"Talk Box"

how to make a talk box, for almost noting (much better than the real ones that are $100+)

Step 1Parts

Unforunatley i did not post tihs until i knew it worked... so that means that is was all packed
up and i was unable to take it apart. sorry abput this but i hope you can use the diagram.

Parts:
foam craft ball(should be just a bit bigger than your speaker)
speaker(mine has about a 3in. diameter
Old broken guitar cable OR 1/4 in female jack
felt, foam, or something soft to dampen the sound
tube, 3-5ft. at about 1/4 in diameter
jar or box
hot glue
duct tape

Step 2"Sound cone"

I found that it works best to use something to trab the sond and aim it at the tube, so i built
a "sound cone" out of a foam ball. what you need to do is:

1. cut the foam ball in half

2. carve out the foam ball so that there is a "shelf" for the edge of the speaker to sit on

3. carve lower than the "shlef" abaout 1/2 an inch, leaving room for the tube.

4. on the outside of the foam ball, drill a hole the same size as your tube into the very
center.

5. hot glue in the speaker and the tube.

Step 3Set up the speaker

Now you have to hoook up the speaker.
the speaker hooks directly into the "speaker out" or "headphone out" of your amp. so you
can either solder a cable or a jack to the speaker. i used a cabale because my friend left
me one with only one end, so it had no use, but a jack might be a lot more handy.

Step 4Box
Now you can put it in the box!i highly reccomend putting al much sound insulation and foam
in the box as possible. the more sound that gets through the tube the better it will sound.

Step 5How to use

So,
1. plug the speaker into the "speaker out" on your amp.
2. tape tupe to the side of your mic stand
3. Now comes the hard part: while playing your guitar put the tube in your mouth and mouth
the words you want to say directly into the microphone.

Thats it!

Step 6What you are doing

so basically what a talk box does is take the sonds from the guitar and send it up the tube
into your mouth. You can then mouth words to make it sound like your guitar is "talking". all
you have to do is stick the tupe in your mouth then mout the wirds into a microphone. you
van also get some other cool effects. by opening and closing your mouth you can get a cool
wah.
 
A talk box is a guitar effect that makes your guitar sound like its talking, using the power of your
mouth.

Steps

1. Get a computer speaker.

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2. Remove the casing of the speaker.

3. Cut the wire going to the LED light.

4. Flip the Tupperware container upside down. The lid should be on the ground.

5. Insert the speaker into the Tupperware container. Make sure the circuit board is outside the
container, only the wires and the speaker go inside.

6. Make sure the speaker cone is facing the bottom of the Tupperware container, about 2"
away from it.

7. Duct Tape the speaker into place. Make sure no Duct Tape touches the speaker cone!

8. Take out a drill with a large bit, a little bit smaller that your tubing width (the tubing should
be no more that 1/2"-3/4" wide).

9. Drill a hole in the bottom of the Tupperware. Be sure to avoid cutting into the speaker cone.

10. Insert your tubing in the hole. The tubing should be 1/2" away from the speaker cone at most.
The tube must not touch the speaker cone or it won't work.

11. Duct Tape the tube closed. You might want to use some hot glue as well.
12. Stuff some cotton balls behind the speaker until the whole container is full. Make sure the
cotton balls do not touch the speaker cone.

13. Close the Tupperware lid.

14. Glue the lid down.

15. Insert the Tupperware into a air tight box. Put old tee shirts and socks around the Tupperware.

16. Close the box.

17. Drill a hole in the side of the box to let the tubing go through.

18. Drill another hole in the box to let the cable go through.

19. Plug the cable into the CD or external speaker jack on your amp.

20. Turn up the volume to 3 o clock. Don't worry, no sound will come out of your amplifier

21. Turn the gain up to 3 o clock.

22. Put the tube next to your ear to check for sound. 23

23. Put the tube in your mouth. Make lip movements, but no sound. Pretend your lip syncing. You
can say whatever you want.
How to make a talking box

Step 1Supplies

You will need-

1 Horn Driver Here is the one I got (I might change it out for a better one soon)
* The impedance of the speaker needs to be the same as the one in your amp. I used
these links to    figure out what I needed.
   Speaker Impedance
   My Amps Manual

Eminence ASD1001 1" HF Titanium Horn Driver 1-3/8"-18 TPI

Brand: Eminence   |   Model: ASD1001S
 Eminence ASD1001S

Overview
With the new ASD1001, Eminence has answered your call for a really affordable 1" throat

compression driver!

Highlights
 1" exit HF screw-on driver, 1-3/8"-18 TPI

 Aluminum former with titanium diaphragm

Recommended crossover: 2.5 kHz, 1

8 dB/octave

Part #:  290-525

Weight: 2.24 lbs.

