mammoth ivory pick review!!

[GreySeraph]

So about two weeks ago, I ordered a pick from TuskBuffer. For a while now (don't know exactly how long, but probably a year), I've become quite a fan of the tone one can get from picks of different materials. I have not only celluloid and plastic pics, but bone picks, horn picks, indian rosewood picks, cocobolo picks, filipino ebony picks, macassar ebony picks, abalone picks, snakewood picks, metal picks and especially my own nails (I should explain, I dont make picks with my nails. I grow them mainly because I'm a classical guitarist, but I use them on steel string and electric as well. I even experiment with different nail hardeners and growth accelerators, as even those change the tone of your fingernails). With each I have found a completely separate and distinct tone and attack-- some I favor more than others, some I feel have very specific uses-- but regardless, each is unique and quite valuable to me as a guitarist. But let me get to the point...

 

This pick is friggin' awesome. I dig it. I dig it profusely. I ordered this 1.3 mm mammoth ivory pick after Tusk was offering discounts on such picks. So, I decided it was worth a shot-- I PMed him, sent some money in his direction, and got it soon after. Now, I regularly perform for people (I lead worship at church at least twice a week, and then I also did some things for the Orange County Symphony Orchestra as of recent), and so I got a decent amount of use in it. (Funny to note, it started out almost pure white and has already tarnished to a funky beige/yellow color, but that was to be expected, as I know how ivory keys on pianos get really yellow after a good amount of use.) Also, I made sure to use it whenever I was teaching or practicing, because I really wanted to see if it would survive the cut, as I already have several go-to picks.

 

Simply put, this pick is SUPER clear. I can strum full, six-note chords and still feel like I can hear each note separately. It's a very pianistic sound I hear, whether through my steel string guitars or my electrics (you can see what axes I use in my signature). To compare, what it doesn't have is the hearty sound of rosewood/cocobolo/snakewood picks (which sound nice and "woody," bright presence). It doesn't have the booming bass response of macassar ebony. It doesn't have that porcelain shimmer over the strings like my abalone pick does. And really, it doesn't have the overabundant fat, jazzy warmth that my ram horn picks have. What characteristics it does have, though, is more than enough. This pick doesn't grind down like the others. The wood picks easily grind down in the course of hours, whereas the horn/bone picks take much longer. Still, this pick has bared almost all my guitar playing for two weeks, with what only seemed like a slightly roughed up tip (completely cured with 5 seconds of buffing with one of my nail buffers (notice I didn't say files. That would probably be suicide for this pick ahaha)). This pick glides over the strings faster than anything I've ever played on, and due to that, the less-jarring attack has provided for a swift rebound to the next note and has gotten me a slightly faster picking technique. Like I said, the tone is a pianistic, clear (I can't emphasize clear enough) tone that cuts through very well, especially on the middle and high parts of the guitar's range. Also, like I said earlier, this pick is definitely advantageous with chords, as even close-voiced chords on the 6th, 5th and 4th strings stand out and bear much more clarity than the normal muddy sound that makes such chords taboo in many settings (though, honestly, I'd stick to the normal Freddy Green/Joe Pass style chord voicings for blues and jazz, regardless).

 

Truly, it became one of my favorite picks, as I'll probably use it now quite often. I'll be honest, I'll probably still use my cocobolo and snakewood picks for situations where I'm playing my Taylor with open chords that already have a huge amount of clarity, just so that I can get the presence. Still, I'll probably use it for anything lead-guitar related, as not only does it give me the clarity I need to cut through a mix, it makes it easier to boot! One thing I would like to add though is that I haven't had the chance to experiment with a thicker mammoth ivory pick (I'm most accustomed to the 2.0 mm brossard picks generally, though it's nothing too big of a deal). I feel that thicker picks have more versatility when used in tandem with a good right hand technique, and so I'll be getting one soon. I'll let you know which one I like more!

 

Thanks for reading. Hopefully there aren't too many "tl;dr" posts. I really wanted to be as specific as possible because I know guitarists out there care about their tone and don't want stupid statements like "oh it improved my tone" (how?!) or "it makes me play lightning fast" (as opposed to...?) or "it's the ONLY good sounding pick EVAR!" (shun the person who spells 'ever' like that...hehe jk)

 

Grey

[Electric Biscuit]

cool; I ordered 3 from him a couple days ago

[GreySeraph]

Sweet. What size did you get? Let me know what you think about them. And of course, I will be honest; if i later come to think differently on the pick, i'll let you know as well.

