Danelectro Free Speech Talk Box

This product is really easy to use, but it kind of sucks. It dampens the sound of my overall set up and drops my level down to a degree wheras I cant hear myself well enough to play right.

If the damn thing worked right it would probably sound good.

No dependance should be placed on this product. Im switiching to something else as soon as possible because this dissapointed me.

I play rock. Loud rock, my band Full Body Shiver are loud and technical and have long solos that i wish could be heard through the effect of a talkbox. The feedback was too much to handle and pissed everyone off. My band is located at www.fullbodyshiver.cjb.net and can be found on mp3.com as The Full Body Shiver.

I havent messed with the controls too much when at practice with my band, which is the most important place to do it because I will be using it in a loud situation. But the feedback is overwhelming at times. The manual sucks and I am not familiar with the mechanics and electronics, although I wish to be. Someone posted something about an internal gain trim?

I am running it through a Marshall 100 watt half stack and most of the time I have it on a overdrive channel but rather clean but this might affect the feedback that I am getting. I notice that the feedback kicks in when I kick in some of my other effects...mostly with my delays that I use (I use the DD5 digital delay and the DE7 analog delay by Ibanez) I havent been able to get the Frampton sound yet.

By the looks on it I think it seems dependable. I want to use it on a gig so I will try what I can for now. Would it be a good idea to use my main vocal mic rather than the mic I have on the tube? I think I will try that....

the tube makes it hard for me to move around. I am a vocalist/guitarist in a three man band. So what I do is really obvious.

This would be such a cool pedal but for the unbelievable feedback problem. It seems like the majority of the sound comes up through the built in speaker, but little comes through the actual amp. This is a problem. I tried miking the pedal itself but despite some minor increase in acceptable volume, the feedback issue soon overwhelmed the sound.
Dialing in sound is very easy but again the feedback problem makes it all but impossible to use with other performers.
The manual was very efficient, and I could have used more advice about using a talk box.

This is a painful and disappointing device. The feedback is unbearable. I used the pedal with my Fender USA '57 re-issue on a Peavey 5150 and a Fender Princeton Chorus, and in both cases I could not turn the volume up to a performance level without horrific screams of feedback.
The acutal sound effect is fantastic. That's why this is such a disappointing pedal. Danelectro has great thing going here, if they could just deal with the feedback and gain issue.

I love Daneletro and have never had a problem. I never have back ups for gigs because I am too poor. But even if I had the money I would not need a back up. In my experience Danelectro pedals, even the plastic models, are always reliable.

Not much luck there.

This a brilliant effect with the sad flaw that it cannot be used beyond the practice amp or recording environs. I wanted this pedal to use at gigs but it seems that the feedback problem is incurable. Hopefully someone has a solution.

8 Its easy to get going right away. But you have to fool with the Growl Knob a bit to get the "right" sound for you. It does feedback a bit but I just turned down the volume knob a bit and was fine.

I use a Les Paul and varrious Jackson w/Floyd Copies. Marshall Amps.
It's a little noisy but not through the amp. This thing has it's own amp inside of it that drives the sound through the tube. The effect box itself .......Hisses.
But it is the Real deal. It can easily do all the Framptom, Joe Walsh, Aerosmith, & anything else you've heard done with this effect.
I do have a home built talk box that I made. But I don't use it with my band because I would then have to hook it up to another amp, and use a switch box to get it to work. This pedal makes all of that go away. And also sounds just as good it not better then my home made one. This pedal has a nice distortion/Overdrive in it that give's it the sustain it needs to sound full. And because it has it's own amp inside of it, I can use it to practice at home, without plugging into my amp if I don't want to.

Seems Fine. But its made out of plastic.

Don't know

I've been playing for 25v years. This is what I've been waiting for in a talk box.

now heres the only thing i want people to know, you dont have to take it back. crack the back off that b***ch and theres an internal gain trim to solve your feedback problems. jesus dont you people mess around with your pedals right after you get it like everyone else?
basicaly with feedback aside this is rules

Easy to set up though the mini jack socket for the mic cable is a little flimsy. Just two knobs Vol (total volume from the mics) and Growl (aka drive for the inbuilt amp)
Straightforward to use and the pedal is heavy enough not to wander about at the end of the tube. The comment about strapping it on and wandering about in the instructions is hysterical! FOC+ROFL
YOu have to fiddle with the distance from the mics to the end of the tube and find the best in gob position to max volume and minimise feedback. Oh yeah and your amp has to be clean unless you want to develop permanent tinnitus from the feedback!

