…but the time to order our specialty custom pick items for Christmas is now! We know you are probably out in the shops seeing Christmas decorations popping up everywhere and thinking “Gee whiz, it’s not even Thanksgiving!” But some things are good to get a head start on. Custom guitar picks make a wonderful gift, and here at Clayton we offer a few items that take a little longer to get shipped out than most of our products. These include the black celluloid, glow in the dark and hot stamp foil custom picks. If you have been looking through our site and thinking that you might like to order one of these three types of custom picks for the holiday season, the time to place your order is now! Each of these materials has a 4-6 week production time, and you will want to allow for shipping time as well. Order today at www.claytoncustom.com!

Hey Clayton Customers! Halloween is fast approaching, and with it can come some really big concerts, parties, and musical events! Custom printed guitar picks from Clayton, USA are a great addition to any Halloween celebration, and it is not too late to get them ordered in time for the 31st! Just visit www.claytoncustom.com to start creating your design. Shown here are our colored delrin picks in .60mm orange, which can be imprinted with any black ink design. Single and double-sided printing are both available. These picks have an average production time of just 48 hours!! So, if you are looking for something unique to add to your fright night festivities, order your custom picks today!

Those of you who are long-time Clayton Customers may have seen that we offer Eco friendly guitar picks through our site at http://www.steveclayton.com/ecopicks.php. Before now, these picks were only available with the standard Clayton Eco logo printed on them. Now we have added them to the options for custom printed guitar picks! Check it out at www.claytoncustom.com! Eco-Picks are an earth-friendly product made of a unique agricultural (non-petroleum) based polymer that is made utilizing renewable energy. Eco picks are made of a plastic that is certified compostable (BPI Certified to ASTM D6400). Now you can rock with a good sounding pick & be responsible to the earth while you do it! The custom Eco Picks are available in two colors; white and natural, and can be printed with any colors on one or two sides. They come in a standard shape and medium (.80mm) gauge. Shown to the left is an example of the natural colored Eco pick with a custom design. Order your own custom Eco picks today!

As many of you already know, Bret Michaels is one of our featured endorsed artists. Bret Michaels started his career as the lead singer of the metal band Poisen. He also starred in the hit shows, Rock of Love with Bret Michaels , its sequels, and was the winning contestant on NBC’s reality show Celebrity Apprentice 3. He now tours the country with The Bret Michaels Band, and we were lucky enough to have him appear in our home of the Rogue Valley in Oregon! Needless to say, the Clayton team made it a priority to go to his concert and meet him in person. All of us had a fabulous time watching Bret, and his band members Dirty Ray and Pete Evick who we also supply guitar picks for. They put on a rockin’ show and we had the opportunity to meet him and take a photo after the concert was over. A big thanks to Bret, Ray, and Pete and other members of the band and tour group. We love working with you!!

Bret has charismatic stage presence that delights the audience

Backup vocalist and guitarist Pete Evick sings his heart out

Members of the Clayton team, along with friends and family, pose for a group shot with The Bret Michaels Band

Looking for a premium pick that will stand the test of time? ZZ-Zinc picks are a new Clayton item that was added to our product line this year! These picks are crafted out of genuine Zinc alloy metal. They are made for producing tones that are clear and high, along with punchy bass and unprecedented volume, due to their heavy mass/metal composition. These picks are popular amongst electric, acoustic and bass guitarists alike. To help maintain grip on the picks and prevent slipping since they are metal, we have added a matte finish and a reversed embedded epoxy logo. These are heavy-duty picks that are designed to last throughout years of guitar playing! They are available in both a 1.0mm and 2.0mm gauge. To order your own ZZ-Zinc premium picks, visit http://www.steveclayton.com/premium.php today!

Just added to Clayton USA’s product line this year, Pocket Picks are a great item for the guitar player on the go! This is a card that fits in a standard billfold, and each card contains five punch-out guitar picks. The material of the picks is a customized polycarbonate that produces a clean, smooth sound with soft tone. They are also great for speed picking. These cards are available in six different gauges including .60, .70, .80, .94, 1.1 and 1.24mm and pricing starts at just $3.99! Order your pocket picks today at http://www.steveclayton.com/pocket-picks.php.

We are excited to present this week’s Pick of the Week, which was made for the band Ashturn. “Ashturn is a Flemish (Belgian) band formed by Steve (drums), Raf (bass) and Mark (guitar) in 2003.  After about a year of rehearsals and song writing Raf switched his bass guitar for a microphone and Tom joined the band as the new bass player.  Dennis, who used to be in another band with Steve and Raf, joined the band as the second guitar player a few months later.  8 years later, Ashturn still has the same line-up.  They are a bunch of very good friends who mainly want to have fun and who really enjoy making music together (which is probably the reason they have already survived this long as a band).”

