Stompnorth is a one man operation - that would be me - based in Edinburgh, and with the help of midgies from Argyll, I make premium handmade effects pedals using the best quality components, simple designs and time honoured construction methods. The result is great sounding pedals, with high sonic quality and solid reliability.
I've spared no effort in the pursuit of creating a rewarding and inspiring experience for the people who choose my products. Each pedal has been developed by ear, meaning the focus has always been on tone, and feel, not just the amount of effect that can be generated.
I have never set out to produce clones of bygone pedals, just to satisfy the need for an authentic sound, (what ever that is); my mission has always been to find what I think sounds the best. All of my circuits are as original as can be, given that there is nothing new or untried when building with discreet components. However, I've spent a long time sourcing these, hunting down and testing them by trial and error, for sound quality, noise level, envelope characteristics, dynamics, transparency, etc. to arrive at the aforementioned tone and feel – Jupiter capacitors from Ohio, Vishay capacitors from Austria, ARCOL carbon comp resistors from Truro, and NTE germanium diodes from New Jersey – all chosen for their quality and individual characteristics. Cost, physical size, availability, even rarity, are just minor challenges, and have no bearing on how I judge their suitability; Oh, and it’s worth mentioning, I get everything checked out by an independent test lab for RoHS compliance 😉
Stompnorth has made effects pedals for a while now, and I like to think I “cook” my circuits using novel spins on tried and trusted recipes using only the finest ingredients. The result is a bit like comparing your mum’s mince n’ tatties to mass-produced pre-pack. One is fresh, cooked with care and full of love and nostalgia. The other is just food. Though it has to be said, pedals, like mince n’ tatties, are highly subjective, and entirely in the eyes, ears, nose, taste buds etc. of the beholder, ergo each individual’s own taste. A major reason why building pedals is such a blast!
By design Stompnorth pedals have a transparent sound, with a responsive feel and highly interactive controls, which will reward the experimenter. They cover the three canons of “break-up” effects: Overdrive, Distortion and Fuzz. Both Midgies, for guitar and bass, are unashamedly low gain overdrives. The Midgie is often used as an ‘always on’ pedal to create a go-to sound that can be built upon. It also can provide 21dB boost but in all modes, both versions always have enough headroom to goose the front end of a decent amp. The Fishmoth uses luscious film capacitors like the other pedals, not raspy ceramics, which gives it a lovely, very useable and variable fuzz tone. Stompnorth’s flagship pedal, The Clipshear, whilst not bass tuned, does practically everything the other pedals do, but goes that bit further whilst maintaining its own individual sound. Put simply, it provides huge scope to craft your own signature tone.
It's just me making them, so it's also just me checking them too. It's because of this, I supply a “lifetime” guarantee with all my pedals. What this means is, as long as you own the pedal from new, you have a guarantee for twenty five years…. assuming I am still around too!
You need a replacement? You'll get one.
Prefer to have YOUR pedal repaired and returned? You'll get that.
Put simply, I'd rather my pedals be out there and under your foot, than under your bed!
It's my hope that my “beastie” pedals will become an essential part of your musical ecosystem. It would truly be my privilege, to play a part in your musical adventure.
Duncan
Stompnorth Ltd.
