Tortise shell picks, anyone?

davidp158 · January 2nd, 2004, 12:46 PM

A friend gave me a real tortise shell pick for my birthday, and its quite amazing. Its about the thickness and shape of a Fender medium pick, but much stiffer, louder and the tone is great. With an acoustic guitar, the improvement over plastic picks is dramatic. With electric, the improvement is less dramatic, but still very audible. As tortise shell is organic, after you've held if for a while it seems to "stick" to your fingers, in a good way. Its much easier (for me) to hold and play with than a conventional plastic pick, and it seems to slide off the strings faster, too. Overall, its an amazing thing to experience.

Unfortunately, tortise turtles are on the endangered species list, and consequently tortise shell products are illegal. The guy who made my pick uses old tortise shell products (combs and other things) to make the picks. As he didn't slaughter any turtles to make the pick, I don't have any reservations about using it.

Has anyone tried the "cultured tortise shell" picks called Tor-tis? They were developed by luthier John Greven, and supposed to be very close to real tortis shell. They are also expensive at $15 to 20 each. Still, I'm so impressed with my tortise shell pick that I want to try one.

If anyone has comments on these, or other picks, that mimic tortise shell, please chime in.

thanks in advance, and have a great 2004,
Dave

BB · January 2nd, 2004, 01:06 PM

I have a tortise shell pick my sister in law gave me about 12 years ago. She got two of them in Japan years ago. I have not used it much, ( I'm afraid I'll loose it ) but I agree with your tone findings. It really sounds good on acoustic guitar.

I have not tried the Tor-tis picks, but they do look interesting...as do his sarod wood picks. I just can't justify spending that much money on a pick!

I've been making my own picks from a stash of small pieces of exotic wood my father-in-law used for making earings. I love the tone these picks produce. Warm, fat and articulate.

JoeyV · January 2nd, 2004, 01:34 PM

I bought some ebony, rosewood,ivory and elkhorn picks at a guitar show a while back and I love the ebony and the rosewood picks as they have a really unique and pure tonality to them.... :D

Eppo Franken · January 2nd, 2004, 01:50 PM

It is amazing that some of you like heavy picks, as well..

I make my picks for more than 15 years, out of Melamine.
It s a sort of plastic I think, but it is very very hard....

The thickness is between 2 and 3 mm.
I once had a coffeetable (I hope it is the right name) which broke, when it fell on the ground.

From that moment I tried to make picks from that material, with very fine results.

People who see mee playing are amazed at first, but when they try, they seem to like them.....

I once thought about to produce them serial and sell them.........

Eppo

joshigh · January 2nd, 2004, 02:11 PM

I'm afraid I've lost mine. Hopefully it's in a box somewhere, I'm sure it is, but I couldn't go right to it. My uncle gave it to me. I've never played with it much, or taken it anywhere, for fear of losing it, but, I guess that's what happens when you move.

Big Tony · January 2nd, 2004, 02:28 PM

Yeah, I played those dead turtle picks many years ago. They were stiff. So were the celloloid ones you never see any more (are they collectable?). My current favorite is the red Jim Dunlop Jazz III pick.

Oster · January 2nd, 2004, 03:25 PM

That's a cool gift! I myself have a 'fossilized Mammoth tusk' pick that I never use (sounds great, but I'm also a secret amateur paleontologist on the side and appreciate that pick's source more than its function). Seek out 'Picks' by Hoover, a great little book that'll make you appreciate the lowly pick in all its varieties even more (ISBN 0879303778). My favorite pick is a nice old heavy piece of Fender Celluloid (imitation Tortoise shell, 3 sided) that will spark a serious search should it ever be lost.

Wally · January 2nd, 2004, 03:46 PM

I play the yellow Tortex picks because they sound like my fingernails but last longer, right? I had figured that the fingernail should have a sound that is simular to a real tortoiseshell pick and found years later when I got to try an illegal turtle pick that my guess was accurate. The Tortex pick does an excellent job of cloning the real deal.

rogerbrewin · January 2nd, 2004, 03:52 PM

I discovered the Dunlop Pics several months ago and am very pleased with the feel and wear rate. As they warm up they grip better and contour a bit which I enjoy. Am I reading right that real turtle shell pics are illegal?..or just expensive and hard to come by?

Wally · January 2nd, 2004, 03:58 PM

The source for the shell is protected by the endangered species act, I think. It is illegal to trade in them...maybe even to have them for all I know. The same applies to ivory and Brazilian Rosewood not felled before June of 1990.

beez · January 2nd, 2004, 05:03 PM

For that really good tone, you just can beat California Condor beak. The combination of that, and maybe installing a nut made from unborn Panda bone is about as good as it get!!

Indybeez

P.S. Is it just me, or does Spotted Owl taste like chicken?

