leslie speakers

Greg Blanch · Post by **Greg Blanch** » 1 Dec 2000 5:05 am

has any one had any experience or have any opinions on the use of the Leslie Speaker on Pedal Steel

Bill Crook · Post by **Bill Crook** » 1 Dec 2000 7:56 am

They really sound great !!!
but are a real hassel to lug around.
we used one for a while untill I told the ole' boy who was so fired up about it that he was going to have to lug it in and out of the gigs. After a few sets, I think he got the idea why I ( at 5'3" 110 lbs) wasen't willin' to be the roadie with that thing for just one or two songs. Needless to say, we now use the Leslie effects in my Profex II.

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » 1 Dec 2000 8:06 am

A Leslie or rotating speaker effect sounds great when used in moderation with steel in my opinion.

Mikel Nelson · Post by **Mikel Nelson** » 1 Dec 2000 8:51 am

Another option is made by Motion Sound. They offer a rotating horn module and a rotating drum module, you combine the two and you have a leslie. Much lighter and easier to carry. You can also just get the rotating horn and use the low speaker simulator through another amp. Both modes sound great! (I use them with my Hammond).

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 1 Dec 2000 12:11 pm

Motion sound has a guitar specific cabinet with that leslie sound. It's similar in design to the old fender leslies, with a stationary speaker (facing up) but a rotating unit on top. It sounds way, way better than the fender units, and is inexpensive, light, and comes with a built in SM57 for miking purposes. I just got one, and am already addicted. You can just plug it into your existing amp, and use it instead of, or in addition to the existing speaker (it has a switch for this, as well as for changing rotation speed). I highly recommend it.

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www.tyacktunes.com

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 1 Dec 2000 8:33 pm

I used one for a couple of years, until I got tired of lugging it around! It was the portable model (which was used with the Cordovox). They have a great sound, but it's easy to overuse it. One song a set was about all I wanted. Great faux B-3 sound, and a spacious chorus effect on the slow speed. Unless you have the speed selector switch where you can hit it while you're playing (on the B-3, it was RKL) you're loosing a lot of the beauty of the leslie! There's nothing like going from the slow phase to the fast phase in the middle of a chord.[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 05 December 2000 at 06:24 PM.]

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 1 Dec 2000 8:34 pm

oops![This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 05 December 2000 at 06:20 PM.]

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 1 Dec 2000 10:54 pm

I had one in Phoenix in the 70's . The real all wood deal with JBL's. It was great,but when I moved back to Mighigan I had to sell it. Couldn't haul it around. Then got a Fender Leslie in the 80's, it was ok, but not as good as the original B3 type leslie. Now I have a very small little box called "PE Jr", (Progressive Electronics, no longer in business, I think) it is amazing how good it is and I can put it in my big coat pocket....al

Greg Blanch · Post by **Greg Blanch** » 2 Dec 2000 3:35 am

thanks guys for your input its much appreciated it least none of its negative I think Ill buy this Leslie Ive been offered because the price is right and Ill take on board the comments re: over use greg

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 2 Dec 2000 9:13 am

FWIW, I used a Fender Leslie and a Goodrich photocell volume/wah pedal for quite a while in the 70's, had to have that Rusty Young B3 sound!

It comes with a 10" bass speaker that just didn't produce a volume level comparable to my amp.

I souped it up by enlarging the speaker hole and installing a 12" EV SRO speaker. The speaker was so big that I had to cut a hole in the back of the cabinet for the speaker magnet to stick out.

It had much better highs and put out much more volume that way. I still had to mike it through the PA on bigger gigs, though. I put wheels on the bottom of the cabinet and was able to carry my steel case on top.

I still haven't been able to duplicate that sound and wish I didn't have to leave it behind when I moved to Texas.

The absolute closest thing I've found to "that sound" was a Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere. I went to rack mounted gear shortly after buying it and sold it.

I sure wish they'd come out with a rack mount version. I'd be the first in line.

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Jim Smith jimsmith94@home.com
-=Dekley D-12 10&12=-
-=Fessenden Ext. E9/U-12 (soon to be U-13) 8&5 (so far)=-

Jay Ganz · Post by **Jay Ganz** » 2 Dec 2000 9:17 am

I've had that Motion Sound Pro-3T for 3 years
now. It's defintely what's happnin'!

