Leadfoot
Patent # 4,855,707

Brief Description
The invention is the first portable musical instrument effect controller. It attaches to the shaft of a potentiometer of a musical instrument effect and allows adjustment of the invention by using the foot or other body part. It also enables specific settings to be retrieved by presetting these levels as the minimum or maximum that this device can attain. Then by adjusting this device to its limits, the desired setting on the musical instrument effect can be retrieved immediately.



What problem does it solve?
Musical instrument effects typical cannot be adjusted while a musician plays his/her instrument. Very few effects have adjustment capabilities. Of those effects, only one potentiometer per effect can be controlled; and the particular control may not be the one that the musician needs in order to make his/her performance memorable.



How do I solve the problem?
By creating this portable device that can generically adjust potentiometers, it can enable a musician to adjust the specific control that is wished. It also lends itself to be used on the vertically positioned potentiometers of amplifiers and rack-mount equipment. The invention also solves the need to access specific control levels on musical instrument effects by presetting these levels with the attached invention.



Why is it unique?
This invention is unique. There is no invention of this type available. Along with its portability feature, this invention also provides setting retrieval abilities that are beyond the capabilities of musical instrument effects which provide setting retrieval abilities that are permanently attached to their accompanying equipment.



How does it operate?
The shaft sheath of the invention fits over the musical instrument effect's potentiometer shaft. The support structure provides the necessary placement. A hexagonal screwdriver is used to tighten the sheath to the potentiometer shaft. Then the removable foot platform can be placed on the square control platform from any of its four sides. The placement of the foot platform upon the square control platform is determined by the musician and can be easily adjusted to different lengths. This ability allows multiple units of its like to operate more than one of the potentiometers of a musical instrument effect

Leadfoot (side view)

Leadfoot attached to floor device

Leadfoot attached to amplifier


Additional Pictures