Scottish entrepreneur famous for his guitar accessories
Born: April 7, 1936;
Died: February 6, 2019
JIM Dunlop, who has died aged 82, was an entrepreneur and businessman who became hugely influential in the music industry as the creator of accessories for guitars. On any stage on the planet, when a guitarist puts pick to axe, he or she is sure to be holding a piece of plastic with a name printed on it in bold letters: "Jim Dunlop".
Born in Glasgow in 1936, the entrepreneur moved to Canada as a young man before heading to California, where he worked as an engineer in the San Francisco Bay Area and used his spare time to create accessories for guitars.
By 1965, he had founded Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc. and found success with handmade capos, a movable bar attached to the fingerboard to raise the pitch of the strings. It was then he took the decision to become a maker of guitar picks, designing them gauged by a specific thickness.
After experimenting with different measurements, he created Tortex Picks, which are among the most popular plectrums for guitarists in the world today. The business expanded into guitar effects in the 1980s and is now one of the largest pedal companies globally. The move led to collaborations with the family of Jimi Hendrix and artists such as Eddie Van Halen, Dimebag Darrell and Slash.
Dunlop's first musical loves when he was growing up in Glasgow were Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie and Stan Kenton and then later Hendrix and the Stones.
He was born in Maryhill and schooled at Shakespeare Primary then North Kelvinside Senior Secondary, and when he was 14 he started work as a message boy at Barr and Strouds in Anniesland, going on to serve his apprenticeship as a turner-fitter.
The big change came when he was 23: "I left Scotland in 1959," he once told The Herald. "It was not hard to do, as I had grown up during the war with 'nae sweeties an 'aw'. I'd received 'care' packages from my aunt and uncle in Canada and my dad had been there, coming home at the time of the great Depression. So after I finished my 'time', off I went with my pal Kenny Mitchell to Canada."
Dunlop stayed in Canada for two years, where he was married, before moving to the US in 1961: "I was in Canada, the temperature was minus 13 degrees, and I received a postcard from a friend of mine who had moved to San Francisco. The card was from Muscle Beach in Los Angeles with a photo of a bikini-clad lady. The message was that it was 90 degrees and he was having fun." Dunlop made the move and found work at Nuclear Research Insts in Berkeley, California.
The president of the company played guitar and Dunlop made products for it before selling them to music shops in the area, which led to the establishment of Dunlop Manufacturing. Its first product, the Vibra Tuner, was a visual aid to help keep guitars in tune.
Dunlop continued making his products, helped by his wife Bernice and a $1000 bank loan, and the company's products quickly became known for their quality. "A pick is a really small thing, but it's really, really important to musicians," said Dunlop. "Did you know that Jerry Garcia once said the only thing standing between him and poverty was 'this pick', and he pulled it out of his pocket and it was one of ours?''
In 1982, Dunlop bought from Whirlpool the worldwide rights to the Crybaby Wah Wah, a foot pedal that allows guitarists to change their instrument's tone. It was a shrewd move - the Buddy Guy Crybaby was a success for the business, along with the MXR electronics line. The family's export business now covers about 80 countries worldwide, with the HQ in Benicia, San Francisco. They make capos, slides, polish cloths, maintenance products and hundreds of varieties of picks.
Dunlop was very happy in the US but enjoyed his trips back to Scotland, especially for the golf courses. Asked by The Herald how to encourage more entrepreneurs like him, he said: "Wow, what is success? Happiness, money, fame, what? I would say you should become involved in an area you are passionate about and stick to it. If it makes you happy in the process, that's great."
Jim Dunlop was predeceased by his wife Bernice in 2001 and is survived by his second wife Linda, daughter Jasmin Powell, son Jimmy and grandchildren Alyssa Powell, Krista Powell and Max Dunlop.
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