Articles:
In this section I will endeavor to copy several interviews I've had with various guitar pick makers/manufacturers. I am by no means in the business of proper reporting, so forgive me if I don't ask the 'tough questions'. All I can do is ask questions which I, myself, have always wanted answered.
Bakersfield 6-5000!!!
by Anne Pearson
Yes...I am 'showing my age' with that reference in the title of this article. Who can forget the Big Band hit 'Pennsylvania 6-5000? You may be wondering why the 'Big Band' reference. If your curiosity is getting the best of you, read on...
I recently had the pleasure of having multiple communications with John W. F. Goode. For those of you who don't know, John was the gentleman who owned the tooling, rights and distributorship of Bakersfield Guitar Pix from 1990 to 1997. He was a great man to talk to and seemed to have a real enthusiasm and longtime 'love affair' with Bakersfield guitar picks. I didn't have to ask much as far as their history...Mr. Goode seemed to know exactly what collectors want to be 'fed' as far as information on their 'case candy', and offered the info generously while relishing my appreciation for these facts!
I recently had the pleasure of having multiple communications with John W. F. Goode. For those of you who don't know, John was the gentleman who owned the tooling, rights and distributorship of Bakersfield Guitar Pix from 1990 to 1997. He was a great man to talk to and seemed to have a real enthusiasm and longtime 'love affair' with Bakersfield guitar picks. I didn't have to ask much as far as their history...Mr. Goode seemed to know exactly what collectors want to be 'fed' as far as information on their 'case candy', and offered the info generously while relishing my appreciation for these facts!
John explained how he had bought ownership from a business in Ohio whose owner wanted to retire from the musical accessories business (but not from his musical career!). That owner, by the way, was none other than Rudolph Scaffidi, a big band trumpet player for the Bob May Orchestra as well as leading both Jimmy Dorsey and Jan Garber's orchestras in the 1960s. He also played trumpet for other big band leaders of the era such as: Ray Anthony, Frankie Carle, Bob Crosby, Buddy Morrow, Jimmy & Tommy Dorsey, Billy Butterfield, Sonny Dunham, Skitch Henderson, Ralph Marterie, and Elliot Lawrence. Rudy was most well know, however, for his own band, The Rudy Scaffidi Orchestra. His brother (also a trumpet player) Ralph, also played in the Bob May Orchestra, as well as being a player in the very first 'Tonight Show' band. Rudy also contributed to the production of the Mosrite/The Ventures pick of the 60s, which bears a striking resemblance to the Bakersfield guitar pick and, in fact, didn't change really except for the logos on the front and reverse of the picks when they became 'Bakersfield'. Mr. Rudolph Scaffidi was inducted into the Big Band Hall Of Fame in 1994. Sadly, Rudy died in 2001 at the age of 74. So, how did this business transaction occur, you may be wondering? John explained to me, "When he [Rudy] quit making them I found I needed them really bad, having performed professionally with them for years. I called his house many times asking if he'd found any more he could send me. Eventually, he just suggested I buy him out and take over production...which I did.". Oh yeah...did I forget to mention that John is 'the' John W.F.Goode, musical composer of film and television???
Mr. Goode began unravelling the many mysteries behind the history of Bakersfield Guitar Pix, which were originally the Mosrite/Ventures picks(produced by Scaffidi) of the sixties. Mosrite picks were made from a material called Zytel(a product of DuPont), but in the 1960s the Mosrite company went bankrupt and in order to continue production, Rudy renamed them 'Bakersfield'. John continued, "The choice of brand name: 'Bakersfield'? Simply, they were named after Bakersfield CA, which is where the Mosrite business was located." Also, the company produced a cymbal cleaner (which John described thusly, "It was a powdered thing you added your own water to, to make a paste. To make it they'd pour the chemicals into a barrel and kick the barrel around to mix it up.") and other accessories such as guitar straps, mic stands, etc., though none of them bore the Bakersfield name. John, however, opted not to purchase the 'Drummer's Cymbal Cleaner', as many companies at the time were already producing premixed creams. He clarified the reason, "He [Rudy] really wanted me to buy that too, but around that time paste & cream cymbal cleaners were coming onto the market so it didn't really make sense to have this obsolete powdered stuff you had to add water to. So I passed."
