Dunlop Heil Talkbox

No brainer, simple to setup, easy to use. I'm using an A/B switch to change from my half stack to a combo. Go to Home Depot and get some velcro tape and tape the tube around the mic so about 2"-3" is hanging out over the end of the mic. This way you can have the tube where it needs to be and it's easily reuseable. I got some extra velcro and now wrap the tube all the way down the boom stand. The tube sent with the unit is somewhat flimsy. I found a wholesale beverage supplier (bar supplier) and bought some heavy duty soda dispensing tubing, you can get some cool looking stuff! Take a sample of your tubing so they can accurately measure the diameter. If it's slightly smaller you can use some masking tape to make a tighter fit.

I'm A/B'ing this setup between a Marshall JCM2000 TSL 100 (Voodoo mods) and I use a small Marshall 30 watt 1-12 combo. I crank the little 30 watt about 3/4 up w/drive pedal on, mid on 7 presence cranked, treble on 5, bass on 3 and I get an awesome sound. Instant Joe Walsh! The only thing is, if you use a more powerful amp it will rattle your dental work a bit. Just try and find a comfortable level (the louder the better) and let the sound man boost your mic if need be. I was first running a Mesa Nomad 55 and that was a little unnerving for my fillings. I've since switched to the Marshall and all is well! Crowd reaction is unbelieveable! First time out just messin around during a slow blues solo everybody was looking to see where "that sound" was coming from. When we played "Rocky Mountain Way" I got a standing O from the crowd. Just keep in mind the more overdrive the better the result. Much better than just using the standard setup (interrupting your speaker cabinet from the head) and that way you won't have to worry about puke'n the driver.

It's been very dependable. However when i first bought it (about 5 years ago) I was not doing the A/B thing and had switched amps from a Mesa Nomad 55 (55 watts) to the a 72 Fender Twin Reverb (100 watt)for a small outdoor venue and forgot about the 100 watt warning. Well needless to say I was about halfway through a solo when she died. I panicked and thought I puked the driver. I checked it out later and determined that I fried the capacitor. I upgraded the cap from a 15 micro farad to a 47. Immediately after that I started doing the A/B thing. Haven't had a problem since. I do and will continue to work without a backup. No need, it's built like a bomb shelter. Short of running it over with a bulldozer I don't think you could hurt this thing. It's a little hefty so be careful not to drop it on your foot. Ouch!

I did email them when I had that problem I mentioned and they got right back to me. NICE! Left me an 800# and I called. They were very friendly and helpful and said it would be OK to use the larger cap. I mentioned possibly doing an upgrade by putting a limiting device to protect the driver but never got any feedback from them on it.

I play a wide variety classic rock and blues, been playing since I was 11, now I'm 51. I really like the combination of gear I use with this talk box. Heil isn't the only game in town but if you want the "right" sound, that depends on your ear and your gear. I've found Heil to be solid and reliable and hands down delivers what I want in a talk box, period.

Back in the day I made my own talk box but using a different setup. I built a little 1/2 watt amp (Guitar Player Mag featured article way back in the early 70's) and used a small piezo tweeter with the horn end cut off in lieu of a speaker. I then slipped a hose over the "stub" and presto - TALK BOX! However the Heil setup is more reliable and a heck of a lot better sounding and looking.

My gig arsenal includes a '58 RI Gibson Flying V Goth w/Dimarzios & a Floyd Rose,'62 RI Fender Strat w/noiseless pup's, Jackson Dinky w/Floyd & Lace Sensors, Fender Tele w/Bardens, Gibson EDS1275 w/Seymour Duncans, and a Fender Scorpion for slide. Effects include a Boss Giga Delay & Chorus Ensemble, Mojo Vibe, MXR Phase 90, Sparkle Drive, Boss Compressor, Morley Bad Horsie 2, Morley A/B box, Voodoo labs pedal power and of course the Heil. Man my pedalboard is crowded!

If I caught the guy that stole it I'd let it drop on his foot! Oooh painful! But seriously, if the Heil got stolen, I'd probably go out and make my own. There's not much to it; just a box, 50 or 100 watt 300-5000Hz rated mid-range driver, SPDT switch, couple of jacks, footswitch, some wire and a 47 micro farad cap. You could probably build one for about $75. Simple yet cool.

I really like using the talk box, it's an attention getter and sounds awesome if you use it right. I find myself kicking it in every now and then just to "spice up" some otherwise boring songs. It is a real cool tool to use and improvise with. Another great sound in my toolbox.

