#1
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Tortoise shell
First off, I am NOT a proponent of using such a material for the obvious ethical/moral/legal/etc reasons...I am not trying to start a debate, argument, nor upset anyone regarding this 'material'
...however, that said, to someone who has never touched tortoise shell anything, what makes it 'desirable'? I've seen picks made of this 'material', the pick guard on my Martin is PLASTIC, though made to look look like tortoise shell...is this all just for looks? Are there other reasons than look that people used to desire picks, etc made from the shell of a tortoise? Where did this tradition begin? Turner.
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2011 Martin OMJM 2011 Cordoba C5-CE 2010 Yamaha GL-1 2009 Fender Stratocaster - Squier (Modified) |
#2
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Most people who love them think they sound best. They have a great sound and feel and they have a natural grip when wet. My TS Picks are the only ones I like better than Blue Chip. I'm not sure where the tradition began but I can tell you Tortoise shell makes great sounding picks. They are illegal to buy and sell.
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Crazy guitar nut in search of the best sounding guitars built today and yesterday. High End Guitar Review Videos. www.youtube.com/user/rockinb23 |
#3
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The dilemma here is that some will weigh in and say, perhaps rightly so, that it is a excellent pick material. As much as we would like to think we are just trading in "old" shell products, the mystique surrounding it simply encourages poaching today. Some day, the subject will just not come up anymore and that will be fine.
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#4
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tortoise shell was traditionally used for its beauty and practical application...easily shaped and durable it was used for lots of stuff....victorian era combs and jewely boxes...frames for spectacles and of course plectrums....when cellulose (a wood based product)was developed and became popular in the early 20th century they discovered that it could be made to look remarkably close to tortoise shell in appearance and faux tortoise shell became very popular and common...that trend continues until present day....
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#5
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After that, the quest for the Holy Grail of faux TS commenced and - imo -rose every closer to the real thing with Red Bear and more recently Blue Chip. The only downside to TS is its need to be polished to keep a smooth bevel. Blue Chips don't, they're practically indestructible. The only TS pickguard I ever saw was one Tony Rice had made from a shell given to him in Japan decades ago by an admirer. It's on the old Martin 58597, pre-CITES: He might have significant trouble taking it out of the country (not that he plans to of course). |
#6
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Tortoise shell was one of a few precursors to plastic. Whale bone, horn, ivory, and other organic materials are some others that come to mind. We're talking about an era when whale oil was filling the role that petroleum largely does today, by comparison. These proto-plastics (at least shell and horn) could be processed into flexible, versatile forms that could then be cut and used in a variety of ways (kind of like plastics). The disappearance of these materials in favor of plastics was not abrupt. For years as a kid, I heard people talking about horn-rim glasses and I had no idea what they were. Well, (I eventually learned) they were plastic faux-tortoise eyeglass frames but I guess they looked like earlier designs that were made from buffalo horn or other similar materials. Use of horn, tortoise shell, and other materials for the uses that were eventually taken over by plastics was so common that it had become durably engrained in the language even though its use had greatly abated. So, tortoise shell as a precursor to plastic had its origins long ago and persisted to some degree until relatively recently.
Tortoise shell picks have an excellent feel in the hand and also a warm but clear tone. But these days, there are a slew of synthetic picks that come very close to tortoise and that, in some cases, players may well prefer. I really see no reason to lust after a tortoise shell pick on its merits. I have one (or, at least I did; not sure if I still do) and it was nice and all that, but I actually prefer a good synthetic pick. So, on merit, I don't see any strong case for tortoise shell. On top of that, take into consideration the legal hassles and potential poaching of endangered critters as a means of supplying these picks, and I really see no reason at all to covet tortoise shell. Sure, folks who have used them for years may continue to do so. But if you've never used one, truly, you're not missing all that much in my judgment.
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Bob DeVellis |
#7
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This is the 2nd thread I’ve seen today on tortoise shell. Makes me wonder.
I have four tortoise shells sitting on my outside window sills on the deck. I find them in the woods behind my house. By the time I find them, they’re all washed and bleached out from the sun. I assume they’re of no use now for guitar picks. The material is becoming quite soft and brittle
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HD-28 Just learning the guitar One ex wife; one more about to join the group One tabby cat (she'll probably get him) |
#8
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Bob DeVellis |
#9
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Seriously though, I didn't know that. Please excuse the new guy ignorance on this stuff. I guess I'll stay with that Wedgie I've been using.
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HD-28 Just learning the guitar One ex wife; one more about to join the group One tabby cat (she'll probably get him) |
#10
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Here in Japan tortoise shell is still sold freely on line and in shops...I`ve seen all kings of goods make from it...cigarette cases, mirrors...you name it...never bought any nor will I. Hey, you can buy elephant tusks on line here and one hanko shop...the name stamps they use...has them displayed in their window. Things are different here but not my place to chastise them as a guest in the country...simply an observer.
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#11
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As far as I know, I don't think that tortoise shell can be sold legally anymore. I have four or five tortoise shell picks in various guitar cases that are more than 40 years old. I bought a few of them at various guitar shops around that time. I notice that they chip very easily but maybe it's because they are so old.
For what it's worth, I don't think they are any better than a plastic pick. I use mostly Fender Mediums and they work fine for me. They are fake tortoise shell, by the way. I wouldn't want to buy any real tortoise shell picks anyway. When it comes to picks, I agree totally with the conservationists. |
#12
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I can remember back in the early seventies in college , a Plastic teacher was discussing the first substitute for tortise shell -Cellulose nitrate . at that time it wasnt used that much any more , but i had one in my pocket ( i liked those older picks better ) My teacher knew i played guitar and asked me if i had any old picks on me - he put it in an ash tray and lite it -it blew up right in front of us . He later told us that cellulose nitrate was used as an exsplosive .
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--------------------------------- Wood things with Strings ! |
#13
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As is the nitro-cellulose lacquer finish used on so many brands of guitars, including Martin and Gibson. If you ever get lost in the woods, celluloid guitar picks make an excellent firestarter - they light right up and burn hard like a road flare. There was one discussion about this on this forum some time ago, where one of the participants mentioned how during his college years, he and his buddies shared a house and had two big ash trays on the living room coffee table: one for marijuana, the other one filled with celluloid flatpicks. One day the inevitable happened, and someone in a "altered" state stubbed out a cigarette or joint in the flatpick ashtray, and the whole thing went off like a Roman candle... Pretty cool story. Glad I wasn't there to see it.... whm |
#14
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Very informative thread.
I think the situation with tortoise shell is similar to growing up without grandparents, though. If you never had any, you don't miss 'em. When I was just starting out playing guitar, I knew a guy with a 12-string who swore by his tortoise-shell pick. But since they were scarce even back in 1968, I never had one -- therefore, I never missed them. There are all kinds of alternatives out there, and you go with what produces the best response and is the easiest to use for you. |
#15
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http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8...D720/ry%3D480/ http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8...D720/ry%3D480/ |