Gorgeous!!
Now comes the good stuff. According to Mr. Goode, first generation 'Bakersfields' (identifiable by the vertical 'm i a' on the reverse side of the pick) were also made of Zytel, but only the black pick, which was available in thin, .60mm gauge. These were made in 1968 and were exactly the same pick as the Mosrite/TheVentures pick-with the exception of the printing on the pick. The first generation white-colored Bakersfield was made of Delrin and was of medium .74mm gauge. First generation white-colored Bakersfield picks were made in 1969. John explained, "The 'mia' on the reverse of the pick meant nothing....it was merely for better grip. But what 'mia' means most importantly was that those were the picks from the first tooling." I'm ashamed I never looked that closely at my puny collection of 4 Bakersfields (2 white & 2 black). After speaking with John, I inspected them closely and was pleased that I had two of EACH 'generation' of Bakersfield-the aforementioned 'm i a' (one black/one white) and the later released 2nd generation 'B' Bakersfield which included the letter 'B' on the reverse side in addition to two horizontal lines below it (one black/one white), produced in 1980 and made with injection molded tooling as well as DuPont Zytel and Delrin.
White & Black 'mia' Bakersfields
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My joy would soon turn to bittersweet when Goode explained that 'for a short time, coral and blue colors were available for sale. I was thrilled to see the pictures of them, yet longed to have one or two of each in my vintage guitar pick collection. The 'coral', or pink color was of the same gauge as the white-medium .74mm gauge. These, he explained, were "produced with a re-grind method". He elaborated that a re-grind was basically 'surplus' plastic, sort of the scraps from unrelated products which were "re-ground and melted down".
Though the surplus material was still DuPont Zytel and Delrin, John told me he never used the 're-grind' method due to it not being "virgin material so it would tend to wear out faster from multiple heat-cycles in the injection molding process.". Humorously, he explained, "My longtime bass player since the 80s, Bobby G. Riddle, loves those damn coral picks. He loves the way they play when they wear, leaving orange dust all over his bass. He ain't gettin' any more though, too rare!". However, as collectors, I'm sure we would all agree these limited-run Bakersfields would be the pride of all of our vintage collections. Let the 'hunting' begin!!
Though the surplus material was still DuPont Zytel and Delrin, John told me he never used the 're-grind' method due to it not being "virgin material so it would tend to wear out faster from multiple heat-cycles in the injection molding process.". Humorously, he explained, "My longtime bass player since the 80s, Bobby G. Riddle, loves those damn coral picks. He loves the way they play when they wear, leaving orange dust all over his bass. He ain't gettin' any more though, too rare!". However, as collectors, I'm sure we would all agree these limited-run Bakersfields would be the pride of all of our vintage collections. Let the 'hunting' begin!!
1980s 'B' Bakersfields
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(reverse side showing B/3 Line grips
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So, in short, what did we learn? We learned that John W.F. Goode acquired production, and used only 'virgin' DuPont Zytel and Delrin for his product, increasing sales of Bakersfield guitar picks worldwide. We learned the dating and differences of types of 'generations' in production. And we learned why we love these picks so much: Because Bakersfields have always been revered for their durability, as well as their unique quality, flex, and 'feel' to many guitarists throughout the world of music. Bakersfield guitar picks are plectra that are quite worthy of occupying space in any vintage guitar collector's treasures.
In 1997 Jim Dunlop acquired production of Bakersfields, yet no longer produces them.
EBE/EB3:
EBE picks are not vintage. But still, they will always remain a favorite of mine. I remember when I first started playing the guitar and went to a place(which has long been closed/out of business) called The Montgomeryville Mart. It was sort of like an indoor flea market of sorts. And you could buy all kinds of cool things there. Records, incense, blacklight posters, musical instruments, toys and even had a small tattoo parlor area inside. Anyway, I remember that was where I bought my first EBE pick. I remember when I saw it, it looked so awesome. The little glow-in-the-dark alien face in my hand grinned back at me. And I was hooked!
Since then, I have managed to get my hands on every EBE guitar pick made. I will be adding two more designs in the near future which are not listed here. They are the blue on white 'Crash Test Dummy', and the glowing 'Jesus Saves'.
