 2.0’s back on mine when I had the K&k installed. It sounds killer with them, but I’m itching to try out my GHS signature Bronze mediums that I absolutely love on every guitar I’ve tried them on. Your 41 sounds unbelievably great! I sure hope mine sounds the same out in front of it! I need to find a great player to pick on it and let me sit back and enjoy it.
Were these blue chips with the speed bevels? I'm about to pul the trigger on some blue chips and I'm curious on whether to go with the bevel or without...
Thanks for the quick reply. I'm kind of leaning for either the TD 40 or 45. Looking for a good all rounder, strumming and flat picking on an acoustic dread. Do you have a preference for one or the other?
@@steveelmy4763 I usually grab my TD40 first. But the TD45 is great too. Either of those are great places to start. For me, I would try the TD40 first. I tried the TD35 and didn't like it. The 40 is just right for me.
For anyone who has a birthday or still gets Christmas presents it is a good gift to ask for. You get to have the pick without having paid the money yourself. I got one from my brother this last Christmas and I only practice guitar with it now, I bought the little wooden pick box to put it in because we have a couch and a carpet that are so close to the Bluechip color that it makes it hard to find, if the dogs knock the box off my desk I can still find that. The impossible thing to express in words or a video is the difference in feel the blue chips have. They are much easier to play string skipping and alternate picking with for me. They are brighter in tone than the warm sounding picks like ProPlec, but there is no contest when it comes to playing speed. The ProPlec feels like it grips the strings in comparison, I find myself playing difficult passages with more relaxation in my picking hand with the BC.
I don't think I've seen Bone picks for sale anywhere. How well do they wear? The blue chips are not completely impervious to wear but the durability and longevity has been remarkable for me.
