I like the new D'Addario Chris Thile casseine pick (NFI)

It feels good, looks good and reminds me a lot of my favorite Red Bear pick, though this one's little thicker (and I haven't broken it yet). Also, these are a lot easier to get my hands on that the Red Bears, their site is down a lot and a little confusing, though I love their picks. My other go-to pick is the less breakable Blue Chip CT-55, but I like the new one a little better tone-wise (your opinion and mileage may vary). I tried to get the new Fender Extra Heavy picks to do my own comparison, but they're apparently back ordered. Anyway, I like the feel and sound of the new Thile pick a lot. He must know something about playing this thing. ;)

I bought mine last year, about 2 weeks into my new mandolin journey. No regrets at all.

Played it last night at an intense rehearsal. Was pleased.

I've never tried casein.

People sure like it, guess I need to. But I prefer a Teardrop shape around 1.0.

I've been hearing about casein for some time, and having discovered that PayPal lets me use credit card points for some things, I sprung for one. It arrived today, and my first question is, are they supposed to be pre-curved?? This is kind of a disappointment for me, as one of the things I like about large triangle picks is the complete "don't care how I grab it" thing. I'd heard that this can happen to casein with use, but I figured the randomness of my grabbing the pick and using it would probably keep that from happening.

I am going to post a question to D'Addario about this, but thought I'd ask here, too.

Attachment 202393

p.s. (edit) I found this topic raised in an older thread about these picks. Post #23 is the first mention I saw.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by keith.rogers

... my first question is, are they supposed to be pre-curved?? ....

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According to D'Addario, this is "natural" for these picks. Well, given that it's not a defect, I am going to give it a spin around the block and see if it does start to flatten. Barring some epiphany while I'm trying it (with my mind set against it ;)) it likely will be the last casein pick I add to the collection.

D'Addario's response:

"Thanks for reaching out! The slight bend is something that can happen naturally with these particular picks, especially during periods of humidity change. The reason for the bend is actually within the material used itself. Casein is a type of synthetic dairy protein, which is meant to mimic feel/tone of true tortoise shell. The material is susceptible to very slight changes in flatness over time due to variations in temperature/humidity/amount of playing/etc. There are a few ways to correct the bend though. The best way to do so is to play with the pick against the bend. This will allow the pick to mold itself back to flat. If you notice it start to cup in any direction, always be sure to play against the bend. "

Out curiosity, I bought one of the Chris Thile caseine picks but I didn’t love it. The caseine is sitting on a shelf. Nice to have choices, though!