Danelectro Free Speech Talk Box

This is pretty easy to use technically but there are a few problems, Mainly Mics. Other reviewers have had problems with the provided mics, and i have to say they don't pick up a great deal unless they are right up close, and keeping them there is difficult. The controls are easy to use (Volume and growl which is distortion) but i imagine using a stage vocal mic like a shure SM-58 would greatly improve things. The provided mics are suspect to feedback, and if you are using them you need to be careful and make sure the amp setting is totally clean otherwise you WILL get feedback, even at low volume. In conclusion it's easy to use, but not so easy to use to it's full potential.
The manual was typical danelectro style briefing. a paragraph or two telling you how to use it and a little bit of advice on how to get the best sound. Fair i suppose.

I was looking for something to the effect of Joe Walsh's Rocky Mountain Way. This thing does the trick if you have the tube in the right place. People are saying there's not a very throaty sound and it's too quiet. I disagree with that. Firstly, the volume is about the same as someone singing, so using a proper vocal mic would be fine on stage. Secondly, It won't provide a throaty sound if you don't have the tube right in your mouth. It can gag you but you get used to it, if you place the tube above your tongue about 2 inches into your mouth it will do the trick. When used correctly, speaking clearly is still difficult, but it can be recognisable. Remember you need the mics really close to your mouth for them to get the sound. The distortion is great on it's own, i wish i could use that as a separate effect!
I had a lot of buzzing to contend with but that was just my fender strat and probably wouldn't happen on my other guitars (if you own a strat you will know what i mean). I am using an old Torque Tube amp which is very powerful and has a very clean channel, i haven't gigged with it yet and will probably be using the house PA through a real mic.

This thing looks indestructable. My other Danelectro pedal (Dan-Echo) is all bashed about and looks terrible but still works perfectly, i think that this one will probably still work after taking that sort of punishment. I would (and will) gig with it definitely, and since dano pedals are nearly indestructable i doubt i'd need a backup.

Danelectro are notoriously terrible for customer service. Just look at their site, it's just a big advertising space giving no useful information on their products at all. I haven't needed customer service yet and hope i don't have to.

I play rock and blues mainly and this sounds great for the sort of things i do. I have been playing guitar for about 10 years and have picked up some pretty nice stuff along the way, like an original crybaby wah pedal, a Rickenbacker 4001 bass among other things. If this pedal was stolen or lost i'd get a Danelectro again, there's just something i like about Dano stuff. I like the sound but i also like the paintwork. The worst thing is definitely the microphones, for a start they make the tube look a bit suspect.. But they are a good feature to have in a recording environment i guess, and the distortion is nice too. If could be used as just a distortion pedal it'd be perfect for my needs as the distortion is perfect for the style of music i play. This thing has given me some nice ideas for recording so it is helpful.

Theres only 2 knobs; 1 for volume (which does almost nothing) and 1 for growl which increases the raspiness of the sound. You have to use a mic stand to keep the tube up to your mouth, i've tried pinning it to my shirt and everything but only a mic stand will work.

Worthless piece of junk. The only sound that you hear is the sound coming out of the unit itself...its got a little .5 watt speaker in it, much like the speaker they put in those singing greeting cards. No matter how loud I crank my amp up, I still cant hear more than 5 decibels of output from this thing. The internal speaker is louder than the output it sends to my amp. I used my really big amp and all it does is feed back. The only way this thing would be of any use is if you mic'ed the actual unit itself and cranked up the output.

I would never gig with this piece of junk. The only way to get any sound is to put a mic on the floor and mic the little speaker inside the pedal, and then you'd hear every time I moved my feet, it would be awful.

Most worthless piece of guitar eqipment I've ever bought.

terrible

it is now in the bottom of my bin, in bits...

I think this should really be aimed at very much the bedroom guitarists, as to use it live in a typical situation is impossible even using it in the same manner as the heil.. feedback with the "supplied mic" no where near enough volume out the tube, it should rattle your teeth... i destroyed mine to use the fitting for the tube in a home built version which is what i should have done rather than wasting near on 100 quid on this pile of useless junk.

This pedal is very easy to use, plug it in, and put the tube in your mouth. Getting good talk sounds takes some practice, but that is expected.

I do not like the microphones that are included with the tube. Although they are a good idea to make the pedal compact for the everyday guitarist, they do not always work well for me, sometimes I feel like I have to put them very close to my mouth to get them to work, sometimes making it uncomfortable or hard to talk. However, when they do work, the actual talk sound sounds very good and very cool. My only qualm with the actual sound of the talkbox is that I cant get huge range in terms of the equalization of the sound, but this could just be my voice's fault.

