The Mandolin Cafe Pick Tour

**dvatchka** · Jul-30-2003, 6:36pm

The Rainieri-style pointy thing was a strange inspiration when I had all these old piano key tops lying around, including the thin, narrow pieces that go all the way to the back of the keyboard. "What do I do with these?" I says to myself. Then I saw a post on this here board describing these odd shaped picks. So I tried it. Didn't like it too much but maybe as Pete has suggested, some extra effort smoothing the edges would have helped.

Pete, definitely do not send these to any other country outside the US (Texas would be OK, I think!). It's not just Canada, but any country that signed the CITES treaty (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) could pose a problem. According to the rules, parts of an endangered animal that was actually killed before the Convention came into effect (mid-seventies I think) are ok, but you have to be able to prove that - and for my old piano keys, I don't have paperwork. Of course it only makes sense, pianos have been topped with plastic ever since CITES, so any piano ivory would have to predate it, but without the paperwork who knows what a Customs inspector would do? Not worth the hassle defending yourself against the $10,000 fine.

**bratsche** · Jul-30-2003, 8:30pm

Dvatchka - the Ranieri style picks require a special kind of technique to play with, so I doubt they'd be too useful to the rest of us ordinary mortals. Did you happen to catch the link a while back over in the classical section of someone using one in a recital? It was "different", to say the least!

I agree with you and Glen about keeping the picks in the US. I have heard horror stories of musicians touring with orchestras and having valuable expensive bows confiscated without recourse, simply because they had ivory or TS parts. They have taken this whole endangered species bit to ridiculous extremes, imo. The ivory suppliers I have bought from can only ship elephant ivory within the US, even though it's of "legal age", so I adopt that rule with my picks as well, to stay safe. But it's not true about piano keys all being plastic since the ban - many people will have their piano keys topped or re-topped with legally sold pre-ban ivory - making use of "new old stock", as it were.

bratsche

**mandodude** · Jul-30-2003, 10:30pm

Pete,

You are da MAN!! When I kicked off this "Picks for Pete" thing I had no idea you'd turn it around and share the love, so to speak! WHAT A GUY!! I'm proud to have been "Head Cheerleader" for this thing!

Been spendin' a LOT of time on the road lately (FINALLY, the ol' Cafe gets to enjoy a spell of relatively silent intelligence, without fear of my typically incessant and absurd comebacks, huh??!?). Guess I'll have to get my name on the list for the next go-around of the tour.

Your "pick tour" is a fabulous idea, my friend. Thanks for taking P.F.P. to the next level!!

;-)

M'dude

**Arto** · Jul-31-2003, 12:59pm

In case you are interested in Ranieri plectrum use, here is the link Bratsche mentioned:
Het Consort: Sebastiaan de Grebber

De Grebber is one of the solists in mandolin orcherstra Het Consort. Click "Calace prelude no 2" on this page and you´ll see part of the performance on video. Great music and great player.

greetings, Arto

**mandopete** · Jul-31-2003, 7:38pm

Alrighty then,

The tour bus is all loaded up and leaves bright and early tommorow morning. First stop will be Grant Eversoll in Petersburg, Indiana! All told we have 29 tour stops, all over the United States. I'm looking forward to hearing some comments and feedback, this should be fun. Here's the list of folks who have signed-up for the tour:

Grant Eversoll
Rick Gaskin
Charles Hicks
Keith Newell
Jason Dennie
Joe Canitia
Erik Newman
Ric Volante
Mick Meinsler
John Ely
Pearl Bradley
Tracy Mazur
Christine Walsh
James Hamrick
Greg Kise
John Jesseph
David Landgraf
Erica Rossi
Barb Cybart
Teri LaMarco
Daryl Thompson
Jim Comeaux
Odnamnool
Ben Ellis
Ira Kittrell
Jeff Sanders
Larry Wellman
Jeff Paradise
Dan Hagen

**bratsche** · Jul-31-2003, 7:44pm

Yikes, they're leaving tomorrow morning? Did you get my pick yet? I hope so... because I think it's a better example than the one of mine that's already in there. (Any way for it to "catch up" with the tour, if it missed the bus?)

bratsche

**mandopete** · Jul-31-2003, 7:50pm

Bratsche,

Unfortunately your pick missed the rehearsal (and we're going to have to dock your pay too), but we may be able to add it mid-stream. I do have one of your picks in the mix, it's one of the larger tear-drop shapes, nice pick too!

