[Charmed Life Picks]

The consensus of my years in the biz.....

$10.00 or less: John Pearse casein Fast Turtles, Dunlop Primetones, Dunlop Ultex, Wegens, Casein models from Clayton and Fender, V-Picks, Gravity, and other brands recommended by members here.

$20.00 and $25.00: Gravity Gold Series, V-Picks

$25 and up: EML, Red Bear, BC, ipicks, and a few I'm forgetting. Great stuff out there.

And I always say the same thing: One's high-end pick journey IMHO is not complete until you've played a good quality casein pick. I have been playing genuine tortoise picks for more than 40 years and have not found anything that comes closer. Close, yes. But as good as casein? No. IMHO. If curious, find a vendor who offers a full 30-day refund, buy one, and play it against everything you own. You won't be disappointed.

To the OP: You will hear a lot of great suggestions here, but there's nothing like actually playing a pick on your instruments, in your home or studio. The problem is most (but not all) of the boutique vendors sell only direct from their website, not through retails or online distributors. So if you see something you like out there, contact the pick vendor BEFORE purchase via email, and get IN WRITING from them that they're cool with you returning it within a couple weeks for a full refund. Typically, they will ask you to return it with USPS tracking (about 3.00) to confirm delivery.

Hope this helps. Happy Hunting,

scott memmer