The pick making business is not Eric's main day-job, he is a special ed teacher. For now it is his 2nd job/avocation. He makes the picks one at a time by hand so be patient.
Billy
The pick making business is not Eric's main day-job, he is a special ed teacher. For now it is his 2nd job/avocation. He makes the picks one at a time by hand so be patient.
Billy
Billy Packard
Gilchrist A3, 1993
Stiver Fern, 1990
Weber Fern, 2007
Gibson F4 Hybrid #1, D. Harvey 2009
Gibson 1923 A2
Numerous wonderful guitars
I have made some PEEK picks of my own. I still have some material to make more but I just haven't had the time since starting a new job a year ago and having kids... That said I have done my own personal comparison between PEEK and BlueChips. I actually prefer the PEEK picks because to me the good characteristics of the BlueChips are increased by the PEEK. Whether it is the different high grade thermoplastic, the movement across the strings or the tonal properties I don't know which is best but I like them and encourage others to try them. I have since sold my BlueChips and either use PEEK, Primetones or some old organic stuff.
Don't see many that have ordered the EML picks, what is the approximate time to get these picks once order is placed?
2007 Weber Custom Elite "old wood"
2017 Ratliff R5 Custom #1148
Several nice old Fiddles
2007 Martin 000-15S 12 fret Auditorium-slot head
Deering Classic Open Back
Too many microphones
BridgerCreekBoys.com
About two weeks for me also. I got the feeling he was making them as orders were placed.
Mitch Russell
I didn't get the Peek but a casein and resin, I have been so disappointed on prior pick orders, I'm really hoping for the best with these. Another poster kinda scared me with mention of Primetones lol, no offense but one of the worse picks I ever used for what I'm looking for, a 1.5mm but sounded real plastic and a thin toneless thump with no bite at all. I just hope there is no comparison with the EML.
Last edited by CBFrench; Dec-05-2019 at 2:34pm.
Me Montana? What did I mention about primetone? I find primetones uninspiring. My preference is BC for most usages, and Casin for recordings.
2007 Weber Custom Elite "old wood"
2017 Ratliff R5 Custom #1148
Several nice old Fiddles
2007 Martin 000-15S 12 fret Auditorium-slot head
Deering Classic Open Back
Too many microphones
BridgerCreekBoys.com
I just happened to hop in here. I mentioned Primetones. May or may not be talking about me...
I do like them for general use for guitar and mandolin (the dark red non-transparent ones no bumpy grips; NOT the semi-transparent w/grips-Hate those).
For me the Primetones and BlueChips are about the same regarding sound and feel even though they are a $30 price difference. At least close enough that I sold my BCs and kept the Primetones for basic use. AND I don't freak out if i lose one. I just grab another 'cause well I can afford to have a bunch on hand... Like I said I have T-shell picks (and Buffalo horn) too and like them a lot but don't think they always live up to the hype or cool factor. Some are better than others and that's what you get with organic material.
I know... the post is about PEEK and not the others. My apologies. The PEEK is very different from those others above (IMO). That is why I like PEEK so much and use it. The material feels good in the hand(doesn't slip much) and sounds great (even though the ones I made were not as nicely shaped and polished as what you will likely get from the EML Pick guy). It can be polished to a pretty shine or left sanded/unpolished which probably gives more "grip".
You get tons of tone and volume from the PEEK picks without being too much pop. It gives a very clear, maybe crisp sound but keeps the tone. Also, from what I have noticed and maybe the best thing there is almost NO string noise (or as close as I have gotten).
Not to mention that PEEK is a very, very high grade thermoplastic used in (among other things) medical implants and devices like joints. These things need to be very dependable and extremely low wear. PEEK I would say should last as long or longer than the competitors due to the fact that it is made to wear very little over years of use.
I apologize if that sounded like a salesman. I'm not, tho if I had the time I might make a bunch more for myself and friends. Keep in mind all of the above is just my opinion so the next person may say exactly the opposite. Take it or leave it. Just play what you like dang-it.
I love EML picks and use a casein mandolin 2mm. Best pick I’ve ever used.
Waterloo WL-M
Blues Mando Social Group - member
Just a funny observation on the return policy from the site - not a comment on the picks or general business practices of the maker - just funny IMO
PEEK pick product description
Short for Polyether ether ketone, PEEK is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic that is as impervious to wear as a material gets. It will take a heavy-handed approach and a very, very long amount of time before any wear to the bevels can be detected. Additionally, this material is the loudest of all three standard materials offered, making it an ideal pick material for easily cutting through the mix in an acoustic setting. Due to the material's hardness, the surfaces tend to retain a rough texture, while the bevels are polished to a smooth surface.