I'm not only a working guitarist I'm also a collector of vintage axes. Nuff said!

Its a great Effect and sounds awsom but its a bit of a pain to get hooked up,but once you get it done its sounds realy good and its relly cool for playing Clasic Rock like Peter Frampton,Joe Walsh and alice in chains,But be sure not to over power it try not to use more thain a 100 watts to drive this thing or you well ruin it.

im using a gibson es.335 guitar but I use a sepret amp for the heil sound.i use my buddies 80 watt peavey bandet for my guitar and i use a 40 watt traynor tube amp for my heil sound and most times i just stick a mike in front of my traynor amp to get the talk box louder.i just use some basic effects,nothing fancy just overdrive,choris,delay and my dunlop cry baby.

The heil sound is pretty reliable it hasent failed on me yet so im pretty pleased with it(so far so good)

I havent dealt with the company yet but some of my friends have,and they told me that they are very helpful and easy to get along with after all it is dunlop and they are the best.

I usualey play 80's rock like van halen,ac/dc,peter frampton and dire straits,ive been useing the heil sound for about 5 months now and im realy pleased with the sound,i wish it wasent so complicated to get hooked up but nothings perfect,if it was ever stolen from me ill find out who did it and kick there @$$.

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Well the talk box just crapped out on me. It just quit right in the middle of playing. I had 2 days left on my warranty so I had two days to get it to California. I called them and they said it was cool if it was late and they would still service it past the warranty time. That's really cool of them IMO. We will see how fixing it goes.

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It's is kind of a pain to set up but once your there just hit the button and start talking. Didn't need the manual cause my other guitar player has one and he showed me how to hook it up.

I am using a tele and Ibanez GAX70. I don't use it through another amp, just run it through my Hot Rod Deluxe which is 40 watt tube. Just run the chord coming off the speaker(with an adaptor) into one side of the talkbox and run another chord from the other side of the talkbox into where the wire from the speaker was pluged in. I don't see the need for another amp if you have these imputs. I like to use the distortion off the amp but sometimes use my boss OS-2. No noise when it's off. I can nail the Frampton tone.

Never had a problem with it in the 6 months I've had it. Strong as an ox. I do use it without a backup. Tube gets kinda nasty from spit but just wash it out and your ready to go.

Never had to deal with them.

Mostly use it on Frampton stuff(Show Me The Way, Do you Feel Like We Do) but my other guitar player has one so we do double talkbox parts on others songs. Double talkboxes sound awsome. I bought it because I wanted the original, not something trying to copy it. If it were lost I would get another when I could get the extra money.

The Heil Talk Box is easy and fun to use. However, it is quite complicated to set up.. but if you do the hard yards in setting it up properly, it'll be well worth your while. You really should use the recommended 'pro' setup method - using an A/B switch and a separate amplifier to your main guitar amp, because it will allow you to be more versatile with your talk box sound.

I use a Peavey 5150 II as my main amp, and run the talk box with a 15 watt Peavey Rage practice amp using an A/B switch pedal. When I first bought my talk box, the dudes at the shop told me it'd be fine to run with the 5150... they were WRONG. 120 watts of sheer power running out of my head fried the talk box within minutes of initially using it. Stoked. You MUST use the talk box with an low powered amplifier if you want it to stay healthy and it working condition. I found the Peavey Rage sound to be perfectly suited to the talk box, and I was able to perfectly recreate Richie Sambora's sound in Bon Jovi's 'Livin On A Prayer' and Dave Grohl's sound in Foo Fighter's 'Generator'.

Use the Heil Talk Box properly, and you'll have no worries. When I say properly I mean with a small amp eg. Peavey Rage. What you'll need to do is to disconnect the cable that connects the amplifier to the speaker in the combo, and add cable jacks onto the speaker-out of the amplifier and the speaker-in on the speaker itself. Sounds complicated, I know! But it's well worth it if you really want that talk box sound.

The place at which I purchased my talk box replaced the shagged diaphragm free of charge two days after I took it back. The 2 day delay was due to them needing to order in the part from another part of the country.

Overall, it's an awesome and totally unique sound, well worth the trouble involved in it's set up if you want it bad enough.

Very easy and basic setup. There are two types of setup, Basic and Pro as the manual shows. Basic: Plug your amp/head's speaker out into the input of the talkbox, and plug your speaker cab in from the output of the talkbox. Pro: Using an A/B box, run two amps. One for your regular guitar tone and one with the talkbox plugged into the speaker out. Then use the A/B to switch between amps.

