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The First Plastic Guitar Pick Ever — The D’Andrea USA Story
D’Andrea USA is the inventor of the world’s first plastic guitar pick, a milestone that forever changed how musicians play and sound their instruments. Founded in 1922, D’Andrea has been shaping the evolution of guitar picks, celluloid picks, and guitar accessories for more than a century.
A Guitar Pick Is Born in New York City (1922)
The story begins in downtown New York City. Luigi D’Andrea, a Neapolitan immigrant and vacuum cleaner salesman, stumbled upon a sidewalk sale featuring sheets of tortoise-shell–colored cellulose nitrate plastic and a set of mallet dies used to punch decorative shapes. Intrigued, Luigi purchased the materials and brought them home.
At his kitchen table, he punched out hundreds of small, flat plastic hearts. It was his young son, Anthony D’Andrea, who noticed that the shapes closely resembled a tortoise shell mandolin pick. That simple observation sparked an idea that would change music history.
Within days, Luigi sold a cigar box full of these plastic picks to G. Schirmer & Son Company, a New York music store, for $10. More importantly, he realized he had created a better, more consistent alternative to natural tortoise shell picks.
The World’s First Plastic Guitar Pick Enters Production
Recognizing the opportunity, Luigi opened a small manufacturing facility on 27th Street in New York City, officially launching what would become D’Andrea USA. By 1928, Luigi was widely known as the Henry Ford of guitar picks, having developed semi-automated machinery capable of punching, tumbling, and imprinting up to 59 different pick shapes.
D’Andrea produced:
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Plastic guitar picks
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Celluloid picks
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Thumb picks and finger picks
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Pickguards
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Instrument cases and drum bags
These products served musicians playing guitar, bass, mandolin, saxophone, accordion, and more.
Private-Label Guitar Picks and Global Recognition
In the 1930s, Anthony D’Andrea joined the company and transformed not only production but marketing and branding. By the 1950s and 1960s, D’Andrea USA became the leader in private-label guitar pick manufacturing, supplying customized picks to music retailers, major guitar brands, and touring artists worldwide.
From local music stores to global icons like The Beatles, personalized guitar picks became an essential part of musical identity.
Innovation in Pick Gauges, Printing, and Materials
In the 1970s, Tony D’Andrea Jr., Luigi’s grandson, expanded the brand into a full line of guitar accessories, including guitar straps and guitar care products. He also introduced intermediate pick gauges between thin, medium, and heavy—giving players new tonal options and control.
During the 1990s, Charlie Lusso revolutionized guitar pick printing by introducing pad printing technology, replacing hot stamping. This allowed for:
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Faster production
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Multi-color logo printing
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Highly detailed, computer-generated designs
Today, the D’Andrea archives include over 25,000 imprint files, representing decades of custom guitar pick designs.
D’Andrea USA Today
After more than 90 years of continuous innovation, D’Andrea USA now offers:
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12 guitar pick lines
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6 plastic materials, including classic celluloid
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Custom and private-label guitar picks
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Guitar accessories used by artists, retailers, and manufacturers worldwide
In 2012, Tony D’Andrea Jr. and his wife Rosemary retired, transitioning the brand to longtime partner John J. DiMugno Jr. and Delmar Products, Inc. Under Delmar’s leadership, D’Andrea has expanded its role as both a guitar pick manufacturer and a plastic materials supplier, supporting other major pick brands including Fender, Dunlop, and Ernie Ball.
A Legacy That Still Shapes Music
What began on a kitchen table in 1922 remains at the heart of modern music. As the inventor of the first plastic guitar pick, D’Andrea USA continues to define quality, consistency, and innovation in guitar picks and accessories—helping musicians around the world shape their sound, one pick at a time.