PROTOTYPES & TECH PICKS

The picks on this page are rarely seen by anyone other than the band and its crew.  As pick manufacturers continue to push the envelope of technology, new colors and printing techniques become available all the time.  The techs work with the pick companies to design new picks for each tour using these new colors, prints and materials. The pick companies then mock up prototypes in small quantities for the techs and band members to evaluate.

 

I'm sure there is a much larger multiple of prototypes. misprints and tech picks than is shown here.  I have attempted to try and validate these over the years, but the techs are generally not accessible, and the ones that are refuse to talk about them.  So please accept a disclaimer that this is a "best efforts" attempt and should be considered as both incomplete and unverified. All of the picks on this page are copyright by.

 

I've assigned a numbering scheme to be able to differentiate between the picks, especially when multiple variations arise within the same tour. 

 

1977-78 ALIVE II

 

Misprint

 

Alive II misprint pick

 

An error at the pick manufacturer accidentally stamped the logo and Paul's name on the same side of the pick, rather than opposite sides as they should have.

 

1983-84 LICK IT UP

Misprint

Lick It Up misprint? pick

 

I don't know much about this pick. It appears to have been double stamped, so I assume it is just a quality defect that was rejected midway through production. However, it could have been intended for a replacement for Vinnie who was initially fired after the European leg of the tour.  Lacking enough time to hire an adequate replacement, Vinnie was re-hired for the North American leg of the tour.

Prototypes

Lick It Up style 2a picks Lick It Up style 2a picks Lick It Up style 2a picks

 

Note: These must have been a new type of plastic they were trying out? Lots of controversy on whether the Paul pick was always grey, or if it was originally yellow and turned grey. The middle photo shows 1 of 3 yellow Genes I have seen turning grey over time.

 

Note: There are UNCONFIRMED rumors of  black on pink  and  yellow on pink  prototype picks.  However, I have never seen one and there is much debate as to whether or not these are legitimate.

 

1985-86 ASYLUM

  

Prototypes

  

Asylum prototype guitar picks

   

Prior to the Asylum tour, commissioned prototype picks in assorted colors. These picks featured a slightly smaller logo than would eventually be used on the tour. Legend has it the band either never paid for them or decided to go with a larger logo. In any event, the picks ended up being sold out of a fishbowl at Manny's Music Store in NYC. When "Guitar Player" magazine editor, Jas Obrecht was compiling a photo shoot of various artists' guitar picks a for his magazine, furnished the above samples. Supposedly there is also a multi-color confetti style pick as well.

 

The band subsequently commissioned a different pick company to produce their picks for the tour.  Allegedly the following colors were also made but never used on tour:

 
  gold on purple  gold on green    gold on black  gold on orange  gold on dark blue  

     

1987-88 CRAZY NIGHTS

 

Tech pick

 

Crazy Nights tech pick

CRA-SH1 - gold on white - logo / Hit By. Steve Habel

Note: Steve was the Production Manager for the tour.  His pick throwing abilities were legendary.

 

1996-97 ALIVE/ WORLDWIDE (REUNION)

 

Rehearsal

 

Ace Reunion rehearsal pick

Paul Reunion prototype pick

 

REU-AF16 - fractured mirror prism on white - logo/ sig.  (Used by Ace during rehearsals for the Reunion tour)

 

REU-PS4 - black on white - outlined logo [over] Alive/Worldwide 96-97/ sig. (a prototype pick that never made it to the tour.  It was made for Paul, but he didn't like them, so they never got mass produced.)

 

Note: If you are looking for the infamous "Lost Cities prototypes" picks, they are not legitimate and therefore can be found here on the Fakes page.

