MXR talk box?

BloodRose

Professional Scapegoat
How is the MXR talk box?? Anyone use one? How do you like it? Can anyone say how it compares to others, such as the Heil?
 
Re: MXR talk box?

I never used a talk box- I figure it is ok for covers of Rocky Mountain Way and Do You Feel Like We Do. However, I heard something cool with a Digitech Talker pedal, where pieces of dialog from movies (or passages from books) were sampled, and then 'played' through the device during the show. It was the first time I heard something more interesting played through such a device.
 
Re: MXR talk box?

The Heil (trademark owned by Dunlop now) requires an amp and speaker cable routing because it's basically just a speaker. The MXR, having a built in amplifier makes it much easier to integrate into a rig.

Either way, it's such a specific effect, I'd almost rather get an extreme wah like a Parachute or maybe Colorsound style that will emulate it if you need to cover a tune with talkbox and will also provide a second option to your current wah(s). That is of course unless you have wanted to cover Rocky Mountain Way and Do You Feel Like We Do on a nightly basis. :)
 
Re: MXR talk box?

A little talk box goes a long way; gets annoying very quickly. At home, use it a lot, but on stage...
 
Re: MXR talk box?

Yeah, man, it can get seriously annoying. I suppose it was interesting in the 70s, as it hadn't yet reached a mass audience yet. I feel bad for Frampton and Walsh- they have to drag that thing out on every tour now. Here is a vintage talk box example...

 
Re: MXR talk box?

Yeah, thats why Ive never invested in one. First, I figure use would be very limited. Second, the old style pretty much needed a separate rig for it. the mxr, changes that..I have a rack mount Rockman unit, but havent put it into use yet cuz it too, pretty much will require an amp of its own
 
Re: MXR talk box?

I saw a guy play one of the new MXR ones with an electric banjo. It worked pretty well. It was only for one song, and I'm sure it would have been a bit annoying to hear it much more than that.
 
Re: MXR talk box?

I own the MXR like the Heil it needs a separate rig. The only one I know of that plugs directly into your signal chain is the Rocktron Banshee. What makes the MXR nice is it has its own preamp gain so it is easier to control the distortion. The thing is also built like a tank. I use mine with the Excelsior in the mic input or with my 40 watt keyboard amp both are more than serviceable. You can go way beyond Walsh and Frampton tones with the unit, your imagination is the only barrier. However, like others have said it can be a pain to setup if the gig doesn't have a house PA.
 
Re: MXR talk box?

There are some songs that you just need it:

Livin' on a prayer
The Zoo
Frampton
etc…
 
Re: MXR talk box?

There are some songs that you just need it:

Frampton


As cool a song as 'Do you Feel' is, I turn it off before the talk box part, as that's gotten old a long time ago. The solos before that are infinitely more interesting. If I were to hear a band do a cover of it, it would be a blessing if they didn't use a talk box.
 
Re: MXR talk box?

Here's one of my favorite uses for a talk box I've ever heard.

 
Re: MXR talk box?

 
Re: MXR talk box?

I believe that is a wah pedal. He was well known for using one.

Ok. I thougt it was wah and talk-box part was the last uhu wah wah uhu wah wah waaaaah. I know Dimebag used wah pedal regularly. Alice in Chains Man In The Box had definately had talk-box in it.
 
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Re: MXR talk box?

Ok. I thougt it was wah and talk-box part was the last uhu wah wah uhu wah wah waaaaah. I know Dimebag used wah pedal regularly. Alice in Chains Man In The Box had definately had talk-box in it.

I'm not so sure about that. I've heard it was a wah pedal and I've heard it was a talk box. Part of the effect is that Layne Staley sang the guitar melody. Jerry Cantrell is known for using an exceptionally thick/ vocal sounding wah pedal.
 
Re: MXR talk box?

I'm not so sure about that. I've heard it was a wah pedal and I've heard it was a talk box. Part of the effect is that Layne Staley sang the guitar melody. Jerry Cantrell is known for using an exceptionally thick/ vocal sounding wah pedal.
Recorded with a talk box, performed live mostly with a wah, more recently performed with a talk box.

 
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