Would anyone buy this? A wireless channel switcher

[symeboy]

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

[hanales]

What sort of wireless does it use?

[stevel]

Originally Posted by symeboy

The benefit is

- 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!)

Would anyone be interested in such a device? What would you consider a reasonable price?

Thanks for reading

Disadvantage - you have to take your hand away from the guitar while playing. No worse than moving a knob or switching a pup, but that might reduce the size of your potential market and be something you just can't get potential customers past.

For me, if I'm going to be gigging where I would want the pedalboard off stage, I better darn sure have a roadie who's going to change the settings for me (or it all be MIDI controlled).

So I wouldn't have much use for it.

So for a person like me, I wouldn't pay more than 100 bucks for it if I *wanted* it. If I *needed it*, 250. But after a point, I'm going to have someone else switching everything for me.

Steve

[dr.C]

I think it potentially would be great. My only concern would be the size of the thing you put on the guitar. If that would be small or fairly invisible I would be interested.

[googoobaby]

Activation via pull thingy on the strap, sort of like a B-bender?

[symeboy]

Thanks for the feedback,

The prototype works with a garage door type momentary switch but we are looking at other alternatives. It works brilliantly up to around 40m then it starts to loose range.

The way it is mounted on my guitar (I have built the transmitter into the cavity of the guitar with the switch replacing a tone nob I never used) it is no more hassle than flicking a pickup switch. 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 and is a momentary switch it will always bounce back to the middle. I really do prefer it to stomping on footswitches.

I imagine that most players wouldnt want to go modifying their guitars in such a way as I have, but the alternative I am leaning towards is a "stick on" key-fob sized (I think maybe (3cm x 3cm x 2cm max, something like that) housing that would attach to the guitar wherever you want it. My friend also suggested a strap attachment, but I reckon that would be harder to find whilst playing... We could do both Im sure. I agree that it would have to be inconspicuous either way

All comments very much appreciated, thanks :-)