I personally use the basic setup right now. Now, the manual says you are supposed to use the 8 ohm output of an amp or you could risk blowing the talkbox and/or amp. I went and talked to a friend at a music store who has been using one for years and he didn't know anything about this. He said just the usual 16 ohm output works fine. So, I went home did what he said and not a problem.

Probably the trickiest part is having the tube in your mouth. It takes a little getting used to, but nothing major.

Now, I'm not too knowledgable on the classic rock, so I got into the talkbox by listening to bands like Alice In Chains, Muse, and Nickelback.

My current setup is a Fender Tele-->Boss TU-2 (tuner)-->Dunlop Crybaby Wah-->Marshall JCM900 100 watt head-->Heil T-1 Talkbox-->1960A 4x12 cab.

The actual sound is all on how you make it. When you turn the effect on, it diverts the sound from your amp/head into the tube which you use your mouth as the sound chamber and the mic picks it up.

The pedal itself is as silent as can be.

I would definitely gig without a back up. When I orded this they said the package weighed 8.4 lbs. This is pedal is heavier than my 6 year old cat. The only thing you might need to replace after a while, but that's nothing.

Haven't dealt with them yet. Hopefully won't need to.

I play basic rock, so this pedal does the trick. It is built like a tank, and can take the abuse from one. I was considering the Heil or the Rocktron, but once I found out that there shouldn't be any risk of blowing my head, I got the Heil. I don't know anything about the Rocktron, but I'm sure it's a good pedal. I just wanted to get that exact sound I heard on the records. I would advise anyone looking into getting a talkbox to at least check it out. If you're looking for the Heil sound, the only way to go is the Heil, No Substitutions!!!

Its a pretty plain and fool-proof unit as far as usage goes. Stomp on it and the rest is up to your mouth and your guitar. It sound you get is good under any circumstances; different guitars, amps, clean or dirty. The manual is short and sweet and tells you everything to know... and take my word for it- READ IT. This is a sheer mechanical device- not a digital stomp, so if you don't keep the usage in-bounds, you could blow the diaphragm. The seup is easy after the first time; you just have to figure out how to wire it up, which may take an amp mod. if you have a combo- you'll need to wire it so you can put it between the amp and the speakers- do this with an output jack and a 1/4" plug to the speakers, and then just wire a set of speaker cables and a female-female adapter to finish the loop through the box. Goes wihtout saying, wiring this ot a head and cabinet is easier.

Sound quality is as it should be- froggy and a little shrouded. No excess noise is produced and you won't have to fool with it or change your amp settings at all to get a satisfyingly similar sound to Perry and Frampton. Those Frampton sounds are better achieved with cleans and those Sweet Emotion sounds are better slightly dirty.

Hey, like anything else, if you treat it as i should be treated, its not gonna blow on you. Heed the warning, though- Don't pump an amp with over 100 watts of power through it- If you do, especially while cranked up, you might be dishing out more cash to replace it. If you do everything by the book, though, you're not going to have any troubles and the unit itself has an almost bomb-proof cover.

Never dealt with them, hope i never have to.

Love it to death. Great for Screaming out solos (literally) and you can emulate those classic sounds without having to fuss with knobs and switches- great tone all the time. Just don't test its limits and it won't test your temper. Simple as that.

The setup takes a few minutes to figure out, but then its easy

You can use any setup, and its not limited to guitars, as another user siad the Framptone is maybe better, but $500. (And by the way Frampton started making his own after years of success using the heil,) He made his mark with a Heil, then began making his own, not vice versa. and as far as talkboxes go? I dont think they make a better one, maybe just as good for more $$

As Brian said in his review, He knows a few people who have blown these....... So do I. DUH!!! Heil SPECIFICALLY warns you not to push a 100 watt amp through these! Common sense??? Youve got a single small speaker? I, Like Brian run mine with a 30 watt peavey.(not my 210 watt amp!! If you need volume? you crank up the MIC!!!! not the signal to the box. I give it a 7, because its not idiot proof by far

Never needed them, and being I have 2 Heils, I doubt I ever will

What style you play doesnt matter......... Talkbox is its own style. Nothing else sounds anything like it. Personally Ive heard bad things about the newer (less than high end) boxes. And I dont see that you need anything better than a Heil. Like I said, listen to Frampton, Joe Walsh, Joe Perry, Thats Heil!