Meditations on Speaker Impedance 

("OHMmmmmmmmm")

One source of confusion we frequently run across is the concept of speaker

impedance.  This confusion is also a likely cause of many blown power amplifiers. 
This article is intended to explain the meaning of speaker impedance and guide the
reader in connecting multiple speakers to an amplifier.

What are ohms, anyway?

Short answer: The ohm is the unit of measure for impedance, which is the property
of a speaker that restricts the flow of electrical current through it.  Typical speakers
have impedance ratings of 4 ohms, 8 ohms or 16 ohms.  The impedance of a speaker
is a physical property that (ideally) does not change value, although from an
engineering standpoint, there are many complex characteristics that make up
speaker impedance    For this reason, the rating of a speaker is called its 'nominal'
value, which pretty much means "in name only".   For the average audio user, the
nominal impedance is the dominant characteristic and for   the purposes of this
discussion, we will use the nominal value of the speaker's impedance.

Why are ohms important?

Two reasons:
(1) If you connect your amplifier to the wrong speaker impedance, you risk damaging
the amp.  In tube amps, too high a load impedance (or a disconnected load) can
result in damage to the output tubes or output transformer,  while in solid state
amps, if  the speaker impedance is lower than the amplifier impedance, the amplifier
will tend to overheat and more power is used up in the amplifier than is delivered to
the speaker.  Too many speakers on a solid state amp can burn up the power output
section.
(2) The amplifier will deliver maximum power (volume) to the speaker when the
speaker impedance matches (is equal to) the internal impedance (called the
OUTPUT IMPEDANCE) of the amplifier.  Too low an impedance will result in weak
output and poor tone.  If the speaker impedance is higher than that of the amplifier,
its power output will again be less than it is capable of.

Understanding Ohms and Impedance:

In order to understand the reasons for the rules for speaker connection, we need a
bit of electrical theory. You probably had this as a lesson in high school at some
point, but were more interested in other things at the time.  In order to relate it to
something you are more familiar with, let's consider the ordinary garden hose.  Print
this off and go outside, hook up the hose (no nozzle) and turn on the water.  Pretty
soon, water should start flowing out the end of the hose.  This flow of water through
the hose  is similar to electric current, which is usually described as the flow of
electrons through the wire and is measured in Amperes. 

Now put your thumb over the end of the hose and try to stop the flow of water. 
Feel the pressure? This pressure is similar to Voltage. It is the force of electricity
that pushes the electrons through the wire.  Notice that if you succeed in plugging
the water flow, (no current) the pressure is still there.  This is like an amplifier with
no speakers attached, or an AC outlet with nothing plugged in.  Voltage is present,
but there is no current flow.
Finally, move your thumb a bit to allow some water to spray. By varying the position
of your thumb, you can control how much water comes out of the hose. Your thumb
is restricting the flow of water.  In an electrical circuit, things that restrict or control
the flow of current are said to impede current flow, and are described as having
impedance.  In a hose, we use a nozzle to restrict the flow.  In an electrical circuit,
the device that uses electrical energy and has impedance is called the LOAD.

It should be apparent by now that there is a relationship between pressure (voltage),

flow (current) and restriction (impedance).  Since voltage or pressure is what moves
the current, increasing the voltage pressure should increase the current, assuming
the impedance doesn't change. Decreasing the voltage should decrease the current. 
On the other hand, increasing the impedance restricting the flow of current will
cause the current to decrease, like turning the nozzle toward OFF. Lowering the
impedance is like opening the nozzle to allow more flow.  This relationship was
analyzed by a fellow by the name of George Simon Ohm a long time ago, and he
identified a simple formula that is extremely important in electricity and electronics
which bears his name: Ohm's Law. 

Ohm's Law states: In an electrical circuit, current flow is directly proportional to

voltage and inversely proportional to impedance.  Mathematically, this becomes:
Current (in amperes) equals voltage (in volts) divided by impedance (in ohms). 

As an example, if a (solid state) amplifier is producing 10 volts AC to an 8 ohm

speaker, the current in the speaker will be 10 volts / 8 ohms or 1.25 amperes. If the
amplifier output is increased to 20 volts to that 8 ohm speaker, the current becomes
20 Volts /
8 ohms or 2.5 amperes. So increasing the voltage increased the current. If the
voltage decreases back to 10 volts, the current will decrease back to 1.25 amperes.

Now, if our amplifier with 10 volts output is connected to a 4 ohm speaker, the lower
impedance will allow more current to flow. The amount will be found by 10 volts / 4
ohms = 2.5 amperes.  If we use a 2 ohm speaker, even more current flows: 10V/2
ohms = 5 amperes.

Finally, if we can measure or in some other way determine the amount of current
being drawn from the amplifier, we can calculate the value of the load impedance
using Ohm's Law.  We will use this shortly to figure out what happens when we
connect several speakers to the output of an amplifier.  The formula for this is:
Impedance (in ohms) equals Voltage  (in volts) divided by Current (in amperes). 

