A friend let me play his vintage T/S pick, and I loved it! He offered to let me buy it with certified vintage papers, but I was wondering before I buy it, how do I care for a T/S pick? do I need any special tools?
Thanks,
Juan Solo
How to care for a T/S pick
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A TS pick does wear a bit (like most picks not made by BlueChip) and you have to smooth/reshape the point(s) to your liking. My favorite tool for that are the little nail files that have various grits. That’s the only tool I can think of.
An example link below:
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One other thing to mention about TS picks… they are a bit brittle compared to some materials and you want to avoid flexing them much. I’d recommend having something to carry it in. I have a little plastic case. Most picks, I would ok with just throwing it in my pocket, but not the TS.
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ToneSlab sells a little cube sort of thing with different grits of sandpaper built into it to touch up your bevels. I have one and it works- that being said, I don’t ever use it. I just use the pick a ton so I get used to whatever may or may not have worn on the bevel.
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I think you’re talking about tortoise shell picks, and I don’t have much experience with those… but the ToneSlabs sanding block probably would help!
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Its not a tone slab but it does have papers certifying it is vintage and legal.
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Starting at 9:28 Jake talks about tortoise shell picks.
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It’s illegal to harvest new shell, yes. There are lots of antique items made from tortoise shell. There is nothing wrong with repurposing mirrors, combs, etc. into fantastic guitar picks.
Let’s not forget the turtle, folks. Let’s not ignore his aspirations. I can almost hear him say to mama T, “When I grow up, I want to help pickers play Tony Rice licks!” And his mother replied, “To that, my son, is thy highest aspiration. Your late father and I have hoped & wished that you would follow in his slow, steady, footsteps. G-run, my son, g-run.”
That’s what I like to imagine when I pick up one of my tortoise picks.
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