It's very easy to use. It comes with complete instructions on how to set it up including diagrams (for guitars and for keyboards). It shows two ways of setting it up: the basic set up and the pro set up. The basic set up is: guitar->effects-> guitar input of your amp head-> amp output of your amp head pluged into the talkbox input-> talkbox output pluged into the cabinet input. The pro set up is the same as the basic setup except it has a AB (and/or) switch right after the effects so you can switch between two amps having one of them set up with the talkbox. When the talkbox effect is on the sound that comes from your amp head goes directly into the plastic tube of the talkbox and nothing comes out from the cabinet. When the talkbox effect is off the sound coming from the amp head goes directly to the cabinet and nothing comes out from the plastic tube of the talkbox. On the back of the pedal there's also a diagram showing how to set up the effect.
The instruction manual also has some good tips to develop your mouthing to produce better results with the effect.
Unlike what I've read here and what's on the dunlop website, the plastic tube that comes with the talkbox is very long which is great because I'm tall.

My set up is a Gibson Les Paul Standard -> Jim Dunlop Cry Baby 535Q wah-> Marshall JCM 2000 TSL head->Heil Talkbox-> Marshall JCM 900 1960A cab. I really love my set up because I can nail Slashs tone, Gary Moore (great) old hard rock tone and his blues tone also, Van Halen, Zakk Wylde, Paul Gilbert,... all the great 80's hard rock sounds. I can get real good distorted sounds out of my amp at low volumes which is perfect because the talkbox needs heavy distorted sounds to sound good - this way I don't have to cranck my amp all the way to get a good tone out of it.
Unfortunatelly the sound that comes into your mouth from the plastic tube when the talkbox is on isn't very loud so, even at bedroom levels, you always need to amplify it with a mic pluged into a mic. amp. The sound of the effect is a little thin but you can equalize it to make it sound perfect. It takes a little practice till you can take the best out of the effect but
once you master the technique of mouthing the words, this is the coolest effect there is! It sounds so distinct, when you use it everybody will turn their heads to you! If you're into heavy blues and good hard rock than this is a must!

This effect comes in a heavy box made of steel so I guess it should be very reliable. I've only had it for two weeks so only time will tell how dependable this is. The plastic tube may need to be changed from time to time but that's normal.

I've been playing for 8 years and I play only (good old) 70's and 80's hard rock and blues rock like Guns N' Roses, Thin Lizzy, Scorpions, Gary Moore (his early 80's Hard Rock era), Van Halen, Skid Row, Cinderella, Poison,... This effect is real cool for this kind of music and it's my favorite effect. I also have a Jim Dunlop Cry Baby 535Q wah pedal but I don't think it replaces the talkbox nor the talkbox replaces the wah pedal. The wah pedal has a much wider range of aplications so I think you should buy first the wah pedal and then the talkbox.
The only things that dislikes me is that you need to amplify the sound coming out from the plastic tube and the fact that this effect is very overpriced! All in all this is just a metal box with a speaker inside and a plastic tube that goes out from the metal box to your mouth so you can mouth the sound you're playing when the effect is on. This thing should be a lot cheaper.
But nothing compares to this, if you want to hear how cool this thing is just listen to songs like Guns N' Roses Anything Goes, Scorpions Money and Fame and The Zoo, Bon Jovi Livin' On a Prayer, Joe Walsh Rocky Mountain Way, Alice In chains Men In a Box and of course, Peter Frampton's Do You Feel Like We Do!
I know there are other designs of talkboxes but I never tried them although I read all the reviews on them. Anyway, I wanted the classic talkbox sound so why should I buy something similar when I can have the original one?

I bought mine because I got tired of the same old effects guitarists have had to put up with over the years. Also because it's just a cool way to get your audience's attention when you solo. The sound is what it is...a talk box. It doesn't take a genius to figure this one out. But getting the right amount of distortion and tone from your power source does take a little experimenting.

Depending on what you power this with you can get the true Frampton, Walsh, Perry sound really easy. I bought a Vox Pathfinder just to power this thing because I made the mistake of hooking it into my guitar rig which is powered by an old Fender M-80 Pro head. Any one who knows this unit knows it's kinda hot rodded. Well, I almost rattled my fillings out of my teeth. It was so percussive that I had to really take care on my picking technique not to play too hard. And to think Frampton uses a Marshall. I run a fair amount of overdrive just to get that little breakup, you don't want to run it too clean 'cuz you'll sound like Aldo Ray (who?).

As long as you run an 8 ohm load you'll be fine. I've been cooking along just fine for about 6 or 7 months with mine and it keeps on ticking.

