Stomp box
Encyclopedia
A stomp box or stompbox is a simple percussion instrument
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
consisting of a small wooden box placed under the foot, which is tapped or stamped on rhythmically to produce a sound similar to that of a bass drum
Bass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
. A stomp box allows a performer such as a singer or guitar player to create a simple rhythmic self-accompaniment. Stompboxes are most commonly used in American folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
music, but are found across the musical spectrum: Bat for Lashes
Bat for Lashes
Natasha Khan , also known by her stage name Bat for Lashes, is an English musician. She sings and plays the piano, bass, guitar, harpsichord and the autoharp....
, for instance, has a very large (1m2) stompbox which she strikes with a staff to accompany herself.
In modern use, a microphone
Microphone
A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1877, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...
, or more commonly a simple piezo transducer
Piezoelectric sensor
A piezoelectric sensor is a device that uses the piezoelectric effect to measure pressure, acceleration, strain or force by converting them to an electrical charge.-Applications:...
, is usually placed inside the box to allow amplification. Others (such as the PorchBoard Bass) use sensors designed to produce low-end frequencies. There are commercially produced stomp boxes available (see photos), but performers often simply put a microphone inside whatever box they have handy. Homemade stomp boxes can also be more sophisticated, and can include features such as a built-in preamp.
Manufacturers
- Bradley Noy
- Dalmedo Stompbox Handcrafted By Dalmedo Custom Guitars
- Pratley Guitars
- Thunder Stompbox by Thunder Stompboxes
- The Logarhythm Stompbox by LogJam Music (UK)
- Mojohound Music Stompbox/Drum Machine by Mojohound Music Co. (USA)
- Box Music Enterprises Stomp Box by Stu Box
- ToeKicker Stompbox by Kopf Percussion
- Stompin'Bass by Shadow
- Ellis Stompbox by Ellis GuitarsEllis GuitarsEllis Guitars is a company based in Perth, Western Australia producing handmade acoustic guitars and acoustic stompboxes. In recent years the company has produced some novel, sometimes unique, guitars based upon a resonator design....
. - PorchBoard Bass by EnRoute Music USA
- Farmer Foot Drums - Handcrafted Acoustics by Pete Farmer, USA.
- Wolftone stompbox from Byron Bay.
- Pocket Stomp & Big Foot Stomp (Germany)
- TinoStomp Stompbox
- Peterman.com.au maker of the MegaStomp & Puck'n Stompa Stompbox
- Kikpod
Players
- BeckBeckBeck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
- Kurt CobainKurt CobainKurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
- Bill BourneBill BourneBill Bourne is a Canadian musician and songwriter, who frequently collaborates with a variety of artists, including Alan MacLeod, Shannon Johnson, Lester Quitzau, Madagascar Slim, Aysha Wills, Eivør Pálsdóttir, Wyckham Porteous and Jasmine 'Jas' Ohlhauser.Raised in a musical family in rural...
- Andrew WintonAndrew WintonAndrew Winton is an independent, solo, Australian musician, combining acoustic guitar, lap slide, dobro and seven-string lap guitar/bass , with hollers and stomps to provide an engaging and authentic performance....
- Nathan RogersNathan RogersNathan Rogers is a Canadian folk musician / songwriter. He is the son of Stan and Ariel Rogers. His father, a folk musician and songwriter, died in a fire aboard Air Canada Flight 797 on June 2, 1983....
- Xavier RuddXavier RuddXavier Rudd is an Australian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in 1978 and grew up in Torquay, Victoria. He attended St. Joseph's College, Geelong....
- John ButlerJohn Butler (musician)John Charles Wiltshire-Butler or John Charles Butler is an Australian musician, songwriter, record label owner and producer...
- John Lee HookerJohn Lee HookerJohn Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
- Jamie CullumJamie CullumJamie Cullum is an English pop and jazz-pop singer-songwriter. Though he is primarily a vocalist/pianist he also accompanies himself on other instruments including guitar and drums. Since April 2010, he has been presenting a weekly jazz show on BBC Radio 2, broadcast on Tuesdays from 19:00.- Early...
- Luka BloomLuka BloomLuka Bloom is an Irish folk-rock singer-songwriter. He is the younger brother of Irish folk singer Christy Moore.-Early life:...
