Stompbokser

Stompbokser are compact electronic devices used to alter the sound of electric instruments, most commonly electric guitars and basses. They are powered by a battery or a dedicated power supply and are operated with a foot pedal, allowing players to engage or bypass effects during performance.

Construction and power: Stompbokser typically come in rectangular metal or plastic enclosures with a front panel that carries controls and the footswitch. They have an instrument input, an output to an amplifier, and a power input. Many run on a 9-volt DC supply or a detachable battery, while some use higher voltages or external multi-power supplies. Some models include additional jacks for expression pedals or external control.

Operation and bypass: A footswitch activates or bypasses the effect. The signal path may use true bypass circuitry or buffered bypass. Controls vary by effect type and can include gain, level, and tone, as well as effect-specific parameters such as delay time, feedback, decay, rate, depth, or filter cutoff.

Common types: Distortion, overdrive, and fuzz pedals alter gain and harmonic content. Modulation effects such as chorus, phaser, and flanger modulate the signal in various ways. Time-based effects include delay and reverb. Other categories include pitch shifters, octave effects, compressors, tremolo, filters, and lo-fi or enhancer modules. Many manufacturers offer pedal ranges and multi-effect solutions.

Use and placement: Pedals are typically arranged on a pedalboard and connected in a signal chain. A common ordering is tuner, dynamic effects (such as wah and compressor), gain stages, modulation, time-based effects, and then the amplifier or effects loop. Pedals may be controlled via expression pedals or MIDI in more advanced setups.

History and impact: The stompbokser concept emerged in the 1960s and gained prominence with portable, battery-powered effects. Today a wide array of brands and models shape electric guitar texture and performance practice.