I play classic rock covers and some tunes like "Show me the Way" and "Living on a Prayer" exist on using the talkbox. In other words if you're not running one on these tunes you probably shouldn't be playing them 'cuz the sound is one of the things that makes up the tune. There aren't a lot of players using these things so I tend to get a lot of looks by people wondering what the hell is making that sound. It's not something you're going to use all night, maybe a half dozen songs, but it does make a big difference in your sound. The only thing that might be better is the Framptone. But considering it runs for about $499 paying $139 seems a little better. The only drag about it is that the hose can get annoying when you're trying to sing. You can fix this by using a separate mic for vocals like Richie Sambora does but now you're dealing with more equipment and more cost and needing more room and so on and so on. If somebody stole it I would hunt him down, shove the tube up his ass and pop his eyeballs out with a power chord.

The setup takes some time, but it's easy to get a kickass sound from it, then it's up to the engineer to get loud enough out from tha PA.
I know a few guys who has managed to blow up the thing,(it's not too hard),So don't play it too loud.

I use a 30w state amp, w/ dist. to it. and an a/b box.
The sound is good, I have no favourite artist playing the box, I just began doing it myself,and it worked out pretty well.

I keep the volume down as much as possible on it, so it wont brake it, but i rely on it .

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I play stonerrock, and the box gives a good vibe to the psychedelic parts.
Been playing for 15years, and I play a custom buildt guitar with .12 strings and I use fenders solid tube amps.
I chose the heil sound 'couse it's the only to bring up on the stage if u really believe in rock'n'roll.
I'd kill tha fucker who'd steal my bloody box, it's fuckin' sacred.

If u don't know how to use the box, or how to becool enough to do it, don't get into it, u have to be worthy that fuckin' sound.

The Heil talkbox is very easy to use. It's a very simple device - it must be, even your speaker cabinets are simple devices. It's a unique effect and with the right settings of your amp you can get a very good sound out of it.

I play an Ibanez UV777P through a MesaBoogie Triaxis Preamp, a TC G-Major Effects Unit and a MesaBoogie Simul-Class 2:90 Power Amp into two Marshall 1960 Cabinets. I connect the talkbox to the output of the A Channel of the 2:90 and to one of the speaker cabinets. There may be a little bit of signal loss due to the long signal way from amp to talkbox and back to the cabinets (depending on your stage setup), but that shouldn't bother us now. I feed the talkbox with a moderately distorted lead 2 channel sound plus the modern voicing on the 2:90, turned the dynamic voice up to 9.0 and presence to 5.0. The talkbox loves high presence settings. Forget about the basses and use some mids so the sound gets a litte fatter. The talkbox sound should be quite loud until you can hear some whistling or buzzing while playing. That's enough. Now it's up to the technician to turn up the overall volume f.o.h. Listen to some live recordings of Bon Jovi. They have found really good solutions. Talkbox and lead vocals should be equally loud, it's important that the talking effect comes through.

It's a solid device.

The talkbox is an interesting effect. But you should spend some time practicing articulation. It seems so easy to play the livin'-on-a-prayer line, but it isn't. I have heard many other guys trying to play it live. If you want it to sound really cool, be patient. It takes time.

Well, it's easy to actually "use", but you will need a seperate amp & microphone. The manual explains how to hook it up to an amp. IF you're using a 1/2 stack of any kind, make SURE you set the 4/8/16 OHMS SWITCH to 8 OHMS! This is an 8 Ohms pedal, and damage to the pedal AND AMP can occur if this step is not taken.

Anyway, the pedal is just a horn driver, with a plastic tube running up to your mouth. Play your guitar, the sound comes out of the horn driver and into your mouth, you move your mouth to make vocal shapes, and your guitar...TALKS!

It's a TALK BOX! Who doesn't like the sounds out of this pedal? Everyone uses this little device... Frampton, Bon Jovi, Alice In Chains, Aerosmith, Joe Walsh, The Eagles, and many more.....

Coolest thing since sliced bread!

Dependable? Sure!
Gig without backup? Sure!

Never dealt with the company.

I play everything from the heaviest of metal, and everything in between. 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's rock/metal, blues..etc Been playing for 20+ years.

No, it's not a pedal you can use all the time, but, when needed, there's no substitute!

Ever stolen from me, I'd go on a warpath.

