That Pedal Show – Real Leslie Cabinet vs Neo Ventilator II, EHX Lester G & Strymon Lex

They all sound terrible compared to the real thing lol.

Leslie all day long.

This is actually quite depressing: just how much better the real Leslie sounds; every time you run through it, it's like the soundstage just opens up to infinity. I do wonder whether the tube preamp is sweetening the Leslie (I'm assuming its not in the other signal chains?). I also wonder about how wide the two amp mics are panned, whether they are panned as hard as the mics on the Leslie? But the sublime spaciousness of the Leslie: OMG... I could listen to that all day!

I have a Leslie 700 Speaker.
It’s solid state just like yours.

However only the Drum speaker rotates. It doesn’t have the spinning horns. Instead it has 2 static non rotating Tweeters that are attached to both of the Leslie’s side Vents.

I worked around this by running one of my Keyboards signals through a Lester K Pedal before it goes into the Speaker cabinet via a controller box that has 2 input jacks (one for each speaker)

Took a bit of tuning to get it just right and the two mix together perfectly.

An excellent video overall, and I’ve been a subscriber for years, but I think you guys maybe could have dialed in the Lester G a bit better than you did. I have one and it sounds great to me. I’m an old geezer who has played guitar through real Leslies in the past, so I’m going by what I’ve experienced instead of your demo here.

I use a Voodoo Labs Microvibe for Cold Shot, including when gigging. It works great.

I think the Strymon sounds the least close to the real one, but simultaneously the most mix friendly

hey there! what pedal do you use to switch between. the leslie and the regular amp?

Only time I heard a leslie live, was SRV - it spoke actual words....

That King's Hammond Sound from the times of modernism was abandoned and replaced with by only 6 strings in postmodernism: orchestras were released worldwide for the sake of 4 unlearned babes off the school bank with 4 guitars, opera houses got closed for the same sake... I wish all the guitars were burned altogether as the most disgusting threat to mankind worldwide. Long live the Hammond sound! Away with these string porno sounds!

Great video guys. I think this could be revisited with the strymon lex v2. It is much better than V1. The Neo is great, but for $500+ that is a guitar and a half.

You boys best listen to a couple of Fabulous Thunderbirds tunes where Stevie Rays brother plays through a Leslie, (one’s too many and a hundred ain’t enough…)

Quick question. If I understand correctly, you've set these up in front of the amps rather than in the fx loop? Is that right? I'm possibly getting a lex but only if it sounds good in front as I don't have an fx loop

The Vent is ok...the others are not good...

Regarding how the Lex sounds, you never did a bypass test on any pedal to show the change in sound from just straight guitar without the pedal

There are some rotating speaker cabinets with actual rotating speakers. Yamaha comes to mind. Gilmour used those some.

I used to play with a keyboard player that played not only his Hammond through both a 144 and a 147 (both had tube amps), but an original Clavinet through them as well. What a sound! I played my guitar through them occasionally. It was an astonishing thing, I gotta tell you.

I later (late 70s - pre-SRV) got one of those Fender Leslies, like SRV used. It was nice, but didn't really compare. It sounded decent, but it cut my volume pretty drastically. I ended up pawning it for ridiculously little cash. Oh well, had to make the rent.

BUT, waiting in a closet, I have the guts - that I removed from a non-functioning transistor Hammond that Goodwill was throwing out - to make another one, just have to make a plywood box to house it in.

I have an HK rotosphere and it isn't even mentioned. I guess bc it isn't sold anymore...

I love the fact that you could see that they felt an obvious emotional reaction to the Leslie at the start of the video. Priceless ! 🙂

Back in the early 70s my keyboard player bought a 900 Leslie which was transistorized. Not sure but I think it was the big brother to the one you have there. We had anther Keyboard player friend that had 147s. The difference in sound was very noticeable. Two things the horn driver did not brake in and the bass barrel spun in the same direction as the horns.I fixed that by slightly cocking the barrel motor sideways and crisscrossing the belt. worked fine.The Driver broke in eventually however you can not beat the tube sound. Thanks guys for sharing.

Great leslies not to $$$ and heavies: Mac Sound from Italy

This convinced me to skip the pedals. I can't un-hear the real thing.