Matt Farrow · Post by **Matt Farrow** » 3 Dec 2000 12:35 pm

Line6 Modulation Modeler - I use it for Leslie / Vibratone things ("Rotary Drum&Horn", "Rotary Drum",) also the occasional phaser ("Dual Phaser,") and tremolo ("Opto Tremolo.") It has 4 footswitches for selecting presets, and an expression pedal jcak, which I hook up to a footswitch I made for ramping the leslie speed up&down. About $100 less than the Rotosphere, nearly as good, and a hell of a lot more versatile. Ever hear a Ring Modulator on a PSG? Whoa! Not that you can USE that sound, but it is pretty neat.

Matt Farrow

Dixson Rudolph · Post by **Dixson Rudolph** » 25 Mar 2004 10:46 am

Long time lurker, first time poster...
Back when I was just learning pedal steel, the only amp I HAD was a Leslie 145 (shorter version of a 147) with a combo pre-amp, so me and my MSA (D-10 8/4) WERE the organ on the rock & roll songs we played.
Recently I built a single-manual B3 organ that I use on stage along with my Emmons P-P.
I use a switching setup that allows me to run the steel thru either my Session 400 or Leslie 860 (that the Hammond also goes thru). This little Leslie is only 25" tall, has both rotary horn and drum, (sounds sweet!), has slow/fast/and stop (if you don't want the rotary effect),and it's on wheels, so it's easy to move. It's smaller than a Motion Sound Pro-3/Low-pro unit (BTW, John Fisher, who makes Motion Sound here in SLC, was one MEAN pedal steel player..I don't know if he's still at it..),but for a real TWG Hammond and steel, it works well for me!
Playing a keyboard with thumb and finger picks on is a real blast, too....

Just my 2¢ worth

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 25 Mar 2004 1:59 pm

The late and great Bob White used a Leslie for years. In fact he had a vertical knee lever for his right knee that activated a switch that would turn the Leslie on and off.

There is an album of Bob with his MSA on the cover. You can clearly see this RKV in the picture.

carl

Tim Rowley · Post by **Tim Rowley** » 26 Mar 2004 9:05 pm

Well-known Michigan steeler Rick Jarvis (now deceased) used a Leslie in a black tolex Miller cabinet for years. He had it hooked into his Sho-Bud Christmas Tree amp and activated it with a stomp switch. When the Leslie kicked in, the speaker in the Sho-Bud kicked out and vise versa. At the time, Rich was playing a D-12 MSA (ouch, my back) and could really rock and roll on the C6th neck with that Leslie, sounding very similar to a B-3 Hammond. He used a Boss Tone also and could get pretty psychodelic with the Leslie engaged.

Rich had large rubber casters for the Miller/Leslie to aid in moving it around, but as I recall he preferred to take a playing job where he could sit down for several months so he could leave the unit parked in the back corner of the stage and just kinda dust it off every couple of weeks. It was a slick outfit in its day, but it and its owner are both long gone now.

By the way, Rich could play "Raisin' the Dickens" as well as I ever heard it played, and he certainly didn't need the Leslie to do that! He was a good guy, a good friend, a great player, and I sure do miss him.

Tim Rowley

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 26 Mar 2004 9:53 pm

I had one of those Gray Leslie 2-speed Rotory Cabinets back in '67/'68. I took it along on a 10 wk. Far East Tour, but; the person that took me along on the tour didn't like that sound at all, so; I lugged it around (when necessary) all over the Far East for 10 wks, but; never used it once! That sort of cured me, until I got my Alesis QuadraVerb-Plus!

The Leslie had a good sound, but; wouldn't handle much volume in it's original configuration!

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“Big John” Bechtel
Franklin PSG D–10 (9 &

Fender ’49–’50 T–8 Custom
Fender ’65 Reissue Twin-Reverb Custom™ 15”
http://community.webtv.net/KeoniNui/BigJohnBechtels

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 27 Mar 2004 10:52 am

Well,,,,, if any of youse guys are do-it-yourselfers, I have about a dozen of those ridgid foam drums that came from inside Hammond organs. They look to me to be the same as the ones used by Fender. I cut the base plate hole a bit larger, and built a box. Put in a 12" Celestion G12H-80, which are available from Avatar for only $42. It sounds way cool!
Hammond used them mounted vertically with only one opening for the sound to come out of the cab. Didn't really sound like a Leslie. But if you take one of the drums, and make your own cab that lets it turn horizontally, it sounds the way it should. In the Hammond, it sounded more like cabinet vibrato.
I don't have anymore with motors though. Hammond used 2 synchonous motors that are kinda hard to find, and are exspensive. I'm gonna build another one with two drums with one speaker firing down and the other firing up. Will use an AC motor with a small Variac for a speed control.
JB[This message was edited by John Billings on 27 March 2004 at 02:01 PM.]

