A Stomp Box??

[Keith Westfall]

My daughter has asked me to make her a "stomp box" for her guitar. Has anyone ever done this or have any plans for one?


I have 'googled' and there are lots of demos of how to use it, what is sounds like, but no actual plans showing dimensions and whatnot.


Would appreciate any input & or thoughts...

Keith

[John Coloccia]

What are you trying to make? Saying "stompbox" is like saying "tool". I can probably direct you to some plans perhaps, but you need to know what you want first. Honestly, the quickest, and depending on what you choose and your skill maybe even cheapest, way to go about this is to simply buy one.

[Doug Morgan]

I just googled "stomp box guitar schematic" and this came up. Its another forum but has lots of schematics.

http://www.freestompboxes.org/

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/archive/index.php?t-630592-p-1.html
(http://www.freestompboxes.org/)

[David Hostetler]

There is a huge variety of stomp boxes. Another name for them is "Effects Pedal"...

FWIW, the woodworking is the easy part. They are just simple wedge shaped boxes with circuits and either on / off, or momentary contact switches on top, a mess of circuits inside, and a 1/4" guitar connector on the back. It's the mess of circuits you need to worry about...

[David Thompson 27577]

My daughter has asked me to make her a "stomp box" for her guitar. Has anyone ever done this or have any plans for one?


I have 'googled' and there are lots of demos of how to use it, what is sounds like, but no actual plans showing dimensions and whatnot.


Would appreciate any input & or thoughts...

Keith


A Stompbox is one of many "folk" instruments that were invented by the person who made them. And re-invented each time somebody made a new one. They can be as small as your foot, or as large as your stance. Their primary feature is that they amplify and direct footstomping sounds.

The most recent one I've seen in person was quite some number of years ago, during a "First Night" (new year's) performance of a jug band. The percussionist had no drums. Only a walking-stick sized thumper that was laced with metal washers on screws, was stroked with a notched stick, and then thumped onto the box. (The notched stick got the washers jangling, and the thump was accompainied by more washer-jangling-sounds.)

In that case, the stompbox was about the size of a pallet -- maybe 42X 42, maybe even 48X48. IIRC, it had a base that was plywood, sides that were 2X4's, and a top that was also plywood -- probably 3/4". Since it was not sagging in the middle, I'd guess that there was some small piece in the box that acted as a center support -- maye something as simple as another piece of 2X4.

And it did a great job of amplifying the thump -- sounded much like a marching band's bass drum.

[Doug Morgan]

Heres just one of the MANY designs for a stompbox from freestompboxes.org

203729

You would have to build a circuit board for this then create the box to put it in with the "stomp button" located on the top to be "stomped" on. If this is beyond what you expected drop me a line and I will help you. I'm an engineer.

[Jared McMahon]

Are we certain that the request isn't actually to make a wooden pedal board to *mount* the effects pedals? If this were the case, search the Web for "pedaltrain", they're a popular make. The first couple Google results for me turned up plenty of dimensions.

Just a thought.

[Bruce Darrow]

A stomp box need not be anything fancy or electrified. An acoustic player tapping his/her foot on a simple plywood box will introduce an amplified rhythmic addition to the guitar - assuming the player has a sense of rhythm! It can be sloped or flat, depending on preference. It can be ported, if desired. It can be made small for one foot, or large enough for both, depth and materials used will affect tone and volume. Ask your daughter how she wants it made, how she sits, etc. One can always mike the box, if one wants more volume in an amplified environment.

[John Coloccia]

So we're talking about two different stomp boxes. Most guitarists use the term Stomp Box to mean an effects pedal. It has a switch that you "stomp" on to turn it on and off. I hadn't considered the traditional stomp box designed to simply be a percussion instrument. I guess that makes more sense given that it's a woodworking forum but I assumed he mean the former because most people do :)

So I guess we need Keith to let us know which one :D

[Pat Barry]

Its for his daughter and for her guitar. I bet its the electronic distortion pedal type.

[Stephen Olson]

So we're talking about two different stomp boxes. Most guitarists use the term Stomp Box to mean an effects pedal. It has a switch that you "stomp" on to turn it on and off. I hadn't considered the traditional stomp box designed to simply be a percussion instrument. I guess that makes more sense given that it's a woodworking forum but I assumed he mean the former because most people do :)

So I guess we need Keith to let us know which one :D

We could always introduce him to The Gear Page and open up a big ol' can of worms!

[Keith Westfall]

When you don't really know what you are asking for, it's hard to get the right answer... :)

She is looking for a 'non electric, no mass of wiring, no fancy sounds or effects' stomp box - as I understand it. I've seen some on U-tube that were built using a small speaker, a flat type of mic etc that plugs into an amp or PA system, to amplify the foot stomping/tapping sound, according to some of the descriptions on the videos.

I was kind of curious as to the difference in design - depth, width, wood type etc, would make on the sound that is produced.

Making it is no problem - I do have the tools and skill set to do so.

Appreciate all the comments, suggestions and help.

Keith