The bright and timeless color palette of Tortex® Picks is just as important as their feel and tone. For countless players, the color of their favorite Tortex Pick gauge is part of their identity. Jim Dunlop first introduced color-coded gauges at a time when player choice and quality control were limited in the pick business.

For gauges, you were stuck with Light, Medium, and Heavy. Consistency was questionable not just from company to company—it was also questionable within individual companies themselves. Starting with Nylon Picks, Jim doubled the number of gauges available and noted the gauge right on the pick, in millimeters, to prove to players that he was serious about providing them with reliable options. Overnight, Jim established a new standard for player choice and consistency. Today, we take it for granted that a pick you buy today is exactly like the one you bought last month, or last year, but we can thank Jim for setting that expectation.

It’s the final month of our multiple pedalboard giveaway—the America’s Saddest Pedalboard Contest. If you think you have the jankiest, most ill-equipped pedalboard in America, then all you have to do to enter the contest is take a picture of it and share it on social media with the tags #JIMDUNLOP, #SADBOARD, and #ROCK. If your photo gets the most votes, you’ll win a brand new, fully stocked pedalboard. We’re giving away a different pedalboard each month.

Head over to the contest page for all the details.

Last month, we gave away the Modern Metal board. December’s prize is the Classic Rock Board, which gives you the same tones and textures used by the greatest guitar players in history to change rock ’n’ roll history and demonstrate the artistic power that effects pedals can have when crafting a piece of music. Here’s what’s up for grabs:

We’re into the third month of our multiple pedalboard giveaway—the America’s Saddest Pedalboard Contest, which is running through December. If you think you have the jankiest, most ill-equipped pedalboard in America, then all you have to do to enter the contest is take a picture of it and share it on social media with the tags #JIMDUNLOP, #SADBOARD, and #METAL. If your photo gets the most votes, you’ll win a brand new, fully stocked pedalboard. We’re giving away a different pedalboard each month. Head over to the contest page for all the details.

Last month, we gave away the Bass Board. November’s prize is the Modern Metal Board, and it has everything you need to wield copious amounts of gain and downtuned/extended range guitars with precision and finesse. Have a look-see.

We’re into the second month of our multiple pedalboard giveaway—the America’s Saddest Pedalboard Contest, which is running through December. If you think you have the jankiest, most ill-equipped pedalboard in America, then all you have to do to enter the contest is take a picture of it and share it on social media with the tags #JIMDUNLOP, #SADBOARD, and #BASS. If your photo gets the most votes, you’ll win a brand new, fully stocked pedalboard. We’re giving away a different pedalboard each month.

Last month, the Indie Board was up for grabs. October’s prize is the Bass Board. It’s got all the essentials for bass players looking to expand their tonal and textural palettes. Here’s the lowdown.

Like long hair and a bad attitude, Tortex Picks are part of the fabric of rock ’n’ roll. Musicians worldwide have come to rely on their snappy attack, textured surface, and superior durability, and the turtle logo is an instantly recognizable icon to just about anyone who plays guitar. But Tortex Picks wouldn’t exist without the principle and persistence of the man who created them.

In the 1960s, Scottish immigrant Jim Dunlop brought his family to the United States from Canada and settled in the San Francisco Bay Area. He worked as a machinist by day, but during off-hours, he pursued his true calling. Inspired by his love for playing guitar—he’s been known been to strap on a Les Paul and belt out a mean version of “Kansas City”—Jim was determined to use his machinist know-how to create guitar accessories that make playing music more enjoyable. He had a knack for finding the little details that kept good products from being great, the snags that guitar players just put up with because there wasn’t anything else on the market. Jim wanted to improve on those details.