I had the pleasure of speaking to 'Dave', creator, owner, and manufacturer of EBE picks. This man spoke with a kind and patient tone as he described how the EBE idea was formed. It began when he wanted to occupy space at a NAMM(National Association Of Music Merchants). He and a friend created a fictitious music store title called, "Guitar Picks From Mars", just so they could attend the annual show. Trouble was, they had no merchandise to offer. NAMM officials quickly became aware of the situation and threatened to throw them out!
Dave explained, "On December 10th 1990 my life was changed forever! I will never forget that date. Going with the 'Guitars From Mars' theme, I realized as I looked at a guitar pick, that they were shaped like an alien head!" And the rest was history.
To date, Dave has sold 7-8 million little alien heads to guitarists everywhere. EBE picks are available in the following gauges: .46mm, .71mm, and .96mm. I prefer the .96mm gauge as I like to play with a heavier gauge guitar pick. EBE Universal, INC. is the sole distributor in the U.S. and has one distributor in Canada.
Since then, I have managed to get my hands on every EBE guitar pick made. I will be adding two more designs in the near future which are not listed here. They are the blue on white 'Crash Test Dummy', and the glowing 'Jesus Saves'.
I had the pleasure of speaking to 'Dave', creator, owner, and manufacturer of EBE picks. This man spoke with a kind and patient tone as he described how the EBE idea was formed. It began when he wanted to occupy space at a NAMM(National Association Of Music Merchants). He and a friend created a fictitious music store title called, "Guitar Picks From Mars", just so they could attend the annual show. Trouble was, they had no merchandise to offer. NAMM officials quickly became aware of the situation and threatened to throw them out!
Dave explained, "On December 10th 1990 my life was changed forever! I will never forget that date. Going with the 'Guitars From Mars' theme, I realized as I looked at a guitar pick, that they were shaped like an alien head!" And the rest was history.
To date, Dave has sold 7-8 million little alien heads to guitarists everywhere. EBE picks are available in the following gauges: .46mm, .71mm, and .96mm. I prefer the .96mm gauge as I like to play with a heavier gauge guitar pick. EBE Universal, INC. is the sole distributor in the U.S. and has one distributor in Canada.
Hot Picks USA:
I recently had the pleasure of speaking to Rob Stephani, president/CEO of Hot Picks USA. Rob explained that he started his company with a friend, back in April 2002 in the small town of Turlock CA(which was ironically only one mile from the EBE production company). And now, Hot Picks USA is quickly approaching their 10th anniversary!! How fast time flies!!
I myself, use many of the monster shaped guitar picks due to their gauge size and ease in maintaining my grip while playing...not to mention how cool they look. Many of my friend who also play, never fail to ask, "Where in the world did you GET that? That's the coolest looking pick I've ever seen!" And once they try it? They are hooked!
Mr Stephani was a music store owner back in the early 1990s, when 10 years in, he decided to shift to manufacturing guitar accessories.
I myself, use many of the monster shaped guitar picks due to their gauge size and ease in maintaining my grip while playing...not to mention how cool they look. Many of my friend who also play, never fail to ask, "Where in the world did you GET that? That's the coolest looking pick I've ever seen!" And once they try it? They are hooked!
Mr Stephani was a music store owner back in the early 1990s, when 10 years in, he decided to shift to manufacturing guitar accessories.
He(Rob) stated that he had a few good ideas but wanted to return to his friend in Turlock, who might have an idea on how to patent his ideas, which surprisingly were NOT guitar pick related at all. As Rob and his friend began conversing, they ended on the topic of guitar picks.
Rob explained, " When I talked about how many pick companies there were and looking online at some things, we started laughing and mind-jamming all at the same time. Being a guitar player myself and understanding the retail business, things progressed quickly. Before we knew it, we had bikini picks and skull shaped picks. We went on to talk about other accessories but we were both coming back to the guitar pick ideas and actually having a bit of a chuckle about it."
This is how history was made!! The bikini 351 standard sized guitar picks were the very first picks produced by Hot Picks USA. One can instantly see why they chose the name Hot Picks when looking at the scantily clad female shapes imprinted on each guitar pick.
