Matt Miller Picks - New to the Pick Market - Great pick/price

I have no personal or financial interest. Just FYI.
I know Matt through Social Media groups and own/use some of his picks.

Matt Miller is making some wonderful new picks at a great price ($20 each). They are made from a high grade/performance aerospace thermoplastic. Matt cuts (w/CNC) each pick and they have a smooth basic bevel. I am sure if requested he will put a RH/LH bevel. He can make in a number of different shapes and thicknesses.

The picks play, feel, and grip wonderfully. I like them as well or better than BCs (and only like my non-synthetic or another HP thermoplastic I made slightly better). I really like the vintage yellow/green-ish color and they are easy to see if you drop one in most cases.

They are worth a try if you like to try different picks or custom picks.

His new shop:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MillerPicks

or he is on Facebook

Do you know the actual material they are made from, or is that a trade secret? I like that greenish color too!

Wonder if it is the same or similar to the BC material.

You made a pretty good sales pitch... I just got one!

I haven’t bought a new pick in probably 3 years- My Bluechip TAD 40 is the perfect pick as far as I’m concerned... I’ve never played a pick that I liked better.

When I checked out his website, I saw one that looks just like the BC TAD shape... and he offers it in a slightly thicker .045” thickness.... and the color is cool.

So, what the heck... I’m worth a new pick every three years, right?

When it arrives, I’ll report back + let you know if it’s equal to my favorite Bluechip....

FYI, I bought the LG .045

I do not know the greenish/yellowish material... he’s keeping it a secret. Top secret material. NASA kinda stuff I think. It is different from BlueChips material for sure. I have some ideas since I was a plastics buyer at one time. I am a pick maker too and do sometimes use the white material he uses but he isn’t selling those on Etsy yet. I am usually making organic stuff.
Miller’s are very nice. I like them a lot on my mandolin and with my D18/mahogany back guitar but not as much with my HD28v/rosewood. I like the “white” material with all of them and of course the organic stuff with all.
I shaped and polished the bevels they way I like when I got them and they are great.

Attachment 186301
Here are all 3 of mine

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chris Calley

Wonder if it is the same or similar to the BC material.

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Possibly similar, but I doubt it's the same. Blue Chip now has a patent for the exclusive rights to make picks from any polyimide, regardless of color.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Buck

Possibly similar, but I doubt it's the same. Blue Chip now has a patent for the exclusive rights to make picks from any polyimide, regardless of color.

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I guess it is PEEK. There are plastics databases with all common properties listed and you can find material that suits your need.
Patent and exclusive rights are two different things. I believe the patent stands on water (as so many other US issued patents) and if DuPont or the other PI manufacturers knew about that their lawyers would end that nonsense (but perhaps the pick market is not worth looking into for them)

OK, exclusive rights is a different term legally, but I was speaking informally. Apologies for that flaw in my terminology. Blue Chip was granted a US patent for stringed instrument picks made from polyimide plastics, and it has an adjusted expiration date of 10/25/2037. That at least is factually correct.

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20090249938A1/en

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HoGo

I guess it is PEEK. There are plastics databases with all common properties listed and you can find material that suits your need.
Patent and exclusive rights are two different things. I believe the patent stands on water (as so many other US issued patents) and if DuPont or the other PI manufacturers knew about that their lawyers would end that nonsense (but perhaps the pick market is not worth looking into for them)

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Not PEEK... I do love the PEEK picks tho.

Got my Miller Pick today... it’s nice!

Not quite as grippy as a Blue Chip... but it’s not slippery. The Miller LG and a BlueChip TAD are virtually identical in terms of dimensions.

The sound? I honestly can’t tell the difference... so, that’s pretty impressive.

I made a short comparison video.... iPhone mic isn’t the best for this, but you’ll hear how close they are.

Apologies for looking a little sweaty in the video... I was doing yard work when the mailman delivered the pick, and I was excited to try it, lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BceZbJ9f8uw

Jstring,thanks for the nice pickin. What is the tune?

Don't aim to be argumentative but my little tin ears liked the sound of the Bluechip compared to the Miller. I listened a few times too.
Will listen again just to make sure it's not the cabin-fever talkin. I like the tune anyway.

For some it could come down to which one you feel plays better. Even in mandolins I will take playability over a subtle(to me) difference in tone.

Wish I could try every pick that comes down the pike. I have too many Wegens,Bluechips,and Red Bears. Interested in the PEEK picks.

Still have a D'Addario Thile pick on back order/pre-order(been a month). D'Addario needs to understand that they are providing a critical service.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by V70416

Jstring,thanks for the nice pickin. What is the tune?

Don't aim to be argumentative but my little tin ears liked the sound of the Bluechip compared to the Miller. I listened a few times too.
Will listen again just to make sure it's not the cabin-fever talkin. I like the tune anyway.

For some it could come down to which one you feel plays better. Even in mandolins I will take playability over a subtle(to me) difference in tone.

Wish I could try every pick that comes down the pike. I have too many Wegens,Bluechips,and Red Bears. Interested in the PEEK picks.

Still have a D'Addario Thile pick on back order/pre-order(been a month). D'Addario needs to understand that they are providing a critical service.

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Hey, the tune is Wheel Hoss, and old Monroe standard. Hmmm... does the BC sound a little darker? The Miller is a little brighter? I like the Miller pick- I played it for probably 20 minutes and forgot I was playing it. That’s a good sign- usually I hate other picks and go right back to my BC.

