The 5 Best Stomp Boxes (2024) – Add a Kick to Your Performances
The stomp box is a very popular little instrument that produces a kick sound with your foot. It’s a great option for one-man acts and scaled-down performances. They often require external amplification, but some models are fully acoustic.
If you think of the stomp box, you are most likely to remember some American blues singer in overhauls playing rhythm ’n’ blues in a smoke-filled saloon. But, with time, that image changed and today stomp box is a widely appreciated instrument throughout the music world, whatever the genre you’re playing,
The stomp box originated as a simple wooden box that players in the USA used as a cheap solution to play a beat while playing other instruments and singing, hence the name of the instrument. Today there are loads of different stomp boxes that all originated from that humble beginnings and you can choose from acoustic to electric ones.
My top recommended stomp box is the Wazinator Classic KSB319 Stompbox. This is a high-end and high-quality stomp box at a great price.
My second recommended stomp box is the Meinl Percussion BassBox. This is a more affordable option but hails from a respectable company and is of great quality.
Contents
The 5 Best Stomp Boxes (2024)
Let’s compare these in more detail.
Wazinator Classic KSB319 is an Australian take on the stomp box and a pretty successful one too. This is an analog acoustic stomp box, working on the same principle as Logarhythm – the inside of the box is empty and the air moving when you hit it makes the sound appear.
You have to preamp it or play it through an amp or sound system as it is passive, but the sound you will get is a beautiful deep bass kick sound we all think about when we say stomp box.
This model is, as the name suggests, built to have that classic look about it and even though it is thin, it has a rather big stomping surface, especially compared to some other boxes on this list. That is a big plus if you want to play it freely and not have to look down every time you stomp to be sure you got it. Also, it has a rubber bottom so you don’t have to be afraid if it will move anywhere while you play it.
All in all, this is a high-end, high-quality instrument that has a somewhat larger price tag attached to it, but it is definitely worth it as it will survive hundreds of gigs and serve you faithfully for years.
2. Meinl Percussion BassBox
This is one of the most widely known and used stomp boxes around. Meinl Percussion BASSBOX is an acoustic stomp box made of birchwood.
In the package, you get a pedal with which to play it and you can do that either standing up or sitting down, as the box comes with a rubber floor to keep it in place. Of course, you can use your own pedal or play it with just your feet if you want to.
The sound you get from this stomp box is a mellow acoustic bass drum sound which will accompany you perfectly if you’re playing acoustic sets. Also, it will mic up pretty well, so you can amp it up for electric sets too. All in all, this is a great, low-price, high-quality stomp box.
3. Log Jam Logarhythm Stomp Box
Logarhythm stomp box is an electric stomp box mainly designed to be played as an original stomp box. It has wooden look and feel to it and recreates the sound of the original stomp box – a beautiful bass drum sound.
This stomp box is passive and as such, it has to be run through your guitar amplifier – there is no way around it. The great thing about it is that it needs no additional power supply and it is ready to go wherever you are. But because it doesn’t have its own amplification it can be advised to use some preamp when playing this box.
This is a great, simple, mid-range priced stomp box that will give you the authentic southern American sound you’ve been looking for.
4. Roland SPD-1K
Roland SPD 1K is an electronic kick pad for your feet that is somewhat different from the previously mentioned ones. First of all, this isn’t technically a stomp box but more of an electronic drum pad. With that in mind, there are a lot more options to this drum pad, there are 22 different sounds that you can then change and cycle through.
This is a rugged built pad that you can play with your hand, feet, or drumsticks. It does belong to the upper price range, but there are so many options on this thing that you can’t blame them for putting the price tag up a notch.
You should notice that this pad needs a power supply – you can choose between AA batteries or an AC power supply cable which you get with the pad.
This drum pad is perfect for you if you need your stomp box to play several different sounds and you want to spend more money to get that noticeable quality of sound and build.
From the same company comes the second son – Wazinator Dropkick KSB 883. This stomp box works on the same principle as its brother, as it is an analog passive stomp box. This also means that there is no need for a power supply, but only for the amplification of the instrument. Whether you are going to pre-amp it or put it through your guitar amp while you play guitar is up to you.
Dropkick has a somewhat more modern, aggressive sound than Classic stomp box, and is also a bit smaller in comparison. This means it is even easier to take this stomp box to the road with you and the metal and wood mixture in a build is sure to withhold for many years without a problem.
This is a great piece of equipment and it is slightly cheaper than its older brother, so you should definitely check it out if you need something reliable and quality made for your gigs and tours.
Conclusion
I hope that I helped you to make your choice by putting together this list. Any of the boxes that are on this list is great, but you should check them all out and pick one that is most suitable according to your needs. Whichever you choose, they’re all good options.
My top stomp box pick is the Wazinator Classic KSB319 Stompbox, a high-end and high-quality stomp box with a great price tag.
My budget stomp box pick is the Meinl Percussion BassBox, a more affordable option from a respectable company and is of decent quality.
Featured image by: Ovation72 [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
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