Let's use an amplifier with banana jack terminals and connect the red terminal of the
amplifier to the red or '+' terminal of an 8 ohm speaker. Also connect the black
terminal of the amp to the black or '-' terminal of the speaker.  If you feed a pure
tone through the amp so that it delivers 10 volts to the speaker, the current flow
through the speaker (as we saw above) should be 1.25 amperes.

Next, let's connect another 8 ohm speaker to the amplifier terminals in the same
way, so you have two wires from the amp's red terminal going to the '+' terminals of
the speakers, and two wires from the amp's black  terminal to the speaker '-'
terminals.  This is called a PARALLEL connection, because of the way it looks in an
electrical schematic diagram.

The first thing to understand is that the voltage output from the amplifier does not
change. (In reality, it might drop just a hair, but for this discussion let's assume a
perfect amplifier.)  So it's still 10 volts AC.  And since each speaker is connected
directly to the amp's output terminals, each speaker will receive 10 volts from the
amplifier. As we saw earlier, if 10 volts is applied to an 8 ohm speaker, it will draw a
current of 1.25 amperes from the amplifier.  And if each speaker needs 1.25
amperes, then the amplifier must supply a total of 2.5 amperes to the two speakers.
If you add a third speaker, it will also draw another 1.25 amperes, (total 3.75
amperes) as will a fourth (which would total 5 amperes).  If you keep adding
speakers, at some point the speakers will demand more current than the amplifier
can deliver, and it gives up its smoke and dies.  Too many loads is an overload. (See
importance #1, above.)

Now, we are ready for impedance.  As we said earlier, if you know the voltage and
can figure the total current, you can calculate the total impedance of all the
speakers together.  A single speaker is simple: 10 volts divided by 1.25 amperes
equals 8 ohms.  Remember that two 8 ohm speakers would draw a total of  2.5
amperes from a 10 volt output. So 10 volts divided by 2.5 amperes equals 4 ohms. 
Notice that adding a speaker in parallel DECREASED the total impedance. What
about 3 speakers that draw 3.75 amperes? 10 volts divided by 3.75 amperes equals
2.67 ohms.  Four speakers that draw 5 amperes from a 10 volt source have a total
impedance of 10 volts divided by 5 amperes which equals 2 ohms.  As more
speakers are added, more current is required from the 10 volt source, so there must
be less total restriction of current.  So the first thing to conclude is that ADDING
SPEAKERS DECREASES THE TOTAL OHMS IMPEDANCE.

Well, what if the speakers have different impedances? Like an 8 ohm cabinet and a 4
ohm cabinet? The same method can be used. To make it simpler, remember that
impedance was a physical property that doesn't depend on the voltage. The speaker
has the same impedance whether the source is 10 volts or 1 volt. So let's use 1 volt
to make it simpler.  The 8 ohm cabinet would draw 1V/8 ohms or 0.125 amperes.
The 4 ohm cabinet would draw 1V/4 ohms or 0.250 amperes. Both together draw
0.375 amperes. Total impedance is 1V/0.375 amperes, or 2.67 ohms. (Notice that the
total is less than the lowest value speaker.)

A 4 ohm, an 8 ohm and a 16 ohm cabinet all connected to the same amplifier (1V
out) would draw currents of 1/4, 1/8 and  1/16 amperes, for a total current of
0.4375 amperes. Impedance is 1/0.4375, or 2.286 ohms. (Using a calculator with a
1/x key makes this really simple. Key in: 4 (1/x) + 8 (1/x) + 16 (1/x), =, (1/x) and
read the answer.)
While the calculations may seem complicated,  examination of the results above
reveals some patterns that make things much easier. 

First, if all speakers (or cabinets) have the same impedance ratings, the total
impedance can be found by using the impedance value of one speaker and dividing
that by the total number of speakers. If you go back to our example of 8 ohm
speakers, we found that a single speaker had a total impedance of 8 ohms (duh....),
two 8-ohm speakers had a total impedance of 4 ohms (8/2); three speakers had a
total impedance of 8/3 ohms, or 2.67 ohms, and 4 speakers totaled 8/4 or 2 ohms.
(What happens with 5, 6, or more speakers?)*

Second, the 2:1 relationship between typical speaker impedance ratings allows for
some equivalents when mixing different ratings. A single 4 ohm speaker is the
equivalent of two 8 ohm speakers in parallel. So a 4 ohm speaker combined with an 8
ohm speaker would have the same total impedance as three 8 ohm speakers in
parallel.  (See if you can figure out the equivalents for a 4, 8 and 16 ohm speaker
combination.)*

So, if you see a speaker jack labeled "Minimum Load 4 ohms", that means you can
connect up to two 8 ohm speakers or a single 4 ohm speaker to that jack. (What if
the jack label says "Minimum 2 ohms"?)* 

If you are mixing speakers with different impedance ratings, be sure to check the
total impedance using the rules above to be certain the total is within the limits of
the amplifier.  Solid state amps typically have a 'minimum load impedance' indicated
near the speaker terminals, and the total speaker impedance must be equal to or
greater than that value.  Tube amplifiers typically have a switch on the back to
adjust for the speaker load impedance.  Tube amps  have different output
characteristics than solid state amplifiers, and too low a load impedance will not
normally damage them, but the total output will become weaker and muddy.  So too
little load impedance is still undesirable.  Too high a load impedance on a tube amp
can cause high voltages inside the amp that can damage power output tubes or the
output transformer. 