**bratsche** · Jul-31-2003, 7:56pm

Bummer (dam post office, what do we pay ridiculous postage increases for? slower service, that's what!) ... and I hope it can rejoin... otherwise, I want it back!

thanks...

bratsche

**mandopete** · Aug-01-2003, 5:52pm

Bratsche,

Great News - Your pick arrived today! The custom crafted "Le Nose Pick" arrived and I gave it a thorough test drive and it sounds great. The tour bus has already left the station, but I should be able to send the pick along it's way to catch up.

**OdnamNool** · Aug-01-2003, 9:06pm

Uh oh... Now I'm worried... Did "Black Beauty" arrive? Is it on board the bus?

**bratsche** · Aug-02-2003, 12:25am

Hey, a day full of good news... "Le Nose Pick" arrives right after the bus has left, and the Cubs finally win the game only 8 hours after the first pitch was thrown. In both cases, better late than never! (But I can't make a crack about saving a load of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico, because they actually wanted a lot more than I was paying already....)

Anyway, just be sure to send it on in a padded envelope, the same way you got it, because I learned (the hard way) that if you put those in regular envelopes that get cancelled mechanically, the machine wins and the pick loses. :-(

bratsche

**OdnamNool** · Aug-02-2003, 3:21am

Well, yeah! #Good for you! #I'm sittin' up here frantically twiddling my thumbs and wondering, "where's the pick?"

**OdnamNool** · Aug-02-2003, 6:07am

I also find it very troubling that, apparently, I'm the only one that used my "handle". I mean...look at that list! They're all real names!!! EeeeeK!!! Dr. Fflyodd!!! Hep me, hep me!

**grant_eversoll** · Aug-04-2003, 10:08pm

The picks made it to Indiana today, and I had to work late today (just got home at 10:00)...dam the bad luck. On the bright side I get off early tomorrow so everybody get out of my way cause I'm gonna play.
Grant

**mandopete** · Aug-04-2003, 11:53pm

Glad to hear it - I'll be looking forward to a review!

**OdnamNool** · Aug-05-2003, 2:31am

Huh? At this point, Mandopete, you're supposed to be saying, "well, yes indeedy, Od, yer pick arrived and it's on board the Plectrum Spectrum. You mean, it didn't arrive yet??? Oh dear! Gee Willakers. At the same time I mailed the pick, I mailed cookies and candy to someone in Hawaii, and it didn't arrive yet either... What's going on here?

**mandopete** · Aug-05-2003, 8:57am

Originally Posted by (OdnamNool @ Aug. 05 2003, 3:31)

Huh? #At this point, Mandopete, you're supposed to be saying, "well, yes indeedy, Od, yer pick arrived and it's on board the Plectrum Spectrum. #You mean, it didn't arrive yet??? #Oh dear! #Gee Willakers. #At the same time I mailed the pick, I mailed cookies and candy to someone in Hawaii, and it didn't arrive yet either... #What's going on here?

Yup, got the pick. #Can you tell what it is made from, it looks like some type of wood.

**mandodude** · Aug-05-2003, 9:02am

Originally Posted by (mandopete @ Aug. 05 2003, 9:57)

...Can you tell what it is made from, it looks like some type of wood.

Hey, Pete!

If Od held true to what she said she was gonna make a pick out of, then you don't even wanna know what it is!!

Hint: It ain't wood!...

;-)

**mandodude** · Aug-05-2003, 9:08am

Hint #2: Go back to the original "Picks for Pete" thread... July 3rd postings...

**mandodude** · Aug-05-2003, 9:11am

Hint #3: Pete, if the pick you got from Od looks, smells and tastes like a cookie, then her friends in Hawaii are in for a big surprise when they bite into her "gift!"

;-)

**mandopete** · Aug-05-2003, 9:57am

You mean a genuine, one of a kind, moose nugget pick ?

**bratsche** · Aug-05-2003, 10:27am

Coprolite, maybe? Or is that from some other critter's "nugget"? (Hey, then what are "Nugget" mandolins made of? hmmmmmmm!)

Pete, time to post pictures of the recent arrivals, don'tcha think? ???

bratsche

**mandopete** · Aug-05-2003, 10:43am

Well, yours was the only new arrival I've had and I didn't have time to get a photo as I wanted to get it added to tour ASAP.

FWIW - I loved the nose on the front! Let's just say that you can pick your friends and you might pick your nose, but never pick your friend's nose

**bratsche** · Aug-05-2003, 10:55am

Ah, you sent it along already? Great, thanks!

Originally Posted by

you can pick your friends and you might pick your nose, but never pick your friend's nose

That little jewel is precisely the pearl of wisdom that prompted me to produce this particular plectrum! And since I, sentimental fool that I am, always make scans of the "special" ones before they leave home, here it is: