OK, I am obviously not talking about Hawksbill tortoiseshell - so illegal it almost hurts to LOOK at a pick. So we have created a thousand analogues, including things like synthetic plastics (delrin, ultex, etc.) and polymerized natural proteins (galalith et al).
But there are green turtles which are entirely unthreatened, and have comparable shells. There are horns from a dozen animals which are made of keratin. There are HORSE HOOVES that get routinely trimmed. Why are these not being used to replace actual tortoiseshell, despite being chemically closest to it?
Why should we? Synthetic picks have consistency. Similar to synthetic guitar nuts every pick is basically the same while having a lot of variety to choose from. Sure it’s also way cheaper to mass produce.
Sorry, I meant why are the boutique pick makers using galalith - a processed natural product - instead of horn - also a natural product.
Realistically, I love my Primetones. I just got to wondering about it.