Deering Banjo Company Purchases ProPik

Janet Deering, Greg Deering, Jamie Deering, Jim Mapson, Chad Kopotic, and Jamie Latty

Deering Banjo Company has completed the purchase of the long-standing fingerpick brand, ProPik® , from California based Mapson Engineering, and has begun to manufacture the entire line of fingerpicks at their Spring Valley, California facility. 

The decision to purchase the popular fingerpick brand marks Deering’s first move into fingerpick manufacturing, coupled with the opportunity to carry on the legacy of such a popular brand. 

Deering plans to continue manufacturing picks under the ProPik brand and will assume responsibility for the manufacturing of the extensive line of innovative products, designed for banjo players, guitar players, dobro players and more. 

ProPik has enjoyed more than 30 years of success, largely thanks to their high quality, affordability, and comfort. In particular, the Extra Comfortable Split Wrap fingerpick offers the player far more versatility in molding the pick to the unique shape of your finger, without the need for any special tools, as is the case with some other pick makers. 

Fingerpicks are a key accessory for many musicians and are particularly popular among 5 string banjo players who wear them to create a brighter tone with more volume. Typically, 5 string banjo players playing the three-finger style wear two fingerpicks (one on the index finger and one on the middle finger) as well as a thumbpick. The three-finger style of banjo playing, immortalized by Bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs, incorporates a fingerpicking technique that utilizes the thumb, index finger, and middle finger to create “banjo rolls”. 

ProPik fingerpicks were long distributed exclusively by Guptill Music who very suddenly closed their doors in November of 2019, leaving many pickers asking questions about the future of the brand and without a source for high quality, affordable fingerpicks. After several months of 

silence, Deering and Propik founder and inventor Jim Mapson were able to meet in January during Winter NAMM to begin discussions.