The Steel Guitar Forum

I know it has been discussed before however I've not been able the find them using the search function here. Any suggestions on good Leslie effects electronics for PSG? I really need to incorporate an organ effect with my bands song list. We do a few tunes where straight steel just won't cut it but a good Leslie effect (short of dragging a Leslie cabinet to gigs) would be killer. Thanks ahead of time for all your thoughtful replies.
Ed

You might check out Greg Cutshaw's website. He has a couple of reviews of the Pog2 combined with a couple of floor pedals that have a great tone.
http://www.gregcutshaw.com/index.html

Check out the Boss RT-20 for your rotary effect and the POG-2 processor to get the organ sound you want.



Marvin

There's a new leslie sim out by Neo Instruments called the Ventilator...and it's the best I've heard.

Here are my POG2 presets for various organ (and other) sounds. Be real careful on the lowpass filter setting - tiny, tiny changes have big effect on the sound:

POG2 Presets

# Sound DRY -2 -1 +1 +2 Attack LP Det DRY Q

1 12 String 8 0 0 6 2 0 6 2 0 1
2 30 String 8 4 4 4 4 0 6 2 0 1
3 Pipe Organ 0 3 4 5 6 2 4 3 0 3
4 Hammond 6 0 2 4 4 3 5 2 Gr 2
5 Calliope 6 2 3 2.5 2- 1 5.5 8 Amb 2
6 Octavia 6 0 0 4 0 0 6- 2 Amb 2
7 Swell 8 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 Red 0
8 Back/Oct 8 0 0 7 5 6.5 4.8 2 Amb 3

Bass/4 0 0 8 0 0 0 5 0 0 2
Bass/8 0 8 8 8 0 0 5 0 0 2

The Pog2 will give your steel a great "organ" sound. The "LESLIE" sound is a different animal and can be added to the organ sound or used stand alone to great effect.


The Pog2 (mostly for organ sounds) review on my site:


http://www.gregcutshaw.com/Pog2/Pog2.html


For a Leslie sound (rotating speaker) I prefer the Line 6 Roto-Machine if you are running in mono mode:


http://www.gregcutshaw.com/Roto/Roto.html


and the H&K Rotoshpere if you can manage to get a stereo setup (the H&K loses a lot of its signature sound in mono mode):


http://www.gregcutshaw.com/Pog2%20With% ... phere.html


Greg

Second the vote for Boss' RT20. For just over $200 you can get it all in one box. Perhaps not quite as authentic organ tone as some of the more expensive and dedicated synths, but pretty darn good.

It's the same technology Roland/Boss built into their other multi units etc., that I use in my rigs with complete satisfaction and the sounds are nearly identical to those.

There are 4 modes of sound and many adjustable rotary parameters that fit most player's requirements. Add an exp. pedal and you can ramp it up and down or brake it.

Only complaint I have is that a new unit doesn't include the PSA AC adaptor.

Edited to add: I overlooked Skip's reply. His experience and recommendation carry a lot of weight, so I defer as I have no hands on with the Neo unit.

POG2 + Strymon Lex is pretty great. The lex sounds absolutely incredible, has a small footprint, and is 9V. Plus you can hook up an external switch to control the rotor speed. I built a little toggle switch that I mount on my steel for quick fast/slow access mid song.

I've found that the POG2 doesn't track perfectly, but will get the job done especially if you don't do slides.

I actually use the lex on its own for "steel through leslie" sounds much more than I use it with the POG. It's just a great sounding pedal. When you turn up the drive it sounds great too. I've done a side by side with a real, mic'd leslie, and it's really hard to tell the difference.

Hey you guys are great. I love this forum for the feed back from all you folks. Thanks again for your well thought out suggestions and the reasoning behind them.
Ed

I must have at least 6 different Leslie sims in my arsenal. Including all of those mentioned above but it seems like I always revert back to my H & K Rotosphere. Maybe it's just the way I have it hooked up but it sounds the best to me. I have it hooked up in stereo through my rack effects loop. Another feature I like about it is that you can have a remote switch located right by your foot to activate it. Also, it seems like it has a true bybass when not in use.