Very easy to use. I like the sound. I use it with a separate amp, a Laney AOR 3012 combo. this works very well. I prefer to use the amp at a comfortable volume level so I dont rattle my teeth out. I dont think you have to push it that hard to get tone, if you mess wiht the knobs on the amp you can get tone, at least I can wiht the Laney. I use a ABY switch with my main rig, this makes it easy and you dont have to worry about speaker levels. I like it. The tone is terrific. you have to work on the technique a little, but its well worth it. My advice is to spend some time with the talk box and experiment with sounds and techniques and develop your own style.

absolutley terrific. the tone is great. I have only tried it with my laney though. maybe its the amp helping out.

This thing is built like a fucking tank. very heavy and built like a brick shit house. steel box. nice to see workmanship like this these days.

dont know

WOrks great for the Frampton, walsh, sambora stuff. essential tool for classic rock guitarists.

Set-up is a little bit of a pain in the @$$ but is well worth it. After-market tube is a must as the one included is not very long (I'm 6'4").

Excellent. Overdrive does help to pronounce the effect. I use it on fretless bass and it's nice to use while running with a parallel clean signal.

Nice tough casing. Never had any problems.

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I play whatever comes up. To power the talkbox I use a Vox pathfinder 15 guitar amp. with that I use a whirlwind selector a/b box to switch between the talkbox and an ampeg svt400t head running a peavey 115bxbw and a peavey 410tx. It's a great effect but as with any effects, I like to use it as little as possible so the bass can do it's job.

One romp button, Can't get any easier than that.

Vintage tonal clarity. I bought my Talkbox in 1976 and it still sounds perfect! Over the years I have used it with a variety of amps and of course a Les Paul Custom. Sound quality depends on who's using it.

I have to change the tube out every once in awhile. I can't seem to find tubing in the original purple color though :(

Except for a few trips to the hardware store for tubing, it has never given me trouble

You can't play Frampton, Slash, Rufus, or Stillwater without it!

Well, I just can't beleive only one person has submitted a review on the Heil Talkbox since my own. Perhaps talkbox interest is waning. Or everybody is buying Rocktron Banshees. Wait a minute. . . I just bought one. Yes folks, I just couldn't handle not knowing first hand how they sound, and I happened upon a super deal on one. So why am I here again. Why indeed. I'm compelled to further elaborate on my questions and personal findings,since no one else has,and back up my previous rant on the Heil. To make it short(don't make a promise) the Heil is still where it's at for me soundwise. My suspicion on how the Banshee, despite it's superior convenience, wouldn't quite be the same animal was definately well founded. Some of you might be saying, no kidding, Ya Ahole! How could it be the same?! Exactly. But wishful thinking combined with glowing reviews can be quite motivating when deciding on a purchase. So I got the thing, took it home, hooked it up and basically experienced the proverbial 'oh shit'. So any of you who might wonder which squalkbox suits you may benefit from checking out my Banshee submission over at HC Rocktron effectsland for more of my hopefully helpful ranting on the thing. I really do not wish to dis the Banshee, it has it's own sound that I hope some talented wiz picks up on and gets famous for. Even me. But certainly, unless I'm very possibly deaf from more than 5 measly watts being crammed down my throat every week, the Heil is the Tone we all have known and loved. Oh yeah, convenience shmeanience.

Need I say more. Check my other review for my take on the real deal.

I've gone against better judgement and tried some other amps recently. As in more wattage. Mainly to take advantage of it's normal mode properties. A Vibrolux. A THD 4x10 Bassman knockoff. A Super Rev.(ouch) Now I am using the Black Deluxe Reverb again. For what I 'm doing, it is perfect for the Heil squalker. I'm probably just too used to it. The Heil has held up great, about 4 years now. One time I strapped it to my Black piggyback Bassman head and it sounded like it was going to blow the driver. I just don't know how some bad boys use 50 watt Marshalls and such on these things.

Aren't those new MXR pedals just not right? What's with the textured paint jobs? Jeez. I hear the Phase 90 sounds good.

I sure would like to hear more tales from all of you tube players out there. That reminds me, time to head back over to EH effectsland and scour the Golden Throat reviews. Anybody out there hear anything on the Framptone yet? Squalk on.

It takes a while to figure out how to set it up, but after you figured that out its easy.

Guitar: Ibanez S-470, Westone
Amps: Beckemer 90 watt valvestate, Marshall JCM-2000 DSL
Pedals: Crybaby, Boss Harmonist, Boss MT-2, Maxon OD-1,DOD FX-747, Danelectro Delay

Incredible! It is so unique. Nothing compares.

The box itself is very dependable (although you have to be careful because of the speaker inside of it) , but the fucking decals just flake off if you breathe on them. It doesn't degrade the fucking sound, but its damn annoying!