PEEK Pick return policy
I want to be absolutely certain that you are using the best pick you have ever tried. If you do not feel that you have found it here, then that is okay and you can send it back for either a different type of pick or a full refund. The two conditions for returned picks are that a return must be requested within 14 days of delivery confirmation (as indicated by tracking information) and that the pick not be in heavily used condition.
If returns have to happen in 14 days and the description says it'll take very long time before any wear can be detected - how would the return policy be impacted by use?
Information on lessons, gigs, and misc musical stuff: www.mattcbruno.com
Weekly free Mandolin Lessons: www.mattcbruno.com/weekly-posts/
My gear and recommendations: www.mattcbruno.com/gear-recommendations/
Cooking fun: www.mattcbruno.com/quarantine-cookbook/
Mando's in use
Primary: Newson 2018
Secondary: Gibson F9 2014
Primary Electric: Jonathan Mann OSEMdc 5
Just sharing my 2 cents and then some on this thread...short version EML guy is worth supporting!
Longer version:
Well my guess is from less than funny real life experiences EML pick guy has to have his policy like that b/c not all of us are as fun loving as those posting and some people go to extreme lengths just to be #S#@ and prove a point....but lets leave that at that.
But anyway....I hesitate to wade in on the controversial pick topic but hey its what turns the wheel right? At least in its own minor way, its an easy way we can all hop on board and give it a go for the price of a few packs of strings ....
My personal take, for 3,187 days I've owned a Blue Chip CT55 pick that has been my #1 pick playing mandolin never intended it to be just have not come across anything that beats it in sound, grip ease of use, etc. AND I've never lost it....surely based on the admission price, but a true reality that does amaze me and I can't say has been replicated across the less expensive pick, given the almost nine years now of straight use, I'd say a heck of a value!
Having said this, I'm not some Blue Chip fanboy (though I guess I contradict myself) in fact I like the CT55 enough that in the bluechip world I've never sought another, I have worked thru both Pick Samplers a gazillion others and lately been liking the work by EML pick guy....
I've purchased four EML picks total (two of which are PEEK) they are all seriously good picks but ultimately for mandolin nothing yet has replaced by Blue Chip CT55
To me the PEEK material is awesome on guitar and does sound great on the mando, It just doesn't grip it as well as the Blue Chip....for me it is what it is....BUT, man I think EML pick guy seems legit and someone worth honoring the work of....and all of his picks for me do work outstanding on guitar.
Carry on....
RF
OK, i'm interested in trying one.
I do not seek one pick to replace all others, but if the PEEK does something better than what I do with another pick, or if there is some niche in my playing it will fill, I am all in.
I have yet to meet anyone that has one, but as the festival season comes on this next spring it is likely I will get to try one and see.
All these modern materials wear over time albeit much slower than softer plastics. I've used the same Celluloid pick roughly the medium triangle like the BC 1.5mm thick for a decade and didn't wear it while I have a friends who wore edges of BC in season or two - he brought it to me for some tip reshaping an polishing along with brand new of the same style and there was already 1/32" of material missing at the 3 corners...
Adrian
Just found out first hand another use for PEEK! I just has meniscus repair surgery on my knee. The anchors for the sutures are PEEK. Guess I have to try the picks now!
2007 Weber Custom Elite "old wood"
2017 Ratliff R5 Custom #1148
Several nice old Fiddles
2007 Martin 000-15S 12 fret Auditorium-slot head
Deering Classic Open Back
Too many microphones
BridgerCreekBoys.com
I went to his site and It said the PEEK material is non longer available.
The difference between now and the good old days: Back then you had a dish full of discarded picks you paid twenty bucks for. Now your dish costs you two hundred. Progress.
Silverangel A
Arches F style kit
1913 Gibson A-1
They have been discontinued with no immediate plans for future
John D
It depends on how long you've been doing this. I started playing in 1966. Instruments were not $5K. (not even a signed Loar, for those who knew what it was) Picks were 10 for a dollar, but nobody ever imagined needing 10 in one lifetime -- then they went up to a quarter, where they remained for 40 years or so........strings have doubled or tripled, but in comparison have not really gone up that much, unless you are using something exotic -- our approach has changed, back then if you broke a string, you went a bought a single string and replaced it, we also used the same strings for years, not weeks, like today. Everyone played dead strings. For lack of a better word, there is a fetish aspect to what we do today as players. The thinking is that we need all the proper gear to play music and each tiny piece helps us get there. In the old days, you just practiced to sound like the people who made records.