 

1998-99  PSYCHO CIRCUS TOUR

 

Prototypes

 

Eventually this design was scrapped for the arched Psycho Circus name over the logo.  The presence of " Psycho-Circus 1998-2000 Worldwide" suggests the band initially planned on touring the album for two to three years.  It is rumored there may be as many as 22 different varieties (different types of prisms and foils on various colors, including two different types of white) of these prototypes made for each band member.  These are extremely rare, but here are the ones I have been able to confirm so far:

 

Psycho Circus prototype guitar picks

Psycho Circus prototype guitar picks

PCT-AF1 - prototype - silver glitter prism on white

PCT-AF2 - prototype - silver glitter prism on transparent blue

PCT-AF3 - prototype - silver glitter prism on fuchsia

PCT-AF4 - prototype - silver glitter prism on yellow

PCT-AF5 - prototype - silver glitter prism on red

PCT-AF6 - prototype - silver leaf/ camouflage prism on black

PCT-AF7 - prototype - silver leaf/ camouflage prism on fuchsia

PCT-AF8 - prototype - red to yellow rainbow on transparent blue

PCT-AF9 - prototype - rainbow on semi-transparent fuchsia

PCT-AF10 - prototype - red to yellow rainbow on black

PCT-AF11 - prototype - red to yellow rainbow on white

PCT-AF12 - prototype - green to blue rainbow on white

PCT-AF13 - prototype - rainbow on yellow

PCT-AF14 - prototype - green to blue rainbow on red

PCT-AF15 - prototype - red to yellow rainbow on red

PCT-AF16 - prototype - green to blue rainbow on black

 

Psycho Circus prototype guitar picks

Psycho Circus prototype guitar picks

PCT-PS1 - prototype - maroon on white

PCT-PS2 - prototype - black on white

PCT-PS3 - prototype - silver leaf/ camouflage prism on white

PCT-PS4 - prototype - silver leaf/ camouflage prism on black

PCT-PS5 - prototype - silver leaf/ camouflage prism on yellow

PCT-PS6 - prototype - silver leaf/ camouflage prism on transparent blue

PCT-PS7 - prototype - oil slick on yellow

PCT-PS8 - prototype - oil slick on white

PCT-PS9 - prototype - oil slick on transparent blue

PCT-PS10 - prototype - oil slick on black

PCT-PS11 - prototype - oil slick on fuchsia

PCT-PS12 - prototype - oil slick on red

PCT-PS13 - prototype - silver glitter prism on solid red

PCT-PS14 - prototype - silver glitter prism on white

PCT-PS15 - prototype - silver glitter prism on fuchsia

PCT-PS16 - prototype - silver glitter prism on transparent blue

PCT-PS17 - prototype - metallic red on yellow

PCT-PS18 - prototype - metallic red on white

PCT-PS19 - prototype - metallic blue on yellow

PCT-PS20 - prototype - rainbow on transparent blue

PCT-PS21 - prototype - rainbow on black

PCT-PS22 - prototype - rainbow on fuchsia

 

Psycho Circus prototype guitar picks

Psycho Circus prototype guitar picks

Psycho Circus prototype guitar picks

PCT-GS1 - prototype - black on white

PCT-GS2 - prototype - black on transparent blue

PCT-GS3 - prototype - black on fuchsia

PCT-GS4 - prototype - metallic blue on red

PCT-GS5 - prototype - metallic blue on fuchsia

PCT-GS6 - prototype - metallic blue on yellow

PCT-GS7 - prototype - blue prism on white

PCT-GS8 - prototype - silver glitter prism on fuchsia

PCT-GS9 - prototype - silver glitter prism on yellow

PCT-GS10 - prototype - silver glitter prism on black

PCT-GS11 - prototype - oil slick on black

PCT-GS12 - prototype - oil slick on fuchsia

PCT-GS13 - prototype - oil slick on yellow

PCT-GS14 - prototype - oil slick on white

PCT-GS15 - prototype - oil slick on red

PCT-GS16 - prototype - silver leaf/ camouflage prism on white

PCT-GS17 - prototype - silver leaf/ camouflage prism on transparent blue

PCT-GS18 - prototype - silver leaf/ camouflage prism on fuchsia

PCT-GS19 - prototype - silver leaf/ camouflage prism on red

PCT-GS20 - prototype - silver leaf/ camouflage prism on yellow

PCT-GS21 - prototype - rainbow on transparent blue

PCT-GS22 - prototype - rainbow on black

PCT-GS23 - prototype - rainbow on fuchsia

PCT-GS24 - prototype - rainbow on white

 

