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GUITAR BUYER - ELLIS STOMPBOX - 2006
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This whole magazine revolves around bits of wood with pickups in them. But surely this is a step too far? ROB SANDALL has a surprise in store. Effects pedals : all well and good if you're an electric player - these days it's almost impossible not to sound like your favourite player/instrument/animal. This month's Guitar Buyer however, is a showcase of the technology available to acoustic players, should you want it. Zoom's acoustic pedal and D-Tar's Mama Bear are elsewhere in this issue, but in Ellis Guitars' unsubtle but accurately titled Stomp Box we have something that's so crazy it just might work. Rhythm sections can be hard to find if you're alone soundhole soldier. Indeed, many acoustic players prefer to perform alone, but at a live gig, find their music sorely missing the thud of percussion. Step forward Ellis, who has seen fit to mount a Schaller guitar pickup into a beautifully crafted block of wood, the idea being to tap on the sides and corners of the box and have your thuds and bonks amplified through your PA or guitar amp. Many of us tap our feet during a performance, so why not put it to good use and add a little kick to your acoustic evenings?

BLOCK PARTY
Whatever the Stomp Box lacks in complexity it's no denying that the two pieces of wood that comprise the block are wonderfully crafted : there are no rough edges, flaws or blemishes visible. While the bottom of the two woods is rosewood without exception, the top block is available in a shockingly varied number of woods, including the more expected range of maple and rosewood, but benefitting too from Ellis Guitar's private stock of beautiful - and in some cases decidedly rare - tonewoods. If you so desire, your Stomp Box can be cut from redwood, cocobolo to one of several native woods from Oz : a nice customisable touch. Finishing off the design are a standard quarter-inch jack output to take the signal to your amp or PA, a neat plaque identifying the manufacturer, and strips of velcro on the bottom of the unit that attach to a grippy rubber pad. Whether you choose to leave the block on this pad or affix this velcro to another surface, that box is happily going nowhere. It looks classy rather than gimmicky, and wouldn't look our of place at even the most elite of acoustic gigs.

SOUNDING BOARD
Sending a signal from the Stomp Box is easy enough : one jack, no controls; in terms of maintenance and so forth, there's very little to do. So, just how good can a wood block sound, if a wood block can sound good? Ellis recommends hooking it's Stomp box up to a bass amp, or in the case of a PA, using EQ to take the highs and mids down. The emphasis is on a woody bass 'thunk', then - deep and surprisingly resonant. As our photographer put it, it's a portable amplified floor. Rather than stamping on the thing though, Ellis suggests tapping your foot on the edges and corners. Indeed, applying a little restraint to your stomps is not only of course easier to control, but yields a better sound, giving each tap some room to 'breathe' without a heavy boot thudding down and stopping vibration. With such a small surface area in question, the choice of woods makes little difference to the sound, a fact that the manufacturer is quick to point out. Still, if anything that's somewhat reassuring : the aethetics are down the customer choice, but the sounds are consistent across the board. (bad pun entirely intended)

CONCLUSION
Short of being a one-man band (a musical crime second only to the accordion), it can be difficult for acoustic players to integrate any sort of beats into their set. With the Stomp Box, it's hard not to like Ellis' refreshing take on FX pedal design. This was never meant to be a full drum kit, let alone a drum machine, but what it does do is amplify something you're doing naturally in rhythm while you play. There's something personal about that, and for those looking to add a little quirk to their live show, it makes everything a bit more, well, organic. You can't get more lo-fi than a block of wood with a pickup in it, so digiphobes might well smugly rejoice. An oddity, but one that's worth a try.

ROB SANDALL - Guitar Buyer UK - March Issue, 2006

As a quality Australian luthier, Andrew Ellis of Ellis Guitars hand crafts his acoustic Stompbox, and timber Stompboxes from the best Australian and international timbers included in these reviews are: Australian Guitar, Akustik Gitarre, Germany; Drums and Percussion, Germany; Guitar and Bass, UK; Drummerszone, The Netherlands; Music Forum, Australia; Blues Art Studio, Austria; Guitar One, USA; Chitarre, Italy; Drummer Mag, UK; Frankfurt Musikkmesse, Germany; Guitar Buyer, UK and many onine reviews.