Tortuga Effects is owned by Matt Ackerman in Olympia, Washington - working alongside founder Matt Johnson. With the flexibility of a small, focused operation, Tortuga maintains direct control over every aspect of creating their unique effects pedals. From concept and design to final build, each Tortuga pedal is hand built.

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Working as a salesman in a small, high-end guitar shop for over a decade, Johnson had the chance to really hear what players wanted in effects. Many of the things they were looking for weren’t available at the time—and ultimately, the things he wanted for himself in a great guitar effect simply couldn’t be found on the market. After some research, he decided to begin building effects pedals the way he wanted. By taking classic effect designs and not only improving upon them but also adding new and innovative concepts, he exceeded the expectations of players who wanted more out of their guitar effects.

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Each Tortuga effect is hand built with the care and attention to detail more on the level of a custom guitar builder than an electronics manufacturer. Johnson powder-coats each aluminum enclosure, then hand-applies graphic decals and sprays a lacquer clear coat to protect and enhance the design. He populates the circuit boards and hand wires each and every connection using only strong solid core wire. Once completed, each effect is adjusted and voiced by ear to his precise specifications. Finally, the pedals are hand numbered and dated before being placed in their boxes.

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With this care and attention to detail applied in their creation, each Tortuga Effect becomes a part of a player's instrument—and ultimately a part of them.