Tech picks

 

Psycho Circus tech picks

PCT-PT1 - Paul's Tech - purple prism on white - PC logo / "Ragman (over) 13" with a circle around it

PCT-PT2 - Paul's Tech - metallic red on white - PC logo / "Ragman (over) 13" with a circle around it

PCT-AT1 - Ace's Tech - prism on transparent red - PC logo / drawing of skull & cross-bones

PCT-AT2 - Ace's Tech - dull silver on black - PC logo / drawing of skull & cross-bones

PCT-PCT1 - Peter's Tech - silver prism on red - PC logo / Catfish Kanon "You've Been Hooked" with a cartoon face

PCT-GT1 - Gene's Tech - black on fuchsia - PC logo / "King of Fling"

PCT-GT2 - Gene's Tech - black on red - PC logo / "King of Fling"

PCT-GT3 - Gene's Tech - black on white - PC logo / "King of Fling"

PCT-GT4 - Gene's Tech - black on powder blue - PC logo / "King of Fling"

PCT-GT5 - Gene's Tech - black on mustard yellow - PC logo / "King of Fling"

 

2000-01 FAREWELL TOUR

 Prototypes

 

NTF-AF1 - DUNLOP - silver on transparent purple - logo/ Spencer's style sig

Note: Made for the New Year's Eve & Alaskan shows, but Ace felt the purple was Paul's "signature color", not his.

NTF-AF2 - DUNLOP - white on light blue - logo/ Spencer's style sig.

NTF-PS1 - DUNLOP - white on purple - logo/ Spencer's style sig.

NTF-GS1 - DUNLOP - white on red - logo/ Spencer's style sig.

NTF-PC1 - DUNLOP - white on dark green - logo/ Spencer's style sig. - Peter ended up using these on the tour

NTF-PC2 - DUNLOP - white on light blue - logo/ Spencer's style sig.  (Pick company error. These should have on green picks.)

Farewell Tour prototype guitar picks

NTF-GS2 - DUNLOP - black on chalky white - logo/ Spencer's style sig. - Tortex picks tested to deal with the slickness of the Dunlop picks, but they smudged badly.

NTF-AF3 - DUNLOP - black on chalky white - logo/ Spencer's style sig. - Tortex picks tested to deal with the slickness of the Dunlop picks, but they smudged badly.

NTF-PS2 - DUNLOP - black on chalky white - logo/ Spencer's style sig. - Tortex picks tested to deal with the slickness of the Dunlop picks, but they smudged badly.

  

  Note: There were also some fake Ace prototypes made that can be found here on the Fakes page.

 

ACE CITY PICKS

 

Ace "city picks"

Ace "city picks"

Ace "city picks"

Ace "city picks"

Ace "city picks"

 

NTF-AF4 through NTF-AF44 - beginning with Chicago, Ace had individualized picks for every city on the tour in a multitude of different combinations of prisms and colors.  Ace designed them himself!  He threw out approximately 44 per show. Ace also had them "retro'd" for the following cities he played on the tour prior to Chicago because they weren't ready in time.  Rumor is he occasionally dispersed these during the remaining shows on the tour to try and make up for the delay.

 

NTF-AF4 - Phoenix, AZ - oil slick on yellow pick

NTF-AF5 - Tucson, AZ - silver on orange pick

NTF-AF6 - Las Cruces, NM - oil slick on transparent blue pick

NTF-AF7 - Las Vegas, NV - black on powder fuchsia pick

NTF-AF8 - Anaheim, CA - black on powder orange pick

NTF-AF9 - San Diego, CA - confetti on white pick

NTF-AF10 - Bakersfield, CA - metallic red on transparent blue

NTF-AF11 - Oakland, CA - oil slick on transparent red pick

NTF-AF12 - Reno, NV - metallic blue on black pick

NTF-AF13 - Salt Lake City, UT - metallic purple on yellow pick

NTF-AF14 - Denver, CO - metallic green on transparent blue pick

NTF-AF15 - Lubbock, TX - silver on transparent red pick

NTF-AF16 - San Antonio, TX - confetti on orange pick

NTF-AF17 - Houston, TX - rainbow on white pick

 

