Rocktron Banshee

Turn it on, pop the tube in your mouth, run it up to your mic, and whammo, you're talkboxing. Great for beginners (like me), I just needed a talk box for my cover band for some songs that use it (Kickstart, The Zoo, Living on a Prayer, etc.). Works great!

I'm not giving this a rating, because this is the only talk box I've ever used, but people still go apes**t over it at shows, so it must be doing something right!

No rating here, as I've only had mine for a week and a half. Here's the story: my first one fried out on me within a couple of days, just started buzzing. See "Customer Support" for more of this . . .

. . . Like I said, my brand new product s**t the bed on me within 3 days of having it, but, the good news is that I called Rocktron, and after taking my info, the guy just sent me a new one, it was maybe a 2 minute phone call. And it only took three days to get here!

Great for what I use it for: a fun toy/gimmick, and it easily impresses people. Also, I wouldn't be discouraged by the fact that my first one crapped out right away, I think it was a sporadic defect, and Rocktron had me set back up in a matter of days. So, in conclusion, if you want a talkbox, but don't want to mess around with the setup of a Heil or like product, get it! It's a blast.

Yes, its very easy to use...plug and play. No, it doesnt require a second amp, and yes, you still have to mike it out the PA to be heard by the crowd. Can be placed anywhere in the pedal chain.
Has separate controls for distortion level, tone, and output level. Powered by a wall-wart.

My first talk Box was a Dean Markley (back in the 70's), and it was great! It worked the same as a Heil. To be perfectly honest, the Banshee doesnt even come close! Weak sound, the controls add HISS (even at lower levels), and it just doesnt have the original sounds of the Artists you're trying to ape....
Ive tried this thing in a few different quality amps, and the result is the same, too weak. (Marshall, Fender, Boogie, and Mesa).

As someone said earlier, most music stores wont carry these due to Rocktrons un-reliability in the past, but to be fair, this unit looks to be solid. Time will tell.

Never contacted them as yet.

Ive been using these since they first appeared. EVERY SINGLE ARTIST, (Rufus, Walsh, Frampton, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi), ect. have used the HEIL! What does that say? Youre trying to get their sound right?
All the bullshit about blowing up amps and frying talk boxes are all common sense issues! When the box-maker says "DONT EXCEED 100 Watts", what does that mean to you????? Second, if the box requires an 8-OLHM load ONLY, DO NOT use 4 or 16 OLHM settings! Thats just STUPID SIMPLE! As long as your OLHM setting is on 8, even if the switch goes, youre NOT going to damage your amp or the box! Nuff Said.
I much prefer to use a small second amp, (ideally 18-50 watt with an 8 OLHM output), which are plentyful and in-expensive, so that I can run the Heil and my main amp at the same time if needed, and absolutely NO HISS. Try playing the Banshee clean.......
I gave each box a fair trial all around, and it was a no-brainer....the Banshee doesnt cut it. Sorry, just an honest opinion.

Plug in, put the tube in yer mouth, push the button - tada! you have talkbox. Ease of use is the key feature. It could be even easier to use, if it had in-use indicator light, better mic-stand straps... maybe a better wall wart. But plug-n-play is certainly a selling point.

The limitations of the Rocktron's amplification chain is its major drawback.

The Banshee expects input at guitar level; after moderate pre-amplification, it distorts. Furthermore, although the Banshee can be plenty loud in the distorted mode, it cannot put out a clean signal at normal (pro) singing volumes.

There is little tonal flexibility - you're stuck with this for your full amp.

There is some noise, particularly when cranked. The power source won't massage the current, so whatever noise you've got in your system will be amplified.

It's simple, so there's not so much to go wrong... except that shoddy wall wart doesn't seem very sturdy. No battery back-up, either.

Never used.

Finding a retailer who'd touch Rocktron was quite an ordeal, tho.

The Banshee is great for a purpose - simplicity. Although heavy for a stompbox, it's hardly a burden given that it a complete amp & speaker combo.

However, if you might want anything other than the driven sound, the Banshee is not for you.

