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Home of Tor-Tis Faux Tortoiseshell Products John Greven, luthier

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Tor-Tis Faux Tortoiseshell

In the mid-1990's I grew increasingly frustrated by the quality of pickguard materials available at the time and undertook a three year project to create a better faux tortoiseshell. From those efforts came Tor-Tis, the most realistic synthetic tortoiseshell available. As the product developed, it became clear that the same materials and processes were also able to reproduce the vintage nitrocellulose pickguard materials from the past, all in incredible color and pattern authenticity. The pickguard shown on to the right is of a more natural coloration found in real Hawksbill turtle shell.

The pickguard at the left is a sample of the vintage reproduction colors and patterns typical of the guards used by Martin in the early to mid-1930's. We can also reproduce virtually ANY pickguard material from the turn of the century to the present, including the Gibson firestrip(below left)and pearlescent materials used on arch top guitars, and ivory (both natural and fossilized). I will be posting photos of these materials in the near future along with color swatches of the various Tor-tis materials.

The photo to the right is of the end-pin wedge for a guitar made with the Tor-tis materials. Along with this piece, we also make matching bindings, heel caps, and even inlaid headstock overlays (see below).

Here is a Tor-tis inlaid headstock overlay ready to apply to a neck.

The most amazing capability is that of doing fancy inlaid pickguards. Check out this OM pickguard. (see next page)

The Firestripe Tor-tis

An example of our repro Gibson Firestripe from the 1930-40's, this one running NW to SE. Also available in opposite direction.

Blue Hawaii

A "curly" blue pearl pattern. It goes with the blue herringbone trim and paua rosette!

Tor-tis can be made up in an almost infinite range of colors and patterns, even recreating faux minerals, ivory and pearl effects. One wild example of which is the "blue pearl" pickguard made especially for a slack key guitar. Art is in the eye of the beholder.
 

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