So, how do you tell what the impedance of a speaker is?  On most cabinets, it
should be printed on a label next to the jack.  If the speaker is visible, it may be
printed on the speaker label or stamped on the frame or magnet. To measure the
true impedance of a speaker or cabinet requires a rather complex procedure
involving signal generators, power amplifiers and high frequency AC voltmeters. 
However, with raw speakers and many cabinets,  the ohmmeter function of a digital
multimeter can help you identify what the impedance of the speaker should be. 
Generally, the reading given by an ohmmeter will be about 2/3  to 3/4 of the
impedance of the speaker. So, a 4 ohm speaker will typically measure about 2.5 - 3
ohms, and an 8 ohm speaker will typically read about 5-6 ohms, while a 16 ohm
speaker will measure around 12 ohms.

Another thing.... As a general rule, all speaker jack connections are considered
parallel connections and will follow the above rules. So if you run a cable from the
amp to a speaker that has two jacks, and run another cable from the second jack on
the first speaker to a second speaker, it is still a parallel connection.

Final note: The rules above are only intended for speaker cabinets connected to an
amplifier output. If you are working inside a cabinet, there's a lot more to know,
including series and series-parallel connections.  This article doesn't equip you for
cabinet wiring!

*Once you have figured out the answers, check them here.

Answers to reader questions.

More information on matching speaker power ratings to your amplifier can be found
here.

Copyright © 2007-2010 Neil R. Preston, Preston Electronics LLC. All rights reserved.  
Please give us your feedback on this article by using the 'Contact Us' link in the
menu at left.

Making
1- practice amp (mine is a Marshal MG10 I got with my first guitar. Don't do this to your best
rig.)
1- piece of 1" flex PVC pipe
3- hose clamp (got it in the plumbing department it had 1/2" threads and fits the 3/8" hose)
1- 1 PVC Coupling
1- PVC Reducer 1"x 1/2"
1- 1/2" PVC Female Adapter 1/2
1- some length of 3/8" black vinyl tubing
1 - piece of 4" wide PVC
2- 4" PVC Caps
1- 2PDT switch (I wanted a stomp switch. You could use 2 spdt switched for cheap)
3- adjustable metal bands (one small and 2 big)
1- liquid silicone (optional)
1- flat black spray paint (optional)
1- pocket full of dreams *A MUST*

Step 2Tools

I did this entire project with a hand crank drill!! The 1/2" bit didnt fit it so i wrapped a piece of
scrap leather around it and drill it by hand!

you will need-

a soldering iron
a chisel (maybe)
solder
wire
drill
drill bits
saw (hack saw worked fine)
helping hands (optional)
Step 3Adding the switch

First, find where you want to put your switch, drill your hole and test fit it. Take it off and
start soldering.

Ok, so inside the amp you have the preamp and two wires going to the speaker. I cut those
lines and put a switch on the top of my amp. One set went to the speaker and the other to
the horn driver.
Remember to tin the leads on both the wires and the switch before soldering. Pull all four
wired through the hole in the preamp assembly. You can use the same wires that were
there for the speaker and make the wire for the horn driver 2 feet (you'll see why later).
Step 4Pod Paining(optional)

At first I was gonna take out the speaker all together and just have the tube busting out of
the front screen. Instead I make a little pod for it. I drilled a hole in the side for the wires to
enter, pulled them up connected them to the driver, plopped it down in there and marked
the excess and cut it off. Leave enough room for the top end cap.

I then drilled a 1/2" hole for the hose to exit in the top end cap. The inner diameter of the
hose is 3/8" but the out diameter is approx. 1/2".

I painted mine flat black :]

give 24 hour to dry or you'll be sorry

Step 5Pod Mounting

I drilled holes through my metal band (WITH A FREAKING HAND DRILL!!) and screwed
them to the amp. I made sure they went around the end caps to look cleaner.

Step 6Final Assembly

so attach your short leads to the speaker, attach your pod, pull the wires through, connect
them to the horn driver, pull some hose through the top of the end cap, attach it to the
driver, and cap that sh!t.

YOU ARE DONE!!

