Starpic History

How did the starpic come about? To be honest ... I got sick to death of breaking strings with plastic guitar picks. So ... being a experienced lapidary (Gem cutter) I thought "Why not make one out of agate?"..so I did. From that point string breakage was a thing of the past. BUT..not only did it save me a fortune in strings it sounded better than anything I had heard up to that point or since. Not only this, I also noticed my guitar playing improved in leaps and bounds. I played with this pick for 16 years and it never wore out. It dropped a thousand times and never broke. All my jamming partners wanted one after using my custom made Agate pick....
This led me to the realisation that there was a market for this product and no one to fill it....
hence the beginnings of "Starpics Australia".

Benefits of the Starpic

• It Never wears out!!
• No more "Twang and grab" from worn out notched plastic picks.
• Glides over strings with virtually no friction causing less wear on strings.
• Much Improved tone and harmonics from your Guitar.
• Very personal item... your choice of style, stone, size.
• Leaves no plastic residue / dust on strings or pickups.

Manufacture

To maintain the highest quality each and every starpic is made in Australia from start to finish. I select only the best raw materials from around the world. Each starpic is shaped according to the pattern in the stone to bring out the best the stone has to offer.

Each and every stone is tested for durability and strength. Once I am satisfied that the gemstone has no flaws, cracks or pitting, then and only then does the stone move on to the next stage of forming. Once a stone has reached this stage there are several different edges that can be adapted to each pick according to what it is intended for. For soft mellow tones I cut a smooth round edge(eg)The Regular pick.....for treble I cut a sharper edge.(eg)..the Jazz pick. Bass picks have a thicker heaver tip which allows more roll and results in a deeper tone.

The most important part is at the polish stage (below).The finish has to be absolutely perfect in order to bring out the best in your guitar.

When you own a Starpic, you own the ONLY one of its kind in the world as no two picks have exactly the same pattern or colour. Keep in mind also that long after your bones are dust and your guitar has rotted away to nothing .... your starpic will STILL be around ...as good as the day it was created. Something to ponder while you use your Starpic...

Did You Know:-

The average guitarist will use or lose at least 50 to 100 plastic picks per year.
Each pick costs on average about 60 cents.
So your average guitarist spends per year at least $60.00 on picks.

There are about 100 million guitarists in the world according to the latest statistics.

That means per year 10,000,000,000 plastic picks are used up and/or lost worldwide annually.

Each pick weighs about 0.2 to 0.5 grams.

This adds up to over TWO MILLION TONS of toxic non-biodegradable plastic entering our
rivers, lakes and landfills EVERY YEAR.

This means in the last ten years that there is now over ten MILLION TONS of plastic clogging our ecosystem. Ten MILLION TONS...that does NOT have to be there if the natural and BEST pick on earth was used. In this age of environmental awareness..its something to BE aware of.Ten million tons would make a pile of picks large enough to cover a fairly large city more than once.

Keeping in mind that EVERY year another 100,000 people learn the
guitar..the numbers just keep GROWING.

(These figures are only average...but nonetheless..they would still be huge numbers if it
was halved)

Another point..how many tons of toxic plastics and chemicals are mixed, used and produced in the production of all these plastic picks? How much coal is burnt powering the machines to pump them out by the billion?..as guitaists we write songs about saving the planet and other nice themes..but WE USE the same DOOM we sing against!...all this in the name of a dollar!!!
Its time to get serious about this planet..AND your guitar playing!

When you add up the cost of all these picks..guitarists spend a
combined SIX BILLION DOLLARS on picks per YEAR. (And twice that on strings alone caused by using plastic picks which encourage string breakage)

You may say "But the Starpic costs so much"...but when you think about it, you will spend in one year three times the cost of one starpic on plastic picks and the strings you replace because of them. Also the starpic is handmade from NATURAL substances and does NOT pollute the environment. The cost of using plastic picks far outweighs the cost of one starpic..which..once purchased..will last you FOREVER!

So..why spend $100 or more a year when you can spend $40 ONCE...for a lifetime of use??

My own story.

I made my first pick in 1991. I used to go through about 50 picks per year and about five to ten sets of strings...more if I was gigging a lot.

Now I only go through about three sets of strings and only replace them as they fatigue..and I NEVER need another pick! And even old strings sound new when you use a starpic..which is why you dont have to replace them all the time to get that "New string" sound.

I estimate I have saved over $10,000 alone JUST because I use a "Starpic"!!

As for those who are worried about losing their pick..

It just wont happen...because you will TREASURE it like I do mine. You will always be aware of where it is..and you can wear it as well if you order a pendant attachment for it so you will always have it with you.

By using the "STARPIC" you will save literally thousands of dollars...and help save the environment as well!!