Wegan Pick

BluesBop Harry

Frank W wrote:

Don't support the poaching of an endangered species just for a luxury item such as a guitar pick!

You are absolutely right.
However if you go to the shop's main website you'll find this:
http://www.maisonbonnet.com/angver/tortueecaille.htm
Read the end under "Regulations"
When I talked to those guys at Samois they said some their stock is a hundred years old and that's precisely why it's so expensive, 'cause once it's gone it's gone for good.
The equivalent of a Wegen 3.5mm goes for around 60 Euro.

Simonius

But why?! Why would you want a turtoise shell pick? Isn't that a bit of a myth? Wegen writes on his website: 'The material I use is sounding very close to tortoise , but it is lasting much longer.' Perhaps 80 years ago, when synthetic materials were too weak or too expensive, turtoise shell may have had his advantages. But in 2009, using a 60 dollar pick made out of turtoise shell sounds very snobbish to me.

BluesBop Harry

Wegens, moustache and Dugains, etc are great picks.
Tortoise shell picks are different, they really produce a different sound and have a distinct feel. You really have to try one to understand it.
It might still not be for you but so far everyone seems to be trying to come up with the best substitute for tortoise shell, some have come close but still not the same.
I have a couple that I use sometimes but they have such sentimental value I don't want to lose them or wear them down they are just for mojo and recording maybe, so I use Dunlops and Wegens.

Jazzaferri

Has anyone tried a blue chip. I used one the other day and it had better tone and was quieter than the Wegen I was using. They are supposed to last a very long time.

McQ

I've got a variety of Dunlop picks and spent some time the other day testing them against my 3.5mm Wegen, and finally came to the conclusion that since the Wegen just played better that's the one I'd like to use. I also think it sounds the most traditional, and that appeals to me. I did a little work on the tip of a Dunlop Jazztone 207, but I kept wishing it was a little thicker, like 2.5 mm with a bevel. The Dunlop Primetone picks looked promising, but they sounded too dull, like the material is just too soft compared to the Wegen (nevermind the annoying seam around the edges). One Dulop pick I didn't have on hand to compare was the Ultex. Some comments I've read about these are pretty positive as a tortoise-ish substitute.

The thing with the Wegen that is so great for me is that having spent years playing Dunlop Tortex .68 mm picks, I thought a 3.5 mm pick would be a huge adjustment. However, to me it is extremely comfortable and easy to hold and the bevel makes me feel like I've not lost any speed. I think I read on this forum a comment about how if you're used to thinner picks, then you have to start holding the Wegen more loosely. The give has to be in the fingers, not the pick. Once I read that, I had no problem with the thickness and stiffness of the Wegen.

If I wanted to go to a different pick to get rid of some of the string noise on the rest stroke, it would be a 2.5 mm Wegen rather than any Dunlop.

I am also interested if anyone has compared a Wegen to a Blue Chip. There's a flatpickers forum (http://www.flatpickerhangout.com/forum/ ... IC_ID=5906) that has players saying they were skeptical at first but now see the light that it's the best pick ever, etc. Seem to be popular with bluegrass players, and if you search google there's a sprinkling of entries about the Blue Chip (http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/foru ... ?p=1928509). Vintage Guitar magazine has a review here: http://www.bluechippick.net/index.php?o ... &Itemid=95

TenorClef

Wegen picks are ok actually, however since i got my genuine tortoise pick from http://www.art-ecaille.com/turtle-shell-EN/plectrum.htm I find all plastic picks inferior.

Simonius

Thanks for the info. Now I'm interested, yet I don't see myself anywhere near tortoise picks any time soon. Can someone record a quick compare with a plastic one?

By the way, tortoise looks a lot better anyway.

bopster

I have the Moustache, Wegen and just got the Dunlop Primetone - all 5mm - and find them all to be playable, but the Primetones need to be filed and sanded to match the curves found on the Wegens and/or Moustache. Moustache are the brightest, and hardest material, but also the most expensive. The Wegens and Dunlop seem about the same for brightness to me. Primetones are 6 for $15 USD, so they are the most cost effective. I will gig out with them to give them a try, but the Moustaches are the brightest and may take the prize overall.

Jazzaferri

Blue Chip 60's (about 1.5mm) are thin for some however they have the least pick noise of any of the picks I have tried and to my ears and those of the other musicians I play with give the best tone on my Dunn's. It took me an hour or two of experimenting with placement angles to get the Blue Chip to the point I was happy with the tone. Once there it rocks !!!!

placidothecat

I just returned a Blue Chip 60 -- very nice pick, but it didn't have enough "oomph" for Gypsy Jazz -- I felt it was too thin and produced a "nasal" sound on my Latcho Drom. For Gypsy Jazz, I am happier with the Wegen Gypsy Jazz 3.5mm. **** just turned me on to the Wegen M-350 -- it is more rounded than the Wegen gypsy jazz model -- still getting used to it but I like it.