This is my first Danelectro pedal, and they always seemed like a cheesy company to me, but I was surprised at how well constructed the pedal was, just as sturdy as any Boss pedal. Occasionally the button doesnt switch, but as long is you hit it vertically it works fine.

Talk boxes are very cool, and unless you have an extra mic and PA and a lot of cash, the Danelectro Free Speech is the only way to go. The pedal is solid and sounds good, aside from the few problems that I listed above. I dont use this pedal as frequently as I expected, I mean its a fun little toy to use, and I use it during some live solos and on one of my band's recordings, but I think I'll keep it for a while (not that anyone will want my slobbered tube...).

I think its pretty easy with a bit of pracitice to get the right sound, mine works great.

ok, heres the trick, i think all the other guys on here are techniquely challenged because i've found the right setup that ill be gigging with in a matter of no time. All you need to do, get rid of the stupid minimics, all they do is not produce any sound, gag you, and cause feedback. Put the amp into the pedal, and your guitar. Hook up the power and such. Then, put the tube in, and cable tie it up to a mic stand, all the way up the mic, and a bit of it hanging out. (you can adjust it later) Turn on the mic, the amp, and the pedal, and start doing your thing. yeah, that easy

thing looks like its made from freaking cast iron ..i think so

never delt with, hope i never will

i play rock ..been playing for only about 9 years. own a crate with carvin mic amps. ive got a fender strat, sg, les paul, blah blah blah. if it was ever lost or broken ...id get a heil talk box ..just cuz i think there better, and i think the sound might be better. over all ..good product ..the band gets a kick out of it.

Depending on what you are using it for this can be awesome or just so-so. now for direct recording this thing is amazing. right out of the box I got the exact sound of rocky mountain way (Walsh) and house that jack built (metallica), and i'm talking exact I played it along side by side with the songs (through my 16 track and computer)and I was amazed at how well it sounded. my method was just turning up your track and puting the mics right infront of your mouth (Not in your mouth) and it sounded exact (prob best guitar sound I've ever got from a guitar from recording). now for live or goofing with an amp, you have to...HAVE TO... put the mics inside your mouth si that the amp will pic up the sound. this is harder to get a good sound because you are almost gagging on the tube and mics. DO NOT USE DISTORTION ON YOUR AMP WITH THIS!!!! the pedal already has distortion that is the growl!

I'm using PRS guitars coming through a line 6 spider 2. it only has feedback when you are using distortion!!! with practice you will be able to get the noises you want (unless you are direct recording, then you will be able to get the noises right away) through an amp you will probably need to turn up the volume on the pedal, but don't touch the growl!

I could definetly depend on this pedal, the soul reason is I will rarely use the pedal, it's pretty much a fun effect.... you will have to really work to find ways to fit this into every song... but it's still great! but the thing looks friggin tough!! you will have to clean the tube though just hang it up so everything drips out...

Never dealt with them.
bought from guitareffectspedals.com great service through them, only took 3 days to get to nova scotia!

I play everything pretty much rock and folk. i've been playing for around 12 years I own 3 prs guitars, an ibanez ak85, fender acoustic, yamaha classical, greg bennet bass, fostex vf16 digital multitrack, line 6 pod xt live, line 6 spider 2, behringer v-amp, bass v-amp, ultravoice digital, dualfex pro, virtualizer pro.... yada yada yada if it got stolen I'd eventually buy another one because they are so cool!!

cool only two knobs and a hole to insert the tube,

only had it an hour lol. but starting to sound good i think with practise i will get the hang of it and stop gaging lol.

metal casing heavy duty, i think itll last.

never need help!!!!!!

great gadget, will help me to be more like my hero "slash" lol, be good wen the band aiming to miss (my/our band)start gettin the gigs comin in. cant wait yipeeeeeeeeeee

btw, i got mine from a german site, thomann.de #52 with delievery
quik delievery thx guys :)

Easy to use, volume and growl (distortion). Figuring out how to use the mini mics effectively is another story, but once I got that down it sounded good(more on this later). Didn't come with a manual, so I had to figure it out on my own, which is no different from any other pedal I've gotten, with a little (errr...maybe more than a little) tweaking I molded it into something that sounded good to me. I find this process takes time, effort, and an ear for whatever sound your trying to achieve, and I've had to do it with every pedal I've owned, which is pretty much common sense.

