A few minutes ago Golden Gate clown barf picks arrived at my house. They are in stock in 3 different shapes at https://store.banjobenclark.com/collections/picks
A few minutes ago Golden Gate clown barf picks arrived at my house. They are in stock in 3 different shapes at https://store.banjobenclark.com/collections/picks
Russ Jordan
I like the triangle shaped ones. I had used the Ultex picks forever (and still alternate with them) but I find I have to wet my fingers to maintain a better grip with the clown barfs. I didn't have that issue with the Ultex. I've never tried the Gorilla Snot grip stuff. I wonder how that is to use?
Old Hometown, Cabin Fever String Band
hey Jim! You ever try violin rosin dust? Put that on your fingers (i.e., the finger tips that touch the pick) - no water - just dust.
problem solved!
f-d
ˇpapá gordo ain’t no madre flaca!
'20 A3, '30 L-1, '97 914, 2012 Cohen A5, 2012 Muth A5, '14 OM28A
saw those on banjo bens site the other day. How's the sound?
I like them, bright, clear, articulate and good volume.
Old Hometown, Cabin Fever String Band
I take my pick into the WC and wash it and my hands , together .. now there is a lot of handwashing going on..
writing about music
is like dancing,
about architecture
I added an order for several - although I usually use a BC, these will go in my pick pouch on my keychain. Harder to loose if you drop them!
Mike
Those who think they should think, like they think others think they should think, need to think out their thinking, I think.
No envejecemos, maduramos. -Pablo Picasso
Since I needed some strings, I ordered through Banjo Ben's and added some of the tear-drop ones, a couple different thicknesses. In times such as these, how can you say no to clown barf?
I bought 3 of the X-stiff rounded ones. Love the tone, the colors, and the name.
Northfield NF-5S
Sawchyn Beaver Tail
Eastman MD 605
Eastwood Mandocaster
Hora Irish Bouzouki
Having spent 30 minutes on my hands & knees trying to find my Bluechip last night, I've put a couple of these in my practice space! They work well enough and can be found on the oriental rug. I'm gonna spend more covid time today trying to find the BLuechip, however!
Looks like they're out of the x-stiff ones in both sizes. Hopefully they'll be able to restock soon.
Got an email that they were back in stock, and I ordered a few in the rounded and large triangle, X-Stiff, and would have preferred XX-Stiff if available. The arrived in pretty short order. Comparing them to the tortoise Golden Gate mandolin picks I have, they are slightly thinner - 0.055" vs. 0.060". They sound only slightly brighter, which could be the thickness or the material.
The pattern is not exactly like the originals, and I don't have any of the originals to compare tone. The large triangle is a bit more pointed in the tip than I prefer, but I expected that. The tone is much brighter with the pointed tip. I modified one a bit, splitting the difference between the stock pointed tip and the rounded mandolin pick. I like the result. I don't expect they'll become my daily player picks, but they do sound good and they're fun to have around. It never hurts to have options in sub-$40 picks to carry in your pocket just in case a jam session breaks out. Thanks for the heads up on these!
I just tried to order the lg. triangle shape in 1.03 mm and they are sold out. I find that the Pick Boy 1.00 mm fine for guitar but prefer thicker for mandolin.
Old Hometown, Cabin Fever String Band
Last week I received my order of the large triangle clown barf picks in X-STIFF. They are listed as being 1.3mm in thickness but in fact all the ones I received range between 1.44 to 1.5mm, a little heavier than expected, which is A-OK by me. I also have recent Golden Gate large triangles in tortoiseshell and they're interchangeable. For myself I round off one of the edges of the large triangle to match the rounded Dawg style pick and use that as my primary picking edge.
Thanks for the link. I ordered some large triangles in the 1.0 thickness and like them a lot. The sound is good even after the points get rounded off a bit.
Are these the same material as celluloid picks?
Waterloo WL-M
Blues Mando Social Group - member
As Russ says, they are celluloid, but not all celluloid sounds and feels the same. Some types are harder or softer than others, which affects the tone and feel. Even different batches with same general look can sound and feel different. You can also tell a difference when you shape it. IME the harder examples have a stronger smell of camphor when worked.
Clowns are an endangered species these days and their barf can only be harvested during certain seasons. This is why these picks are so rare.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
Russ Jordan
Bookmarks