Dixson Rudolph · Post by **Dixson Rudolph** » 27 Mar 2004 4:28 pm

Those motors are all over ebay, even the 2-speed motor stacks. Also, check local thrift stores/yard sales for spinet organs with internal Leslies..usually under $20 for the whole organ, the rest which (when the Leslie module is removed), is usually just 'dumpster food' anyway.

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 28 Mar 2004 9:34 am

That's where the drums that I have came from. I know a retired Hammond guy who parts out old Organs. Make sure you check the speakers and tubes before chuckin' the old sucker out. I have gotten great vintage Jensens out of Hammonds. And the tubes can be really good. A lot of the EL-84 tubes labeled Hammond, are from Holland. Probably Amperex. I've even found Telefunken 12AX7's in old organs. How much do the motors go for on eBay?
JB

PS: If you find a Hammond that has a reverb amp in it, don't throw that out. The reverb amps in some Hammonds are on a small separate chassis. These can be modified to replicate an 18 watt Marshall amp. They were also the basis for the first Dr. Z Carmen Ghia amp.

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 30 Mar 2004 3:14 pm

John,
I still have a 122RV Leslie that I bought back in the late 60's for my B3..It has the seperate reverb and also a seperate little speaker just for the reverb..I haven't seen too many around ..I also have a 147 Leslie....I will never get rid of these speakers....They have soul !!..Jim

Buck Dilly · Post by **Buck Dilly** » 31 Mar 2004 1:04 pm

I have played Hammond since 1968. I have owned 145's, 147's, 122's and a 675 solid state, and 67 Fender Leslie. I've tried every device ever made. The Leslies are clearly the best.. and the biggest,, and the most expensive.. and the heaviest... and THE BEST. But...I currently use and love the H=K rotoasphere with both my keys and my Steels. It is easy and has very passable sound. Dealing with blown speakers, drivers, belts and tubes is not my idea of fun. H+K is close second.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 31 Mar 2004 2:39 pm

Buck,
I'm with you! I also use the H&K Rotosphere. And it sure is good enough for this left-handed Norwegian. Our sponsor, b0b, also uses one and chances are he'll chime in here after a while. I play mostly gospel on my pedal steel and it sure sounds good to alternate between the straight pedal sound and the leslie sound.
Erv

Dixson Rudolph · Post by **Dixson Rudolph** » 20 May 2004 7:09 am

The best(stand alone) Leslie sim I have ever heard is the CLS-222 made by Dynacord.
I heard a dude playing a Hammond XK-2 thru what I
could've SWORN was a 122/147 , but couldn't see one . I can usually tell a 'sim' right away, because there are so many sonic nuances coming from the horn, it's really difficult to replicate accurately (the bass rotor is relatively easy to fake). When he showed me the sim unit, I was amazed! (1U rack space.)

Darrell Birtcher · Post by **Darrell Birtcher** » 4 Jan 2013 2:19 pm

I was a Hammond/Leslie tech years ago and used one of the foam drums that John mentioned, layed horizontally. Made a nice box that the steel player in our band sat on. It sounded pretty cool. If one uses the 2 speed motors, be aware that the springs in the slow motor are different for vertical vs horizontal configuration. He moved on to playing harp in a blues band and it sounded REALLY good on the slow speed for ballads. He fired it with a Peavey amp, don't remember which model.
We mounted the speed switch on one of the steel legs and I believe we used a footswitch to switch amp speakers over to the Leslie. I saved me a bunch of them rotors for rainy day projects. Most are 10's but some were 12's. They would sound better with a counter rotating horn though, in my opinion,
but it's still a very
"organic" effect as is. No forgiveness requested for the pun!

Darrell Birtcher · Post by **Darrell Birtcher** » 4 Jan 2013 2:20 pm

I was a Hammond/Leslie tech years ago and used one of the foam drums that John mentioned, layed horizontally. Made a nice box that the steel player in our band sat on. It sounded pretty cool. If one uses the 2 speed motors, be aware that the springs in the slow motor are different for vertical vs horizontal configuration. He moved on to playing harp in a blues band and it sounded REALLY good on the slow speed for ballads. He fired it with a Peavey amp, don't remember which model.
We mounted the speed switch on one of the steel legs and I believe we used a footswitch to switch amp speakers over to the Leslie. I saved me a bunch of them rotors for rainy day projects. Most are 10's but some were 12's. They would sound better with a counter rotating horn though, in my opinion,
but it's still a very
"organic" effect as is. No forgiveness requested for the pun!