Erv,

I read all of you Leslie posts before I bought my variousl Leslie sims. The H&K is pretty cool but its sound goes pretty flat in mono mode. Are you running yours in stereo?


Greg

Greg,
Yes, I've got it running in stereo through the effects loop in my rack. All my effects go through my system in stereo.
I think b0b mentioned one time that the tube in the H & K warmed up the sound even when the Leslie effect wasn't on.

You guys hit on part of the equation for me. I will usually be playing mono at gigs (stereo at hme with my practice set up)soooo... is the Boss RT20 a better choice? Your thoughts... (Greg, thanks for providing the sound clips, unfortunatley, my Presonus Firebox interface crapped the bed on me so I am without audio on com-pooter for a fews days)
Thanks, Ed

The Boss RT-20 is a very good unit.
It is my second choice!

Erv Niehaus wrote:The Boss RT-20 is a very good unit.
It is my second choice!

Erv, have you tried the Lex? I'm pretty blown away with it. It also doesn't have the noise problems rotoshpere owners complain about, and sounds great in both stereo and bi-amped mode (send upper and lower to different amps).

I was cruising the net doing another review of current Leslie FX stompboxes this week, and I was particularly impressed by the sound of the Tech 21 Roto Choir. I think it rivals the Neo. The BOSS unit, to my ears, sounds rather cool, but doesn't nail the organ sound like others do.

Here's a couple of good demo videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPL23Vwx ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&featu ... iKMjrm9Ld4

Kevin,
Yes, I tried the Lex and have it in my arsenal.
There are quite a few Leslie sims out there that are very good but it all depends on how your system is set up whether or not you prefer them. I like to run my Leslie sim though my effects loop in stereo. I do not get any noise from my H & K and I think that's the reason why. The other units seem to work best if you run them right from your guitar and then into your amp. Also, I am not trying to duplicate the exact Leslie sound with the ramp up and down, slow speed vs fast speed and so on. The ability to do so is of minor importance to me. I use my Leslie sim to just give a little variety in my playing when I do gospel. Your mileage may vary.

Erv Niehaus, you run your Rotosophere "in stereo"--with one amp?

I love my Roto but use one Nashville 112. I have been using the Roto's Mono-in and Mono-out jacks, and the effects loop on the 112.

If you use one amp too, could you describe how it you hook it up "in stereo"?

If this is relevant, I am using a Hilton volume pedal with two Outs.

Thanks in advance, Erv.

Chris

Chris,
I play through a rack setup.
Everything runs through the rack in stereo and then goes to two speaker enclosures.

OK, thanks for the quick reply, Erv.

Chris

OK That makes sense Erv. The fast slow with ramp up/down is very important for me, thus I love the lex (and think it's a really faithful representation). Here's a picture of my custom built fast/slow switch (little box with a switch on the right of my steel):



John, let me know if you want to try out my Lex anytime.

You can spend 6 or 700 bucks buying 2 units. One for tone, and one for rotating sims, including a lot of those mentioned. That's the price of 2 steel guitar amplifiers.

It depends on your needs and desires, but that's a lot for me to achieve this effect when you can get a very realistic tone and leslie effect from the RT20 for around $200 which is still a lot of money and getting up there near used amplifier prices.

I used it a couple nights with very satisfactory results, but your opinion may vary greatly from mine.

The only way you will know what's right for you is to try them. If you can get to a music store that has all these units, you can get a good idea by plugging into a guitar and amp and these things for comparison. Always a good idea to road test if you have the chance.

Now if you are REALLY serious about Leslie sims, here
is the unit for you:
There should be enough knobs to satisy anyone's wants and desires!

Erv,

Does the tube rotate also? I don't see a knob to adjust the tube rotating speed....


Greg

No, the tube doesn't rotate unless you swing the whole unit around!