How did ChickenPicks start?

ChickenPicks guitar picks are developed by me (Eppo Franken) in The Netherlands.
In 1987 was I, at the age of 18, was a guitar player with a dream to go to the Rotterdam Conservatorium (today known as Codarts) to study guitar. At that time using a Scotty’s 0.6mm red nylon pick they told me that I needed a thicker pick.

At that time the only thicker pick was a (purple) Jim Dunlop 2.0mm; but this felt so weird and I missed every feel of balance with this pick and it sounded dull as well. A time of experimenting with different materials started on the search for the perfect material
and shape and at some point, I came across a layer of 2.6mm thick material that seemed to suit me; it was a layer of high quality thermosetting plastic and I made the first guitar picks with the unique bevel at that time. And from that moment, I only played with my own created picks for many years, not even thinking of selling them.

Honest manufacturing proces is very important to us

As said I made the guitar picks just for myself and for my musical friends when they asked for a new pick.
In 2010 I started with my wife Jolanda our family business ChickenPicks guitar picks after Jolanda asked me if we could sell these picks. We were both working at a bank and we did not have any experience in being seller in music industry.

At first I made all the ChickenPicks by hand and soon there were too many orders to handle. So, we had a luxury problem and started to look for a good production proces in Europe with high quality standards. Since 2013 ChickenPicks guitar picks are made in a special mold under high temperature in factories in Belgium and Germany. All picks are hand finished and checked by hand at a sheltered employment company in The Netherlands. We’re very proud this works out for everybody and we’re able to manufacture many ChickenPicks.

The first picks that were made in factory production were the LIGHT 2.2mm, the REGULAR 2.6mm and SHREDDER 3.5mm. Soon there was a follow up by BERMUDA III 2.1 & 2.7mm and the BADAZZ III 2.0 & 2.5mm.

So around the end of 2014 in total 7 different models were available for ChickenPicks guitar picks. After a few small guitar shows in The Netherlands Jolanda and I went to the USA for the  first large M.I. Show which was the 2013 Summer NAMM Show in Nashville TN.
And after that one we went to Summer NAMM in Nashville in 2014 again. Now we felt that we were ready for the largest M.I. show in the world, so in January 2015 ChickenPicks guitar picks attended the Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim California. Some people laughed as we only had 7 picks to show, while between all large companies showing off their expensive gear. But we were staying! We had a lot of fun at the NAMM Shows and made a lot of friends!
In the meantime, several different models were added and in January 2024 with the introduction of the SHREDDER 2.4 a total of 12 different models are available at ChickenPicks guitar picks, which in combination provides 53 different SKU’s.

I still practice guitar every day and I play the music I like. In my early days it was hard rock music like Deep Purple and KISS and Ace Frehley by the way was for me the reason for picking up the guitar in general. Nowadays I mostly am into Country music; you could call me a Chicken picker! Of course, the name ChickenPicks comes from my favorite style of guitar picking. Ricky Skaggs, Redd Volkaert and Brent Mason are some of my favorite guitar players in that style.

Cheers!

Eppo