Solid 22k gold picks.

[Ron Landis]

NFS... Probably the world’s first and only set of solid gold fingerpicks. They were a special commission to match a 1927 Gibson Bella Voce Banjo. I had to test drive them and I can say they are slightly better than my sterling silver picks. Reduced pick noise and with more clarity. I probably won't ever be marketing them but want to make a similar set for the winner of the National Banjo Championship next year at Winfield which will be celebrating their Golden Anniversary in 2022.

[Jerry Overstreet]

Such craftsmanship Ron. Beautiful work!

[Dave Hopping]

I'd be soooo tempted!

[Dan Kelly]

If you HAD to market them, Ron... How much?

[Ken Pippus]

I would expect that those would wear a lot faster than silver.

[Jerry Overstreet]

Yes well, I wouldn't actually pick with them. I'd put those in a display case as a Presentation set.

[Ron Landis]

We filmed a tone comparison for the Landis Studios YouTube channel that will be posted in a few days. I was able to give them a workout on the banjo. A noticeable improvement in clarity and warmth was heard by everyone in the room. Whether that will transfer through our less-than-optimal recording equipment is a different story, but I'm now totally convinced that the 22k gold is the way to go for the best tone.

I also found out that these are NOT the first picks made from solid 22k. I met a gentleman on a Facebook page who had his jeweler make a pair of 22k gold picks several years ago and backed up every claim I made about the tone and durability of them. He's still using his after many years of playing. I made mine thicker than usual to compensate strength-wise but started with the softest alloy I felt I could get away with for optimal tone. I'm truly blown away by how good these sound. I'm now scrounging up all my gold scraps so I can make a set for myself.

[Ron Landis]

If you HAD to market them, Ron... How much?

Okay, your question caused me to rethink this. I just didn't think there would be much market, but I'm now so convinced about the tone, I think I'd be doing the music community an injustice by not making them available. I've always maintained that there is always room for the best.

Plus, as Jerry mentioned, they would make for a nice presentation set and special gifts. Personally, I would like to make and donate a set for Winfield's Golden Anniversary Banjo contest next year.

So I did some math. At current gold prices, It looks like they'd be in the neighborhood of $2600 for a three piece set including some simple engraving. That breaks down to $1350 for the pair of fingerpicks and $1250 for the thumb pick. Basic engraving like initials with some simple flourishes, etc.

[Fish]

I'd never lose my fingerpicks again. Ever.
These are beautiful!

[David Ball]

I'm afraid that would ensure that I lost my picks! Beautiful...

Dave

[Gene Tani]

slightly better than my sterling silver picks.

Oh boy, I absolutely love the tone of the sterling picks (just received a accu thumb pick to complete the set w/3 fingerpicks), let me see how many nickels and dimes i have in my jar.

[Bob Carlucci]

Yeah, $2600 is a bunch of money for a set of fingerpicks, but you know, for that level of craftsmanship and supreme quality, not to mention the rarity and uniqueness of of solid gold picks, I think that is a very reasonable price... bob

[Bill Miller]

Gene said :

Oh boy, I absolutely love the tone of the sterling picks

Yes, so do I. It seemed like a chunk of cash for fingerpicks and my main reason for ordering was for the 'death-grip' feature which works extremely well. But there is an improvement in tone that is equally impressive.

[Jack Stanton]

Very cool!

[Jack Stanton]

Very cool!