Honestly, I haven’t found a pick that is better than a BC TAD... some are very close, like this Miller or a Primetone... I suppose some people might really like this Miller if they aren’t crazy about BC.

Please report back on the D’addario pick... if Thile loves it, I’d be up for trying it, too

The Miller Etsy site doesn't have a good size comparison of the different shapes - probably most useful is to photo them next to the most common pick brands for reference. I was intrigued by the small triangle, and so bought one - and here it is next to a Wegen 'bluegrass' guitar pick for scale.

Attachment 186435

I need to play with it a bit more, before I give any sort of impressions. But shipping was super fast. And $3 for (I think) as many as you buy.

I liked the BC better.

The pictures are a little hard to see, but I believe it's a material called Torlon, a high-performance plastic that's similar to Vespel and is used in aerospace and such. Haven't played one, but Torlon is the only plastic in the industry that is that color, at least that I'm aware from. I'm a retired engineer and we used to use it in some of our designs.

M&M

Quote:

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Originally Posted by V70416

Jstring,thanks for the nice pickin. What is the tune?

Don't aim to be argumentative but my little tin ears liked the sound of the Bluechip compared to the Miller. I listened a few times too.
Will listen again just to make sure it's not the cabin-fever talkin. I like the tune anyway.

For some it could come down to which one you feel plays better. Even in mandolins I will take playability over a subtle(to me) difference in tone.

Wish I could try every pick that comes down the pike. I have too many Wegens,Bluechips,and Red Bears. Interested in the PEEK picks.

Still have a D'Addario Thile pick on back order/pre-order(been a month). D'Addario needs to understand that they are providing a critical service.

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I make picks too which is why I have come to know Matt. I make them from "organic" materials and PEEK. I have not made PEEK in a while but have a few Teardrops and at least one Tri still around. All about 1.5mm
I plan on making more of the PEEK soon. If you would like to try one we can talk off the forum.

I am a pick nerd so got one too. Ordered a LG-45 to sit between my bluechip which is a TAD40 and my charmed life black pick which is close to a 47/48 (asked scott to make one a little under 50 and he obliged). The black charmed life pick is and will remain my go to for mandolin. High recommendation on these to those who haven't tried them. Scott, like all these guys is great to deal with and offers deals to his newsletter subscribers from time to time. I have tried it compared to an identically sized/shaped BC TAD48 (which I unfortunately lost) and preferred the black cl pick.

Similarly, the bc40 (and a bc material pick i got from charmed life before he stopped selling them) will remain my go to for guitar. Like the charmed life, it has a more substantial feel, better bevel and just seems overall more durable (time will of course tell on that). a bit less pick noise too (though that and more slippery feel others have noticed could be from newness).

The Miller pick is a really nice substitute for the other two, and if the 10 bucks or so makes a difference to you, I think it's a fine pick I will definitely use happily.

Here's what I think is the biggest pro - the color! The BC and CL are super hard to find when I drop them on the ground or leave them somewhere. The miller is easy to spot and I'm hoping, harder to lose). May become my festival pick if that's ever a thing again.

A couple other notes - I tried the casein thile pick from daddario and while i like it more than i usually like the material, it still had the same volume/dullness issues I have found with it in the past, especially when playing with others, and I ended up returning it. Prefer all of the above more. And lastly, if anyone is looking for a good cheap alternative, I like the clear triangle Radex picks from d'andrea. have a bunch in 1.25 and 1mm which are basically sizes above and they are the closest to the premium picks I've found.

I also ordered a pick from his Etsy page. Really quick shipping! I’ve been trying picks through this whole pandemic like crazy! I like the Miller, but I did find it to be kind of “scratchy” or “sandy” sounding when I got it. Sanded it to give it a nice shiny speed bevel and that really seemed to smooth the sound out to my ears.

He also seems like a nice guy which is a big plus and was great with messaging prior to the purchase!

Just ordered a couple of these. One PG and one LG. Can't wait to compare them to my BCs and my dozens other picks! Still way cheaper than buying new mandolins...

Agree with other observations. It's good for the price, but scratchy. And no bevel. I need to make one and smooth it out. I like the very pointed tip. Gets a good response on my instruments. But IMO could be improved with a smooth bevel.

I have mentioned polishing the bevels and offering RH or LH bevels to him when I got my first one. Since I cut, bevel and polish the picks I make from shell and PEEK it was easy to do. Finger nail buffer/shiners from the store work fine. He is just getting started but hopefully we will refine his process and get the bevels on point...

I received my Matt Miller picks today and really like it. I ordered the PG-45 and the KG-45. The PG is identical to my Bluechip TPR. The KG is the same shape but a little smaller....which I really like! It hides nicely in a "closed fist pick grip" and seems to float around a little better for me than a bigger pick. I find myself starting to gravitate towards a smaller pick for mandolin...especially for tremelo work.

Jason

I did bevel and smooth mine out with my wife's fingernail buffer. Did the trick!

I just received my Miller pick today... what would be the equivalent to a BC TAD50.

Firstly, Matt's service and communications were GREAT... that is a big plus in my book. I had never ordered anything off Etsy before but it was super easy to order and Matt encouraged me to add any additional notes to the order... in my case it was making it with a smooth, rounded bevel.

The pick looks great and plays great... I will say though that my BC TAD50 has a slightly louder and cleaner tone. It's really tough to beat the tone that comes from the BC material, whatever it is. All in all I am very pleased with my order... perhaps playing it in will get me used to the sound. Matt's picks and service are of the highest quality... I say yes!