An incredibly unique effect that will make your band the coolest. The shitty decal work is very dissapointing and disturbing.

I use when miking my drums & use it in my solos .......it kicks ass!
The Oxford files / Connecticut

This is how I would assume most of the classic sounds are achieved. What I mean is that the Heil "style" is nothing more than a speaker driver in a box with a tube. You then hook it up to a cranked tube amp. From what I've heard and read, Frampton, Walsh, Rufus(Tell Me Something Good),Steely Dan(Haitian Divorce)the 70's classic "Mindbender",Eagles(Those Shoes),etc. are done this way. The other design has a built in amplifier.(Rocktron Banshee,EH Golden Throat). Those are easier to use(can be put in line with effects), but I wonder at the difference in sound. The old style uses tube power amp distortion when you think about it, the ones with built in amps have to have some sort of instument level fuzz or distortion circuit which is different to me. No one ever talks about this. Perhaps it's an undetectable thing after being squeezed through a tube, swirled through your face and then blasted through the PA(I've not been able to try a Rocktron or EH)but I will say this: when I set the talkbox amp clean(instead of cranked) and then use a pedal for the distortion, it does not seem as expressive, talky or classic(inject your own stupid,personal,ultimately unconveyable adjectives here). Hey, it's just not as good.(to me) So as usual, the real deal is old tech,harder to acheive, and verges on blowing something up, but it's better sounding. My disclaimer for all of this BS is many reviewers have said the Rocktron sounds great and I have to respect that. I'm sure both ways are valid sounds. But being the Frampton and Walsh freak that I am, I'll stick with the Heil.

Like terrrible Ted says: "Sometimes I have to ask myself, Do I have the right to sound this good?" So tell me fellow tube players out there in product land, has anyone seriously compared head to head the simple design vs. the built in buzz design and detected major differences?

It has held up really well. I read where Frampton and many others use 50watt or even higher amps to run these things. Jesus from Nazereth, what men! I get plenty of brain and tooth resonance from my BF Fender Deluxe Reverb.(20watts) I can't see using anything bigger. Plus, I have a way of being able to also use the amp regularly rather than just dedicating it to the talkbox. No extra A/B switch required either. The signal chain is as follows: Guitar, cranked amp, speaker out to Talkbox, 8 ohm THD Hotpalte power attenuator, speaker. That's it. Talkbox mode is typically loud and proud, amp speaker mode volume is controllable by the attenuator. Without the attenuator, it's lethal. Unless you're a blues player in Ft. Worth, then it's just normal. I personally like my ears. Also, I have NEVER,NEVER experienced any amp trouble when switching these impedences. I surmise it's instantaneous enough to not cause a problem. It even worked fine with my Vibrolux, Super or Bassman(different impedances) before my dentist decided I shouldn't use them anymore. What's your skull's resonant frequency? Mine is 1.6Khz.

I called them one time when I thought it was time for a new capacitor or driver(it was time for new tubes) and the guy was very knowledgable and helpful on the heil design. Very cool indeed.

I love the crazy thing. I'd have to get another if anything happened to this one because people always want to hear it. Getting past the logistics of rigging one of these is worth the trouble for the classic sound. Frampton is actually in the works of producing his own hopefully commercially available "Framptone" talkbox. Can't wait to see what that's all about. Rock on.

Very easy to use! Attach it to the mike stand, leaving about 2-4 inches extending past the mic. This makes it easier to just jump up and use it instead of supporting it your teeth. I'm going to the hardware store tonight to buy some velcro strips to support it. Anything tighter is no good(tie straps, tape) as it pinches off the tube and no sound comes out. It's very easy to use. There really isn't any right or wrong way to use this thing. Experiment and have fun!

Important note: Keep in mind, you WILL want to use a second amp to run this thing. It's an 8-ohm speaker load that's supposed to connect between the power amp and speakers. It can't take more than 100w, which is a LOT for this thing. When you kick it on, it bypasses the speakers and redirects the output to the tube, which is in your mouth, whch forms sounds into a microphone. This should work, but switching speaker loads on the fly scares the hell out of me. I have a $1500 Marshall 100w 2x12 combo that's 16 ohms. I could've modified the HT-1 up to 16 ohms, but opted to go with a separate amp. I didn't want to risk damage to the amp section, so I spend $100 and bought a 15 watt Fender Bullet Reverb (which kicks ass, BTW!!!) The Fender has an 8-ohm speaker jack right on the front, which makes it too easy to use. Very cool! I had to lift the ground on the Fender to eliminate ground hum. I bought a Morley ABY switch and I run two amps (separately or simultaneously if desired). I must say, I have a killer rig and I'm really having fun with all this!