For years I have been using a homemade talk box ala Joe Walsh, about 7 years ago I switched to a Heil Talk Box. Since regular talk boxes can destroy a tube amp if the switch fails, I have always used a seperate amp and an ABY switch. Finally got tired of dragging the extra gear and I needed mre room to stand at some of the small gigs. It's super easy to use and I do not miss my old talkbox setups.

I can get the sound I need for Frampton, Jovi, Walsh, Alice n Chains without any problem.
I use it with my Gretsch G6120SSU and my Strats, Parker Classic.
Not really noisy. Serves the purpose it is intended for and he internal amplifier is strong!

I hope I can depend on it. I don't know. I don't have any experience with the banshee until now. I won't bring a backup for the talkbox. If it craps out at a gig, I will not play those tunes or I will half *ss it and just use my wah pedal if I have to play the tunes using the talkbox.

No experience with them

I play many styles of music. Now I am playing classic rock and female pop music since we have a female lead singer. Been playing for 40 years. I own lots of old fender gear and other brands.

There isn't much to compare it to except Heil and home made talk boxes. It works flawlessly for me so far.

Very happy with it. I would recommend it to anyone who needs to use a talkbox.

Very easy to use. Any one can do it. Here is the kicker. It has a built in amp so you dont need another amp bla bla... But you do need a mic and a pa to use it correctly. If your just practicing in your room it will work to. Unlike the Danelectro free speech that uses a mic input on the pedal and it combines the sound out to your amp. Back to the Rocktron. IT's really a great pedal. I love it.

It's amazing. The sound clips on there web site do not do it justice, it sounds way better in person. You wont be disapointed.

Seems good..

Dont know..

If you dont have a pa get the Danelectro. If you do have a pa get the Rocktron. They both are cool.

It couldn't be easier to use. Hook up a guitar, put the tube in your mouth, and let fly in the general direction of a microphone. Couldn't be easier. Since it's an amplified talkbox, no amplifier is required. All you need is this unit and a microphone to pick up the sound coming out of your mouth.

As far as using it effectively, it's just a matter of practice. I gave this pedal a 10 because of its brain-dead easy setup, but it does take practice to make words instead of sounds.

Sounds great to me. The pedal's drive tone is beefy and powerful, which makes for some good old teeth-rattling fun. If you're looking for the classic Frampton talkbox sounds, this thing is the pedal for you.

The cool thing about talkboxes in general is that you have the ultimate power to shape tone. It's been said that the human vocal system is the ultimate sound synthesizer, and with a talkbox you can harness the infinite sound palette of your mouth and put it to use with your guitar.

I've also used this particular unit with my Roland Juno 60 analog synth. It doesn't get much cooler than that.

The chassis is cast, but the sides are plastic. If I were a gigging musician, I would be slightly concerned about the build quality of the sides, but this unit will never leave my home studio. Gigging musicians, consider that your warning, because it looks like you could crack the side plates with a good, solid kick.

None of my Rocktron units have failed me, so I can't speak on their support. I guess that's worth something...

This box will give you what you want to hear if you're looking for the classic Frampton sound. However, many people underestimate the talkbox effect for psychedelic purposes. I bought this unit for use on a concept album, on which it is featured as the voice of a messiah figure. In the right context, it can really blow your mind.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with the Banshee. Once again, Rocktron has delivered a good, quality, and affordable effect that is versatile enough to handle conventional and experimental applications.

I'm just glad they came up with a talkbox system that 1.) doesn't feed back like a squawking siren, and 2.) doesn't have a penchant for blowing amp heads, like those of antiquity. Thank you Rocktron for developing the next evoloutionary step in the talkbox.

Outta the box, plug in the guitar and power it up ! That's all folks. Man, you don't even need a speaker or anything.

So, far I'm pleased. I haven't done much with it, regarding combining effects and so.

This piece looks like it can survive a nuclear holocaust. Built like a tan. Only downpart, it is a bit heavier(around 4 lbs).

Haven't had to deal with that yet !

I'm an aspiring musician(guitarists) and have been playing for more than 10 years now. I'm into Classic Rock and some Metal with lots of Riffs and Solos. All I can say to all the people who haven't tried this product yet, guys you are missing out big time. It is worth every penny if not more.