 

Also, what other picks do you use? Have any recommendations?

[Electric Biscuit]

Right now I mostly use Dunlop Jazz III picks, as well as some thin nylon Dunlops and a couple strange random picks (like my PICKBOY rainbow triangle pick and my Midnight Lace Obsidian pick).

 

I ordered 2 Jazz III styles (1.3 mm) and a medium dunlop style (~.80 mm)

 

here they are before being shipped to me (courtesy of Mr Tuskbuffer)

http://dwaites.fatcow.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/EBPicks.jpg

[skipclone 1]

Mine is in the bottom row, second from right. The four to the right of that are all examples of the model it was made from.

Fantastic pick.

 

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a236/skipclone1/IMG_0008-1.jpg

[GreySeraph]

it took me forever to understand what you meant. You meant "four that are left of it" i hope? Good pick collection btw. I've never been one for huge bevelling, but maybe i should try it again? Are those contours what you go for in a pick?

[TuskBuffer]

Hey, thank you so much Grey--that hundred bucks I paid you really did the trick (j/k)! In all seriousness, I really appreciate your review. Very well written and concise, and I hope you don't mind if I use portions of it in a future "testimonials" page or something.

 

I will be making picks in different kinds of wood. I've already got cocobolo and ebony (which I use in my hybrid picks), and quite a few more I'll be ordering soon, including snakewood, bloodwood, pink ivory, others. Also thinking of making a triangle pick (equilateral) using 3 different materials, one for each tip. Gotta figure out how to effectively put it together though.

 

Thanks again! If there's anybody left from the "old days" when I used to do this years ago, I'm curious how they've held up over the years. It's great to see you've still got yours, Skip! I remember battling with that sucker til I got it perfect !

[picker]

I also got one of the mammoth ivory picks, one of the Jazz III shapes in, I believe, the 1.3mm thickness, and took it to a jam yesterday. It is really good. The pointy end delivers a very bright and defined attack, and the duller points on the side give a darker, more jazzy sound. It stands up beautifully to what is called "tremolo picking" on mandolin(I wasn't playing one, just doing that kind of fast repetitive type of picking) without dulling the point very much, and it takes standard lead picking with no problem. It doesn't seem to stick against the strings, sliding off of them with what seems like very little friction. That may be due to the narrow shape of the point more than slippery qualities of the material.

I am more than pleased with the pick, and I intend to order a couple more in different shapes when the money comes in. Good job, Tusk Buffer!

[TuskBuffer]

The pointy end delivers a very bright and defined attack, and the duller points on the side give a darker, more jazzy sound.

...

It doesn't seem to stick against the strings, sliding off of them with what seems like very little friction. That may be due to the narrow shape of the point more than slippery qualities of the material.

That's so cool that you notice different qualities/tones using different corners of the pick--something I hadn't noticed, but makes perfect sense. The Jazz III shape is the one I use, so I should have picked up on that years ago! As far as the pick sliding off the strings so nicely, I think that's more due to the hardness of the material, rather than solely the shape of the tip--although it's probably a combination of the two.

 

Thank you guys so much for the great reviews! I really appreciate your feedback, especially coming from REAL guitar players who have been around the block a few times

[SEHpicker]

Hey Tuskbuffer, have you ever made a pick from a shark tooth?

I've been curious about that... I have a limited collection of very old (60-70 million years old) shark teeth dated by a oceanography professor at a nearby college... he also identified the species as Megaladon. The one pictured is quite large (and valuable) but I have smaller ones that might be used for picks.

What do you think Tuskbuffer? Have you used shark teeth before? Think it would be a good material?

 

SEHpicker

http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb394/skydog7725/MegaladonTooth.jpg

[Caevan O’Shite]

If there's anybody left from the "old days" when I used to do this years ago, I'm curious how they've held up over the years.

 

Myles is still here, though he mostly keeps to the "Feel free to ask Myles"-thread. If memory serves, I believe he and/or Ludovic (Ludo) Pierson have or had picks you made, am I correct?

 

And I've taken the liberty of Facebook Friend Suggesting you to Tedster; I don't know if he ever had a pick of yours, but I figured you'd be glad to be in touch with one another again...