As an aside, in the late 60's and 70's I was a bicycle nut before there were any bicycle nuts. I rode a bike 5 miles each way to work. I had a couple bags on it to carry stuff, but that was as far as it went. Nowadays, there is all this gear, clothing, carbon fiber (yep!), helmets, etc. Again, a "fetish" for lack of a better word. For me it takes the fun out of it. A younger person wouldn't notice or think it is quite normal.
So, at the risk of sounding like an old-timer, sure, if you think pickup trucks should cost $50K -- then $40 for a pick probably sounds about right. By comparison, shoes should cost $800 and many do, but most of us don't wear them (or can afford them....)
What I call logical, sound thinking -- many would dismiss as a dated approach to the instrument -- to put it kindly.
Last edited by Jeff Mando; Jan-17-2020 at 2:13pm.
This thread is about 2.5 years old but I noticed that some of the posts stated that PEEK (polyetheretherketone) is not available when the comment was posted. PEEK is a family of plastics that were developed for the purpose of having a material that affords a unique combination of mechanical properties including a resistance to chemicals (corrosive/acidic etc), high wear resistance, low fatigue/creep and also be resistant to exceptionally high temperature resistance (e.g., 480°F).
This seems like just the material for when your pick gets very hot..but I digress.
Another pick supplier, Apollo (Delaware, OH), now offers picks made of PEEK as well as offering picks made from another plastic called PEI (polyetherimide) which is also a "space age" plastic with high strength-to-weight ratio, excellent thermodynamic and oxidative resistance, excellent mechanical properties (wear and strength) and high temperature resistance. Again -- just the things you need for a mandolin pick. But I would be interested in what experiences the community has had comparing those two plastics for their mandolin pick.
One relevant point might be that since the physical properties of both materials (e.g., PEEK and PEI) far exceed the requirements of a mandolin pick probably the most relevant factor for choosing between the two could be that the unit price of PEI is about one third that of PEEK? But both are pretty expensive -- and a kilogram of stock PEI can set you back somewhere between $70 to $100 (2020 prices)
So, I also wonder how do these two plastics (PEEK and PEI) compare to Vespel --which is what Blue Chip picks are made from?
From cursory reading I find that physical properties of Vespel seem quite comparable to PEEK but it is even more expensive as a raw material for making picks?
But the physical properties of the two plastics are similar but differ slightly. PEEK has superior chemical resistance where as Vespel has higher thermal stability (PEEK withstands 480°F vs. Vespel 550°F).
However, Vespel is reported to have lower friction and superior wear performance -- so that might be important for mandolin picks?
However if you are going to have a prosthesis made -- go for PEEK as it is more biocompatible, attaches to bone better etc., making it a better choice for medical applications.
Interestingly in addition to these two "space age plactics, Apollo also sells casein picks. Far from a space age thermoplastic, casein was invented in about 1911 when two German chemists found that milk proteins (e.g., phosphoproteins) could be hardened with formaldehyde. Despite its advanced age casein seems to compete with these three much newer plastics. This seems pretty amazing and a little ironic too?
So which is the best plastic to mimic the sensation of tortoise shell pics which are now banned in an effort to protect the larger species of tortoise & turtle -- in particular the Hawksbill Sea Turtle.
Bernie
____
Due to current budgetary restrictions the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off -- sorry about the inconvenience.
Since I'm here, I have an EML casein pick that Eric made me back in early 2018 that is the one of my all time favorite picks. Only pick I have that brings out the best tone of every acoustic instrument I've tried it on, mandolin and guitar. I dread the day I loose or break it. I've ordered casein picks in exact same dimensions that sound nothing like it. I hope Eric starts making picks again some day.
I have an Apollo John Reischman PEEK pick which I like very much and would be my go-to pick except that i like the PEI version of that pick slightly more.
Thanks -- that's the kind of information I was hoping for. Which shape did you choose?
I have a couple of custom Apollo picks made from casein and I do like them a LOT. If I understood his note correctly I think Nik stated that the Apollo G-shape resulted from my original custom request? I sent him a cardboard template a few years ago.
I really like casein and I also find the tortoise shell appearance to be pleasing. But I actually do wear casein picks down. I can see a fine brown powder under the strings after picking for an hour. My Apollo casein picks started out 32 mm at the widest part and they are now down to a bit less than 31 mm.
Bernie
____
Due to current budgetary restrictions the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off -- sorry about the inconvenience.
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