Last Thoughts

Soft plastic absorbs and changes the sound of your guitar. The shorter length of hose you
use the better. I recently cut 4 feet off of mine and it sounds a lot fuller and less nasally. 
 Build a Talk box inside a Toilet Plunger

With a soldering iron, a pair of computer speakers, and some plumbing equipment
(including a Toilet Plunger ). You can build a pretty good Talk Box (a talk box is what
artists like Daft Punk use to get that Robot Voice Effect on songs like Around the World,
and Harder Better Faster Stronger
When looking for youtube videos about talk boxes I stumbled across MootBooXLe's
Video about building a Ghetto Talk box.

When Building My Ghetto talk box a came up with some improvements on the construction
and materials and decided to make my own how-to for building a better than Ghetto
talk box.

To build your Toilet Plunger talk box you will need:

A pair of mid range powered computer speakers.

A 4 ft 1/2 inch diameter vinyl hose.
A Plumbing Cap from Home Depot (the one I used was a Nibco 5817 ABS DWV Plastic
Plumbing Cap that was just a little larger than the naked speaker).
A Rubber Toilet Plunger (I've used both a red and black plunger and they both work fine,
you want to make sure that the plumbing cap fits inside the plunger very tightly and that no
air escapes).
A Roll of duct tape
A musical instrument to plug the speakers into.
A soldering Iron
And Finally basic tools for disassembling things... screw driver, Pliers etc...
Step 1Disassemble, Remove Speaker, Solder, Reassble

i
Most Powered computer speakers have a left speaker that detaches and the right
speaker has
the electronics etc.

You don't need the left speaker.

Disassemble the right Speaker and detach the speaker from the speaker case.
Most of these speakers don't have long enough wires attached to the speaker itself for you
to
leave the speaker outside of the speaker case once it's removed.
Since this is probably the case you can cut the wires that attach to the speaker terminals,
and solder some longer wires from the circuit board.. to the speaker.

Find a hole in the speaker case (or drill one... i didn't have a drill so I used some scissors
as a AWL and that did the trick).
Run your wires that Attach to the speaker out of that hole and then solder them to your
speaker.
Then put the speaker back together so its less of a mess.

At this point the speaker should be functional.. but the speaker itself will be external to the
speaker

Step 2Use Duct Tape to Protect your Soldering

 i

The Soldering on your speaker, and speaker itself is pretty delicate... so it's a good idea put
duct tape over the back of the speaker and wires to protect them from being damaged.
(don't put tape anywhere on the front of the speaker or it will mess up the sound).

Step 3Drill Hole In Plumbing Cap and Insert Vinyl Hose

Step 3

Take your plumbing cap.. and a drill (or I just used scissors as an awl).
Make a hole in the middle of the top of the plumbing cap.
You want to make the hole a bit smaller that your vinyl hose, this is so you won't have to
glue the tube into the hole.
The tube is pliable enough that once the hole is just a little smaller than the hose you
should be able to force the tube in (lots of twisting and arm power).
Make sure the tube only goes into the cap about 1/2 and inch to 3/4s of an inch.
(you don't want the tube to puncture the speaker when the parts are put together).

Step 4Put Speaker In Plunger, Then Plumbing Cap Over Speaker/Into

Plunger
 i

Take your speaker, place it int he bottom of the plunger so the speaker is facing out
towards you.
Take your plumbing cap and hose, and slide the plumbing cap into the plunger until it's int
he plunger as far as it will go without puncturing the speaker.

Step 5Plug it in, Turn it on, and Test it

Plug the speaker into a power outlet, and plug the audio cable into something that
produces audio. (an mp3 player, a synthesizer.. or a toy musical keyboard like the one I
used)

Once you hear the sound coming from the Vinyl Hose you can put the hose in your mouth
and move your mouth around like you're saying words without actually speaking.

You'll sort of be able to hear the words you're mouthing. This produces a wha-wha effect on
music/synthesizers/guitars etc...

The more you exaggerate your mouth movements the more it will sound like actual words.
For best results used a Musical Keyboard or Software/Hardware Synth that Makes a loud
Gritty Saw Tooth WAVE
.
Some good VST Plugins to try running through your talk box are the Delay Llama The
Oberon , and the Devil Inside Synth

Step 6Additional Info

The Casio Pt-1 Keyboard that I used in the video is modified or circuit bent.
Normally the pitch of the keyboard wouldn't be able to go that low, but by soldering some
paper brads to the Tuning knob
on the back of the keyboard... and then leading another paper brad to another point on the
motherboard i'm able to pitch it down significantly. (like a whammy bar).
The Casio Pt-1 probably isn't the best keyboard to use with a talk box unless you modify it
as I did.
Talk Box Make Your Own

Yes, you can make your own if you're relatively handy with your hands. Only the
most basic electrical knowledge is necessary. The parts are readily available if
you have a hardware store nearby. The numbers in parentheses in the
description that follows relates to the above diagram (i.e., (1) is the horn driver,
(2) is the tubing, (8) is the foot switch, etc.).