Tried it with SS amps and modellers, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and a Marshall stack. You have to be carefull with positioning and distance from the amp to get giggable volume without feedback. Live I think I'll use a mic into the PA. Without using the mic socket on the effect it mutes your amp when you kick it on making it function like a classical talk box.
Soundwise it is pretty authentic, which makes it good value and less dangerous to your boutique valve amp than an original.

It's my first Dano pedal but seems solid enough. I can't see me getting another as a spare I can always use the Boss PW10V or the GT5 patch that I used before.

Never needed support but I would make the observation that the instructions are basic and not very good. I also feel that as you cannot for sound health reasons try before you buy that there should be a CD available using it with various gear to listen to, if not with each unit then at least at each dealer. It's quite a leap of faith to buy one without a clue as to its performance and not be able to return it!

For the Frampton / Joe Walsh stuff it does the business.
I have been playing for 30+ years and have used a Heil. This box is friendlier and inherently safer too. It also has that sound pretty much nailed. I will probably try a better mic (hypercardioid with good feedback rejection) either into the box or into the PA for gigs.

For those numbers where you don't need it you can always pull the tube out of the box and leave the end in your pint for onstage refreshment!

I was able to get great sounds out of it from the beginning.

I am using it with a G&L Legacy Guitar and a DOD effects pedal. It has a very good sound.

The main drawback is that there is a ton of feedback (mic feedback) when you turn the volume up on your amp. It works really well direct for recording or mic'd at a low volume. I have not yet used it to gig, but I am scared that it will be useless for a gigging situation.
Noise gates do not help, as the noise gate will gate your total signal but this feedback is caused by the built in mic.

I did not comparison shop much, I bought this one because it is the only one I have ever seen that requires only one amp and no seperate mic and mic amp. I would shop around and maybe go with a non self contained unit if I find that this doesn't work well for a gig.

The basic operation is extremely simple, but the feedback is a problem, so you'll have to get creative in finding ways to fix that (see my post in the effects discussion forum for more info). Learning to annunciate with this thing takes some getting used to but that's part of the fun.

It sounds AWESOME until you turn it up. Then the feedback is horrible. I made a little tiny cardboard megaphone to stick in the mouth-end of the tube that helps some, but the best volume solution I've found is to skip the built-in mic and just use my PA instead. This kind of defeats the intent of the Danoelectric design, which is to keep everything in the guitar amp.

I would not use this on a gig at all without some modifications. It's just too quiet. It's fine in my little project studio, but for gigs, you would need a beefier model with a larger speaker. The construction seems fine. Certainly sturdier than some of the lo-end stuff they make.

Sent them an email asking for advice a couple hours ago. No reply as of yet.

I haven't had this much fun on my guitar in years. It's a gas!! But I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who needs it to be loud and doesn't have a PA. I literally can't turn my 25 watt amp up past 2 before the feedback becomes unbearable. For someone in a project studio who wants the guitar sound to come out of a guitar amp, as it should, this is perfect. I may still return this.

This thing is so simple. 2 knobs. Adjust to your needs, play and do you're thing. Mic's position easily adjusted on tube. I had to fool with it to get the right sound and not gag.

I used a no name explorer copy 2 SC 1 DC pickups into a Marshall Lead 12 mini stack. Unit is a little noisy when kicked in but the same can be said for any distortion effect which this unit includes. I got Roger and Zapp, Frampton and Alice in Chains in seconds.

Box is made well. Mic's maybe a little flimsy and the clips are plastic but I don't expect it to break. Have had a Danelctro Delay for years with no problems.

Never had to worry about the company. Everything holds up.

This thing does it. It's simplicity pi$$es me off that I didn't design it and become rich. I built a device years ago from a driver and some tube but had to mic it seperately into another amp/channel. This thing just plugs right in line. It cost me less to buy it than make one considering the mic/amp expense.

Easy is an understatement. There are 2 knobs Volume and Growl. The first is self-explanitory, the second (Growl) adjusts the level of overdrive. There are 2 small mics attached to the tube itself. Just plug it in and say ah.

Great sound! I've used it in conjunction with other effects delay, reverb, ect. and it sounds great.

It looks pretty tough to me. I've never bought any other Danelectro products before, but it has a metal chassis and thats always a bit more reashuring.

Never had any Danelectro effects pedals before so I'm not sure.

The pedal does make my wah wha a bit obsolite now. But thats a good thing. Its about time someone made an easy affordable talk box. Its the easiest pedal I've used in a while. If it were stolen I would buy it again with no hesitaion.