At first it must seem a little weird: a product of a guitar manufacturer on Drummerszone.com. But read on and find out how the Stomp Box from Ellis Guitars can add more rhythm and sound to your playing. The Ellis Stomp Box is a hand crafted amplified acoustic solid timber box on which you tap your foot to provide a rhythm. It can accompany your (stringed) instrument playing it in the studio or in a live situation.
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We first saw Drummerszone.com endorser Juan van Emmerloot using it on stage during the cd presentation of Jenna Attison's 'Better Days'. Juan actually plays guitar and sings in this setting, but rhythm flows where rhythm goes, so he plays the Stomp Box live as well as on the album. Also, great artists like Pete Lockett, the John Butler Trio, Jamie Cullum and Looka Bloom use the Stomp Box. The more reason to check out this fairly new product under our own feet.
A short drummers explanation on Stomp Boxes Stomp Boxes are actually a genuine name for electric guitar effects (foot pedals). All the pedals in front of the long haired guys, tapping their feet in front of them, are just their actions on a row of stomp boxes which generate the sound the pedal is designed to do. The difference with Ellis Guitars' Stomp Box is that the actual pedal is the sound.
Although it's a small instrument, and it has several sounds on the tapping pad, with the right sound adjustments we have actually used two of them as double bass drum with a normal drum set. The other 'normal' extreme, we have played it with our hands as a hand percussion as well.
But that is not what it is designed for. The general purpose of the Stomp Box is to accompany your playing with a typical Stomp Box sound while playing it with your foot. And, honestly, the use of it is great. Set your equalizer or other sound influencer on your preferred levels and it is a great add on to your collection of rhythmical instruments. Whether you are a percussionist or a drummer, this instrument can be of great use. Just plugg it in and start to play.
Most importantly, the Stomp Box is a functional instrument and can be used in every band setting. Acoustic or not, with the right sound you can use it in almost any style. With its 200 grams weight and non slip base it is a useful instrument in a drummers' collection.
If you have trouble grabbing the multi-use purpose of the Stomp Box, then watch the movie below in which percussionist Arun demonstrates it, or click through to the rest of the movie samples on
www.ellisguitars.com.au.