Tortuga Effects

Tortuga Effects is owned and operated by Matt Johnson in Renton Washington. With the flexibility of a one-man shop, Matt has has direct control over every aspect of creating his unique effects pedals. From concept and design to final build, each Tortuga pedal is hand built by not only the owner of the company but by the man who puts his name behind them.

Working as a salesman in a small, high-end guitar shop for over a decade, Matt had the chance to really hear what players wanted in effects. Many of the things they were looking for were not currently available and ultimately the things Matt wanted for himself in a great guitar effect could not be found on the market. After some research, Matt 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.

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. Matt 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 Matt's precise specifications. Finally, the pedals are hand numbered and dated before being placed in their boxes.

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