Don’t feel bad if you haven’t heard of Casein, because I hadn’t either. And, I had no idea that guitar picks can be made from the stuff. The pick we are reviewing in this article is the D’Addario Casein Standard guitar pick, which is part of D’Addario’s line of Casein picks. I’d never even heard the term Casein, much less tried a guitar pick made from one.
What is Casein?
D’Addrario Casein picks are made of 100% Casein plastic. Casein is made from a protein that is derived from milk. Because of this, plastics made from Casein are different from other plastics used in guitar picks. One of the benefits is that, unlike most plastic pick materials, Casein is biodegradable! Plastics made from Casein have been very popular in the past, and have been used in many everyday items such as buttons and pens.
D’Addario Casein Guitar Picks
At present, D’Addario offers three Casein guitar picks:
- Casein 351 Standard: This is the pick we are reviewing. Available in 2.0 mm thickness.
- Casein 346 Wide: This is a triangular shaped pick. Available in 2.0mm thickness.
- Casein Chris Thile Signature Pick: This is a signature pick. Available in 1.4mm thickness.
As you can see, the selection is small right now. Based on the specifications, the only difference that I can see between the Thile Signature and the 346 Wide is the thickness. I’m surprised they don’t offer a smaller, Jazz III or Jazz III XL type of shape. Perhaps D’Addario will at some point. Regardless, the 351 is likely the most popular pick shape in the world, so most guitarists will feel at home with it.
D’Addario Casein 351 Standard Pick
For this review, I used my usual group of test guitars: a Telecaster, a vintage Schecter USA Strat, a Hamer Hollowbody with a Spruce top, and a Taylor Sapele-bodied acoustic. I don’t claim that my observations are representative of how a pick will sound on every guitar. That said, I can get a pretty good idea of how a pick sounds and performs by playing it on a few different guitars. See more about how we review guitar picks.
Feel
The 351 Casein has a beefy feel in the hand. The surface is smooth, and it has a very natural, soft feel (not surprising for an eco-friendly substance that is derived from milk protein!). I typically play picks in the 1.14–1.5mm thickness range, so the 2.0mm is a bit stockier than I am used to, but it didn’t feel too large at all.
The grip on this pick is as good as any of my non-textured picks. The pick is translucent, and you can see the writing through the pick to the other side, which is cool. The surface is smooth, and you can only feel a trace of the paint for the labels on both sides. All of D’Addario’s Casein picks have a right-handed bevel.
Tone
In the Pick Drop Test, the Casein 351 exhibits the lowest frequency of all the picks I currently have. If you are not familiar with this test, it is when you drop a pick on to a hard surface, then listen for which frequencies are most prominent. The results were a clue to how this pick would sound when I played it: Full-bodied and mellow.
Casein Sound with Single Coils
On the Telecaster, the Casein 351 sounded natural and warm, at any setting, and either pickup. With the tone on the neck pickup rolled down to 5, the sound was particularly laid back. On the bridge pickup, the Casein wasn’t quite as spanky as my Jazz III XL, but was noticeably louder than a Dunlop Tortex Flex. The overall tone was even and full, with hardly any transient “clicky” sounds when picking single notes.
Next, I broke out my Strat, which is outfitted with Rio Grande Vintage Tallboy pickups. These are slightly dark pickups, and the Casein 351 sounded great, as I expected. Again, the tone was especially sweet with the tone knob backed off.
Casein Sound on Acoustic Guitar
The Casein tone on the Taylor 314 was pleasing as well. Single notes sound round and supple. In all honesty, I wouldn’t say that this pick was my favorite pick for acoustic playing, but it’s a solid choice nonetheless. I have the Taylor strung with Martin Monel strings, so I’m interested to test the Casein with Phosphor Bronze strings at some point. However, I don’t believe that acoustic playing is Casein’s strongest point, which we’ll discuss next.
Casein Sound with Humbuckers
THIS is where I realized what Casein’s greatest strength is: Rich, full-bodied, mellow tone. My hollowbody Hamer has Seymour Duncan Seth Lover Humbuckers, which are unpotted, and known to be a natural, open sounding humbucker. When I rolled the Tone off to 7, I accessed the mellowest, most full-bodied, yet articulate tone I’ve heard from this guitar. Right now, I have the Hamer is strung with Curt Mangan Pure Nickel Strings.
The Casein 351 retained the bright warmth of those pickups, imbuing single note lines with a sweet sounding, yet defined tone. The sound was full-bodied, yet not dull or muddy. Jazzy, single note lines were rendered with fat warmth. Pick attack transients were subdued, which I always appreciate.
Benefits of Casein
- Made from a sustainable material
- Full-bodied, sweet tone
- Durable
- Comfortable to play with
Conclusion
As you can probably tell, I really like D’Addario’s Casein 351 pick. In fact, it reminded me why I enjoy reviewing picks in the first place: Although the differences are often subtle, sometimes you find a pick that just flat out rocks in a certain context. In the case of my hollowbody guitar, that’s what I found with the Casein 351.
I’d recommend these picks for people who favor rich, warm, and smooth tones. If you are looking for ultra-articulation and cut, there are plenty of other picks out there that can give you that sound. At around $22, the D’Addario Casein isn’t cheap, but it’s not overly expensive either. I think of great plectrums as a cost effective way to make an already good guitar sound better.
And, you just might find that a Casein pick, with its familiar feel and full-bodied tone, captures that extra 5% of tonal goodness.
Note: The link below is an Amazon affiliate link, and if you’d like to try the D’Addario Casein, Amazon offers the best price and fast delivery. And, it won’t cost you anything extra!