Ace "city pick" - cancelled Lake Placid show

NTF-AF44 - Lake Placid, NY - metallic red on transparent blue pick

(Made for the tour, but the show was canceled and therefore it was never used.)

NTF-AF18 - Dallas, TX - silver on red pick

NTF-AF19 - Oklahoma City, OK - metallic red on fuchsia pick

NTF-AF20 - Little Rock, AR - metallic green on transparent blue-green

NTF-AF21 - Pensacola, FL - metallic green on white pick

NTF-AF22 - West Palm Beach, FL - oil slick on transparent pink pick

NTF-AF23 - Ft. Meyers, FL - oil slick on transparent blue-green

NTF-AF24 - Orlando, FL - oil slick on yellow pick

NTF-AF25 - Tampa, FL - oil slick on orange pick

NTF-AF26 - Birmingham, AL - metallic blue on fuchsia pick (see note below)

NTF-AF27 - Atlanta, GA - metallic green on black pick

NTF-AF28 - New Orleans, LA - metallic green on transparent red pick

NTF-AF29 - Columbia, SC - metallic red on white pick

NTF-AF30 - Charlotte, NC - metallic purple on white pick

NTF-AF31 - Greenville, SC - metallic purple on white pick

NTF-AF32 - Greensboro, NC - rainbow on transparent light green pick

NTF-AF33 - Chattanooga, TN - metallic blue on orange pick

NTF-AF34 - Memphis, TN - oil slick on transparent blue pick

NTF-AF35 - Nashville, TN - oil slick on transparent light green pick

NTF-AF36 - Louisville, KY - oil slick on red pick

NTF-AF37 - Knoxville, TN - metallic red on black pick

NTF-AF38 - Charleston, WV - oil slick on white pick

NTF-AF39 - Roanoke, VA - confetti on transparent pink pick

NTF-AF40 - Cleveland, OH - confetti on fuchsia pick

NTF-AF41 - Cleveland, OH - metallic purple on orange pick

NTF-AF42 - Grand Rapids, MI - silver on transparent blue

NTF-AF43 - Toledo, OH - confetti on red pick

Note: The Birmingham pick mistakenly has Arkansas in the background.

 

2003 WORLD DOMINATION TOUR

Tech picks

World Domination tech picks

 

WWD-PT1 - Paul's Tech - silver on black - logo / "Francis Picked Me"

WWD-PT2 - Paul's Tech - silver on emerald pearl - logo / "Francis Picked Me"

WWD-TT1 - Tommy's Tech - black on glow-in-the-dark white - logo /  Vegas

WWD-FS1 - Dec. 20th pick - black on semi-transparent white - logo / "Dec 20th Goodbye Darkside, You Suck!!!"

 

Note: This pick was a jab directed at Aerosmith's crew.  December 20th was the last show of the tour, and coincidentally Peter Criss's birthday.

  

2004 ROCK THE NATION TOUR

  Tech picks

Rock The Nation tech picks

 

RTN-PT1 - Paul's Tech - metallic purple on pearl - small Starchild icon / "Francis Picked Me 2004"

RTN-PT2 - Paul's Tech - purple on pearl - large Starchild icon / "Francis Picked Me 2004"

RTN-TT1 - Tommy's Tech - black & red on white - logo / dernière sortie and Vegas 13 inside a Canadian Maple Leaf

 

Note: Vegas is Canadian, hence the Quebecois slang that means roughly "Last Night Out" because he planned retirement from the business at the end of the tour. 13 is his hockey jersey number.