- Jeff LangJeff LangJeff Lang is an Australian songwriter, singer and slide guitarist. A leading performer in the Australian roots music scene and purveyer of his self-described "disturbed folk" style, which incorporates primarily folk, blues and rock...
- Tony Joe WhiteTony Joe WhiteTony Joe White is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie"; "Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but was first made popular by Brook Benton in 1970; and "Steamy Windows", a hit for Tina Turner in 1989...
- Harry ManxHarry ManxHarry Manx is a musician who blends blues, folk music, and Hindustani classical music. He was born in the Isle of Man where he spent his childhood and now lives on Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada....
- Ash GrunwaldAsh GrunwaldAsh Grunwald is an Australian radio announcer and blues musician.-Early career:...
- Tommy EmmanuelTommy EmmanuelWilliam Thomas "Tommy" Emmanuel AM is an Australian guitarist, best known for his complex fingerpicking style, energetic performances and the use of percussive effects on the guitar. In the May 2008 and 2010 issues of Guitar Player Magazine, he was named as "Best Acoustic Guitarist" in their...
- Jon BodenJon BodenJon Boden is an multi-instrumental musician and English folk singer.-Career:Boden plays fiddle as part of the duo Spiers and Boden, the band Bellowhead and up until 2007, Eliza Carthy's band The Ratcatchers. In 2009 he toured with his new backing band The Remnant Kings. He has also written a...
- Chris WhitleyChris WhitleyChristopher Becker Whitley was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Whitley changed his sound frequently, and achieved modest mainstream success while maintaining a small but devoted following...
- Nathan GauntNathan GauntNathan Gaunt is an award-winning Australian singer-songwriter. His debut EP, Nothingwomb, was released in 1999. His style is an eclectic mix of rock, pop, blues, and folk. Along with vocals, Gaunt plays a variety of instruments including the guitar and piano.-Early life:Gaunt was born in Darwin,...
- Kaki KingKaki KingKaki King is an American guitarist and composer. King is known for her percussive and jazz-tinged melodies, energetic live shows, use of multiple tunings on acoustic and lap steel guitar, and her diverse range in different genres.In February 2006, Rolling Stone released a list of "The New Guitar...
- Eddie VedderEddie VedderEddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums...
- Seth LakemanSeth LakemanSeth Bernard Lakeman is an English folk singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, who is most often associated with the fiddle and tenor guitar, but has also mastered the viola and banjo...
- Pete FloodBellowheadBellowhead are an English contemporary folk band originally brought together by John Spiers and Jon Boden. The eleven-piece band plays traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide diversity of musical styles and influences...
- Seasick SteveSeasick SteveSteven Gene Wold, commonly known as Seasick Steve, is an American blues musician. He plays guitars, and sings, usually about his early life doing casual work.-Childhood and early life:...
- uses a stomp box he made himself called the Mississippi Drum Machine - Scott H. BiramScott H. BiramScott H. Biram, aka Scott Biram, SHB, Hiram Biram, or The Dirty Old One Man Band is an American blues, punk and country music musician, based in Austin, Texas.-Biography:...
- Possessed by Paul JamesPossessed by Paul JamesKonrad Wert , known as Possessed by Paul James since 2005, is a one-man band from south Austin, Texas. The music is composed of string instruments including banjo, guitar and fiddle with written roots within folk, blues and punk...
See also
- Effects unitEffects unitEffects units are electronic devices that alter how a musical instrument or other audio source sounds. Some effects subtly "color" a sound, while others transform it dramatically. Effects are used during live performances or in the studio, typically with electric guitar, keyboard and bass...
- Guitar effects
- Foot drumFoot drumFor another term, see footed drumA foot drum is any type of drum that is typically played by striking it with the bare foot or pedal and beater combination...
- Ellis GuitarsEllis GuitarsEllis Guitars is a company based in Perth, Western Australia producing handmade acoustic guitars and acoustic stompboxes. In recent years the company has produced some novel, sometimes unique, guitars based upon a resonator design....
- Electronic tunerElectronic tunerThe term electronic tuner can refer to a number of different things, depending which discipline you wish to study.In the Discipline of radio frequency electronics an electronic tuner is a device which tunes across a part of the radio frequency spectrum by the application of a voltage or appropriate...