A Treatise (kinda) on guitar picks.

[birdsong]

https://www.daddario.com/products/ac...olders/Casein/

Casein itself is a milk protein. It is combined with formaldehyde and some voodoo to make sheets of Galalith. I do not know if what D'addario or Charmed Life Picks uses is the modified version of Casein or not. And there are some others e.g. Red Bear picks calls their version Galalith.

I just purchased a few Galalith picks from a local fellow, who makes them as a hobby. Yesterday. So far, they sound great. He gave me one to give away and I will make a post when I can carve out some extra moments, take a photo etc.

Maybe I can write up some notes about sound, feel etc. In a separate post of course.

I also have a pick made from Walrus Tusk. You just never know.......

John

[Dotneck]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Hi, Casein is certainly worth a mention,
Why not mentioned ?
a) I forgot,
b) isn't it a form of "composite?"
c) I couldn't think of any brand that uses it.

Charmed Life uses casein. So does your buddy John Pearce in his Fast Turtle picks. I think Red Bear does too…

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Hi, Casein is certainly worth a mention,
Why not mentioned ?
a) I forgot,
b) isn't it a form of "composite?"
c) I couldn't think of any brand that uses it.

I tend to stay out of these pick fur fights, Also, I consider Andy a good friend and one of the very best contributors on AGF, so I do my best to remove the snark when commenting.

To all reading this, including my good friend Silly Mustache, please see this merely as advancing pick knowledge for AGF members, not a CLP infomercial. A knowledgeable consumer is an empowered consumer.

Casein is without a doubt one of the finest picking materials on the planet for acoustic instruments. It's just is. Andy, respectfully, the following companies currently market casein picks, and I'm probably leaving out a few: Fender, D'Addario, Clayton, John Pearse, Apollo, and Red Bear, among others.

The D'Addarios in particular are a sign that casein has become mainstream. When one of the largest string and accessory companies in the industry creates a new category, you can bet they did their market research before jumping in. The stuff is good. And it's my belief that we'll probably see some casein picks from Dunlop in the next year or two.

Here's the D'Addario Chris Thile sig model, available just about everywhere, for around $25.00 retail:



Take care, everyone.

sm

[Robin, Wales]

Yep, casein is a wonderful material for making picks. It handles and sounds like turtleshell, much more so than any other pick material that I have tried. It is easy to work with if you are making your own picks but it can't be moulded or stamped. Picks have to be individually machined, which is why they tend to be more expensive.

I gave mine away last Christmas as presents. But really need to find a bit of time to make some more.

[mawmow]

I am not using any flat picks, but I was curious to read...
and got good basic infos here. Many thanks !

[Sugar Bear]

If your picks don't approximate the color of Jimi Hendrix's velour bell-bottoms, you'll never get good tone.

That's why I use purple Tortex!

[Malcolm Kindnes]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Hi, Casein is certainly worth a mention,
Why not mentioned ?
a) I forgot,
b) isn't it a form of "composite?"
c) I couldn't think of any brand that uses it.

Surely Hawk picks are casein?

[Sugar Bear]

If you wade out into the swamp and poke a Snapping Turtle in the face with a broom handle, they'll latch on and never let go.

Then you can drag them back to your pickup, toss them in the back and take them home.

You not only get a whole bunch of guitar picks, you get lots of soup, too.

You want to keep your anatomy away from their mouth, though.

[birdsong]

So is it a casein broom handle we take then?

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by Sugar Bear

If you wade out into the swamp and poke a Snapping Turtle in the face with a broom handle, they'll latch on and never let go.

Then you can drag them back to your pickup, toss them in the back and take them home.

You not only get a whole bunch of guitar picks, you get lots of soup, too.

You want to keep your anatomy away from their mouth, though.

Sugar Bear, in theory, yes. However, the problem is that genuine TS picks come from only one reptile in the world, the Hawksbill Sea Turtle. Other turtles and tortoise do not produce the same kind of shell.

The Hawksbill is severely endangered.

sm

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by Malcolm Kindnes

Surely Hawk picks are casein?

That they are, Malcolm. I think I may have left them off my list. Thanks for the correction.

sm

[KESTLY]

Originally Posted by Sugar Bear

If your picks don't approximate the color of Jimi Hendrix's velour bell-bottoms, you'll never get good tone.

That's why I use purple Tortex!

Yes, this sounds right. I've always felt that the Dunlop Tortex is the best shade of purple out there - not too dark, nor too light. That kind of purple does affect the tone of the pick in a very positive way!

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by Sugar Bear

If you wade out into the swamp and poke a Snapping Turtle in the face with a broom handle, they'll latch on and never let go.

Then you can drag them back to your pickup, toss them in the back and take them home.

You not only get a whole bunch of guitar picks, you get lots of soup, too.

You want to keep your anatomy away from their mouth, though.

Drag them back to your pickup.

I'm guessing this is a troll?

[Sugar Bear]

Originally Posted by KESTLY

Yes, this sounds right. I've always felt that the Dunlop Tortex is the best shade of purple out there - not too dark, nor too light. That kind of purple does affect the tone of the pick in a very positive way!

Absolutely! The other colors are okay, but the purple is king!

Originally Posted by bufflehead

Drag them back to your pickup.

I'm guessing this is a troll?

Well, I own a ranch.

I meant to get rid of the pickup, but one day I was going to haul my horse to the vet with my wife's AMG Mercedes and when she saw me about to make a cutout in the back air dam with the Sawz-All so I could mount the trailer hitch, she got all upset.

So I decided that it would be best to keep the pickup.

But I may have been pulling your leg a little about the snapping turtles.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by Malcolm Kindnes

Surely Hawk picks are casein?

Are they ?

I do have one it is a blue speckled 346 in 1.4 m/m

I think I had to add he bevels. It is very stiff,so, a little dead to me. like the Dunlop Primetones.

Maybe I don't need to try/buy the D'addario Chris Thile after all!

I had always assumed that Wegens were casein, but he won't let on.