"real leslie"...a bit bogus for comparison. the leslie cabs used on most classic records we know were most often 122, 145, and 147 models which were tube amps that gave the sound that growl when over driven. This is a solid state model. I keep a 145 at home for guitar....I actually spent 3 yrs. on the road ('73-'76) using a leslie 900 for part of my rig. it did the rotating spkr. sound but I hated it because it didn't give me that amazing, warm, growling overdrive like you hear on Blind Faith, "presence of the lord" solo or Jeff Beck's "i've been used" intro.

this comparison is truly futile... ..like comparing "overdrive pedals to "real guitar amp" overdrive then using a cranked solid state crate amp to a/b with. sure pedals would sound great.. not trying to a snob but those pedals would leave you cold if you were in a room with a good leslie model 145.

Can somebody tell me if you can get Cold Shot sounds with the Strymon Lex ? Can you nail the SRV sound when he played the leslie ?

Its clear to see, you are besotted by the Leslie concept. Though your Leslie is from the factory, taking a leslie assembly out of an old home organ for a DIY and configuring it to spin on a vertical axis make a big difference too. Put it in a nice timber cabinet suitably sized for the speaker volumetric requirement takes it to another level too. I position mine behind me when I play my console organ so I get the split sound from the organ and the Leslie. Heaven! With all Leslies, the sound only comes out of one side of the treble horn. The other side is there for balance weight wise only. A DIY Leslie is easily achieveable as a passive cabinet utilising the amp from organ or guitar. Pretty simple to achieve a great, heart warming effect.

Not the best Leslie to demo..Try a 147 and you might be in the ballpark....Can borrow mine if you want with original Leslie preamp..

When you turn on the drive, you absolutely are required by law to play the guitar part from Badfinger's No Matter What. Really, the most effective demonstration would keep out the blues licks, noodling and extemporaneous comping. Instead, it would be George Harrison/Beatles, Jerry Garcia, Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Badge, and all the classic Leslie guitar licks and parts. The organ style comping that showed up briefly was pretty helpful though.

I feel like you could make a viral tik tok of Dan trying to nail demonstrating the horn/drum speeding up/slowing down with his hands 🙃

Wow, great video! I play through a Helix Floor, I know, worship musician probs, but this is making me want to pick up the EHX Lester. The Helix has a built in trem/autopan, however it doesn't even touch these pedals!

we used to haul the leslie and b3 up two flights of steps. Funny. we all have bad backs! use the pedal.

I wish you added the Boss RT-20 in the mix. How does the Boss RT 20 compare to the Microvent and Lex?

I have owned nearly all of them... I like the Hughes & Keltner... I would say the best BUT it's effect is not extreme enough, it is to subtle... but it still wins with me.

I saw FOCUS in the early 70's... Their 147 Cabinets were stacked higher than their Mains! It was awesome! The sound coming of the stage was HEAVEN.

Ah... The bane of my existence! LOL I can't believe I missed this episode! Ever since I first heard Paul Kossoff, Leslie West, George Harrison and even Three Dog Night Leslie guitar sounds in 1969 when I started playing (Electric) I have been overwhelmingly consumed in achieving just the right Leslie sound. Having purchased literally every simulator. At one time I used Motion Sound having both a separate Low and High Rotor cabinets. But I have never really achieved the Paul Kossoff FREE "On My Way" sound that I have dreamed of.

the best way i can explain mic distance is that, when it's close, it's more tremolo/univiby

when it's far away it's more chorusy/flangery

the ventilator 2 is the most accurate

only problem is, is that it costs about the same as a used solidstate leslie 825

How do you connect a guitar to Leslie and make a sound?

Even the transistor leslie sounds amazing. Next time find a real valve leslie, or better yet two.

New to Leslie fell in love with it after bukovacs rig rundown.

it's so nice to see you enjoying the doppler sound from the original Leslie and the effect it has on you, i love that kind of thing. Please keep up the good work. It has the same effects on me.

Love the show, what do u think about the TC electronic vibraclone

This is the sound I have been looking for.........simulating the Leslie sound on guitar.......grew up with a Hammond with a Leslie.....

Total synchronicity on this guys. My bandleader has been wanting me to get a Leslie simulator pedal for my pedal steel. I was thinking about making a move on one after I get paid tomorrow so this videos on time. The Ventilator sounds the best of all of them but it’s really expensive. Can’t decide if I should get the Lester or the Lex.

You all engineered the audio🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾PERFECT🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Dang Dan frikn takin us to church with those opening riffs sheesh!! 🙌