Mark, you can identify the Golden Gates by a sort of cream colour with thin light brown stripes running down it. Sort of "fibrous" like. I'm almost sure that Dunlop has taken them over. After trying one about 3 years ago I was completely sold. The Twelfth Fret here in toronto is always running out of them...but they keep getting them in again so I know they're available. Golden gate used to make one of those "designer capos". High priced and pretty good.

Fingerpicks: Dunlop seem to be the most easily available. If you're going in that direction I'd suggest you get the .025 guage, rather than the lighter ones. Once you really get pickin' the lighter ones almost seem to "melt"...well they start bending. That's a better description

Flatpicks: Many of the really good pros play heavy Tortoise-shell-style picks and use the rounded edge rather than the point. I go for a lighter one. Usually Dunlop .88s. for outdoor playing and .73s for livingrooms and folk clubs. It's a good idea when first experimenting with flatpicks to buy a light, medium and heavy...and then just screw around with them for awhile, til one seems (reasonably) comfortable. It WILL take a couple of weeks to get the hang of it though.

Rick