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Fred Kelly’s interest in guitar began when he was a young child. He would strum with a flat pick, which suited his needs, until one day when he listened to Merle Travis on an old 45 record. Fred was deeply intrigued by Merle’s picking style, and played the record over and over until he eventually wore it out. He tried to imitate Merle’s style several different ways using a flat pick, but all were unsatisfactory. As Fred’s interest and ability grew he held on to his intrigue of Merle’s picking style and tried other picks, like the standard thumb pick, in his study to become a better guitarist. Unsatisfied with the products he used, Fred was inspired to design his first thumbpick, the Speed Pick.