Tortis Pick
- reviewed by Todd Stuart Phillips 
I have seen the light. The light gauge New Tortis pick, that is. To be more specific, it is a Style "B", light gauge pick made out of a new, revolutionary faux tortoise shell material. And I've gotta tell ya' I have come over and been converted.
My friends, have you ever seen some of those amazingly thick picks some jazz guitarists use? Or the really super-stiff picks with which Bluegrass speed demons so melodiously articulate? But when you tried to play with similar picks you end up with an aching wrist and really bad tone? Well, brothers and sisters, the New Tortis pick may just be the answer to your flatpick prayers. At 1.0 mm I am not sure how "light" I can call this pick. Apparently the material used is such that any thinner and the pick would be too brittle and likely break. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to use and how truly great the resulting tone. It is likely that thickness contributes to that tone production.
This revolutionary guitar pick is the direct evolutionary descendent from the picks formerly made by luthier John Greven from the same Tor-tis material used in his famous pickguards; the most realistic-looking, synthetic tortoise shell ever invented. But these New Tortis picks are a major improvement. They are not made from a synthetic plastic but from an organic compound of polymerized proteins recently revealed to Mr. Greven and now made into guitar picks by the good folks at the Red Bear Trading Company. On the chemical level they are nearly identical to real turtle shell (tortoise shell being a misnomer) and for all practical purposes you will not find anything that looks more like the genuine article.
But for me the important thing is how they sound - which is wonderful. The difference in tone and volume when I strum chords or pick out individual strings is astonishing. It is like the New Tortis material allows the strings to ring out more freely or to their full potential, resulting in a transparent quality that makes for a truly pure and musically angelic note. The six-string choir of clarity and purity produced by these picks will win over the most skeptical guitarist willing to drop $20 onto the plate and reap one in return.
That may seem like a lot of semoleons for a guitar pick. But it is a pick that remains miraculously unworn after months of daily playing. There is no reason to doubt it will remain thus for years, provided it receive the kind of care and devotion you would afford real turtle shell. It is recommended that the picks be cloistered in the string compartment of your guitar case, but I keep mine in a leather pick holder attached to my keychain, courtesy of C.F. Martin Co. A guitarist should never carry New Tortois picks in their pants pockets, as coins or keys may scratch them or chip the edges. Likewise, the shape of the pick may change if it is exposed to the excessive heat and pressure generated inside a wallet that has served penance under a corn-fed Bluegrass picker and since the material is prone to water absorption they should never be baptized in a washing machine.
Each New Tortis pick is individually hand-shaped, sanded and buffed by a single craftsman and they come in several shapes. The B shape looks like the typical flat pick with one narrow tip and two rounder ends. They also come with or without the option of a beveled "speed edge" that imparts a brighter flavor to your pickin'. I took a quality emery board to one corner of mine and found that it is easily shaped by filing or sanding. This will come in handy if the pick does get any nicks in it or if a player wants to have both a beveled and rounded edge at their disposal. I have also made a habit of wiping it down every so often with my Googalies micro fiber polishing cloth, to make sure it does not run afoul of any corrosive substances.
This New Tortis pick moved to front of my pick carrier rather quickly and now it is the only one in it. The only thing I have had trouble with is using it when I want to do mandolin-like trills or other tricks that require a flappy, nylon pick. But for what I do most of the time, the New Tortis pick just sounds great for recording or live performance. But don't take my testimony as gospel. A guitarist's relationship with his own personal pick is a private matter. Order one for yourself and see if you too convert to the New Tortis way of pickin'.
Out of a possible 8 Notes on the T Spoon Scale of Guitaracity, I give the New Tortis pick a nearly perfect 7 Notes.
TSP, NYC
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