MXR builds Byron Chambers a signature talk box with double the M222's headroom

MXR has turned its M222 Talk Box into a signature unit for Byron 'Mr. TalkBox' Chambers, the session player whose talk box work runs through a long list of modern gospel, funk and R&B records. Announced August 26, the Mr. TalkBox Signature Talk Box keeps the format of the original — a sealed enclosure with a compression driver, a length of tube that carries sound to the player's mouth, and volume, tone and gain controls — but rebuilds the electronics for more output.

The main change is power. Where the M222 runs a 10-watt preamp, the signature model uses 18 volts internally and a 25-watt preamp, which MXR says pushes the point where the driver breaks up well past what most players will reach. A neodymium driver replaces the stock speaker for more low end and definition. Two switches on the back handle edge cases: one bypasses the preamp entirely, aimed at hotter synth signals that don't need the gain, and one defeats the input mute so the dry signal stays live at the output jack for blending with an amp.

It comes in a gold finish with a black eight-foot tube, and is up for pre-order at $449.99, £387 or €449 through Sweetwater and Thomann.