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How to Build a Talkbox

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.

Things You'll Need

  • Styrofoam balls slightly larger than your speakers
  • Knife
  • Speaker
  • Guitar cable
  • 3 to 5 ft. of ¼-inch diameter tubing
  • Soldering gun
  • Foam, felt, insulation or something that can dampen sound
  • Duct tape
  • Box
  • Hot glue gun
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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.

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