Does anyone know what type of material white Landstrom Sharkfin picks are made from?

Gear
#1

Over the last few years I have dabbled in playing with a Landstrom Sharkfin pick. I love the feel and thickness of the white one, but I have no idea what it’s made from - does anyone here know?

The pick isn’t that practical for playing with any kind of speed, although they certainly don’t hold Trevor Rabin back! I have tried cutting it into the shape of a somewhat regular pick, but I’m just wasting them as it hasn’t been very successful and I am just wasting them when I do this.

I believe that the sharkfins without the gold writing on them are made from nylon, but I’m not sure about the red and white with the gold writing. It feels like a mixture of nylon and something else, but I don’t know what. I bought some Dunlop Flex picks, thinking they would feel similar, but they have more of a nylon feel to them. The white Sharkfins have a really nice snap that I like.

I know this is a longshot, and it’s something that I have tried to find out in the past with no luck. I am not even sure if these picks are widely available in USA. I don’t know of anyone who plays them, apart from Trevor Rabin, but he uses the red ones which are very, very thin.

I’m really hoping I can find a regular shaped pick made from the same material. I have tried nylon, tortex, celluloid, delrin, ultex…nothing seems to match. It’s maybe a proprietary blend. Who knows?

41oP4BxKMPL.BO30,255,255,255_UF900,850_SR1910,1000,0,C_ZA74,500,900,420,420,AmazonEmber,50,4,0,0_PIRIOFIVE-medium,BottomLeft,30,-20_QL100
41oP4BxKMPL.BO30,255,255,255_UF900,850_SR1910,1000,0,C_ZA74,500,900,420,420,AmazonEmber,50,4,0,0_PIRIOFIVE-medium,BottomLeft,30,-20_QL100820×669 162 KB

#2

Hi. The landstrom sharkfin gold print white picks are nylon, but landstrom seems to use different grades of nylon rather than different thicknesses. I would advise finding 10 or more different nylon pick manufacturers and testing them all, as they may use different grades of nylon.

1 Like
#3

Thanks! How do you know this? I’ve been trying to find this out for ages to no avail. I guess the nylon formulas are all different then, rather than just a bog standard nylon?

#4

I am unfamiliar with them, but they seem to be really old (?). If you know what year they were introduced, that might really help you to narrow the material down, as you’ll know it won’t be any materials or formulations that are newer than that.

1 Like
#5

I have a couple in my giant pick box, and it’s nylon just by the feel and the wear pattern. I can’t give an exact reason, just experience.

I have a background in manufacturing and material speccing, and I’ve seen supplier lists of different grades of nylon for injection moulding or plate for stamping. It’s a bloody big list :sweat_smile:

2 Likes
#6

@kgk I think the company has been around since the 1960s. I remember finding an Instagram account for a pick collector (sadly he deleted the page) and he had a huge collection of vintage Landstrom Sharkfin picks. He said the feel and material of them changed over time.

@Tonemason thanks for the info, it’s very interesting. I have compared some of my nylon picks and the closest in feel is maybe the Dunlop .60mm Max Grip pick, although it’s maybe a little warmer sounding. It does have a similar snap and feel when playing though.

1 Like