Pretty easy to get a good sound. It takes some practice to actually make it "talk", but I think that is just the same with all talk boxes. The manual is pretty simple and connection is a breeze.

I am using a custom Togaman GuitarViol (www.bowedguitar.com) through Banshee>>Boss Tuner>> Digitech Expression Pedal>>Digitech Bad Monkey>>Boss DD-3 Delay>>Boss Super Chorus>>Boss Pitch Shifter all to a Yamaha T-50 amp with 2-12 cabinet. The sound I get is very classic. I love that Frampton sound. It is easy to manipulate the sound with the tone and gain knobs. I am starting to try it with the bow and it is something else. This is a great effect and attention getter.

Looks pretty reliable. It's pretty heavy and look to be built to be gigged with. I wouldn't bring a back up unless I was using this effect as a main part of my sound.

Have never dealt with them.

I play anything from rock, blues, jazz, latin, new age, classical etc.. (www.deuxguitarviols.com) This is a great effect and I hope to shine some new light on with our music. I will be using this mostly as a gimmick. I own a lot of gear and I know what work and what doesn't. This is a great piece of gear because it doesn't damage your equipment like all other talk boxes out there. I recomend anyone who is interested in a talk box to check out the banshee. I also advise anyone who does buy it to make sure you clean out the tube every time you use it. You wouldn't want anything to crawl up that tube into your mouth!!

So simple. I took it out of the box, stuck the tube in it, and hooked my guitar up. Didn't even need mic, just used the tube as my amplifier. Plenty loud!

The sound is perfect to my ears. Exactly like Walsh, which is what I was going for. I've heard it can rattle your teeth, but I don't seem to have that problem, and I've had it up pretty loud. It is a strange feeling though, having all that sound in your mouth! I use it with my SM58 and it sounds great. I have two problems with it though. One is the size of the tube. It's like sticking a garden hose in your mouth! I wish they sent an optional thinner tube! Also, getting it velcroed at just the right position on your mic stand is tricky. You don't want to tape it to the mic unless you want it there the entire gig - poking you in the face as you try to sing!!

It's heavy duty. And just plain heavy! It feels like it's built for heavy use and will last a long time. I've only had it for a couple of months, so time will tell.

I have to use it without a backup, because I don't want to buy two of them!

Never tried them yet.

I play Classic Rock, using a Fender American Deluxe Strat and Nashville Tele, among other things from time to time. We actually dumped our amps and go directly into the mixer board now. Small sacrifice to my sound, but major advantage in that I don't have to haul a heavy amp anymore! Anyway, this works perfectly for Walsh's Rocky Mt Way and his Eagle stuff as well.

If it were stolen, then I hope the SOB gets sick from whatever germs are crawling around inside the tube!! Yes, I'd buy another one.

Again, I wish Rocktron gave you a choice of a thinner tube.

Basically a plug and play unit & fairly simple to use .manual is ok,not much to it .Just make sure you do your research before buying and it's what your looking for.You can't return it once you use it for health reasons ,nobody wants it back after you slobbered on the tube .break the factory seal it's yours .

I bought this as an alternative to my Heil talk box .The selling point for me was that it has an internal amp and doesn't need to be hooked up to your speaker outputs like a heil box.It hooks up to the front of your amp just like a stomp box would .I use it with a line 6 AX2 .It sounds pretty good .It's loud and powerful ,it can really rattle your head if you set the output too high .It would be nice if it had a clean setting .Distortion is the only sound it does ,which is fine as most popular talk box tunes used dirty sounds .

only had it a few months so I don't know of it's reliability .it seems pretty solid .rocktron has a good reputation for quality products .Time will tell .

I emailed them with questions before I purchased one .They were quick to reply and very helpful .

Been playing for 30yrs .I play classic rock and country and only use it on a few tunes .it suits my needs fine .you'll have no problem pulling off all the popular classic talk box tunes with this .again more 'tweakability'(is that a word?)would have been nice, but it's a decent piece and has a quality sound for the money .The plug and play aspect was the selling point for me .