[TuskBuffer]

Nice one SEHpicker! Yup, definitely a megalodon tooth. It seems to me it would be too expensive to even experiment with something like that, but I wonder about modern great white teeth. One way to find out, right? Maybe I'll see if I can snag some up on eBay to mess around with. My mom asked me the same thing--she has bunches of the small fossil shark teeth she found in Florida, but they're all way too tiny. So, tell me, what do you think? Would it would work? I see a lot of them (on eBay) with the enamel in really bad shape, and I'm wondering how well they'd really hold up against steel strings.

 

GREAT example of a megalodon tooth you've got there, by the way! My son and I were putting bids on them on eBay a while back, but the good ones always went for way more than we were willing to pay.

[TuskBuffer]

Myles is still here, though he mostly keeps to the "Feel free to ask Myles"-thread. If memory serves, I believe he and/or Ludovic (Ludo) Pierson have or had picks you made, am I correct?

 

And I've taken the liberty of Facebook Friend Suggesting you to Tedster; I don't know if he ever had a pick of yours, but I figured you'd be glad to be in touch with one another again...

Yes, I remember making a couple up for Myles (2 or 3 mm small Stubbys if I remember correctly). In fact, he was a VERY good contact who helped me out quite a bit with his recommendations. I don't remember if Ludo or Tedster got picks from me, but I do remember the names. I'm pretty sure Boggs was there, too. Man, this nostalgia is really cool. I went back and read some of the old posts from like 7 or 8 years ago and talk about a blast from the past! Good topics, good people, lots of fun. Good times!

[Caevan O’Shite]

If Ludo didn't have one of your picks of his own, he at least played with one that you'd made for Myles', shown in a photo Myles posted years ago...

[skipclone 1]

it took me forever to understand what you meant. You meant "four that are left of it" i hope? Good pick collection btw. I've never been one for huge bevelling, but maybe i should try it again? Are those contours what you go for in a pick?

 

I was walking around wondering if I had posted the opposite of what I meant. Um...yes that would be the OTHER right. Excuse me while I go hit myself with something hard.

 

I can use other types of edges but the control with that shape is really good.

It never slips or slides or turns. It`s not really designed for using other corners but that is theoretically possible. It`s a directed coutour, as oppposed to a pick that`s uniform across the surface. You have more `meat` to hold between fingers. That shape plus the great 4WD traction of the ivory gives one peace of mind to focus on dynamics. You can hold it lightly and it stays were you aim it.

[TuskBuffer]

plus the great 4WD traction of the ivory gives one peace of mind to focus on dynamics. You can hold it lightly and it stays were you aim it.

Thanks Skip--I've been trying to convey that quality of the mammoth ivory picks, but have never been able to do it quite so eloquently. I hope you don't mind if I use it

 

By the way, I just ordered some different hardwoods including Bloodwood (sounds creepy, doesn't it?), African Blackwood, Snakewood (really expensive stuff!), Kingwood and Pink Ivory. This should be interesting. I'll be making picks out of them obviously, as well as some more "Hybrid" pick designs.

 

Honestly, I think the mammoth ivory is the ideal material for guitar picks and I do my best to make sure each one is perfect so you're assured of the highest quality, but the price can be a bit much for some people. The price tag for the wood picks will be much lower than ivory, so they will be attractive to more people. Plus the fact that each material has its own tone and personality, I think it will make for a very well rounded line-up. Besides, who knows how long I'll be able to get the ivory? I've got enough for now, but it is certainly a finite resource.

[skipclone 1]

No, I don`t mind

I have a snakewood pick. I don`t know what it is but something about that wood is different, I really like it.

[TuskBuffer]

I have a snakewood pick. I don`t know what it is but something about that wood is different, I really like it.

All I can tell at this point is that snakewood has the highest specific gravity of the woods that I ordered at 1.3 (that is, its weight vs. water). This means that this wood would sink if put in water. The others come close, so we'll see if the properties are similar.

 

Hey you dang woodchucks--quit chuckin' my woooood!

[Electric Biscuit]

make sure, when they are available, to describe the tonal qualities of each wood pick on your site, eh?

[Guitarzan]

i need one of these badly

 

[Guitarzan]

i have a stone i found on a beach that is perfectly shaped like a pick. i wonder what it would sound like all polished up?

[Caevan O’Shite]

I have a limited collection of very old (60-70 million years old) shark teeth dated by a oceanography professor at a nearby college... he also identified the species as Megaladon.

