Fickle Pick Picker

**Todd Bowman** · Jul-11-2018, 11:13am

I was going through an old mandolin case this morning and found a pack of old picks -- some Dawg picks, a couple new old-stock Golden Gate picks (I think before Dawg had his own) and one very worn golden gate that I had used for 20+ years before Wegen or Bluechip, or "your favorite expensive pick name here".

So I lined them all up and gave each one a run-through. Each one (even of the same brand) had a slightly different tone and I like what each one produces, but I'll be darned if I didn't like the 20+ year old, worn down $.50 golden gate above the others.

Glad to have found an old friend!

**sblock** · Jul-11-2018, 11:26am

Originally Posted by tbown

I was going through an old mandolin case this morning and found a pack of old picks -- some Dawg picks, a couple new old-stock Golden Gate picks (I think before Dawg had his own) and one very worn golden gate that I had used for 20+ years before Wegen or Bluechip, or "your favorite expensive pick name here".

So I lined them all up and gave each one a run-through. Each one (even of the same brand) had a slightly different tone and I like what each one produces, but I'll be darned if I didn't like the 20+ year old, worn down $.50 golden gate above the others.

Glad to have found an old friend!

If so, then I should be easy to copy the wear pattern from that pick, and proceed to bevel a new GG pick to have the same edge, using an emery file (of the type used for nails). You certainly don't have to wait 20+ years to get a pick the way you want it!

**Br1ck** · Jul-11-2018, 11:41am

It's just that tHe plastic has aged enough that it's opened up. Old plastic just has that tone people are looking for.

I'll just note the rarity of these old picks because so many have been ruined in the wash, seeing how detergent has such a negative effect on the high end.

**Mandoplumb** · Jul-11-2018, 1:07pm

Originally Posted by Br1ck

It's just that tHe plastic has aged enough that it's opened up. Old plastic just has that tone people are looking for. I'll just note the rarity of these old picks because so many have been ruined in the wash, seeing how detergent has such a negative effect on the high end.

You can speed up the opening of the pick if you lay it in front of stereo speakers playing at full volume for about a week.

**Denny Gies** · Jul-11-2018, 2:04pm

I was fortunate to get a real nice tortoise shell pick about 20 years ago. It is still serving me very well.

**pops1** · Jul-11-2018, 3:09pm

A young friend of mine just got her first mandolin. I gave her some picks, then later came upon a package of Golden Gate picks. I never cared for them. I took a knife and scraped a speed bevel to two of the sides. What an amazing difference it made from the rounded way they come. I wanted to get her a thicker pick, but didn't want to give her the stock GG. May make one for myself.