In the mid-to-late 19th century there was a high demand for items made from the shell of the sea-going Hawksbill Turtle. It's shell had proerties that made it very desireable to the touch. It was warm and comfortable. It just plain "felt good" to the touch. It was immune to static charge. That's why so many items made from it were items that were held close to the body. Ladies' hair combs, knitting needles and fountain pens were but a few of these items made from the shell of the hawksbill turtle. The problem was that the shell material was difficult to come by and therefore very expensive. An alternative was sought out. A new material was formulated from a dairy by-product and this new material fit the bill very nicely.

This new material is a polymerized animal protein that is very close chemically to real turtle shell. You could look at it as cultured turtle-shell. Many people who have tried picks made from this material cannot tell them apart from the real thing. Finally it is possible to legally obtain and use a product which is virtually indistinguishable from the 'real thing', without causing the certain extinction of this wonderful species of tortoise!

Style "A"
Style 'A' picks are available in 4 thickness and two styes. The standard style has the edges of the pick rounded, as in most plastic picks. The 'Speed Bevel' style has the edges dressed with a knife-edge to simulate a pick with wear on it.
Size	Thickness	Standard Avail?	Speed Bevel Avail?
Light	1.0 to 1.1 MM	Y	Y
Medium	1.11 to 1.25 MM	Y	Y
Heavy	1.26 to 1.5 MM	Y	Y
Gypsy Jazzer	2.5 MM	N	Y
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Style "B"
Style 'B' picks are available in 4 thickness and two styes. The standard style has the edges of the pick rounded, as in most plastic picks. The 'Speed Bevel' style has the edges dressed with a knife-edge to simulate a pick with wear on it.
Size	Thickness	Standard Avail?	Speed Bevel Avail?
LIght	1.0 to 1.1 MM	Y	Y
Medium	1.11 to 1.25 MM	Y	Y
Heavy	1.26 to 1.5 MM	Y	Y
Gypsy Jazzer	2.5 MM	N	Y
Check Pricing

Style "C"
Style 'C' picks are available in 4 thickness and two styes. The standard style has the edges of the pick rounded, as in most plastic picks. The 'Speed Bevel' style has the edges dressed with a knife-edge to simulate a pick with wear on it.
Size	Thickness	Standard Avail?	Speed Bevel Avail?
LIght	1.0 to 1.1 MM	Y	Y
Medium	1.11 to 1.25 MM	Y	Y
Heavy	1.26 to 1.5 MM	Y	Y
Gypsy Jazzer	2.5 MM	N	Y
Check Pricing

Style "D"
Style 'D' picks are available in 4 thickness and two styes. The standard style has the edges of the pick rounded, as in most plastic picks. The 'Speed Bevel' style has the edges dressed with a knife-edge to simulate a pick with wear on it.
Size	Thickness	Standard Avail?	Speed Bevel Avail?
LIght	1.0 to 1.1 MM	Y	Y
Medium	1.11 to 1.25 MM	Y	Y
Heavy	1.26 to 1.5 MM	Y	Y
Gypsy Jazzer	2.5 MM	N	Y
Check Pricing

Style "E"
Style 'E' picks are available in 3 thickness and two styes. The standard style has the edges of the pick rounded, as in most plastic picks. The 'Speed Bevel' style has the edges dressed with a knife-edge to simulate a pick with wear on it.
Size	Thickness	Standard Avail?	Speed Bevel Avail?
LIght	1.0 to 1.1 MM	Y	Y
Medium	1.11 to 1.25 MM	Y	Y
Heavy	1.26 to 1.5 MM	Y	Y
Check Pricing

Style "Mondo"
Style 'Mondo' picks are available in 2 thickness and two styes. The standard style has the edges of the pick rounded, as in most plastic picks. The 'Speed Bevel' style has the edges dressed with a knife-edge to simulate a pick with wear on it.
Size	Thickness	Standard Avail?	Speed Bevel Avail?
Medium	1.11 to 1.25 MM	Y	Y
Heavy	1.26 to 1.5 MM	Y	Y
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Style "Tri Tip"
Style 'Tri Tip' picks are available in 2 thickness The 'Speed Bevel' style has the edges dressed with a knife-edge to simulate a pick with wear on it.
Size	Thickness	Standard Avail?	Speed Bevel Avail?
Medium	1.11 to 1.25 MM	N	Y
Heavy	1.26 to 1.5 MM	N	Y
Check Pricing

HOW THEY ARE MADE
The material that these picks are made from is produced in a process that is highly technical and actually quite dangerous. Once the sheets of material are done, each pick is made by hand. There is no CNC process involved at all in the production of the picks, but CNC processes were involved with making some of the tools that are used to make the picks, as well as a variety of sanders, abrasive sticks (fingernail files) and buffers to produce the final product. Each pick is totally hand made - one at a time! Some folks are "pickier" than others when it comes to the edges of their picks. We ship picks with either a rounded edge or a sharply beveled edge depending on the style. If you prefer a rounded edge to a pick that we make with a sharp bevel, it is easy to modify. The picks sand easily so you can sand them to your own preferred shape or edge contour using 320 grit paper or emory board. A thicker pick with a sharper bevel will result in a brighter tone and more pick control and will allow more speed than a thin pick. If you need to restore the glossy finish to your New Tortis pick, use a buffer with brown tripoli compound. When they are made, after the tripoli, they are touched up on a wheel with some super-fine yellow compound which is used mainly for plastics. This gives them a "wet" look. If you don't have access to a buffer, a jeweler can buff them for you. You can also purchase fingernail buffing boards at your local K-Mart or similar store. Any tools that work for fingernails work on these picks.

We also offer special Pick-Touch-Up files, which have 2400,4000, and 12000 grit filing surfaces. These can be found on our "Guitar Accessories" web-page.

While these picks do indeed sand easily, they exhibit virtually no wear at all - even after several months of daily use. Maybe after years they would, but we will have to wait and see.

CARING FOR YOUR NEW TORTIS PICK
Your New Tortis pick is very similar to real turtle shell so it must be treated as such. Store your pick in your guitar's pick compartment. DO NOT store it in your wallet or carry it around with you in your pocket. If you also carry coins, keys etc. in there, your pick will get scratched and may break. In your wallet, it is doomed to failure. The picks are brittle and if flexed will most likely break.

Also, don't let your pick go through the washer and/or dryer in one of your pants pockets (see above warning). The material is hygroscopic (absorbs water) and as such it will most likely deform if allowed to soak in water.

With proper use - as a guitar pick only (not a screwdriver, scraper, knife etc.) it will likely last you a lifetime. If your medium or heavy gauge pick breaks during playing, it is covered under warranty and will be replaced with one of the same style and thickness. Any other breakage and you are on your own! I trust you! Be kind to your New Tortis pick!

NOTE: If your pick has not been stored properly, has scratches, gouges, nicks or is otherwise mistreated, it is NOT covered under our warranty. Only if it has been properly used and cared for, and is not a light gauge pick, will it be replaced if it breaks during normal use. There are no exceptions.