Hi Jim, thanks for replying with such good questions!

Originally Posted By: Jim Fogle
Pat, Are you printing the complete pick or grips that fit on a pick?

I have all kinds of ideas in the works, which is why it would be good to get feedback from others. I'm open to any idea that suits the needs of any guitar player who is faced with the possibility of never playing again unless he/she can find a pick that works. All of the prototypes I've printed so far have been complete pick or pick assemblies. But some future ideas (not printed or even fully designed yet) will be a gripper of some kind that holds a standard off the shelf pick. You worked as an engineer if I recall correctly. If you have ideas or drawings for a pick that you'd like to try, I'll be happy to make one or more prototypes and mail them to you.


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What material are you using?

The prototypes so far have been made from PLA plastic, which I think is a bit stiff for picks. My next roll of filament will be something a little more flexible. Still researching the options, so I don't know what flexible plastics will work on this printer yet. Do you have any recommendations?


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Does the material used affect how difficult the picks are to hold; in other words how tight the finger grip must be?

In my opinion the material seems to affect the playability more than it affects how the picks are held. The DESIGN/SHAPE of the pick is mostly what affects the holding. Some of the designs are more cumbersome than others, and would probably only be useful to somebody who is facing an all or nothing scenario. Better to play awkwardly than to play not at all. Other designs aren't much different than regular picks, so they would be more useful to somebody without a disability... one who is more of a butterfingers and tends to drop picks for other reasons.

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Are you placing a design onto the grip surface?

Hard to answer that without defining the term "design". But if I understand you correctly, I'm going to make an assumption and tentatively say "no". No knurled or "grippy" surfaces on current prototypes. They're more like shapes that conform to your grip and/or the shape of your fingers.

You live here in Winston. We should meet for lunch and I'll bring a bunch of prototypes and you can take them home and give them a workout.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ey71h8ep047758h/AAC12jNM0Hz9Q8zsh5iDeqNHa?dl=0