Shortly after the manufacture of these 'bikini' picks, Hot Picks USA began to experiment with 'motion' picks as well as shaped picks. And that is when the company began to produce the Gravepicker and Frank guitar picks. These two shaped gradually evolved into what is now known as 'The Monster Pick Collection'.
Rob elaborated: "Now this little chuckle of an idea was now starting to become a real business. In 2005 we decided to try our hand with Disney. After a 9 month process, we landed one of the biggest fish on the planet! We licensed the line for 3 years and it brought a tremendous amount of attention to our company.
Shortly after Disney coming on board, we licensed Taylor Swift and others. We got Taylor just as she was becoming popular and once again, brought a lot of attention to us. In 2008, I bought one of the majority share holders of the company and moved the business to San Jose, California. The company is more than 3 times in size and we have more than 5 times the products we had just 4 short years ago."
Shortly after Disney coming on board, we licensed Taylor Swift and others. We got Taylor just as she was becoming popular and once again, brought a lot of attention to us. In 2008, I bought one of the majority share holders of the company and moved the business to San Jose, California. The company is more than 3 times in size and we have more than 5 times the products we had just 4 short years ago."
Just a sample of the many Disney licensed Hot Picks USA guitar picks.
Disney Pixar Cars licensed Hot Picks USA picks
Hot Picks USA Taylor Swift Collectible Guitar Picks
It is very difficult to catalog ALL of Hot Pick USA's accomplishments as there are so very many variations of guitar picks designs, shapes, series...not to mention their production of guitar straps, guitars, motion magnets and motion cards to name but a few.
Hot Picks does not stick with one type of material with their guitar picks. They cover a wide range including celluloid, poly, Delrin and PVC based picks. With a selection well over 250 designs, Hot Picks USA has become a world known name with people who depend on quality, awesome graphics, and newer designs on a regular basis. Hot Picks USA also sells a tremendous amount of licensed goods. Their current lineup consists of picks and straps with Queen, AC/DC, Elvis Presley, Marvel, Alchemy, Pink Floyd, Lethal Threat and more.
Not to be overshadowed by the great selection of guitar picks and straps, Hotpicks now has some really cool guitars. Taking off from their shaped guitar picks, Hotpicks incorporated the shapes into guitars. The one getting the most attention currently, is the skull guitar. With only a limited run, these bad boys stand out in a crowd! Their HP-140 guitars come with a quick change pick guard skin-which means when you want to change the look of your guitar in just 5 minutes, the quick change skin is the way to go. They also have pick guard skins for Fender Strat's as well. Rob Stephani has said: "We have in stock (on a daily basis) over 600 different pick designs and have been recognized as one of the top dogs in the licensing and lifestyle pick biz! The Hot Picks brand has been taking the world by storm over the last 10 years, with product distribution in over 32 countries! Although we cannot disclose detailed numbers, it’s fun to say that we have sold over 3 million guitar picks to just 4 major retailers in the U.S. alone!"
Hot Picks does not stick with one type of material with their guitar picks. They cover a wide range including celluloid, poly, Delrin and PVC based picks. With a selection well over 250 designs, Hot Picks USA has become a world known name with people who depend on quality, awesome graphics, and newer designs on a regular basis. Hot Picks USA also sells a tremendous amount of licensed goods. Their current lineup consists of picks and straps with Queen, AC/DC, Elvis Presley, Marvel, Alchemy, Pink Floyd, Lethal Threat and more.
Not to be overshadowed by the great selection of guitar picks and straps, Hotpicks now has some really cool guitars. Taking off from their shaped guitar picks, Hotpicks incorporated the shapes into guitars. The one getting the most attention currently, is the skull guitar. With only a limited run, these bad boys stand out in a crowd! Their HP-140 guitars come with a quick change pick guard skin-which means when you want to change the look of your guitar in just 5 minutes, the quick change skin is the way to go. They also have pick guard skins for Fender Strat's as well. Rob Stephani has said: "We have in stock (on a daily basis) over 600 different pick designs and have been recognized as one of the top dogs in the licensing and lifestyle pick biz! The Hot Picks brand has been taking the world by storm over the last 10 years, with product distribution in over 32 countries! Although we cannot disclose detailed numbers, it’s fun to say that we have sold over 3 million guitar picks to just 4 major retailers in the U.S. alone!"