1. Obtain a horn driver (1). It can be a used one from a pawn shop or garage sale
(you'll often find the driver attached to a metal or fiberglass horn, such as those
used in outdoor arenas), or a new one from a music store. It should handle a
minimum of 50 watts RMS, if you'll be using it with an amp that produces around
20-30 watts. I recommend that you buy a small amp to use just with talkbox, unless
you can afford a commercial quality driver that will handle 150 watts or so (such as
those made by JBL). Otherwise, you're asking for trouble -- not just with a blown
 horn diaphragm, but possibly losing the entire output section of your amplifier as
well.
2. Next, you'll need a 6 or 8 foot length of clear vinyl tubing (2). You can find this at a
hardware store in the plumbing section. Medical supply houses can also provide
you with surgical tubing, used for supplying oxygen. Either will work. You'll want an
inside diameter no smaller than 3/8", otherwise the tube will restrict the sound from
coming out of the driver. A tube with an inside diameter of 1/2" should be right for
most people. Keep the tube in a plastic bag (so it stays clean) until you're ready to
continue.
3. You'll also need a pair of 1/4" mono jacks (9) and (10), a one foot length of heavy
duty speaker cable, a tube of silicone caulk, and a foot switch (8). You can get most
everything at your nearby Radio Shack store. The foot switch is harder to get. While
Radio Shack does not have a push-on, push-off DPDT switch in their catalog, you
can get one from PAIA or other kit building company. If you're not picky, you can get
a toggle (i.e., flip) DPDT switch from Radio Shack for only a few dollars.
4. Find or buy a case (5) to put your unit in. Make sure that it is tall enough to
accommodate the horn driver, and easy enough for you to drill holes for the switch,
the two jacks, and the tubing.
5. Here's the secret of the entire process: inserting the tubing into the driver. While
you can go to a plumbing supply firm and buy a series of reducers to thread onto
the driver and slowly get to the size of the tube, keep in mind that this adds cost to
the project and may also make it too tall to fit in the case. A far simpler method is to
use adhesive weatherstripping foam. The best type of foam is not too thick. The
author obtained a lifetime supply of great material from Boeing Surplus Sales.

Wrap the lower 2" of the tube (2) with enough foam so that you can just
barely force it into the throat (3) of the compression driver (1). The foam
will expand and make a very snug fit. Be careful not to insert the tube so
deep into the driver that it forces the protective mesh screen against the
diaphragm. This will severely restrict air flow, not to mention causing
damage to the driver.

6. If you can't wait to hear how it will sound, attach the speaker cord to the (+) and (-)
terminals (6) and (7) of the driver (2) and connect it to the speaker output of your
amp. Use a 1/4" male plug for this. The plug tip lug plug goes to the (+) of the
driver, the sleeve lug on the plug goes to the (-) driver terminal.
7. Clean the end of the tube that will go in your mouth with something like Listerine,
Scope, or some other mouthwash that kills germs. I wouldn't recommend using a
bathroom cleaner product, since the contents are probably poisonous until it has
dried. Fire when ready!
8. Once you've made sure the driver and tube works, you can spend some more time
getting the talkbox ready to go. With an electric drill, drill holes in the box for the two
jacks (9) and (10), the switch (8), and the tube (2). The tube will likely come out of
the top of the box. Placement of the other holes is up to you. (Tip: you can
purchase a tapered reamer at Radio Shack, Sears, or other store to make the hole
bigger once you've got it close to the correct size. If there are any sharp edges, use
a round file to smooth them.)
9. Connect the (-) side of the driver (7) to the (-) sides of both jacks (9) and (10), using
the speaker wire. You can separate the speaker wire (also called zip wire) into two
pieces before you begin. The solder tabs on the jacks (9) and (10) will likely not be
marked with a (-) or (+), so use the tab that is electronically connected to the barrel
(shield side) of the plug when it is inserted into the jack.
10. If you don't like having to resolder everything, test your connections before you
make them permanent! Use a continuity tester (a simple light bulb and battery will
also work) to check your connections to make sure that you're connecting
everything properly. Be sure to strip approx. 1/2" of insulation from the end of the
wire before soldering it!
11. Solder the connections to the jacks. Wrap any exposed wire with electrical tape
and/or wire nut. You will usually not have to solder to the driver terminals (6) and
(7), since most are spring-loaded.
12. Wire up the "amplifier" jack: Use a short length of wire to connect the (+) terminal to
the middle tab on the switch. Solder.
13. Wire up the "speaker" jack: Use a short length of wire to connect the (+) terminal to
the lower tab on the switch. Solder.
14. Using another length of wire, insert one end into the spring-loaded (+) terminal on
the driver. The other end of the wire is soldered to the upper lug on the switch.

