Red Bear Tuff Tone and Original Tortis Lil Jazzer – Updated!
Red Bear Lil' Jazzers (Tuff Tone L, Original Tortis R)
Red Bear have been somewhat polarising opinion on the forums that I frequent ever since they were released onto the scene in 2003. Numerous claims have been made as regards to longevity, tone and precision which have intruiged many guitarists looking for exactly those qualities in their pick choice and while there are some who feel that some of these claims are exaggerated there are enough people who are more than satisfied with their choice that I felt compelled to see for myself.
I recently ordered a Red Bear Tuff Tone pick after being persistently being told by people I trust that they are great picks, and seeing a great deal of debate as to their exact merits. With an artist’s roster that includes Guthrie Govan, Andy Wood and Dweezil Zappa amongst others it’s clear that there is definitely something to these somewhat unassuming little picks but the question remains – what exactly is it?
I’ve played many, many picks over the years including those made from wood, metal, stone, various types/thicknesses of plastic and including of course many different profiles. Like many players I have settled roughly on a heavy, pointed pick for the majority of my playing needs, swapping to a lighter, more flexible pick for acoustic moments. As my favourite was the atypical Dunlop Jazz III I ordered the “Lil Jazzer” as being closest in overall dimension, with the added optional grip holes and without bevels (which can be ordered in right or left handed configurations to match any grip peculiarities you might posses).
Red Bear picks are manufactured to your requirements and as such take a little longer to deliver than you might otherwise expect but bearing in mind that I live in the UK these picks still arrived in two weeks. Upon opening the envelope I was amazed to see a little note from the Customer Service department informing me that they had included an Original Tortis pick (in my favourite colour!!) in case I wanted to review it – well, naturally I was incredibly grateful for the opportunity to do so which means that this review is in two parts – one for the Tuff Tone, one for the Original Tortis.
Both are identically sized and shaped (these are the slightly heavier 1.65mm variety) as well as being finished perfectly – they are also equally comfortable to use although the texture on the Tuff Tone is slightly rougher than the Original which really does feel a great deal like tortoiseshell! In use, both provide the user with the usual degree of accuracy and precision that you might expect from a heavy, pointed pick and in this respect are no different from my usual choice with the exception being that the Original was noticeably smoother in it’s attack.
Feel: Tuff Tone: 4.5/Original 4.5
The inclusion of grip holes and the slightly rougher material are great features for the Tuff Tone, whereas the Original wins points for feeling incredibly smooth – despite which it still didn’t want to depart my sweaty grip after long periods of use.
Precision: This is a slightly more objective area – are they more or less precise than my usual choice? I would say that they’re almost exactly the same. Both the Red Bear picks come out slightly ahead as they didn’t develop rough spots which I have found necessitates re-shaping other picks after even moderate use and can snag on the strings in an unwary moment.
Tone: Tuff Tone 4 / Original 5
The Originals more rounded overall tone and smoother attack are definite points in it’s favour. The Tuff Tone was so very similar to other picks of comparative size that in a side-by-side blind test I couldn’t tell them apart. The Original sounds superb – rounded, smooth and a little less harsh.
Longevity: For many people this is the prime consideration. Now, I haven’t played a great deal in the last couple of weeks through injury and my picking technique is quite light….but with that caveat in mind I haven’t seen any wear on the Original…at all. The Tuff Tone does have very small areas of wear on the tip but with the re-shaping/maintenance kit at hand I would guess that it’s still going to last two or three months of hard playing which is absolutely fine with me.
Overall
In terms of feel and tone these are absolutely fantastic picks which I have no hesitation in recommending (for longevity, see above). Of course some will baulk at the price (which I felt was perfectly reasonable) but as an integral part of your tone and playing I can’t think of anything better on the market – unless of course the dulcet tones of woods or steel are more to your liking!
Tuff Tone Rating: 
Original Tortis Rating:
Update – June 2010
Yep, I finally hit my perfect pick with the aid of those lovely chaps at Red Bear.
This is a custom Red Bear Big Jazzer Tortis – it has no speed bevels, it does have my initials, it does have grip holes and the colour is Red Jasper – I find the size a lot more useable than the Lil Jazzers (as I get older my fat fingers seem to be less delicate) but the extra power you can put behind each pick stroke gives it a better overall attack.
Tonally it’s very similar to the other Red Bear picks I’ve reviewed and the longevity seems equal so for a grand total of $26 (shipped to the UK) you can’t really go wrong.
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