"Talk Box"

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

Step 1: Parts

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 3: Set 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 4: Box

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 5: How 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 6: What 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.

Comments

[ayd203]

where do you solder the jack head onto the speaker???

[tiffanyrosesaucier]

thnks, its better than buying one and it sounds so cool :) how did u learn to make this?

[GorillazMiko]

Nice job, that first picture is pretty random, haha, cool Instructable. :-)

[heyzuphowsitgoin]

The first picture is a talking box!

[butthead95]

dude i used a funel instead works better u cant see funnel i put it in the speaker box backward and the cover over the back of speaker and alligator clips

[jasrv28]

sweet thanks. whats the purpose of the foam ball cutout as opposed to something more sturdy?

[admanrocks]

it's what i had

[Jesus10555]

I made one today, its pretty sweet, Although it is a bit hard to talk with, but thats what practicing is for.... plus I only had a bigger tube lying around, so I couldnt follow the "1/4" size

[admanrocks]

thts awesome

[Ibanezfoo]

How does this actually sound? Got any clips? I tried making one of these a few years ago but it sounded like crap. I eventually just went and bought a Banshee.

[admanrocks]

ill try to get some clips for you, its ok, but im still not very good at actually talking with it

[0.775volts]

you just have to watch your power levels. i run tiny speakers like this off of professional power amplifiers all the time (we call them "practicals" on stage, like on a set we would have a clock radio, and would just wire up the speaker in it so we could play cues through it). just make sure your levels aren't too high. otherwise hexadecimal is correct, you'll fry your speakers, which could short and, in turn, fry your amp.

[admanrocks]

ya, i use my little practice amp

[hexedecimal99]

Maybe you should put a warning up or something, if you're gonna use the speaker out jack from an amp head, make sure that the resistance is right, if you hook up an 8 ohm speaker jack up to a 4 ohm speaker, be prepared for some fireworks

[SizzleBacon_12341]

interesting

[trebuchet03]

Peter Frampton did this... A bud of mine made one, very simple and used a $5 megapgone from harbor freight. Didn't really use a box since the tube goes inside the cone and all - it was quite effective, a better/bigger megaphone would have made it easier though :P... In any case, its a very very cool sound if you can find a use for it... Just remember that the guitar is the driver... so no sound from guitar means you won't hear anything you say ;)