Golden Gate MP-10 Deluxe Tortoise Style Flat Pick - Large Triangle - Dozen

Right off the bat, let me say that these are very well-made picks and that they helped me significantly improve my mandolin technique.Now, if you want to read on, I'll give you more details. First, I started playing mandolin over 40 years ago. Back then, there was no internet of course, and as a kid in suburban NJ, I knew of no one else who played mandolin so my only sources of information were Mel Bay chord books and Oak Publication collections of fiddle tunes. Since I played guitar, I just naturally used guitar picks for mandolin with no thought as to whether they were the best choice or not. People thought I played pretty well, but after a few years I dropped mandolin to concentrate on my guitar work.Fast forward 30 years and I decided to get back into the mandolin. After going through a few cheapo models, I finally bought myself a Godin A8 which I like very much. And again, I used guitar picks for my mando work as well.However, in the meantime, this wonderful thing called the internet had come along and suddenly I had all kinds of new info about mandolins, and specifically, mandolin picks. Lo and behold, I learned that what I liked in a guitar pick was exactly the opposite of what most good mando players looked for in a pick. I use Dunlop tortex .88 picks for playing electric guitar and regularly replace them as they grow rounded. But I read that a good mando pick is thick and very rounded. This facilitates rapid tremelo picking.So I looked around and found you can spend a lot more for a single "good" mando pick than what I pay for a dozen guitar picks. Then I came across these picks and, while they cost more than guitar picks, they seemed pretty reasonable, so I bought them.Right off the bat I noticed that it was much easier to tremelo pick on demand, and the rounded tips did not prohibit me from accurately hitting single notes. And after a month or so of playing pretty much daily, I see no discernable wear on the first pick, so I'm guessing this dozen picks are gonna last me a long time.Bottomline: if you're learning to play mandolin AND you're using a guitar pick THEN immediately throw away that guitar pick and treat yourself to a dozen of these picks. Like me, you'll be glad you did.

I watched "Belltower Lesson 11 - Picking" on YouTube before buying this pick and was intrigued by the possibilities (no financial interest). It was worth it. The complaints against the pick are probably due to improper technique, as I found it to be almost an ideal jazz guitar pick, capable of considerable speed and beautiful tone. Advice: hold it loosely and incline the forward edge (toward the tuners) slightly upward about 15 degrees, George Benson-style, to make it work. Don't dig in while playing. Stay on the surface of the strings and keep the dynamic range in reserve. When doing scale passages you will encounter almost zero resistance, as long as you grip it lightly. Don't worry --- it will stay in place. I am not familiar with the material, but it sounds and looks like natural tortoise shell and has a "sticky" feel in spite of its glassy smoothness. There is almost zero string noise. It is extremely strong and will last a long time. You can incline the rear edge of the pick slightly more downward on downstrokes to reduce the traveling distance to the next string. Incline it slightly upward for an upstroke. Makes it easy to do economy picking. It is NOT a shredder's pick. If you want a hornlike, Wes Montgomery sound, go for it. Give yourself a little time to adjust and watch the Belltower video. I'm pretty sure you'll like it.

I have tried dozens of different picks and can honestly say these picks are truly amazing for so many reasons. I use them for both guitar and mandolin. They are very crisp and clean. I'm not a speed player per se, but I could easily see how anyone looking in that direction would love them as well. The shape and heft allow for incredibly clear tone; simply awesome picks.

I recently picked up mandolin. I was playing guitar before. After adding pinch harmonics to my guitar tricks, I began playing with my pick sideways, using one of the round sides. I was previously a bass player, so I've always liked heavy picks. This pick has all the qualities I like: heavy, rounded, nice feel and tone... and it has a good width to it which compensates the rounded picking area. The tortoise shell color is really attractive too. All around great pick. This is now my official "mandolin pick". I'll buy more in the future. Recommended.

I bought these to try as an alternative to the Jim Dunlop Primetone for playing mandolin.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JB4WAU4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1I'm sticking with the Primetone because of the grip. Unfortunately the Golden Gate slips around just a little too much for me when playing mandolin; will try it out on guitar eventually and will update the review accordingly. Still a great pick at a great price if you like smooth, thick picks with a rounded edge.

I purchased these picks after all the rave reviews of how much easier it is to play mandolin tremelo style, which I have stuggled with for many years. After I tried them out, although this is basically true, what I found is that the sound the pick emits is dampened and much too soft from what I am used to in my regular playing. The edge surface is curved horizontally, but also rounded vertically, so that the attack on the strings is not as acute. I find that my mandolin sounds best when I can strike both strings sharply, which can only be accomplished by a harder edge. So, in summary, there is a trade off with these picks, which needs to be said.