Chris Cassone, a New York-born author, guitarist, photographer, and former recording engineer, has published Art of the Stomp Box: Celebrating the Visual Artistry of Guitar Effects Pedals, a premium hardcover coffee-table book that presents guitar effects pedals as miniature works of contemporary visual art.
Art of the Stomp Box features more than 300 full-color photographs from 60 pedal designers across 18 countries. The book includes a foreword by Josh Scott of JHS Pedals and a cover testimonial from the late Ace Frehley of KISS, with whom Cassone had a decades-long musical and personal connection.
The book looks beyond the usual conversation about guitar gear and circuitry to focus on the faceplates themselves: hand-painted boxes, psychedelic illustration, typography, industrial design, folk imagery, science fiction, pop surrealism, and the visual language of boutique pedal makers around the world.
“Most people think of guitar pedals as sound tools,” Cassone says. “But there is a hidden art gallery sitting on the floor at the feet of guitar players. I wanted to put that gallery on the page and give these designers the museum-wall treatment they deserve.”
Cassone’s background gives the project an unusual point of view. He is a lifelong guitarist, author, photographer, and former chief recording engineer who has worked in and around recording studios, musicians, and visual culture for decades. Rather than treating pedals only as equipment, he frames them as collectible objects, design statements, and small-scale canvases.
The book is aimed at guitar players, collectors, artists, designers, recording studios, music fans, and anyone interested in the intersection of music, art, and independent maker culture.
Art of the Stomp Box: Celebrating the Visual Artistry of Guitar Effects Pedals is available for $59.95 and can be purchased at www.chriscassone.com