NOTE: If your switch has two upper, middle, and lower lugs, solder the
last three connections to the same side (i.e., all on the left side, or all on
the right side).
15. Use diagonal cutters to snip off any exposed bits of wire. Cover any areas that
might touch (such as if you have low clearance between the talkbox driver and the
lugs of the switch) with electrical tape.
16. Stop and test. Connect it up to your amp. With the toggle switch in the upper
position, the internal driver should work. With the switch in the down position, the
amplifier output should go to your speaker cabinet. If something doesn't work,
recheck your connections step by step.
17. Attach the jacks (9) and (10) and switch (8) to the box. Use the lock washers
supplied with the jacks and switch to ensure a tight fit. Thread the free end of the
tube (2) through the hole in the box (from the inside out), making sure that you don't
scratch the tube too much as you pull it through.
18. Place a generous amount of silicone sealer on the bottom of the box (4) directly
under the area where the driver will go. When it dries (cures), the silicone sealer will
not only hold the driver in place, but will also act as a shock absorber to protect it
when it is moved from gig to practice studio. Follow all manufacturer directions
carefully. This stuff will stink for awhile and cure in 24 hours.
19. While the silicone sealer is still wet, place the driver (1) in the box and press it down
into the uncured silicone sealer (4). Push any kinks in the clear tubing out through
the hole in the top. Make sure that there are no kinks or bends in it.
20. Squeeze out additional silicone sealer all around the bottom of the driver to secure
it (once it dries).
21. Let it sit overnight. The silicone sealer emits fumes that smell like vinegar. Place it
in a ventilated area while it cures. The next day, finish assembling the box.
22. Use a typewriter or label printer to identify the switch positions
("Talkbox/Speaker")and the jacks("To Amp", "To Speakers"). You might also want to
place a label to identify the driver impedance (i.e, 8 ohms) and wattage rating in
case you forget at some point in the future.
23. Connect everything up, turn it on and jam away!
Building a Talkbox

Author:  JD Sleep

There are a few different ways to build your own talk box.

Heil Style

The Heil Sound "The Talk Box" unit works as shown in the diagram above. The SPDT
(single pull double throw) footswitch allows you to switch your amp's speaker output
between its normal speaker setup and the horn driver in the talk box.  I played my
talkbox for years like this with an old Peavy Mace that I used to have.  The only
difference being I used a DPDT footswitch to switch both speaker leads.  As far as I
know it didn't harm the amp or speakers, but I can't verify that this is safe for every
amp or in every situation.  You also limit your talkbox tone to be whatever tone you
have your  regular guitar sound set to, unless you do an amp channel switch and
switch the talkbox, do a little two switch dance step to go in and out of talkbox
mode.  So, all in all this is really not the best way to setup a talkbox, but it will work
if you want a bare bones setup. 

Dedicated Practice Amp

Above is a diagram of a better method to amplifiy your talk box.You do have the
added expense of a small practice amp and an A/B foot switcher, but I think this
method is an all around big step up from Heil Style. This is the implementation that I
am currently using. I use a small Peavey Rage amp. It has built-in distortion that
doesn't sound that good through the 8 inch speaker in its cabinet, but sounds
fantastic into the talk box! My "regular" guitar amp is left completely unmolested by
this whole talk box set-up! Note: In the diagram I showed the speaker wires in the
guitar amp for clarity, there is no mod what so ever to your normal guitar amp.

Talk Box Unit Containing Amp & Driver

The ultimate set-up is the all-in-one unit. This unit will plug in between your guitar
and amp, just like any other effects pedal. I hope to have some information posted
on this project in the future. If anyone would like to contribute designs, ideas or
comments, let me know.

Specifications

The Driver

I had some online discussions with John Spina while he was putting together his DIY
talk box. He used a midrange driver from MCM Electronics Item# 54-255 (1-800-
543-4330) cost is $29.95 plus shipping. He has A/B'ed this against a Heil and gets
very comparable (good) sound from this driver. It's been a lot of years since I bought
the heavy duty driver that I use, so I don't even know what kind it is. All I can say is
it's a good one, it's lasted over three decades and still sounds better than a new Heil.
I believe John told me that Heil uses an EV component for their driver. This
component is available from Jim Dunlop USA Inc, but be prepared for "sticker shock",
they are considerably more than $30.

The Tube

I recommend 6 feet (or so) of clear non-toxic plastic tube size: five-eighths inch
outside diameter, one-half inch inside diameter (one sixteenth inch wall thickness). I
have done extensive experimentation with various size and thickness of tubing and I
believe this is, all around, the best. It also happens to be what "Heil" thinks is best
too, 'cause that's exactly what they use. You might find this tubing at a plumbing
supply or the aquarium section of a pet store. Most big hardware stores in USA carry
clear plastic tubing. I even found a wide selection once in a store in Tucson that
specializes in plexiglass.

