Do you feel like I do?

[Marshall Paul]

OK fellas, how many of you out there have used in your time a Talk Box?

You know, the good ol' Heil Talk Box I mean. Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, even Richie Sambora.

What do you think of them and the different techniques you use.

There's even a new talk box out now. Made by MRX, the 222. I have both now, thought I'd give the old Heil a break. Give it a clean up and refurbish.

So, how many of you out there "feel like I do?".

[Karloff]

Years back. '77 I think. Like to have 1 but alot of $ to use on just a song or 2

[Marshall Paul]

Yeah, I suppose. These new 222's are a sort of decent price, and you don't have to seperately shell out for a little 5W amp like with the older Heil system. Just trying to think of the songs I actually use it for now. There's 'do you feel like we do', 'rocky mountain way', Graham Bonnett's version of 'it's all over now, baby blue'....that's 3 I know of in our set-lists off the top of my head. Anyone think of any more?

[L5Larry]

Back in the mid-70's tried to build two.

 

For the first attempt, I built a small speaker cabinet with an 8" speaker in it, put a large hardware store galvanized funnel on top of it, connected the hose, and plugged an old Gibson tube amp into it. Since our PA sucked, it had to turn it up so loud it literally rattled my teeth. My teeth hurt for a couple of days, and that system got scrapped.

 

The second one was a school electronics class project, built with instructions and schematic from the "Guitar Player Magazine" build-it-yourself column. I believe the monthly electronics column was written by Craig Anderton. As our PA still sucked, this one didn't have near enough power to be useful, and got thrown in a junk box. Haven't tried one since.

 

As Bob Heil was a local guy, I could have just gone to his shop and got a "real" one, but that would have been too easy.

[Marshall Paul]

Yeah let me tell you, the early real deals would rattle the fillings out of your molars as well mate! lol I think it all came down to what size speaker and amp was used. I would use a 5W practice amp on my Heil system. Saved on dentist bills.

I decided the old Heil needed a much deserved break, and refurbish, and so last year I bought one of those new MXR222 talk box's. It's a ripper! I think once the Heil's been re-done, it'll go into historic storage and this 222 will become the new main one. No extra amp. Just the pedal, tube, and power chord. too easy.

Better you than me trying to make one though. I reckon if I had tried making my own from magazine instructions, it would have started out as a talk box project, and wound up as a 4 place Canadian canoe! Damn popular mechanics! LOL!