When building, using, and perfecting a pedal board, it becomes apparent that the effects themselves are not the only consideration to make. There are so many factors to consider, like pedal order, power supply, board size...The list goes on and on. But even with all of these considerations, there is a simple, but incredibly important issue that many seem to ignore: How easy is it going to be to actually step on the switches once your board is put together? If you have a board with more than one row of pedals, you are all too familiar with cocking your foot forward and gingerly tip-toeing on your pedals to avoid hitting another pedal or knob unintentionally. If you play live, you are all too familiar with having a hard time seeing your pedals' switches on a dark stage, or missing the switched entirely when you go to hit them mid-solo. It would seem that the act of stepping on the your pedals' switches would be of paramount importance, but there are not many ways to overcome the afore mentioned challenges. This is where Barefoot Buttons come in.

Here at HornFX, we LOVE these magical little pedal-toppers. They are our favorite pedal accessory. Barefoot Buttons was started in Hawaii by Brett Richards with help from pedal genius Mike Love. Mike plays with bare feet and was having a hard time swiftly and accurately activating his pedals as he played, so Barefoot Buttons were born.

Although they were originally meant for those without shoes, the buttons are so incredibly useful for the rest of us with footwear. First of all, they just feel better. The provide a nice large, rounded surface to contact with your foot. It is so much easier to work with your pedals on a dark stage when the surface area of the switches quadruples. There are “tall-boy” versions of the buttons that are perfect for raising up the level of the switches in the second and third row so you don't have to be a ballerina and a musician all at the same time. Do you have a pedal, like the MXR Phase 95, where the indicator light would be obstructed by a Barefoot Button? No need to worry, because they have clear plastic versions of the buttons that actually look awesome when illuminated by the lights on your pedal. Most importantly, the look GREAT. There is a wide range of color options that can fit the aesthetics of your board and can add a little visual pop. Nothing is more satisfying that outdoing the guitar players' boards in your band, and having that much more color and aesthetic consistency on your board will make them even more jealous.

You can find the ever expanding range of buttons on BarefootButtons.com, and if you want to rock some awesome HornFX gear, you can get b]Barefoot Buttons etched with the HornFX logo from our website or our instagram. Every board we use, and every board we build at HornFX has Barefoot Buttons on them. Yours should too.