Hey, I've been looking for talkboxes for a while because with practise i reckon it is the most distinctive effect you can use and in a music world where you need to have something others don't, it seems to provide an option.

I've seen the Danelectro Free Speech a lot and i think it may be the only major cheap talkbox however I would like to know if anybody had tried one and if they were worth the money.

Also, would anybody like to enlighten me on quite how they work, because i've seen them used without mics before and this confused me somewhat.

peacex








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Gibson Les Paul custom plus, Ibanez Jem 555, Marshall AVT150 and a whole load of crap.

musicaltourettes wrote:

Hey, I've been looking for talkboxes for a while because with practise i reckon it is the most distinctive effect you can use and in a music world where you need to have something others don't, it seems to provide an option.

I've seen the Danelectro Free Speech a lot and i think it may be the only major cheap talkbox however I would like to know if anybody had tried one and if they were worth the money.

Also, would anybody like to enlighten me on quite how they work, because i've seen them used without mics before and this confused me somewhat.

peacex

I own the Freespeach unit but seldom use it. They all basically work the same way. You're guitar sound is sent up the tube by in the DE case a small onboard amp, in the Heil and Golden Throat versions the signal from your amp goes to the talk box and then to the speak cabinet. Anyway, the sound comes up the tube which you place in your mouth. Shaping words with your mouth effects the sound leaving your mouth just as speaking or singing does. That sound is picked up by a microphone and sent out to the room either through the PA or your amp. In the DE case, you don't need a mic because the Freespeach has 2 small eletret condensor mics mounted right on the tube. The closer these are the louder it is. The downside of this approach is feedback and a lot of it.

The freespeach works well for recording but I wouldn't recommend it for live use.

cheers, that helps alot. Is there a particular one you would recommend live and do you know how much it costs?








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Gibson Les Paul custom plus, Ibanez Jem 555, Marshall AVT150 and a whole load of crap.

Keep in mind that the Heil is pretty much the standard but, you have to have a mic to pickup the sound and send it to the PA but what I want you to keep in mind is that using this type of effect can be very dangerous to both you physically and to your amp if you don't handle it carefully. Your mouth/head aren't exactly built to handle the SPL that's coming out of that tube in a live situation so, just be REALLY careful.

Having said all that, I'd recommend the Heil for live use, it's built better and isn't likely to cause feedback because your amps speakers aren't being used when it's active.