;-)

It's a talkbox. Quality? Not sure if this applies. Sounds COOL, though. I recommend setting the driving amplifier to a gritty sound for maximum effect. Try to keep your wattage to this thing down. It can rattle your teeth a bit and it's a very strange feeling on your sinuses. I run it with a 15watt Fender, which is plenty.

This thing is VERY heavy duty. Note: It has a MONSTER speaker magnet in it. Keep it away from computer disks and other magnetic media. you could use this thing as a boat anchor as it's very heavy.

N/A so far...I sent an email to Dunlop with a question about impedance, but I never heard back. I have enough resources and got my question answered elsewhere.

I play classic rock from the 60's-80's. Peter frampton is a big influence along with all the other 70's greats. I've always wanted to play with one of these things, so I bought it last week. I used it at gigs this past weekend. I didn't use it until the second set. The audience is drinking, dancing, clapping and having a good time. In the middle of a bluesy jam, I kicked this thing on and started fooling around with a lead duel between me and the sax player. The audience froze, all heads turned to see what the hell that sound was, then they went absolutely berserk, cheering, giving me a standing ovation. I don't use it much, as it could become annoying pretty quickly, but it is a real show-stopper!

Next week, we're playing some Frampton and Joe Walsh. I'm ready!

This unit is fairly easy to use, I got it about 3 days ago, so I haven't had a chance to really use it with my group yet, but it seems to work well. The speaker out of the amp goes into the box, and then passes back out into the speaker. There is a footswitch on the unit that turns the effect on and off. When the effect is on, the speakers are turned off. You have to hold the tube in your mouth (*which is tough to get the hang of) and mouth into a microphone.

I have been using it with a Kustom 200 head and 2x15 cab with a BOSS CE-2 chorus, BOSS HM-2 Hyper Metal, and a Morley black gold fuzz-wah, with a mahagony and maple telecaster with Gibson P-90's. I also use a Peavey Nitro w/ 2 Carvin alnico single-coils and a teisco single coil, and also a mid-90's Yamaha. The sound is kinda thin, like the horn in the talk box doesn't work quite right, but hey, it was real cheap

i haven't used it anywhere except my basement as of right now

I play mostly blues-country-rock-jazz-pink floyd-kinda music, and everything ive tried it in has worked well, especially Frampton stuff I've wanted a talk box for about 3 years, since i started playing and heard Frampton's "Do you feel Like we Do", and got this because of the price, but if i was to get a new one, I'd probably build one with an amplifier built in, 'cause, hey they're very simple if you look inside

Very easy to use. The speaker jack of your amplifier's speaker unit goes into one side of the big stompbox. The open hole in your amp's speaker unit is them plugged into the other side of the "Heil sound"----- your guitar is plugged into your amp's input, as usual... the plastic tubing goes in your mouth, and as you play, you merely "lip sync"--- and let your guitar do the talking!

A super- compressed signal is what goes into your mouth. What you do with it is entirely up to you. It can be used as a wah-wah by merely pronouncing "wah-wah" to desired effect. It is also great for use with keyboards.

The unit itself is very ruggedly designed. You may want to buy extra surgical tubing from any medical supply house for good, sterile backups.

No experience with this aspect, yet...

Considering this is an open forum, I heard of an outfit called BANSHEE that makes a talkbox with a self-contained amp. This truly makes it independent of an amp for portability, and more controlled situations- like recording. Considering the price I got my Heil sound for, it's a great deal! OVERALL RATING: 10... For those interested in a full exploration of talkbox use, e-mail me about ordering "You Have the Right to Remain Silent..." by LOVE,INC.--- homemade funk/jazz/blues in the spirit of Zapp, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Headhunters, etc.

The classic Frampton effect, the Talk Box, comes with no instruction manual. You pretty much have to figure out how to use it on your own. There is, however, a small diagram on the bottom of the box showing you the basics of how to "talk". It is difficult to learn how to use and to get a good sound from it at first, but the longer you play around with it, the better it sounds.

The sound quality depends on the kind of guitar amp that you have (which MUST be a head and cab, cause you need to power the talk box with your amp). If you have a killer guitar tone, all you need to do is mouth the words and it will sound wicked!

The talk box is a really cool effect. You can make some really cool sounds once you learnt how to use it. It's a nice touch for some songs and can really spice up a solo.