This pedal sounds pretty decent once you figure out how to control the feedback. I Use a G&L S-500 through a Peavey Classic 50 2x12 50watt amp. My effects include dunlop classic crybaby, boss blues Driver (BD2), Big Muff, and Boss Super Chorus. I use the Distortion from my amp mainly usually with it around 10-11(12 is max), the BD2 at a lower gain to get a clean overdriven sound with good response to dynamics and as a volume boost for my amps distortion(which sounds nice and heavy without breaking up the tone), I use the Big Muff with either of the other two combinations or by itself naturally which can give me sounds anywhere from Jimi Hendrix to Alice in Chains self titled album (examples sludge factory, and again, etc.). Back to the Free speech, It took me a while to figure out how to control the feedback, but I think I found a solution at least for me. The problem is that the stupid mics it comes with don't pick up the sound very well at all, so naturally I turned up the volume and/or growl, but through my clean channel I wasn't quite satisfied with the tone quality so I tryed to use my amp's distortion to bring the pedal to life, but then I got this NASSSSTY feedback. So I turned down the volume to just below 9 o'clock and the growl to about 11 o'clock and it sounded great, but It was REALLY quiet through my amp. So I messed around with it for another hour or so...and then found that by placing the mini mics JUST inside my mouth, w/o completely saturating the mic I got the volume I wanted. I just had to dry off the mics after I was done using it(it's not the most sanitary thing in the world). So far I have not had a problem with the mics dying on me which if they did I could always use a different mic through a pa, although I'm not sure I'd be able to get the tone I like so much when playing the free speech with my amps distortion. I have not had the chance to play live with this pedal yet, which I have read a lot of negative reviews, but I'm sure with a little patience and common sense of where to place my amp/pedals I could find a way to make it work, it's not like it's one of those pedals I would use all the time, just for certain songs etc. I can easily get the sound of songs such as rotten apple, and man in the box from Alice in Chains, but I truly believe that tone mainly comes from a guitarists fingers not his effects. I gave it an 8 because the effect by itself through the clean channel wasn't everything I was looking for, but with the overdrive of my amp I got the growl I was looking for.

Seems pretty sturdy, I'm not very hard on my pedals/guitars anyways, my guitars and effects are some of the few things I don't totally destroy.

I play a wide range of music from hard rock, classic rock, jazz, blues, funk with my fav artists being Alice in Chains, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Collective Soul, Jeff Buckly, Clapton/Hendrix etc. I've been involved with music my whole life playing piano for 8 years, trumpet for 7yrs, and after I graduated high school I picked up guitar and have been hooked, I've only had 3 years experience, but as my fiancee has told me I'm obsessed...well lets just say "I like to play." If it were stolen I would probably get it again, but I might be tempted to try the Heil box out since that's what cantrell used for his sounds, but Being that the dano was $50 or so cheaper, and seemed like less hassle I decided to give it a try. What do I love about it....hmmmm that it makes my guitar talk, I hate the freaking feedback I had to deal with (I think the feedback screams haunted my dreams for a while). It would be sweet if it had a Tone control that's my only true gripe about the pedal.

Yep, this is a cinch to use. A volume and a "Growl" knob - easy peasey. There's a hole to shove the tube into, in and out sockets, a DC in and the on/off button - that's it. Paint job reminds me of something I ate.

The manual is brief and that's a gross overstatement!

Strat plus -> Vox Wah -> Free Speech -> Marshall Edward -> Ibanez Auto Wah -> Ibanez Chorus -> Ibanez Delay/Echo -> Digitech Reverb -> Marshall TSL601

It feedsback big time unless the amp is in a different county! This is a pig to rehearse with when the band is cramped into a small space. It may prove to be a pig to gig in a small stage area when you are practically standing on your amp in the first place.

It sounds absolutely wild without the tube attached, it roars like a goodun!

Since being an adult and having ceased shoving all and sundry into my gob for want of a better thing to do I now find I have a strong gag reflex to contend with. I just get the feedback under control and, whoops, I feel I want to vomit!

