Members symeboy Posted July 5, 2011 Members Share Posted July 5, 2011 Hey all, Me and my friend are thinking of starting to make some of these to sell, but was wondering if anyone out there would be interested? Basically instead of a channel switching stomp box that you have to walk up to sand step on, this is a wireless version that connects a transmitter on your guitar to a receiver where ever you want (e.g. on top of your amp or on a pedal board). The idea is that you hit a switch on the guitar with your hand and the reciever performs a function such as changing amp channels or turns on a solo boost etc.? basically any switch with a 1/4" jack. The benefit is- You dont have to keep walking back to your pedal board to step on a footswitch- You change it with your hand and not your feet (I find this a big advantage because its easier to find in poor light and with big feet I sometimes hit two pedals at once!)- Potentially you could move your pedal board off stage and out of your way- Less cables- Its small (about the size of a boss pedal) I made a working prototype and have been gigging solidly with it for a year and it works flawlessly. Even better is the fact that mine not only has a channel switch, but simultaneously switches on an effects loop, so I can switch on the solo boost on my amp AND add some delay etc. The plan would be to have some units that have custom options like this on them, e.g. a channel switch/loop selector, where you can change between one of two effects loops AND simultaneously switch channels, that kind of thing. Would anyone be interested in such a device? What would you consider a reasonable price? Thanks for reading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members amp_surgeon Posted July 5, 2011 Members Share Posted July 5, 2011 Some stuff to consider... Electro Harmonix and a few other companies had similar thoughts back in the 60's and 70's, and they made "dongle box" effects that plugged directly into your guitar. Their thought was that a guitarist would find it easier to reach down and flip on the effect rather than having to walk across the stage and step on a pedal. They never really caught on with guitar players. A big reason was because your hands are pretty busy when you're playing, leaving pretty much only your feet to engage/disengage your effects. Other reasons were that they weren't particularly attractive, and they weren't practical for angled jacks like Strat type guitars. Anyway, the fact that you've got to move your picking hand in order to hit the switch might put off some players. Guitarists who use any sort of expression pedal might also not be interested. It's not going to break them free from their pedal board. Another thing to consider is visual feedback. Assuming you've got a couple of these switches on your guitar, or maybe a single transmitter/receiver that controls a couple of switching channels. How would you know from looking at the switches which channels are currently engaged? What measures will you take to make sure that some wise ass in the audience, or another guitar player offstage, isn't going to have a transmitter that your receiver will respond to? Is the signal purely analog, or is it digital? If it's digital, will you be able to enter an ID number in the transmitter and receiver to prevent people from f'ing with you during a set? From a manufacturing perspective, you've also got to consider FCC licensing. Anything with an RF transmitter needs to be tested to work within FCC regulations in the US, and similar laws in other countries. Depending on the carrier frequency and range, it might need to be licensed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members theroan Posted July 5, 2011 Members Share Posted July 5, 2011 As long as you have a cable going to the input of the amp, what's the point. I use the RJM mini amp gizmo and I have a midi cable going to it. It's not really that much of a bother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members delay dude Posted July 5, 2011 Members Share Posted July 5, 2011 Interesting idea. But imho it is easier to stomp on a box than changing something with your hands while you are playing guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members macadood Posted July 5, 2011 Members Share Posted July 5, 2011 yea. not sure what the point is, other than not having to walk to your board to step on a switch. which i dont think is a huge deal. but its a neat idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members crohny Posted July 5, 2011 Members Share Posted July 5, 2011 im a one channel kind of guy, but if i wasnt id just use the footswitch provided. dont want to do anymore work with my hands than i already have to. flipping between pick ups can become a bitch if i need to, specially if i have to adjust tone pots or volume. adding more for your hands to do just doesnt make sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TomCTC Posted July 5, 2011 Members Share Posted July 5, 2011 Interesting idea. But imho it is easier to stomp on a box than changing something with your hands while you are playing guitar. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members symeboy Posted July 6, 2011 Author Members Share Posted July 6, 2011 Thanks for the feedback, Yes I appreciate that having to use your hands would put off some people. But just to be clear, the switch is a momentary switch, so it is off until you hit it either up or down. In fact, now Im used to it I dont even look at it just give it a quick flick of the wrist and because it is good quality I can hit it quite hard or clumsily and it will always bounce back to the middle. I really do prefer it to stomping on footswitches and it is much easier than using a pickup switch that has at least two positions. The option of having one switch to operate simultaneous tasks can avoid unecessary "tap-dancing" too. I agree with the comment on aesthetics, if it was ugly or conspicuous there would be no point at all, so that is a big concern, but I think we can make the transmitter very small indeed (about the size of a car door remote or smaller) Guitarists who use any sort of expression pedal might also not be interested. It's not going to break them free from their pedal board.Sure, thats true Another thing to consider is visual feedback. Assuming you've got a couple of these switches on your guitar, or maybe a single transmitter/receiver that controls a couple of switching channels. How would you know from looking at the switches which channels are currently engaged?I hadnt thought of that. A LED similar to that on a pedal would be quite useful, but might require more work to the electronics and maybe even more room in the transmitter housing.... The transmitter is only using battery power during the time it is pressed on, but this would require a different circuit I guess. My receiver lives on my pedal board and has a very bright LED but that would be any use to someone who wanted to rid themselves of the pedal board.... What measures will you take to make sure that some wise ass in the audience, or another guitar player offstage, isn't going to have a transmitter that your receiver will respond to? Is the signal purely analog, or is it digital? If it's digital, will you be able to enter an ID number in the transmitter and receiver to prevent people from f'ing with you during a set?Mine is digital and is encrypted, of course we would need to make sure that the receiver would only configure with its own transmitter. Thanks for all input everyone, much appreciated :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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