Leslie

Leslie

Also known as: Leslie Speaker, Leslie Speakers, Leslie Vibratone, Vibratone, Electro Music

Unclaimed

Leslie is a brand of rotating speaker cabinets originally developed by Donald Leslie in the late 1930s and first marketed in 1941. Created to give the Hammond organ a more pipe-organ-like sound in domestic settings, Leslie's design used baffles and horns rotating around stationary speakers to produce a doppler-shifted, swirling tone that became inseparable from the sound of the Hammond organ in...

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Leslie is a brand of rotating speaker cabinets originally developed by Donald Leslie in the late 1930s and first marketed in 1941. Created to give the Hammond organ a more pipe-organ-like sound in domestic settings, Leslie's design used baffles and horns rotating around stationary speakers to produce a doppler-shifted, swirling tone that became inseparable from the sound of the Hammond organ in jazz, gospel, blues, rock, and progressive music. Early units were sold under names like Vibratone, Hollywood Speakers, and Crawford Speakers before Leslie standardized the branding through his company, Electro Music.

The classic Leslie cabinets — most notably the tube-amplified Model 122 (designed for Hammond consoles via a balanced connection) and the Model 147 (a universal-input variant) — pair a horn rotor for high frequencies with a 15-inch woofer firing into a rotating drum for the lows, switchable between slow 'chorale' and fast 'tremolo' speeds. Other notable models include the smaller 145 and 760, the combo-friendly 16/18/21 series, and modern designs like the solid-state 3300 and the Heritage 122H/142H reissues, alongside digital simulators such as the 2101.

Ownership of the Leslie name has passed through CBS, the Hammond Organ Company, and Suzuki Musical Instruments, which now produces Leslie cabinets alongside Hammond organs. The Leslie effect is so distinctive that it has been emulated by countless pedal and plugin manufacturers, and the cabinets themselves have been used by organists including Jimmy Smith, Booker T. Jones, Jon Lord, Keith Emerson, and Gregg Allman, as well as guitarists who route their signal through them for the characteristic rotary swirl.

Leslie has 35 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Keyboard Amplifiers, Combo Guitar Amplifiers, and Organ Accessories. Their gear is featured by 55 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Pop, and Metal. Notable users include Benmont Tench, Chris Copping, and David Gilmour. Most Leslie products sit firmly in the high-end, boutique range.

Artists Who Use Leslie

Benmont Tench uses 3 Leslie products

Benmont Tench

Keyboardist · Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Chris Copping uses 3 Leslie products

Chris Copping

Bassist, Keyboardist · Procol Harum

David Gilmour uses 2 Leslie products

David Gilmour

Guitarist · Pink Floyd

George Harrison uses 2 Leslie products

George Harrison

Singer, Guitarist · The Beatles

Eric Clapton uses 2 Leslie products

Eric Clapton

Guitarist · Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes

Lindsey Buckingham uses 2 Leslie products

Lindsey Buckingham

Singer, Guitarist · Fleetwood Mac

Richard Wright uses 2 Leslie products

Richard Wright

Singer, Keyboardist · Pink Floyd

Derek Sherinian uses 2 Leslie products

Derek Sherinian

Keyboardist · Alice Cooper

Mark Stein uses 2 Leslie products

Mark Stein

Keyboardist · Vanilla Fudge

Jenny Conlee uses 2 Leslie products

Jenny Conlee

Keyboardist · The Decemberists

Jack White uses 1 Leslie product

Jack White

Guitarist, Drummer · The White Stripes

Jimi Hendrix uses 1 Leslie product

Jimi Hendrix

Guitarist · The Jimi Hendrix Experience

James "Munky" Shaffer uses 1 Leslie product

James "Munky" Shaffer

Guitarist · Korn

Joe Walsh uses 1 Leslie product

Joe Walsh

Guitarist, Singer · Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes

Steve Howe uses 1 Leslie product

Steve Howe

Guitarist · Yes

Peter Frampton uses 1 Leslie product

Peter Frampton

Guitarist · Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes

Rick Beato uses 1 Leslie product

Rick Beato

Guitarist, Bassist

Oren Ambarchi uses 1 Leslie product

Oren Ambarchi

Guitarist · Sunn O)))

Steve Miller uses 1 Leslie product

Steve Miller

Guitarist, Singer · Steve Miller Band

Jon Lord uses 1 Leslie product

Jon Lord

Keyboardist · Deep Purple

Community setups featuring Leslie

Show yours
bios7

bios7

Gear IQ 97

oldfuzzhead

oldfuzzhead

Gear IQ 573

mike_pyne

mike_pyne

Gear IQ 165

J

jmfarrington

Gear IQ 46

jan_bingegard

jan_bingegard

Gear IQ 63

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