I've only had this device a few days, and so I will experiment by removing the cable with the two spittle drenched mics (as supplied) and substituting an SM58 running through a mixer and PA unit. I will rehearse by myself without being on the receiving end of many ribald remarks from my cohorts until I can get over my urge to puke and get some sensible sounds via my vocal mic. (The one about putting the tube where the sun doesn't shine is wearing thin with me)

To be fair to Danelectro, their token manual has a note about the suppied mics being detachable which suggests that that is what they actually expect you to do if you are serious about music. Their aim appears to be the provision of a product that works straight out of the box without the need for two amps, AB boxes, vocal mics and PA systems. (They almost succeed)

I will therefore state a "No Opinion" in this category at this time. (I will return to say more once I change my shirt etc etc)

Well, the best part of it is metal or some heavy duty plastic maybe. The section where the knobs and tube port are situated is definitely plastic and doesn't warrant a dig with size 10 trekkers I would think. The knobs themselves are not Boss quality but because the pedal is oversized compared to most stomps you probably won't step on the knobs in error. (I say "probably")
If I had backups of all my gear I would be in default with my mortgage supplier and so I take care and carry spare tubes, fuses and leads only. Ok, a spare amp and guitar makes sense if I'm playing for money.

I dare say that this product will prove reliable, No Opinion at present.

Not needed but I don't know how to reach Danelectro directly. Have you seen their website? They just splash some products in their comic book style with no links for contact that I can see.

Played for 30+ years in bluesy rock and latterly reggae.

I use a GR-20 by Roland (now that's sweet to get on with)

If it were stolen, I'd hunt the sap down, back him/her into a corner and hand over the manual and rush round to all their gigs to find out if they have figured out how to use it properly. I wouldn't buy another. A Heil maybe, or maybe not.

Hmmm, it gets in my way at present but who knows, with a bit of cutting and pasting and a handy vomit bag, I just may get something all of my own out of this curious gadget. I will post again to update these first observations by early July 2005. I'm saying 5 here because I won't condemn anything out of hand until it stops breathing, or I do!

It's the simplest talk box you can buy, may not be the best, but is worth it. No extra setup, no mic amps or PA (unless you want to hook up your own mic and get rid of the mics it comes with). Like most have said, the manual is ridiculous, it is about 2 pages long (actually 2 pages short) and doesn't really say much, just tells you what you should aready know, common knowledge stuff. You really aren't goin to find an easier talk box to use, so it has to get a high rating here.

To begin with, I have a Rocktron Banshee also, and it does require a mic and a mic amp or PA (works great with a PA). It is useless if you don't hook up a mic to it, if you don't, nobody will hear what you are doing unless they are a few few away from you and it's a quiet room. The Dan. talk box isn't that bad though, it's not as good as my Banshee. The distortion on the Dan. talk box is a lot better than the distortion on the Banshee. I too have to say, if there was a tone knob on the Dan. talk box, it would be a lot better. With the Dan. talk box you really can't get those squaky sort of sounds made famous by Frampton. Good example of how the Dan. talk box sounds, listen to GNR's Anything Goes, the riff Slash plays using the box you can recreate, but you can't get that high pitched sounds he does at times. Feedback won't be a problem unless you can't figure out how to adjust the pedals volume and where you place the pedal (how far from your amp). It's not as bad as some make it seem, but there are better talk boxes out there that will help you produce all the sounds from guys you've heard use a talk box. The Dan. talk box is just the simplest/more convenient talk box to use, you don't need to have a mic on the mic stand to pick up the sound from the end of the tube, no extra amp, and no risk of damaging any of your equipment.

I'm not, and never have been, a big fan of Danelectro, I just bought my Dan. talk box a few years ago because I needed one that was simple, since I don't use a talk box on every song. The pedal is very rugged, I think it can last a while. The paint is cool, wouldn't want to drop it just because of it. The only thing you would have to replace for it would probably only be the 2 mini mics if you use them. Other than that, nothing should ever go wrong with it unless you are a monster with your stuff.

I think they have a website, but no email, not sure though. They aren't the best company out there, I do have to say that the talk box has to be their best pedal, but I've never tried any of their other pedals and don't plan on it.

If you only use a talk box for a few songs or just need one that is very simple, no lengthy setting up, try this pedal out, it's going to be better than you are expecting. It's no Rocktron Banshee or Heil, but it is good enough if you just need something new or you don't use a talk box a lot. There is a huge difference in the volume of sound that comes through the end of the tube between my Dan. talk box and my Banshee, the Banshee is capable of dishing out 5 watts out the tube so the mic will pick it up with no problem at all. The Dan. talk box isn't as loud as the Banshee, probably can only max out to about 2-3 watts, not sure exactly, but I'm sure on the Banshee. If you use the mini mics, put the very close to then end of the tube.