TORTOISE SHELL PICKS have long been the “Holy Grail” of the music industry. In the old days it was not a problem to get them and sometimes you can still find them in old guitar cases. But, since laws have been enacted to protect our shelled friends, it is illegal to sell them. Let me repeat that…IT IS ILLEGAL TO SELL TORTOISE SHELL PICKS. I have heard the stories of “Oh, I got it from a pawn shop”, “It’s old,” etc. There really isn’t the possibility of that much old material from such sources, especially when you see the bags of picks in the back seats of those “vendor’s” cars.
The bottom line is that every pick manufacturer, every company which sells picks and many musicians are looking to find the sound of that “Holy Grail.” That is the standard. Literally any material you can think of has been used to make picks: plastic, nylon, acetate, cellulose, poly carbonate, vinyl, credit cards, wood, horn, bone, quarters, milk resins, stone, glass.
We also have been searching for that sound. And while I personally don’t like such thick picks, we have some picks which we think come close and are legal to boot. In general, they are on the thick side, as shell was usually quite hefty. There are two which I would bring to your attention: our Studio™ 2.0 Picks and our Fast Turtles™.
John was one of the first people to come up with the asymmetrical pick, giving you, on one pick, three different picking points. Each shape point gives you a different sound. So, studio players wouldn’t need to bring a whole handful of picks for a job…they just needed the “Studio” pick. It is made of Viscoloid, a type of cellulose, and comes in the “standard” thicknesses; 0.50m, .075m. But to get the sound of Tortoise, it is the heavier picks are shine:1.0m, 1.2m, 1.5m. These are relatively inexpensive, by comparison to the wood, stone, etc., picks and we have even weaned some friends off other, very expensive picks. Another benefit is that they are “white” which means, if you drop them, you can find them. This something you cannot say about some of the very expensive picks, which is a well-known failing.
Our Fast Turtle™ picks, named by my husband Spafford in honor of the “ones who got away”, are made out of Casein, a resin made with milk and phosphoric acid. They are made in the Studio™ shape, but the material is much more substantial, even at the same thicknesses. And while they have the benefit of really looking like tortoise shell, they also have the sound. The thinner picks are available as flat picks, 1.0m and 1.25m. With the thicker picks, it allows a “dimple” to make them easier to hold while not limiting which point is used and they are available in 2.5m, 3.2m, and 4.0m.
The search continues, looking for that legendary sound which may, in fact, be all around us with picks which are available now but, in our minds, remains elusive. My happy thought is that no turtles were harmed by our picks as we continue the quest.
