Guitar picks crafted from old circuit boards spark binary solo revolution
By Darren Murph 
posted December 7th 2009 10:32AM
posted December 7th 2009 10:32AM
As the great Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement would say:We're no experts on translating binary rock 'n roll into modern day English (or Russian, for that matter), but we're guessing that the boys from New Zealand would most certainly approve of a guitar pick crafted from recycled motherboards. Etsy member TheBlueKraken seems capable of churning these guys (and many other wares) out in almost any hue of PCB, and at just $7 or $8 apiece, they're hardly a rip off. In fact, we'd wager that these are pretty much the most awesome stocking stuffers of all time. Boogie, boogie, boogie, robo boogie, all after the break.0, 001, 001!
Come on sucker, lick my battery!
$8 is a rip off for a shitty pick
@(Unverified) : 8 dollars isn't SO bad considering its sent via the internet and it takes a little time to machine a PCB into a pick, depending on how they did it. 5 $ would have been better
@(Unverified) I was going to say the same. I can easily get 12 Dunlop Tortex picks for about $5 at my local Mom n' Pop, if I'm going for value. Most circuitboards are also way thicker than my usual .55mm picks. Doesn't mean I didn't get one for posterity, though...I also ordered a circuitboard pendant.
@(Unverified)
Have you ever noticed that the folks here at Engadget seem to have a somewhat exaggerated sense of what's affordable? It seems Engadget pays its employees a little better than the average company... Good for it.
@LIve2Lin
.55? .73 is the way to go.
@(Unverified) Ditto on the price. I don't care how cool it looks: There's no way I'd pay more than $1 for a pick.
It could have been forged from a demon's tooth...
@Andir
For $8, it may need to be. Far from a PoD though.
Dear Engadget,
If you would like to do a story about a high tech pick please don't insult us musicians with this trash (this pick is just stupid).
If you want something truly awesome and state of the art to feature check the 'bluechip' pick out. It is CNC'd from an almost constructable material and hence never wears out. Check it out.
http://www.bluechippick.net/
@New Reformation
*indestructible
@New Reformation
Wait, you're insulted because they put up an article on a pick?
=/
Well for what it's worth I would buy this for more of a novelty item than play with it.
@New Reformation
O.o 35 bucks for a pick!?
Anyone have a recconmendation for like a 10 pack of picks that are thicker, bright, easy to find, & don't wear out quickly? And also don't cost 350.
I'll stick to my Dunlop picks. k,thx,bye.
I prefer Dunlop- these would have no give and would probably be a terrible guitar pick
@(Unverified)
Ever tried Steve Clayton picks?
http://www.steveclayton.com/
Good feel, really durable. I play .80 for guitar and 1.5 for bass.
That has got to destroy your strings. Brings a whole new meaning to "shred".
@Alex
So it was YOU who stole my name when Engadget changed!
I remember when life was simple and I was just 'Alex'.
@Alex R
Oh no! Haha, I wasn't aware that usernames had to be unique. I just thought the email addresses couldn't be duplicated. I guess I got lucky.
"F" for the pick recommendation.
"A" for the "Flight of the Conchords" reference.
Come on sucker lick my battery
I have yet to see anywhere that anyone is recommending using this as an actual pick. I'm pretty sure it's made more for a novelty item than anything.
@Nicknin10do
Yeah, for sure. As a guitarist I'd never use this on my ax. Though I'd love to have it just to have it.
just glad to see FOTC getting some play. maybe, just maybe, they'll eventually do a third season.
oh, and this pick is stupid.
Robot Rock!
Unless these things are coated in something I wouldn't give them long before they fall apart, just do what Brian May does and use a sixpence (old English coinage)
Oh and 8 dollars for a guitar pick isn't a very good deal, you engadget guys must get paid a little too much :P
Some musicians can really be snobs sometimes. It's a novelty item. Nobody said "this is now the pick of destiny and you all MUST use it from this day forth". Get over yourselves.
While I wouldn't pay $8 for it, I'd definitely like one.
metal against metal... rigggggght
@Nicnac
Especially bad if they don't sand / buff the surfaces of the metal pick.
@beatsandmelody - More especially bad since circuit board material is incredibly abrasive fiberglass. I used to get chewed out by the machine shop at school when they caught me cutting it on a sheet-metal shear because it dulled the blade in no time.
Watch out, if you eat the pick, you'll die a horrendous death of lead poisoning! Bad Idea!
Do not want! >_
One Zero Zero Zero Zero Zero One.
One Zero Zero Zero One Zero One One.
Come on sucker, lick my battery!
@Oli D
That you are the only who figured out the reference is depressing.
@(Unverified) I know, look at these uncultured folk...
amp feedback much?
Well I'm gonna gift this.
@NCase On second thought, I'll attempt to recreate it for display; not for use.
Slow news day? They've been making crap like this out of old circuit boards for at least 10, if not 15 or more years. If you want to see something interesting made from old circuit boards check out terracycle.net
I have to assume "$8 a piece, hardly a ripoff" is sarcasm. A good guitar pick costs 50 cents at most.
Yea, but how many picks do you know of that are made from this material? Second, I'm assuming the person making them doesn't have a factory churning these things out and is doing them by hand- so they aren't mass-produced like normal picks are. I'd be down for buying one. If not for the fact that I finger my bass.