____ http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb394/skydog7725/MegaladonTooth.jpg

 

 

That

 

is

 

so

 

COOL...

 

I can't help but want it...

[skipclone 1]

I have a snakewood pick. I don`t know what it is but something about that wood is different, I really like it.

All I can tell at this point is that snakewood has the highest specific gravity of the woods that I ordered at 1.3 (that is, its weight vs. water). This means that this wood would sink if put in water. The others come close, so we'll see if the properties are similar.

 

Hey you dang woodchucks--quit chuckin' my woooood!

 

Say TB

I was wondering if you still had that closeup of the pick you made for me next to the template pick.

That was bootiful.

[GreySeraph]

snakewood is definitely one of my favorite picks. If I had a top 3, snakewood would be there.

[TuskBuffer]

Say TB

I was wondering if you still had that closeup of the pick you made for me next to the template pick.

That was bootiful.

It's a longshot, but I might. I'd have to resurrect an old computer (gotta find the RAM I took out of it too) and see if it's on there.

 

 

[skipclone 1]

Okay, well if it`s too much of a project don`t worry about it.

I have an ebony pick which, well the wood is nice but I don`t like what they did with the shape. The contouring for the thumb is really deep, which makes the body thin. There`s less to get between your fingers and the sides feel really high.

[TuskBuffer]

i have a stone i found on a beach that is perfectly shaped like a pick. i wonder what it would sound like all polished up?

What's it sound like now? I've used stone picks, too--never got the perfect shape for me though...Bummer!

 

Okay, well if it`s too much of a project don`t worry about it.

I have an ebony pick which, well the wood is nice but I don`t like what they did with the shape. The contouring for the thumb is really deep, which makes the body thin. There`s less to get between your fingers and the sides feel really high.

I kinda want that picture, too--I think it was probably the most impressive one I've done, especially when compared to the one I was modeling it after. Guitarzan gave me an idea for a pick design, which is a Big Stubby with the divot on one side and a finger groove on the other--kind of like the one we're talking about, but with a more conventional shape. It'll be appropriately named "Guitarzan" or "G-Zan" style

[TuskBuffer]

Hey, I don't mean to be all "spammy" and stuff , but I got some different hardwoods in a couple days ago, started making some picks and put the "Hardwood Picks" page online. Still haven't gotten through all the woods yet, but will update the page with pictures as I get to them. I've gotta say I like the Snakewood the best so far out of the wood picks. Made a really sweeeeet Big Stubby style today that came out great:

 

http://tuskbuffer.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/SnakewoodStubby2.jpg

[Jim guthrie]

If you people like Ivory,and wood picks there are three all of you should try. Black Diamond Carbon; Red Bear; and Blue Chip.

All though the ivory picks are good picks the three mentioned above have superior tone. The Blue Chip wear very, very,very slowly and the BD carbon don't wear at all. I just finished extensive test with all the picks mentioned,and the people in the study did not even rank the wood or Ivory picks at all.

all though I do like the tone,and stiffness of the Ivory.

[TuskBuffer]

All though the ivory picks are good picks the three mentioned above have superior tone.

 

To say that any one material has a superior tone over another is a matter of opinion. I'm not here to split hairs over what's good, what's better, etc., and I certainly wouldn't want to knock your product or argue over subjective points and I'm sure you wouldn't either; however, I will point out that every material has its own qualities that make it unique. Personally, I'm hooked on mammoth ivory. Not only for the tone, but for the playability. The wear in ivory actually conforms to the player's style, creating a truer pick to string contact that is personalized by the player without even trying. In addition, mammoth ivory has a very desirable feature in that it creates a kind of water tension that makes the picks grip to one's fingers when they get sweaty--whereas any plastic picks and I'm guessing any other man-made material gets slippery and sloppy. This "ivory grip" makes it much easier to play with and makes one's playing more accurate.

 

That being said, I realize that mammoth ivory is not all things to all people all of the time (although I wish it were true), which is why I introduced the line of hardwood picks. They all provide different tones and feel, expanding the guitarist's range of sounds and styles. Plus they're priced considerably less than mammoth ivory and therefore more attainable to people who want to experience something other than plastic.

 

Again, I will not try to knock your product, because I have no doubt that you sell some good stuff that is worth every penny. In fact, if you would like to trade links, I would be happy to do so in order to give people visiting both our sites the opportunity to sample different materials and give us both a bit more reach. Deal?