Connecting Tube To The Driver

This is the trickiest part of the entire project. John called Jim Dunlop USA Inc (makers
of the Heil Talk Box) and ordered the part they use to connect the tube to the driver.
Using weather stripping, as described on the Talkbox FAQ Page sounds like a good
idea. I fiddled around with some PVC connector parts from a plumbing supply store
until I found something that worked. They do make PVC caps with a five-eighths
inch hole in it! The bummer is the thread sizes probably won't match the driver
threads. So mine gets screwed on a ways and then secured with some attractive
black duct tape. I mayl post more on this after some more experimentation
(obviously I'm not yet totally happy with my set-up...but it works fine!).

Hooking It All Up

Here's a diagram showing how to wire a simple talkbox. I usually use "zip cord" for
speaker wire so that's what I used to wire up my connections. Zip Cord is two wire
electrical cord (usually brown) that can be unZIPped by just pulling the two wires
apart. It's what they make cheap extension cords out of. Use good quarter inch jacks
(Switchcraft) and solder the zip cord, don't use any screw-on or push-on type
terminal connections. If your amp doesn't already have an amp-out jack and
speaker-in jack, you'll need to figure out a way to add them. I had to modify my
Peavy Rage with a little patch panel so I could get easy access to the amp's speaker
out. Here's a couple of pictures to let you know what I'm talking about. One picture
of the "patch panel" with no patch cable connected, ready for the quarter inch jack
from the talk box driver to be plugged into the "amp" jack (top jack on the patch
panel.) Another picture with a very short zip cord patch wire plugged in to make the
normal (non-talkbox) speaker connection, for practice amp use when not being used
 with the talk box. I used right angle Switchcraft jacks for the patch cable so there are
no protrusions from the back of the amp.

Playing The Talking Guitar

It will take a while to get used to talking with a tube in your mouth. The guitar/amp
rig needs to have good sustain to make it really work for you, I believe that's why the
distorted or fuzz sound is almost always used for the "talk box sound", it's the
easiest way to get more sustain in your guitar sound. You need to exercise caution
with the volume of the sound going into your mouth. There is a common story going
around that if you play this thing too loud, eventually you'll literally rattle the teeth
right out of your head. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but I like to be on
the safe side. Don't be afraid to crank it up to normal voice level though, you're
going to need a good volume for the microphone to pick it up over the rest of your
screaming loud band! Just think what you got to look forward to when you get old.
Not only will you be deaf from playing guitar, you'll be toothless too! Seriously
though, stay in touch with what your head is telling you as you play. If the vibrations
are in anyway painful or uncomfortable to your sinus, you're too loud. If your teeth
or head feels funny after you play, you're too loud, etc. Stay in touch with your
feelings. How do I know these things?...DON'T ASK!

 
How to Build a Talkbox
This article was created by a professional writer and edited by experienced copy editors,
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editorial process that includes subject matter guidelines, plagiarism review, fact-checking,
and other steps in an effort to provide reliable information.
By an eHow Contributor

updated: February 17, 2011

If you've long admired Peter Frampton's talking guitar sound, consider making your own
talkbox system. It costs almost nothing to construct a device that will have you producing
that distinctive wah-wah sound like a pro.

Difficulty:

Instructions
 1

Cut the Styrofoam balls in half. Carve them so there is a shelf that will support the edge of
your speaker. Carve out a slot lower than the shelf large enough to hold the tubing. Drill a
¼-inch hole in the center of the ball for the tubing to pass through. Hot glue the speaker
and tube in place in the Styrofoam ball.

 2

Hook the speaker directly into the "headphone out" or "speaker out" on the amp. Solder a
cable to the speaker. If you have a jack, that will work as well.

 3

Place the structure in the box and surround it with foam and insulation. The talkbox will
sound better if the sound passes only through the tubing.

 4

Tape the tube to the side of your microphone stand.

 5

Play your guitar and mouth the words directly into your microphone. Open and
close your mouth to produce a wah-wah sound, and experiment to create other
effects.

Aluminum foil on a talk-box driver: the ultimate, horrible torn-speaker sound

I haven't heard this, but there should be a sample of it (with wah) in the Boogie
Nights soundtrack. The music guy behind that soundtrack claims to have invented
this great idea.

There is way to put aluminum foil over a Heil Talk Box such that it rattles horribly
and produces the worst torn-speaker sound imaginable. The Heil Talk Box is a horn
speaker driver, driven by your tube power-amp output. Where the driver pushes air
out (a fairly small hole), there is usually an air tube that runs up to the guitarist's
mouth, with a mic hovering nearby. Instead of the tube, put foil over the opening of
the driver.

Talk boxes:

Heil Talk Box

Electro-Harmonix Golden Throat
Dean Markley Voice Box
The Bag