 

2006 RISING SUN TOUR

Tech pick

Rising Sun tech pick Rising Sun tech pick

RST-PT1 - Paul's Tech - black on orange - iron cross / Francis (prototype)

RST-PT2 - Paul's Tech - silver on black - iron cross flag / Francis

 

2006-07 PAUL STANLEY LIVE TO WIN SOLO TOUR

Tech picks

Live To Win tech pick

 

LTW-PT1 - Paul's Tech - black on white - winged heart / Francis

 

2007 HIT N RUN TOUR

Tech picks

Hit N Run tech picks
 

Hit N Run tech picks

HNR-PT1 - Paul's Tech - Paul's Tech - black on white - iron cross flag / Francis

HNR-GT1 - Gene's Tech - silver on white - "The roadie formerly know as..." / railroad spike "20 Years 1987-2007"

HNR-GT2 - Gene's Tech - silver on turquoise - "The roadie formerly know as..." / railroad spike "20 Years 1987-2007"

HNR-GT3 - Gene's Tech - silver on confetti - "The roadie formerly know as..." / railroad spike "20 Years 1987-2007"

HNR-GT4 - Gene's Tech - silver on tortoise - "The roadie formerly know as..." / railroad spike "20 Years 1987-2007"

HNR-GT5 - Gene's Tech - silver on black - "The roadie formerly know as..." / railroad spike "20 Years 1987-2007"

HNR-GT6 - Gene's Tech - silver on abalone - "The roadie formerly know as..." / railroad spike "20 Years 1987-2007"

Note: Congrats on 20 years of service! An amazing accomplishment!

 

2008-09 ALIVE 35 TOUR

Tech picks

EUROPE

Alive 35 tech picks

 

A35-MG1 - Meet & Greet Specialist - white logo on earth on white / World Tour 08 DS

A35-PT1 - Paul's Tech - white logo on earth on white / World Tour 08 FS

A35-PT2 - Paul's Tech - red, white & light blue on black - American flag logo / Francis

A35-PT3 - Paul's Tech - red, white & navy blue on black - American flag logo / Francis (error printing)

A35-TT3 - Backline Techs - red, white & light blue on black - American flag logo / World Tour [over] Alive/35 [over] 2008

A35-TT4 - Backline Techs - red, white & navy blue on black - American flag logo / World Tour [over] Alive/35 [over] 2008 (error printing)

A35-C1 - Crew - black on white- Alive 35 logo / CREW

 
NORTH & SOUTH AMERICA
Alive 35 2009 tech pick   Alive 35 2009 tech pick

A35-PT4 - Paul's Tech - silver on black - outlined logo [over] ALIVE 35 /  TUNING PICK (South America only)

A35-PT4 - Paul's Tech - black on white - large Starchild icon / ALIVE 35 (North America only)

 

Merchandise picks
Alive 35 2009 merch pick   Alive 35 2009 merch picks
 

A35-TT5 - D'Andrea - silver on transparent blue - outlined logo [over] ALIVE 35 / World Domination signature (stamped)

Note: This was a merchandise only pick. Not used on stage during the tour.

 

A35-PL1 - D'Andrea - white on black - outlined logo / ALIVE 35 (given out to Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

A35-PL2 - D'Andrea - black on white - outlined logo / ALIVE 35 (given out to Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

A35-PL3 - D'Andrea - confetti prism on black - Sonic Boom logo / blank (given out to Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

A35-PL4 - D'Andrea - confetti prism on black - Alive 35 logo / blank (given out to Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

 

Prototypes

Alive 35 prototype picks

 

A35-PS11 - Dunlop - red & purple on solid white - outlined logo [over] ALIVE 35 / Psycho Circus signature (pad printed) (smaller logo and no fading bar in the middle)

 

A35-TT10 - Dunlop - red & purple on solid white - outlined logo [over] ALIVE 35 / World Domination signature (pad printed) (smaller logo and no fading bar in the middle)

 

