#16
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Interesting. Now that you mention it, I found such an artifact in the back pocket of my lederhosen, a long time ago...
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"I've always thought of bluegrass players as the Marines of the music world" – (A rock guitar guy I once jammed with) Martin America 1 Martin 000-15sm Recording King Dirty 30s RPS-9 TS Taylor GS Mini Baton Rouge 12-string guitar Martin L1XR Little Martin 1933 Epiphone Olympic 1971 square neck Dobro |
#17
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Folks, one more thing to mention about casein (I may be repeating myself in this thread, due to old age). Like genuine TS, casein picks will tend to spoon out or curve just slightly over time. The warmth of your thumb causes this. Personally, I like it, but some don't. You can keep it under a book with bricks on top of it, or even gently in a vise to straighten it if so desired. Just another nightmare in the journey to the world's best plectrum. It makes a fabulous pick, but you have no idea how nightmarish this stuff is to work with. mems |
#18
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#19
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I just posted a long response and AGF ate it, so I'll have to make this shorter. Argh! Believe it or not, it varies according to the coloring agent. Really bizarre.
The standard faux tortoise has minimum warping. However, that being said, on teardrops you're looking in the range of about 1.15-1.25 mm. On large tri it's a different ballgame, because the "field" (surface area, in sq mm's) is more than double your standard Fender 351 shape teardrop. In tris, then, you're looking in the range of 1.30-1.40 mm, somewhere in there, to have a perfectly flat casein pick for the long term. Another thing: Casein HATES heat. Keeping it in a cool dry place is best. It will actually warp a bit if left in a car during a hot summer day. Really terrible stuff to deal with, but the results are a stunningly good plectrum. hope this helps, scott |
#20
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#21
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The stuff is difficult all the way around, but the polishing and buffing will make you throw dogs across the room. It's just maddening, because it shows every little micro-scratch. It took me almost three years to get the hang of it, but that's only because I'm so stubborn and mean (ask my wife). BTW, the good news: As long as it's sanded out to about 1500-2000 grit it will move across the strings just fine. In fact a lot of players like a slightly roughened surface, which improves grit. Casein plastic was discovered in Germany in 1895, and has been popular in Europe for well over 100 years. It never really caught on in the States, so the last remaining manufacturers are either in the Continent or Asia. Enjoy. Give us a report later. Wonderful material to play. scott memmer |
#22
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#23
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I'd say 2 mm would be thick enough to prevent any warping. For me personally, any pick thicker than 1.5mm sucks too much volume, so I only use picks between 1 and 1.25 mm thick. I've had a couple of John Pearse' Fast Turtle picks in the "thin" variety, which are 1.2 mm in thickness, and they both warped. Not in a bad way, they just molded to my thumb. It's the body heat that does it. I happen to like this, but I could see it being a nuisance for others. Recently, I found a Fast Turtle pick in "extra thin," which I hadn't seen before and ordered it. It's only 1mm "thick" and arrived in the mail already curved. Luckily in the right direction so it hugs my thumb the way I like it. (The Fast Turtles are asymmetric, so if I preferred to hold the pick the other way, I'd hate the curvature.)
__________________
"I've always thought of bluegrass players as the Marines of the music world" – (A rock guitar guy I once jammed with) Martin America 1 Martin 000-15sm Recording King Dirty 30s RPS-9 TS Taylor GS Mini Baton Rouge 12-string guitar Martin L1XR Little Martin 1933 Epiphone Olympic 1971 square neck Dobro |
#24
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So yes, my recommendation is if you have casein picks, treat them like an expensive guitar, and do not ever attempt to flex them, even slightly.
__________________
"I've always thought of bluegrass players as the Marines of the music world" – (A rock guitar guy I once jammed with) Martin America 1 Martin 000-15sm Recording King Dirty 30s RPS-9 TS Taylor GS Mini Baton Rouge 12-string guitar Martin L1XR Little Martin 1933 Epiphone Olympic 1971 square neck Dobro |
#25
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BTW, folks, a word of advice: If you own a casein pick and hand it to a friend, you must say (and make sure they've heard it), "Don't Bend it!". For some reason, the first thing every human wants to do is flex a pick. On a casein pickm, anything around of under will immediately SNAP! Lastly, we discovered that one cannot ship these in a regular envelope. Apparently the rollers USPS uses for auto-reading of their addresses use a lot of pressure -- they break casein picks. So if you send one to a friend or such, make sure to use a bubble pack envelope with tracking and some cardboard reinforcement. hope this helps, scott memmer |
#26
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#27
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Too dry, yes, would probably increase brittleness of any plastic, including casein. Interestingly, Red Bear is based in Utah, west of the Wasatch, which is VERY dry. So their idea of an oil probably makes a lot of sense. scott memmer |
#28
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#29
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I haven't found it to be quite so delicate. I typically use casein picks in the 3mm to 5mm thickness range and most of my friends are too feeble to flex something like that. I do keep them away from moisture and excessive heat but that isn't too hard to do. The first ones I made up are many years old, still flat and showing no outward signs of wear. Minus the ones I give away, I still have every casein pick I ever bought.
To me, the stuff is almost magical as its original name of Alladinite would suggest. My first experience with casein was poor. Bought some John Pearse picks in 2.5mm and was disappointed in the sound. Put them away and moved on. Years later, when I was experimenting with edge bevels, I pulled them out again and re-shaped the edges. Huge transformation in tone and volume. Luckily, I didn't know what I was doing and I put a much more extreme bevel on than most manufacturers would but the tone , volume , and control were way beyond anything I had ever used before. I've since added casein from Charmed Life, EML, and even Fender and all seem to outperform any of the conventional plastics and even the new super engineering plastics. They do cost more, starting in the $8 range and going up, and you may need to work on the edges on many of them, but even the best ones only cost about what a few packs of strings do so they aren't crazy expensive. This thread needs pictures. John Pearse Fast Turtle John Pearse after reworking the edge Fender Tru-Shells, stock and modified version Charmed Life Flame Another view showing the bevels Two different shapes from EML Picks are sort of like tires on a high performance car, they are the interface between your skill and your equipment that define the whole playing experience. Last edited by HHP; 06-21-2018 at 04:44 AM. |
#30
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