Nici Art Fishbone Pick

Another great find on Etsy. Made out of aluminum and shaped like a fishbone, Nici Laskins's take on the guitar pick is a little odd at first sight. Initially I was put off by the length of this pick, the tail rests halfway between my second and third knuckle, but after a few minutes I realized it was actually adding a little extra stability and helped keep the pick's attack angle locked in. Tone is typical of aluminum, super bright. My only real complaint is the edges of the "head" are a bit too square but otherwise it's a nice pick to use once you adjust to the length.

Nici Art

Robot Barn Vinyl Picks

Staying with the idea of up-cycled guitar picks I found this tremendous deal on Etsy from a store called Robot Barn.  Twenty seven picks made from old records, twenty plain and seven still with the labels intact. The cost, seven dollars plus a dollar shipping. Robot Barn actually needed to charge a little more for shipping as there was postage due (about a buck twenty) when they arrived. Even with that hiccup the picks are great and the price can't be beat for these very cool and unique picks.

Robot Barn

Fresh from the Forge, Yes, Forge!

I found this hand forged steel pick on Etsy, which is quickly becoming THE place to find quirky and unique hand made guitar picks. Made and sold under the name METTLEZFORGE this pick is as mean as it looks. Heavy, thick, and menacing this monster may look but it's got a smooth attack as long as you use the polished tip.

METTLEZFORGE

Revived Vinyl Picks

Thanks to a post on Tumblr I bought a couple of six packs of these upcycled vinyl picks from ThinkGeek. Mabe by Revived Vinyl they're just shy of 1.0mm thick with rough edges. I may try to smooth the edge on one of them with a polishing block but for now I'm liking the scratchy feel and tone these picks provide. I've tried to make picks out of old records before but only ended up breaking a pair of first generation Pick Punches. At only a $1 per pick it's much easier to just buy them!

Revived Vinyl

ThinkGeek

Big in Japan

A nice way to start off the week! thanks to the Kawaii Kakkoii Sugoi Store for all their help in finally proving these exist! They look and feel like Pickboy picks which is a good thing.

Second Batch ... Done !!

Finished the second batch of picks today. Included are four Jazz III sized picks.

Triangles of Dethklok, Metalocalypse Picks

Yes, they will draw blood. The Murderface Satan's Lobster is one of my all time favorite looking picks.

First Batch of Homemade Picks...done!

I've spent the last couple of months working out how to produce small batches of my own guitar picks.  It's a slow process but the first batch is finally finished except for final polishing.  They're on the thick side and I'm not sure how durable they will be in the hands of guitar players but overall I'm very pleased with the results.

Pick Journal

I thought the cover of a Moleskin journal would make a good material. Some stickers on the first page add some visual interest. Now I just need to use a Moleskin filled with staff paper or chord grids.

Gravity Picks

V Picks over SeaPicks

Stone Works

A selection of picks from Stone Works. Like most picks made out of polished rock these have a smooth attack and ultra bright tone.

Custom Red Bears

Thanks to the guys at Red Bear for these amazing picks. Red Bear make what I consider to be the best guitar picks currently available. Certainly one of the most customizable.

KISS, Ukeleles, and picks from First Act?

Here are three quick and easy under $5 gift ideas via Amazon.

First up is a 10 pack of Planet Waves KISS picks.  There's also a black and white design but they're nowhere near as cool as the full color set.  I know they have to put the KISS logo on the back side but is it really necessary?  At least it's with make up.

Timber Tone

Timber Tones have been a well kept secret in the UK but they're now starting to pop up here in the Colonies. Unfortunately there's no retailers here in the USA just yet so you'll need to order them from a shop in the United Kingdom. Picks made from wood aren't new or unique but Timber Tones definitely offers the widest selection of woods and shapes I've seen.

Timber Tones

Dunlop Pick Case?

I need a better way to store my Dunlop picks !!

Engraved Brass

Jenn bought me this pair of engraved brass picks from the Greenleaf Pick company which has their shop on Etsy. Very cool !!

Picks Around the Home

I use a lot of different things to keep picks both organized and handy when the mood to play strikes.  The tortoise shell bowl I've posted before  but here's pictures of a vinyl record (it's Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here) that's been heat formed into a bowl and a utility cabinet. The record bowl I found on Etsy while utility cabinets can be bought at any hardware store.

Cool New Dunlops

Here are some of the new offerings from Dunlop. The Kirk Hammett signature tin comes with five traditional picks and one lime green Jazz III with a notch in the top. Dunlop needs to offer this new Jazz all on it's own. It's that cool.

There's also a new line of signature picks from Billy Gibbons under the name Rev Willy's Mexican Lottery. There's a number of different designs but this take on a wolf in a hat top is by far my favorite.

Finally Dunlop has tweaked the shape of it's most popular pick material, the Tortex, with what they're calling Tortex TIII. It's very similar in size and shape to the Ultex Sharp but with that traditional Tortex tone.

AT Pick and Dunlop Jazz III

Here's a good size comparison between the very excellent silver AT Pick and a selection od Dunlop's venerable Jazz III. Included are the Jazz III XL, the Eric Johnson, the Max Grip, and a regular Jazz III.

Pick Care Package

Occasionally I send out what I call a Pick Care Package to people. This one was sent to my friend Jay in Texas and he was nice enough to snap a picture.

Not for Use With Skeeball

Old habits are hard to shake.  I'm not sure how long I've been saving the ballends of old strings.

Stickerbomb Guitar

This is my old Kramer Focus 3000, a staple of the 1980s Super Strat fad. I've used and abused this guitar as long as I've been playing, from DIY bridge routing to countless attempts to refinish the alder body. The latest act of guitar vandalism was to cover the pickguard and headstock in stickers. 

a pair of eBay classics

a Bob Clifton Tu-Way and a James D'Aquisto signature jazz