“Ashturn plays a healthy mix of metal and hardcore and is influenced by a lot of modern and classic bands in both these genres.  They’ve played a lot of gigs in youth clubs, rock bars and on the occasional festival, mainly in the Flemish part of Belgium but also occasionally abroad.  One of the festival gigs they played was the result of Ashturn getting the most votes from the audience at a local rock contest.  Their latest recording effort is an EP called “Heaven or a dark cold day in hell” which can be listened to for free in it’s entirety at www.ashturn.com. ”

“Ashturn is at the moment rehearsing for some upcoming gigs.  In about two months time work will begin on some new songs which will hopefully lead to new recording sessions later. ”
To learn more about Ashturn, visit any of the following sites:

Website: www.ashturn.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ashturn/20845893339
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ashturnmusic
Bass player Tom talks about his experience with Clayton guitar picks:

“As a bass player, I’ve always preferred the bigger rounded triangle shape picks.  I play a down tuned 5 string bass so I need something to grab on to while furiously hitting the B string   I had been using the same picks for years (made by a major brand) so I started to look for a company that could make me some picks with a custom design that are also equally comfortable as the ones I was used too.  This took a lot of research.  No company seemed to offer the right combination of materials, thickness, shape and printing possibilities that I was looking for until I found the website of Clayton Custom.  A few minutes of trying out the fantastic custom guitar pick designer led me to the conclusion that my search had ended.  For the design I chose one of the very nice band logo’s that was made by our guitar player Mark Vandebroek. Once the picks arrived I was extremely happy with the quality.  These picks definitely offer the comfort I was looking for.  On top of that, they were actually a tiny bit stiffer than the ones from my old brand which actually improved the clear, natural but also very punchy sound I am always looking for!  So, great job by Clayton custom!  Now I just need to make sure I can hold on to them as everyone I show them to (fans, fellow musicians, family and friends)  wants to keep one for him/herself!”
Ashturn’s picks were made on our acetal guitar pick material, in the rounded triangle shape. We especially like how the shape of the picks fit really nicely with the band logo. To create and order your own custom guitar picks, visit www.claytoncustom.com today!

This week’s featured Pick of the Week was made for the band Scarlet Machine. “Scarlet Machine is a four-piece rock band made up of teens from the San Francisco Bay Area. These young musicians are making music like it used to be: jamming, not manufacturing. With roots in jazz, rock and funk, Scarlet Machine is about musicianship, great songs, and energetic performances. What you see is what you get.
All too often, bands in concert sound nothing like their CD. Scarlet Machine refuses to be one of those bands. Scarlet Machine draws from a wide array of inspirations because its members are so different. Kyle’s main inspirations are bands like Creed and Paramore. Keller’s inspirations roll to Queen and Radiohead. Nick’s include AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses. Matt’s are bands like A Day to Remember and The Devil Wears Prada.
Kyle says: “We are sort of like a recipe of rock. Each of us is a certain ingredient that wouldn’t be very good by itself, but combined it tastes amazing!” Their latest studio effort, “On Fire” was released September 24th, 2011 and was recorded and engineered by Teddy Gyi, mixed by Juan Urteaga of Trident Studios and mastered by Brad Gillis of Night Ranger.Scarlet Machine will be applying their creative ingenuity to a new studio effort due for release in late 2012. Scarlet Machine will get your blood pumping. Their energy, passion and skill promise audiences nothing less than a true rock show.”

To find out more about Scarlet Machine, visit their facebook page at http://www.scarletmachine.com/. Scarlet Machine’s custom guitar picks were made on our acetal material, and we loved the intricacy of their design. To create and order your own custom picks, visit www.claytoncustom.com today!

The chosen Pick of the Week this week was made for the band Freaky Urban Troopers. They are a funk-rock/progressive-rock band from Vienna/Austria founded in 2011 who are currently starting out, playing (and winning;) several band-contests with national and international gigs and recording their first album in summer 2012. Here is a bio taken from their official site at http://www.freakyurbantroopers.com/:

Groovy beats, funky rock-guitars, freaky rhythms, fantastic melodies and a voice which enlightens your soul with pure desire and deliciousness. We come to rock your house, whatever you are up to. You may have heard of urban legends? …well…then you will probably like THIS:

Legend has it that it all started out as a songwriting-project between Juri and Michi in a shabby little students’ apartment in the slums of Alsergrund, Vienna, back in the late last decade, growing with the congeniality of their comrades in arms into something more inspiring, inconceivably ingenious and thriving than they would have ever imagined (isn’t it nice to be so down to earth besides being extremely modest at the same time?). Others say it was pure determination…or neither of it…who will ever know?

Fact is, that five talented artists with music in their heart and full devotion to their musical goals are on a mission to spread their freaky urban sound among their audience, keeping them procking and grooving. Freaky Urban Troopers are a force to be reckoned with…seriously…

You can also find out more about Freaky Urban Troopers on their facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/freakyurbantroopers.

The Freaky Urban Troopers picks were made on our white pearl material, which nicely supports their detailed red and black logo art. To design and order your own custom made guitar picks, visit www.claytoncustom.com!