We’ve been quiet for a while, but the R&D department has kept its gears turning.  Introducing the Shoe Box, a quality stompbox with a flat response and minimal chance for feedback, and the Rattle Can, a versatile shaker that’s as easy on the eyes as it is on the landfill.

The Shoe Box is a close cousin to our Doom/Tek Boxes.  The low profile, thick face, padded pickup, and short feet make it perfect to tap with the ball or heel of the foot.  You can plug straight into an amp or interface, or run it through whatever pedals you have around.  Different sole materials result in different responses, and you can even tape things to the bottom of your shoe if you’re a crazy person.  They are currently available in 5 flavors, all with a similar tone and performance, but with different types of wood on the sides and faces.

The Rattle Can is exactly what you think it is.  We’re filling empty spraypaint cans with 3 different types of steel to get different tonal results and control responses.  The Etsy listing has all the details, check it out!

The custom iPhone Dock Boxes are a great way to make the Dock Box a perfect fit for your taste or your space.  We love the wide range of requests we get for them, and the designs have been a way to experiment with what’s possible with spraypaint and masking tape.  The requests have ranged from “Please make it exactly like this one in the picture” to “My niece likes purple and neon orange and is a girly girl” to “Green stripes, go!”  You guys have come up with some wild color combinations, and it’s been healthy to get out of our comfort zone and try new things.  For some reason, I usually forget to take pictures of them before they ship, but I did manage to catch photos of these before they got boxed.

A few months back, I got an email from Scion asking if they could feature our Dock Boxes in an art exhibit they were hosting.  After some (admittedly skeptical) Googling, I learned that Scion runs a “non-profit” Audio/Visual organization whose singular purpose is to interact with their target market.   It sounded like the kind of thing that didn’t happen.  The record label wanted us to be a part of an art exhibition with 30 other artists and craftsmen.   Every item was for sale, and all proceeds going to charity.  A few phone calls later and I was shipping iPhone and iPad Docks to the studio in Los Angeles for the opening.

The whole arrangement is brilliant.  They are catering directly to their market, supporting small businesses, benefitting charities, and putting out content that otherwise wouldn’t exist.  The Scion A/V Label has produced records, films, web shorts, rock festivals, and open-mic nights, all non-profit, all funded by a multinational company worth 300 billion dollars.  Even though at the core of it, someone wearing a suit is trying to get us to buy a car, I really appreciate the way they’re going about it.  I’m psyched that Index Drums got to be a part of the event, and I hope that this sort of arrangement becomes more common as the “Rise of Etsy and the Little Guy” continues in the coming years.

In the coming weeks, we’re going to be putting together some videos and starter files to give you some ideas of what these boxes can do.  We know that you’re capable of innovation, and we would love to hear about what you’re doing with them, as well as see pictures of them in your setup.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter in the right sidebar to hear about upcoming product releases and for tips on how to ge the most out of your Index instruments.  We also love Instagram for pictures of what’s going on in the shop and the latest finished products.

Our first year has been a blast, and we have huge plans for 2013.  These include 3 new products already in testing and variations on some of our current lineup.  We’re also going to be hitting the road to some neighboring states, so watch the monthly emails to see when we’re going to be in your area.

Shirts!  These are 50/50 cotton/poly blend by Next Level and they are ridiculously soft.  We introduced these at the Maker’s Fair and they’ve been a huge hit with the locals.  The Red and Blue shirts have a simple stripe design with the “crooked i”, and the Grey shirt has 3 JackSaws with an extremely flexible guitar cable.  These are currently for sale in the Etsy shop for $15+shipping.

We had another excellent experience at the Maker’s Fair in Shreveport.  We met a ton of people and got to live-demo the Doom/Tek boxes on four channels, circle up with some hand drums, and teach some folks how to play the JackSaw.  We finished a large batch of everything in the weeks before the show, and some of that inventory is listed and ready to ship in the store.  We did some experimenting with faces for Bongos and Cajons and were really pleased with the Ash and Maple tones.  Apologies for the photo dump, but it’s been a while.

We’re going to be back at the Texas Avenue Maker’s Fair on November 10th in Shreveport.  We’ll have a stack of all sorts of docks and drums, as well as live demos of the JackSaw and the Doom/Tek boxes.  The fair runs from 10am to 4pm, so make plans to come by and see us.

We have a few more new products in the pipeline for the coming months, so watch for some big announcements toward the end of the year!

Through a strange series of events, and long nights in the Index Workshop, the JackSaw is finally a reality.  People have been using contact microphones on musical saws for a while, but we weren’t happy with the liability of having wires and the pickup exposed.  We knew that the electrical saw was worth pursuing, and we knew that we could package it into something clean and portable.  We couldn’t be happier with the result, and now we have a patent pending.

The JackSaws are constructed with vintage handles that have been used for years by craftsmen and laborers.  We’ve individually restored and painted the handles and matched them with crisp new blades.  We’ve re-used the vintage screws where possible, and we’ve removed the teeth so you don’t chop up your clothes or your fingers.

We currently have 26″ blades, with 31.5″ and  37″ blades coming soon.  Check the Etsy shop for the current JackSaws available, and check back for demo videos if you need to hear it before you take the plunge.

I’ve been playing drums on the column of my steering wheel for 11 years.  I had no idea I was practicing for something.

The boxes are run through a 2channel audio interface and through a battery of effects on Ableton for a total of 9 tracks.