Rotary/Leslie effect for guitar

[Phostenix]

If you just want a simple & close approximation of a fast Leslie, the Arion SCH-1 is the best stompbox I've found. The SCH-Z is close, but not the same. The Z has a bass boost that colors the sound. Side-by-side, the 1 sounds more transparent. It's why the 1's still get more on ebay.

I have a Korg G4 sim that I love. I don't have any other sims to compare it to or a real Leslie, but I love the way it sounds. Slow or fast, in stereo it is amazing.

[cgiff]

Boss RT-20 Leslie Effect

I bought a Boss RT-20 about 5 months ago. It's connected in stereo into the EF86 side of a dc-30 clone and out / in of the parallel effect loop on a chieftain clone. I added an EQ on the input of the RT at about +10DB @ 600 and 1500hz (to boost the parallel effect), This enhances the the RT-20 's crossover point which makes it better for the guitar sound I'm looking for. The inertial effects of the rotor are very good, finger picking chords and timing the acceleration and deceleration really adds a nice dynamic dimension to your rythm playing. I A/B switch into the front end of the dc-30 (12ax7 side) and Chieftain so I can effectively bypass the rt-20 which does add color to the sound. The horn can sound nasily if driven hard. I went through quite a signal balancing act to blend this effect into my rig. The rotor is warm though, giving a great whump wump. I don't use this as a "cold shot" vibrato, more dynamically like a hammond player would, voicing chords and adding the leslie rotary nuances appropriately. I can see why some players don't like the pedal in front of their rig. I didn't either, however the hidden potential is there if you can dovetail it into your rig. I don't think the youtube videos do any of the leslie pedals justice. These are dynamic effects that need to be switched on and off appropriately with your foot as you play, not with a finger!

[Mark Hammer]

Few demo videos or soundclips will do justice to such pedals, largely because they really only come to life in stereo.

If one has ever used an actual Leslie or Vibra-tone, or even a Roland Revo, it is the stereo image movement that really makes the effect so compelling. If the electronic emulator of one's choosing has stereo outputs, you owe it to yourself to plug into two amps and let her rip. It,s really only at that point that you start to realize exactly how much different from a chorus pedal or Uni-Vibe these things really are.

[cgiff]

Youtube demos

Mark agreed,
The RT-20 sounds great in Stereo. That's how I run it. What I meant was the demo's themselves don't demo the ramp function very well, or the rotor intertia which are the nuanaces these pedals are about and a leslie for that matter. This is not a leslie, it can't emulate the actual physical acoustic wash of true rotating hardware but it comes very close IMO. There is a lot of subtle nuances that happen during the acceleration and particulary decelration phase that is not captured in the You tube demos. Primarily by the way they are demonstrated I think this goes for all the various manufacturers,someone describing the operation of the pedal, playing a bit then stop playing to hit a switch with their finger. It's a stompbox, it is also a very dynamic effect that needs to be demonstrated while playing. Once my chops are a little more refined I'm going to do a response to likely the Pro guitar shop demo.
Cgiff

[Mark Hammer]

I'm in Ottawa. Next time we have one of these: Photos from the 2nd Ottawa Amp & Pedal Fest (and I mean LOTS of photos)... - GuitarsCanada.com - The Canadian Guitar Forum you should come up and join us. (I'm the guy with the beat-up tweed Princeton/Bassman, the overalls, and the mountain of pedals).

[cgiff]

Hi Mark,
Thanks for the invite, Just joined the Candian Forum Didn't know it existed. Did you guys have the fest this month? or is it still pending.
Cgiff

[Jimbo Bigbelly]

Wow! If you could copy and post the SGX2000 settings, I'd really appreciate it! I know it's a lot of work. BTW need display backlight replacement insturctions?

[cgiff]

Hi Jimbo, I sold my sgx2000 a couple of years ago. So I can't send the preset. Man I can't recall what the base effect was to build the Leslie, I'm thinking it was a flanger and not the chorus . I varied the eq more bass and more effect intensity on slow speed controlled by the midi expression pedal, as you sped the effect up I increased the high end backed off the low end and also the intensity. This was all pretty easy to set up. I used all the available midi channels .
I moved onto an rt-20. Added an art crossover on the output. Pass the lows into a transistor power amp into a 15' the highs go into a tube combo. Sounds ver good. The distortion on the rt is not good.
I have all the parts for a mechanical Leslie. I have finally got all the rotor dimensions and will be building in the next couple of weeks. I just retired, so when you follow the dates of the threads this has been a long time coming. I'll pos photos and clips hopefully you September . The art crossover is destined for the porta Leslie build. This will not be a classic 122 or 145 build but a 3 piece weight matched as light as possible build