DREAM THEATER, TESTAMENT, METALLICA, LIVING COLOUR Members Pay Tribute To Guitar Gear Innovator JIM DUNLOP - "Dedicated His Life To Making It More Enjoyable For Musicians To Express Themselves"
February 8, 2019, 5 years ago
Jim Dunlop, founder of Dunlop Manufacturing and enormously influential innovator of picks, capos, and other guitar accessories, has passed away, reads a eulogy on the Dunlop website. He was 82 years old.
Members of the music world are paying tribute to Dunlop online.
Thank you Jim Dunlop Sr. for all of the joy and innovation you’ve brought to the world of guitar. I owe so much of my sound and technique to the amazing Dunlop picks I’ve played with ever since I picked up the... https://t.co/0GkOmlzZtt
— John Petrucci (@JPetrucci) 7. Februar 2019
A few @jimdunlopusa wares that it’s hard to Imagine being on stages and in studios without over the years. Unlike guitars, amps,
— Alex Skolnick (@AlexSkolnick) 8. Februar 2019
pickups etc, these tools of the trade are mostly hidden from listeners, yet no less essential. Thanks Jim Dunlop Sr. @jimdunlopusa R.I.P #jimdunlop pic.twitter.com/YSddKsfzNY
@LivingColour sends condolences to Jimi Jr, Jasmine, & the worldwide musical Dunlop Family. It’s impossible to overstate the impact of the innovative work of the Crybaby Highlander
— Vernon Reid (@vurnt22) 7. Februar 2019
Rest In Peace ✌🏿
Jim Dunlop Sr., Music Gear Innovator, Has Died https://t.co/rcx1P2okvf @Loudwire
#JimDunlop was an innovator who helped shape the music we love. We are so sad to hear of his passing. Our thoughts are with the @jimdunlopusa family. All our love. ❤️ - Team BG
— Buddy Guy (@TheRealBuddyGuy) 7. Februar 2019
Photo: March 2018 in Sacramento when Jim presented BG with a one-of-a-kind gold plated #crybabywah. pic.twitter.com/IhEOqMMY5s
R.I.P Jim Dunlop. And, thank you! My condolences to the Dunlop family. https://t.co/wM3WMgISVE #dunlopusa
— Joe Satriani (@chickenfootjoe) 8. Februar 2019
🖤🎸🖤
— Kirk Hammett (@KirkHammett) 8. Februar 2019
Jim Dunlop -
R.I.P.
purveyor of the cry baby wah pedal https://t.co/DSUXevNlg9
In 1965, Jim founded Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc. Finding local success with handmade capos, he made the life-changing decision to become a maker of guitar picks when his obsession for precision drove him to design guitar picks gauged by their true thickness. Jim made a personal commitment to expanding the options available to guitar players of the time, introducing strict quality control and a wider variety of gauges than had ever been available before. He blended the advice of musicians with his precise engineering intuition as he experimented with numerous shapes and materials so that players could find the right pick and get the most out of it. One of the greatest triumphs to come from that experimentation was Tortex Picks, which is the #1 pick in the world today.
In the 1980s, Jim boldly entered the effects market, assembling a crack team of engineers and securing top-quality parts. He acquired beloved brands such as Cry Baby and MXR and expanded their offerings while remaining true to their legacies and introducing a level of quality and consistency where it had never existed before. Taking on electronics blew the door wide open for Jim’s company, leading to collaborations with the family of Jimi Hendrix and numerous artists such as Eddie Van Halen, Dimebag Darrell, and Slash to make the sounds of the world’s top players available to everyone around the world. Today, Dunlop Manufacturing is one of the world’s largest pedal companies.
Learn more at this location.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to MusiCares in Jim’s name.
