By formulating their highly resonant TUSQ material, Graph Tech has engineered a whole new class of guitar picks with three distinctive tones. Starting off with three different shapes, three different gauges and three different tones, the musician now has the tools to create a wide pallet of tones.
TUSQ Picks are made of the same highly resonant TUSQ man-made ivory material found in Graph Tech’s renowned TUSQ nuts, saddles and bridge pins. TUSQ Picks impart harmonic content right from the first attack. “As with all TUSQ products, you can hear the harmonic qualities by dropping a TUSQ pick on a hard surface and hearing the discernible ‘tinkle’ it makes” says Dave Dunwoodie, Graph Tech founder and president.
The concept of a pick with built-in tone is yet another innovative idea from Graph Tech, whose mission to improve guitar tone and vibration transfer for optimal performance has continued unabated for 30 years.
Response to the initial launch of TUSQ Picks has been phenomenal, with unit sales exceeding 700,000 in the first 6 months. The successful launch of a tone enhancing pick prompted Graph Tech to test the tonal range of their TUSQ material and create picks with distinctive tones – Bright, Warm and Deep.
“Guitarists understand that every component of a guitar that is chosen brings out certain characteristics, creating their sound and their tone. Picks are an important link in the tone and how you actually play,” says Dunwoodie. “There are not a lot of times something comes along in a pick that is truly different, but this is one of those times. The tone, the feel, the stiffness, the weight, the thinness; the articulation is unlike anything out on the market now. It is truly something you just have to try.”
TUSQ picks also have a high stiffness to thickness ratio like real tortoise shell, but with a harmonic content only TUSQ can deliver. Players experience a smooth, balanced feel and a clean articulate attack.
New tear drop and triangle shapes and heavier gauges are also being added to the product line to meet growing customer demand.