2010 SONIC BOOM OVER EUROPE TOUR

Tech picks

Sonic Boom 2010 crew picks

SB-PT1 - Paul's Tech - Dunlop - smooth gradient orange & yellow on solid white - outlined logo [over] Since Boom logo [over]  2010/ Francis

SB-TT1 - Tommy's Tech - Dunlop - smooth gradient orange & yellow on solid white - outlined logo [over] Since Boom logo [over]  2010/ Survis

SB-MG1 - Meet & Greet Specialist - Dunlop - smooth gradient orange & yellow on solid white - outlined logo [over] Since Boom logo [over]  2010/ Specialist DS

SB-KM1 - KISS Manager - Dunlop - smooth gradient orange & yellow on solid white - outlined logo [over] Since Boom logo [over]  2010/ Doc

 

Merchandise picks

Sonic Boom 2010 meet-n-greet picks

SB-PL1 - Dunlop - smooth gradient orange & yellow on solid white - outlined logo [over] Since Boom logo [over]  2010/ demon icon (pad printed) (given out to Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

SB-PL2 - Dunlop - smooth gradient orange & yellow on solid white - outlined logo [over] Since Boom logo [over]  2010/ starchild icon (pad printed) (given out to Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

SB-PL3 - Dunlop - smoothh gradient orange & yellow on solid white - outlined logo [over] Since Boom logo [over]  2010/ spaceman icon (pad printed) (given out to Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

SB-PL4 - Dunlop - smooth gradient orange & yellow on solid white - outlined logo [over] Since Boom logo [over]  2010/ catman icon (pad printed) (given out to Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

 
 

2010 HOTTEST SHOW ON EARTH TOUR

 

UNITED STATES

Tech picks

Hottest Show On Earth 2010 crew picks

HSE-PT1 - Paul's Tech - Dunlop - red & black on solid white - THE SHOW / silhouette of Paul (pad printed)

HSE-PT2 - Paul's Tech - Dunlop - red & black on solid white - SIDESHOW [over] Tortex logo / silhouette of tech (pad printed)

HSE-PT3 - Paul's Tech - Dunlop - multicolor on solid black - Hottest Show On Earth tech logo / Francis in prism (pad printed)

HSE-TT1 - Tommy's Tech - Dunlop - multicolor on solid black - Hottest Show On Earth tech logo / Survis in prism (pad printed)

HSE-ET1 - Eric's tech - Dunlop - multicolor on solid black - Hottest Show On Earth tech logo / Bassett in prism (pad printed)

 

Merchandise picks

Hottest Show on Earth 2010 Meet-N-Greet picks - Style 1

Hottest Show on Earth 2010 Meet-N-Greet picks - Style 2        Hottest Show on Earth 2010 VIP picks

HSE-PL1 - Dunlop - white on solid black - outlined logo / demon icon (pad printed) (given out to Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

HSE-PL2 - Dunlop - white on solid black - outlined logo / starchild icon (pad printed) (given out to Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

HSE-PL3 - Dunlop - white on solid black - outlined logo / spaceman icon (pad printed) (given out to Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

HSE-PL4 - Dunlop - white on solid black - outlined logo / catman icon (pad printed) (given out to Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

HSE-PL5 - Dunlop - multicolor on solid white - Hottest Show On Earth logo / demon icon (pad printed) (given out to Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

HSE-PL6 - Dunlop - multicolor on solid white - Hottest Show On Earth logo / starchild icon (pad printed) (given out to Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

HSE-PL7 - Dunlop - multicolor on solid white - Hottest Show On Earth logo / spaceman icon (pad printed) (given out to Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

HSE-PL8 - Dunlop - multicolor on solid white - Hottest Show On Earth logo / catman icon (pad printed) (given out to Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

HSE-PL9 - Dunlop - black on transparent yellow - KISS logo / (blank) (pad printed) (mailed to VIP and Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

HSE-PL10 - Dunlop - white on transparent red - KISS logo / (blank) (pad printed) (mailed to VIP and Platinum Meet-n-Greet buyers)

 

Thanks for visiting my site!

 

If you have photos of these sets, including front and back, or know of additional picks not shown here, please email me.

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