Clown Barf

[mandoman15]

what is this stuff, i was talking to someone about picks...like you do... and he kept mentioning clown barf what is it, and why might it have been his favorite pick, he said he had david grisman clown barf picks, not dawg picks..david grisman... seemed strange to me but there you have it... i hate clowns

[otterly2k]

it's that multicolored plastic all melted together and picks made out of it.

[Jim M.]

A close-up, courtesy of Frets.com:

[mandoman15]

eeew, i can se why they call it clown barf, but what about the grisman picks???

[Jim M.]

Golden Gate makes a pick that is shaped like a Dawg pick, and used to be called the Grisman pick. Before they switched to the tortoise shell looking material, they made some from clown barf. I haven't seen any in a while and I don't think they are made any longer.

[glauber]

I haven't seen clownbarf picks, like, forever, but they used to be common. Maybe it was a 1970's thing.

[AlanN]

I got a bunch of them several years ago from a Japanese mandolin picker, apparently they were/are quite common over there.

[Michael H Geimer]

I still have an old 'Grisman' Golden Gate in tortise. It's different than the current GG pick.

The elusive Grisman 'Clown Barf' was also different than the (much more common) Fender Multi-Colored Plastic Pick.

Frisbee vs. Flying Disk ... got it?

Some sold last week on Ebay.



<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Mosaic-Extra-Heavy-Dawg-Shape-Mandolin-Pick-Picks_W0QQitemZ7339423275QQcategoryZ20831QQssP


ageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">Last Weeks Ebay</a>

[AlanN]

Thar she blows!

[Mando4Life]

Anyone got a few extras they wouldn't mind parting with?

I've got some misc picks that I could offer in trade (Dawg, Tri-Corner Pro-Plec, Ultex).

I've always wanted to try one of them out; remind me of some of the picks my brother used to play with on his Les Paul.

WBL

[Juice6120]

Upon hunting for Tortoise binding awhile back I found this site on Clownbarf. Paul Hostetter's page. here is the link.
thanks . http://www.lutherie.net/confetti.htm

[mando_toss_flycoon]

Clown barf picks brighten up a cloudy day.

Barfing: The technicolor yawn.

[thistle3585]

The ones pictured above are currently available from a dealer in Minnesota. They aren't the same clownbarfs. They are made by a company called Blaughton. I bought some, but I had a lot of problems with them. The edges weren't very good because there were cracks and divots where the plastic came together. I think the dealer sells them for about $2.00 each. I have the website at my office and will try and post it wed.

[mikeomando]

You can still get 'em

here

[mikeomando]

The above link is mainly guitar picks. This guy also sells a thing called a ruff grip that helps toughen up the tips of your fingers. It works pretty well. Not affiliated, but I have bought some tri-fin picks from him and I like them.

[jim_n_virginia]

I have a couple of old ones that I like although I pretty much use another style when I play now. Don't see why people can get so much for them but I like mine but got them when you could get them for reasonable price.

Dave of Red Bear Trading Company might still have some for sale.

http://www.flatpickin.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=131

[dan@kins]

I just ordered the ones from Yesterdays guitars. . . "Clown Barf"! Too much. This is gonna really crack one of my pickin buddies up! Thats the only reason I ordered them, just to get a laugh out of this guy.

Thanks.

[GnomeGrown]

the only real bonus I see in this type of material is visibility......

If dropped on dark carpet, or outside, I bet all those colors would be far easier to spot than a dark dawg pick..............

[Bob A]

I still have two antique David Grisman Signature picks form forever ago. It's weird: each corner gives a different tone, from sorta muted to more trebly to still more treble. It must be the way they're beveled, since they both have the same thing going on, but I can't see the difference. But my eyes are going, so who knows?

There's more than one Old Pick Specialist on ebay; I've dealt with a guy out in California before, and he was able to find me some Kay nylon picks that haven't been made for 20 years or more, in both black and translucent milky grey. They're the only picks that sound decent with my mandola, and I lived in fear of wearing out or losing the two I had.

Hard to believe the difference a pick can make. For a couple bucks you can totally change the sound of a ten grand mandolin. (Well, a couple grand anyway). On an otherwise boring day, I can drive myself nuts with a mandolin and a box of picks, trying to decide which one I like best.

(OTHERWISE boring, did he say??)

[Paul Hostetter]

Some nice clownbarf picks are always on sale on eBay, new ones from China. Search for either "mosaic" or "Alice" + picks. People also sell vintage ones.

Here's my page on clownbarf.

[delsbrother]

I've heard the golden stuff (looks like clownbarf made of pearloid chunks) called "angelbarf."

[Ray(T)]

Its not called clownbarf! - its the same stuff that some electric guitar makers used on the fronts of their instruments in the 1950's/60's. Its really called "mother of toilet seat" although in those days it only came in one colour.

[luckylarue]

I had one once. Stuck it in the strings of someone's guitar I was playing and forgot to retrieve it later. I still have one of the older Dawg picks - the smaller ones. The clown barf was one of my favorites...(sniff, sniff)...I may never find another like it.

[otterly2k]

Ray-
I'm pretty sure MOTS is something different...the faux pearl stuff that's really kind of irridescent plastic.
Anyone know what I'm talking about and have a pic?