What fascinates me about this subject is not so much the tonal changes the nut material can make, but the fact that somehow people get their hands on Wooly Mammoth ivory. I have done a lot of research on these amazing animals and have even thought about a trip the Mammoth Preserve in Siberia. At one time the Mammoth ivory was the sole largest source of ivory in the world. In fact 50,000 mammoth tusks are said to have been found in Siberia between 1660 and 1915, serving an extensive mammoth ivory trade. Today it is in great demand as a replacement for the now-banned export of elephant ivory.

There is a lot of amazing unanswered questions about these animals. Such as why there were thousands of them scattered all across the upper Northern Hemisphere, frozen with undigested food in their stomachs. This is a problem since it takes along time to freeze an animal as large as an elephant. A quick freeze came to mind. Birds Eye Frozen Foods Company ran the calculations and came up with a staggering –150°F (–100°C). Once again, the scientists were puzzled.

Anyhow, I am deviating from topic. Some really fascinating stuff….where do you get that ivory, anyhow???

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Xhefri's Guitars
www.xhefriguitars.com

I was also a Fender Medium guy. That was before my pick collecting led me to these exotic hard materials.
Now, I literally have no use for a flexible pick (except for the collection) and the celluloids and delrins I used for 30 odd years just feel like bits of plastic.


G'day Xhefri, Yes they were fascinating beasts alright. I was surprised by the amount of fossils still preserved. Maybe they had similar habits to elephants and all went to die in the same area. I can't explain the big freeze though. It was only about 10 000 years ago.

I got my scraps from the Siberian tundra via a dealer in Arizona. Ice Age Fossils if I remember correctly, they have a website. This was $50 a pound. There's a few companies in North America who deal with fossil ivory of all types and various grades of quality. Fossil walrus tusk is also common.

Goodonyaz

....Mark.