The Tube
The tube is also an important factor to a talkbox. To connect the tube to the talkbox, an adapter called a tube holder is attached to the compression driver. Tube holders do not have a standard shape and could be screwed on or built on to the compression driver, depending on the talkbox.
Detachable Tube holder of Golden Throat I
Talkboxes on the market commonly come with a black or clear vinyl chloride tubes. You may also find soft tubes in many different color variations at plastic appliances dealers. (obviously, these are not usually made for use with talkboxes) If the tube is too soft, it could get easily flattened inside the mouth, and if too stiff, could make it hard to alter the shape of the mouth. You should try out different tubes made from different materials to find the best match for your style.
Size of the tube
There is also no standard size for the tube. Electro Harmonix's Golden Throat series used by Roger Troutman came with a black (or sometimes gold) tube with a diameter of 12mm and inside diameter of 9mm. Wild Media System's S.TALKER came with a tube with a diameter of 13mm and inside diameter of 11mm. Jim Dunlop's Heil Talkbox came with a huge clear tube with a diameter of 16mm and inner diameter of 13mm. The size of the tube depends on the size of the tube holder. The S.TALKER came with 2 different sized tubes so that the performer had the choice of connecting it inside or outside the tube holder.
You should try out different sizes to find your best matching tube. Narrow tubes can get stuck to your tongue and thus stopping the flow of the sound, and wide ones can make it difficult for you to enunciate words correctly. I find this similar to trying to speaking while holding cigarette butts and cigars in the mouth.
FYI, you could find a vinyl tube (made specifically for use with talkboxes) at “GF WORKS' eBay” or Wild Media System's direct online shop.
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Cutom-made Tubeholder by the Supervision of GF WORKS
Tubeholders must have an airtight fit to avoid leakage and decrease in sound pressure. Increasing the volume because of these would also result in extra load to the compression driver. Based on GF WORKS' experience and know-how, GF WORKS has decided to offer a complete replica of Golden Throat I tubeholder in a limited quantity.
Cutom-made Tubeholder by the Supervision of GF WORKS
GF WORKS' custom tubeholder is not a modification of a commercially sold part, but is a custom-made model (auto processing and finishing by NC lathe; knurling is handled manually), made in Japan for maximum reliability. Compression drivers has strong magnetivity, so instead of using inexpensive iron, we have decided to use aluminum just like the Golden Throat I tubeholder. Moreover, we have truly replicated the costly knurling for easy screwing and unscrewing of the tubeholder.
1823M／1824M with GF WORKS Tubeholder
GF WORKS' custom tubeholder and vinyl tube can be found at “GF WORKS' eBay”. GF WORKS' custom tubeholder is completely custom-made and cannot be mass produced nor can it be manufactured in small quantities. Thus, we are offering in a limited quantity.
Caution: GF WORKS' custom tubeholder is made to suit Electro Voice’s “1823M” and “1824M” and PYLE “PSD Series” (1-3/8” x 18 TPI). Other compression drivers may have different size diameter and/or pitch, so please double check before you purchase this tubeholder. The tubeholder's threaded screw has 18 threads per inch (25.4mm), external thread diameter of 34.6mm and internal thread diameter of 33.5mm. In order to find out if the tubeholder will fit your compression driver, calculate the threads per inch by counting the threads on your compression driver and make sure it has an external thread diameter of 34.6mm. If you find any compression drivers that work with our tubeholder, please kindly let us know!
You could connect a tube with a minor diameter of 9mm ~ 11mm on the outside of the tubeholder and 6mm ~ 7mm on the inside. These tubes can be found on the online store of Wild Media Systems.
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