software

anybody play them? and would u guys recommend one? im lookin into the rocktron banshee and the dunlop heil talk box. what do u guys think?

i think theyre ok to paly wiht, but when will you actually use them? if ur style of music calls for them, then by all means, but dont go dishing out 200 bucks for something ur just gonna toy around with. unless you have the money. i jsut think they arent very usefull in most music.

Is it true that one can be built from an old cassette deck, with a sealed chamber around the speaker. A bit o hose into that chamber, and suddenly you're quot;livin' on a prayerquot;?

Good point by nepalnt21, I see you are only 16 and when I was 16 I know how much cash I had for guitar stuff... I think there are more useful things to buy for a couple hundred bucks than a Talk Box, even though I do think they are cool and would like to have one some day... That being said, sorry I have no experience.

I posted a couple months back about talk boxes. Got a few responses.

I think the Banshee is your best bet if your really set on a talk box for a couple reasons. The Heil talk box you need a seperate amp to power the box, then you need a microphone and PA (or another amp) to catch the signal coming out of your mouth. So basically you would need 2 amps and a PA (1 amp for normal playing, another amp with the speaker out going to the heil, then a microphone near your mouth to pick up the sound, and then another PA or amp to amplify the effected sound). Also, I've heard this can be potentially hazardous for the amp.

With the rocktron, you can run right into it as a normal pedal... it has an amp built into the effect, so you wont need it. You'll still need a microphone and a PA to pick up the sound from your mouth and amplify it. Luckily, I've got a crappy PA that's not going to be doing anything. That'll be my PA for my talbox when I get the cash to grab oen.

So basically, go with the Banshee, but you wont just be buying the banshee. You're going to need a good mic (Shure SM57 or SM58 or equivalent) and another amp or PA for the whole thing to work. That could cost alot.

The Rocktron is cool if you do use a PA for playing live and rehearsal but IMO if you have the extra cash AND you have a seperate amp to power it with the Heil is better. That said you can get a Digitechquot;Talkerquot; which does use a mic but does NOT require anything else...no PA, no extra amp and they can be had cheep. If you buy a used Talk box of ANY kind be sure to replace the tube...Home Depot will have the correct kind of tube for very little cash.

Also...you can build your own talk box but it has NOTHING to do with quot;an old cassette deck, with a sealed chamber around the speaker. A bit o hose into that chamberquot;...that sounds like some hack job BS to me. If you want to build your own talk box it requires more than all that and you will still need an amp to power it with as well as a PA to run the mic through.

christian, how does the talker sound compared to the banshee? better or worse


Originally Posted by joelapchristian, how does the talker sound compared to the banshee? better or worseIt is not a true talk box in that there is no driver and you do not use an amp blah, blah, blah...I saw a guy use one not too long ago and I thought it sounded cool. Also...it works nothing like a ture talk box...not tube but if you want the sound it works close enough.

IMO the Heil has the best sound if your going for the Frampton kind of thing. I don't need an extra amp to run it with my HRDx. I unplug the speaker from the speaker jack and run that into the talkbox and plug a cable into the speaker jack and run it into the other jack on the talkbox. When I turn it on it cuts the signal from the amp and just runs the TB and when I turn it off it's just running the amp regulary. For just messing around with it at home I can turn it up and hear it just fine, and then for live situations you have the mic to pick it up. I don't really use it that much but it's cool to get it out and mess with it for a change. I did smoke the Heil somehow and it was the day after my warrenty expired. I called them up and they fixed it for free anyway.

See I'd be afriad to use the Heil. Tube amps dont like being turned on without a speaker load being connected, I've heard doing so extended times for extended periods can damage an amp. The Heil box probably doesnt have the resistance of a 4x12 cabinet... maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way though.

The Heil does have the tone though, Matt is right... but if you've got one amp like me, maybe the banshee is your kind of thing?

If my sound were built around a talkbox, I would investigate a Heil or Framptone. As I use the talkbox on just a few songs, the Rocktron Banshee is getting the job done wonderfully.

I use it for:
Joe Walsh - quot;Rocky Mountain Wayquot;
Aerosmith - quot;Sweet Emotionquot;
Eagles - quot;Those Shoesquot;
Nazareth - quot;Hair of the Dogquot;
And I've been trying parts of Jeff Beck's quot;She's a Womanquot;

I recommend a Shure SM57 mic with a windscreen, and alcohol wipes before and after use on the tube. Also, get one of those aerosol duster spray cans to blow into the tube to help dry up the spit residue. (These things are almost too gross to use!)