Leslie Simulators & Guitar

Nomad

Anybody use a Leslie simulator with guitar? I've had a Korg G4 for a few years (for organ sounds) and tried it a couple of times with guitar and never got on with it. It seems to me that the slow speed is a bit too subtle, and with the fast speed, the warbling effect is too dominant.

Am I missing something?

Gassage

Well, you have the king of sims there so if it isn't to your liking there's not a lot better. the G4 is better than any of the pedal options IMO.

Lex is OK< Ventilator OK but the G4 is the daddy if a little big.

However, if you really want to do this cheaply, get a Yamaha RA50 Leslie Amp off eBay. They are often up at silly prices but genuinely if you wait you'll pay about 100 quid. And they're excellent. Ask @HarrySeven who bought mine.

And, they're brilliant as a clean amp too.

nickb_boy

Have you checked out the Neo Instruments Vent or mini vent? One of my old band mates had the mini version and raved about it. It's built like a tank and if it wasn't the price it was I'd have one without question.

NPP

does the G4 have the option to connect an expression pedal? I have a Lex and I would agree about the the two speeds not being where I'd set them at but with the expression pedal I can pick any speed I want

Gassage

All the sims are nowhere near as good as the Yam RA50 The G4 is the best sim that was ever made- all the others are not as good.

Nomad

I'm not questioning the quality of the sim, and I'm not about to buy any others.

If anything, maybe I'm unsure about how the sound might be used. I'm not a big user of modulation effects in any case, but I do find myself wondering what I could do with this.

Any recorded examples? YouTube clips?

ICBM

That's exactly what a real Leslie cab is like .

The only thing it doesn't do accurately is the physical rotor noise...

I have a G4, which is on permanent loan to a friend with a real Hammond, so he can play it quietly in the house, through a small amp - the Leslie is just too noisy.

vasselmeyer

Check out the video from the Guitarist Magazine team. A shootout of rotary speaker simulator pedals:

JCA2550

Don't overlook the Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere, preferably the MkII. It can be a bit noisy if you don't set it up right and it is bulky but it sounds gloriously Leslie-like!

koss59

Yep Rotosphere is king for me

Nomad

Folks, I'm not asking about which one to buy - I already have one. It sounds very good indeed with an organ, but I've been left a bit bemused when I've tried it with guitar.

I'm looking for advice and suggestions about how it might be used with a guitar. Some recorded examples to listen to would be good.

koss59

Go and listen to the Beatles, early Joe Walsh and Frampton comes alive. Just use it as you would any other modulation effect, to add colour and interest to certain parts.

ICBM

Your starter for five...

Beatles - Let It Be (single version)
Cream - Badge
Hendrix - Little Wing
Free - Wishing Well
Pink Floyd - Breathe

ROOG

Hi @Nomad, as a keys player really, I might have an idea were you are coming from, leslies sound great with organ, they add texture to what is normally a 'fairly constant' tone, and flipping between speeds even during held chords adds dynamics to the sound.

I find the effect a bit overwhelming when combined with everything else that comes with strumming/ touch sensitivity and dynamics of the guitar, although I have no doubt that some use em with guitar with success.

On the other hand I might be completely wrong! in which case I'll get my coat  :0)

I used to own a Hammond c/w Leslie, t'was a lovely, if big/heavy thing, have since tried pedals with modern keyboards and guitar. 

frankus

Why not puit a really squashy compressor on the guitar so the dynamics go and you're back to a swirliness... interesting insight into the sound though - I've never considered the guitar as dynamic in that way before... have a Norman.

EricTheWeary

trying to think of some song titles and can't do youtube from here anyway but if you listen to SRV live stuff it is pretty warbley ( although a Vibrotone rather than a Leslie).

-----------------------------------------------------------


googles - try Cold Shot or Couldn't Stand the Weather.


-----------------------------------------------------------


I used to know someone who had an original Leslie and it just is this dominant sound, I suspect a lot of the pedals aren't as dominant in the mix and we've got used to that sound. When SRV wanted something subtler he used a chorus pedal.  

There must be some JoBo examples as well as he used a G4 for quite a while ( and was largely responsible for them becoming collectible I think).

for both of these they were often running multi amp set ups, IIRC Joe always has two amps going so he might have been running one amp dry and the G4 through another; I don't know.

--------------------------------------------------------------

googles - you could try his version of Reconsider Baby, apparently that's the G4

NPP

Paul Kossof had a tasteful Leslie on Time Away, Molten Gold (on his Back Street Crawler) and on Free's Travelling Man (IIRC)

ICBM

EricTheWeary said:

There must be some JoBo examples as well as he used a G4 for quite a while ( and was largely responsible for them becoming collectible I think).

I was going to let my friend keep my one anyway, but that really seals it.

ROOG

frankus said:

Why not puit a really squashy compressor on the guitar so the dynamics go and you're back to a swirliness... interesting insight into the sound though - I've never considered the guitar as dynamic in that way before... have a Norman.

Good idea @frankus I might just try a dollop of compressor in front. 

EricTheWeary

ChrisMusic

Check the real Leslie cabinet behind Jan Akkerman form circa 1975 live performance.

Hammond thro Leslie on the other side of the stage too, great for comparison.

The section is Hamburger Concerto starting at 18:02 - lots of swirly goodness.

Total duration 1hr 3mins