JoeyV · January 2nd, 2004, 05:23 PM

And dont forget the comfort of a baby seal guitar strap or an American Bald Eagle feathered pickguard? Is it me or does Bald Eagle tast like Chicken?

joshigh · January 2nd, 2004, 11:42 PM

No, Bald Eagle tastes like California Condors. Dodo birds taste like chicken. I know a few bass players who use the big fat purple Dunlop picks. I could never get used to them.

Russinator · January 3rd, 2004, 12:04 AM

Quote:

I know a few bass players who use the big fat purple Dunlop picks

Racajun · January 3rd, 2004, 11:01 AM

Boudreaux (local Cajun hero) is in front of Judge Thibodeaux for killing an Ibis (water bird w/ long bill). The judge is threatening to send Boudreaux to jail for one year and Boudreaux is pleading, saying he has seven kids and a wife. The judge gives Boudreaux another chance and dismisses him with a one hundred dollar fine. As Boudreaux is leaving Judge Thibodeaux calls him over to the bench and asks him what Ibis tastes like. Boudreaux states " Oh, it's a little like dis and a little like dat. It's like a cross between an eagle and an egret".

Rick from Lafayette

davidp158 · January 3rd, 2004, 02:18 PM

Thanks for your comments. Some were pretty humourous. I'm not avocating that we go out and slaughter turtles, but if someone can make tortise shell picks from "old stock" tortise shell items like hair combs, I'll buy 'em/use 'em. What the heck, the turtle is long dead and has been used for something else already. If anyone asks, just tell 'em I play my guitar with a comb.

Has anyone tried the Tor-tis brand picks?

have a good one,
Dave

January 2nd, 2004, 12:46 PM	#1 (permalink)
davidp158 Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bellevue, WA Posts: 354	Tortise shell picks, anyone? A friend gave me a real tortise shell pick for my birthday, and its quite amazing. Its about the thickness and shape of a Fender medium pick, but much stiffer, louder and the tone is great. With an acoustic guitar, the improvement over plastic picks is dramatic. With electric, the improvement is less dramatic, but still very audible. As tortise shell is organic, after you've held if for a while it seems to "stick" to your fingers, in a good way. Its much easier (for me) to hold and play with than a conventional plastic pick, and it seems to slide off the strings faster, too. Overall, its an amazing thing to experience. Unfortunately, tortise turtles are on the endangered species list, and consequently tortise shell products are illegal. The guy who made my pick uses old tortise shell products (combs and other things) to make the picks. As he didn't slaughter any turtles to make the pick, I don't have any reservations about using it. Has anyone tried the "cultured tortise shell" picks called Tor-tis? They were developed by luthier John Greven, and supposed to be very close to real tortis shell. They are also expensive at $15 to 20 each. Still, I'm so impressed with my tortise shell pick that I want to try one. If anyone has comments on these, or other picks, that mimic tortise shell, please chime in. thanks in advance, and have a great 2004, Dave

January 2nd, 2004, 01:06 PM	#2 (permalink)
BB Friend of Leo's Join Date: May 2003 Location: Pacific NW Age: 53 Posts: 3,145	Hey Dave........... I have a tortise shell pick my sister in law gave me about 12 years ago. She got two of them in Japan years ago. I have not used it much, ( I'm afraid I'll loose it ) but I agree with your tone findings. It really sounds good on acoustic guitar. I have not tried the Tor-tis picks, but they do look interesting...as do his sarod wood picks. I just can't justify spending that much money on a pick! I've been making my own picks from a stash of small pieces of exotic wood my father-in-law used for making earings. I love the tone these picks produce. Warm, fat and articulate.

January 2nd, 2004, 01:34 PM	#3 (permalink)
JoeyV Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Northshore , MA Age: 44 Posts: 1,205 2 Photos	I have some ebony, rosewood,ivory and elkhorn I bought some ebony, rosewood,ivory and elkhorn picks at a guitar show a while back and I love the ebony and the rosewood picks as they have a really unique and pure tonality to them.... :D __________________ "I just love hearing them guitars go zing, zang , zoom"

January 2nd, 2004, 01:50 PM	#4 (permalink)
Eppo Franken Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Dordrecht, The Netherlands (Europe) Posts: 268	Heavy picks.....wowwww....!!!!!! It is amazing that some of you like heavy picks, as well.. I make my picks for more than 15 years, out of Melamine. It s a sort of plastic I think, but it is very very hard.... The thickness is between 2 and 3 mm. I once had a coffeetable (I hope it is the right name) which broke, when it fell on the ground. From that moment I tried to make picks from that material, with very fine results. People who see mee playing are amazed at first, but when they try, they seem to like them..... I once thought about to produce them serial and sell them......... Eppo

January 2nd, 2004, 02:28 PM	#6 (permalink)
Big Tony Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Sweden, by golly! Posts: 2,523 28 Photos	Dead turtles Yeah, I played those dead turtle picks many years ago. They were stiff. So were the celloloid ones you never see any more (are they collectable?). My current favorite is the red Jim Dunlop Jazz III pick.

January 2nd, 2004, 02:11 PM	#5 (permalink)
joshigh Tele-Meister Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Plant City, FL Posts: 185	I'm afraid I've lost mine. Hopefully it's in a box somewhere, I'm sure it is, but I couldn't go right to it. My uncle gave it to me. I've never played with it much, or taken it anywhere, for fear of losing it, but, I guess that's what happens when you move.

January 2nd, 2004, 03:25 PM	#7 (permalink)
Oster Friend of Leo's Join Date: May 2003 Location: Latveria Age: 39 Posts: 2,654	Make Mine Celluloid That's a cool gift! I myself have a 'fossilized Mammoth tusk' pick that I never use (sounds great, but I'm also a secret amateur paleontologist on the side and appreciate that pick's source more than its function). Seek out 'Picks' by Hoover, a great little book that'll make you appreciate the lowly pick in all its varieties even more (ISBN 0879303778). My favorite pick is a nice old heavy piece of Fender Celluloid (imitation Tortoise shell, 3 sided) that will spark a serious search should it ever be lost. __________________ "What would we do baby, without us?" Play On.

January 2nd, 2004, 03:46 PM	#8 (permalink)
Wally Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Lubbock, TX Posts: 4,027	Dunlop Tortex I play the yellow Tortex picks because they sound like my fingernails but last longer, right? I had figured that the fingernail should have a sound that is simular to a real tortoiseshell pick and found years later when I got to try an illegal turtle pick that my guess was accurate. The Tortex pick does an excellent job of cloning the real deal.

January 2nd, 2004, 03:52 PM	#9 (permalink)
rogerbrewin TDPRI Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Chanhassen, MN Posts: 66	Tortex Pics I discovered the Dunlop Pics several months ago and am very pleased with the feel and wear rate. As they warm up they grip better and contour a bit which I enjoy. Am I reading right that real turtle shell pics are illegal?..or just expensive and hard to come by? __________________ "Well you see, you’ve got three hands to play a guitar and only two for a piano." Rev. Gary Davis

January 2nd, 2004, 03:58 PM	#10 (permalink)
Wally Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Lubbock, TX Posts: 4,027	The source for the shell is protected by the endangered species act, I think. It is illegal to trade in them...maybe even to have them for all I know. The same applies to ivory and Brazilian Rosewood not felled before June of 1990.

January 2nd, 2004, 05:03 PM	#11 (permalink)
beez Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 755	Tortoise Shell is good, but........... For that really good tone, you just can beat California Condor beak. The combination of that, and maybe installing a nut made from unborn Panda bone is about as good as it get!! Indybeez P.S. Is it just me, or does Spotted Owl taste like chicken?

January 2nd, 2004, 05:23 PM	#12 (permalink)
JoeyV Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Northshore , MA Age: 44 Posts: 1,205 2 Photos	And dont forget the comfort of a baby seal guitar strap And dont forget the comfort of a baby seal guitar strap or an American Bald Eagle feathered pickguard? Is it me or does Bald Eagle tast like Chicken? __________________ "I just love hearing them guitars go zing, zang , zoom"

January 2nd, 2004, 11:42 PM	#13 (permalink)
joshigh Tele-Meister Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Plant City, FL Posts: 185	No, Bald Eagle tastes like California Condors. Dodo birds taste like chicken. I know a few bass players who use the big fat purple Dunlop picks. I could never get used to them.

January 3rd, 2004, 11:01 AM	#15 (permalink)
Racajun TDPRI Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 15	Boudreaux (local Cajun hero) is in front of Judge Thibodeaux for killing an Ibis (water bird w/ long bill). The judge is threatening to send Boudreaux to jail for one year and Boudreaux is pleading, saying he has seven kids and a wife. The judge gives Boudreaux another chance and dismisses him with a one hundred dollar fine. As Boudreaux is leaving Judge Thibodeaux calls him over to the bench and asks him what Ibis tastes like. Boudreaux states " Oh, it's a little like dis and a little like dat. It's like a cross between an eagle and an egret". Rick from Lafayette

January 3rd, 2004, 02:18 PM	#16 (permalink)
davidp158 Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bellevue, WA Posts: 354	thanks for the replies Thanks for your comments. Some were pretty humourous. I'm not avocating that we go out and slaughter turtles, but if someone can make tortise shell picks from "old stock" tortise shell items like hair combs, I'll buy 'em/use 'em. What the heck, the turtle is long dead and has been used for something else already. If anyone asks, just tell 'em I play my guitar with a comb. Has anyone tried the Tor-tis brand picks? have a good one, Dave