Man I just caught you on insta live right after listening to dipped in tone. I swear i am not following you in that way. (I mean, i follow you but not that way lol)
I saw The First Edition in the late sixties. This was just after their first successful album and just before Kenny Roger's name was featured in the band name. Terry Williams (lead guitar) used the Fender Vibratone amp extensively during the concert.
@@MatthewScottmusic Actually, the keyboard player in my band was a much better organist than I was a guitarist, so, after about 20 years, I gifted it to him. He still uses it!
To my ears, THAT is literally as good as a Strat can possibly sound. This is clean tone to die for. I would be attached to my guitar for hours on end if I had that amp... Kudos!
I’ve owned both a Fender Vibratone cabinet with the silver banner across the front, and a Leslie Model 16. They are the same inside. My Leslie Model 16 is just like this Fender Vibratone cab, just with a Leslie badge in place of the Fender badge. Great sounds. I still have the Leslie Model 16 but passed along the Vibratone.
Do you run it through two amps? I’m not overly impressed mono. I’m sure that my amp choice (5e3 Tweed) isn’t helping my cause, but that more about the Tone.
@@druwk I run it through two amps but I like it in stereo and mono. I run a brown and tweed deluxe or a tweed bassman. You need something with good treble response, try using the bright channel on your deluxe.
@@matthewf1979 Check! (Run it through the Bright channel, and have the Tone up high) Have to keep the drive as low as possible, since it comes after my gain pedals, and the Tweed breaks up quickly on its own. The “on” light is annoyingly bright. I’ve never really gotten used to using the ramping foot switch (Break vs Off vs Ramp). It’s quite a fight to get to a sound that’s not as good as it would need to be, to fight as hard as I do? Ultimately, when I get the sound where I “like” it, everything else on my board isn’t working for me? It would have to be in its own loop? I have a TC Electronics Vibraclone pedal that actually sounds ok, but again, kind of needs its own setup. I’ve tried a Lester G. Haven’t tried the Vent? Right now, I just added the Strymon Flint (for both the Reverb, and Tremelo), and I’m hoping that the Tremelo(s) can fill in for the Vibroclone sound. It’s way different, I like it, it’s more successful being something it’s not, and it’s easier to use.
As a keyboard player, I really love the Leslie type of sound. You asked for examples: Jesse Ed Davis can be heard on Taj Mahal's Giant Step (listen to "Bacon Fat") using the Vibratone. Also, Robbie Robertson used Traynor's version of this rotating speaker on "Music from Big Pink".
Hi Matthew, I have a Vibratone just like yours! These are great, I am not much of a pedal guy but these are the real deal. I've had mine since the 70's back in the day when I was with Wishbone Ash and I still come back to it every once in a while.
SRV was a genius also i like the secret Mod he used to do to his Fender amps to get a less harsh tone , he would get duct tape and put it across the speaker to add more bass to the tone , I love the old Blues players , they were not the fastest players but they had the sweet spot in tone , where as someone like Yngwie Malmsteen gets boring very quickly , A good blues player is like a classical composer never plays the same thing twice.
That tone is literally out of this world ... stunning. I’ve never ever listened to sweeter tones that yours Matthew, always on point thanks for these wonderful vids, we want more !
The master of the telecaster also known as Danny Gatton played something like that. He got sounds like an organ when playing chords. It was amazing. I have no idea what equipment he used. A telecaster for sure :)
I live in a village in Ohio of 3200 people. One of the churches uses one for the organ. Keys. Whatever they use it for. I’ve never been but the pastor is a pretty cool guy and told me about it.
The Wikipedia page for the Fender Vibratone is short but the external links at the bottom are worth looking at. There's a scan of the owner's manual and a link to an extensive web page called "Inside the Fender Vibratone" that has a link to a list of many suspected Vibratone recordings.
I haven’t come across one of these in Australia. You didn’t mention if it was an amplifier, or just a Leslie type of speaker cabinet. If it is a complete amplifier, I would strongly recommend giving that 50-year-old baby some TLC, like new filter caps, checking the tubes, servicing the pots and sockets. Thank you for bringing this to light.
I bought a Jennings organ plus accompanying box many years ago. This speaker box works on a different principle than the Fender. There is a 45 degrees from the bottom beveled rotating styropur cylinder, which is sounded by a lying speaker below. The box is open on four sides on the upper third and two thirds down at the front to ge a "surround sound". There are also two speeds and the old thing is mechanically a bit noisy. I´ve only used it for my guitars and it reminds me in sound of the Boss Phaser I used to own, and since we're on the subject of George Harrison, of a couple of spots on the Beatles' Abbey Road album. Thank You Matthew for the post, because it made me want to take care of the good piece again.
Sounds lovely! I have a recording of SRV in Australia (I think, or Japan) using the Vibratone for the whole show. It was just before he hit rock bottom with the substances; everything is a LITTLE sloppy and jammed out to forever, too. Still SRV, just far from my favorite performance!
Very cool. Isnt it so hard to imagine someone in the late 60s, with a new strat plugging into this and getting this tone. No internet to share it, probably not even near recording equipment or cameras. Not a cell phone in the world to use. Just the pure enjoyment out of something so new.
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! You can jam and dry a load of laundry at the same time!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That thing is totally cool and looks to be in great shape for it's age. Great find Matt!!!!!!!!!
"The Fender Vibratone was introduced in 1967. Since its introduction, many groups like The Beatles, The Byrds, The Zombies, Blind Faith, as well as guitarists like Mike Campbell, David Gilmour, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, all have used the Vibratone in their recordings." (from wiki)
I own a 1968 Vibratone. I had it serviced. The foam drum bearing needs lubricant, and it’s a tricky bearing to disassemble and lube. I also had the 10” speaker replaced, and a three pronged grounded plug cable added in place of the original two pronged plug for safety. The Vibratone works in an A or B mode with a separate amp head and cabinet. When the Vibratone is engaged by the foot switch, amp head is only driving the speaker in the Vibratone cabinet. When the Vibratone is disengaged, the amp head audio signal goes to its attendant speaker cabinet. It doesn’t have a crossover, it has an external mid pass filter. That keeps the frequencies reaching the Vibratone’s 10” speaker in the 250hz to 2,000 hz band. The Doppler type chorus effect tone the Vibratone makes isn’t very effective with low or high frequencies, so the mid pass filter removes them. When the guitarist doesn’t want the chorus effect from the Vibratone, the foot switch is used to change modes back to the amp and it’s cabinet. The cable rounding is as follows: Guitar into amp head. Speaker cable out to Vibratone via its pigtail. Speaker cable return to the amp cabinet via its pigtail. Foot switch activates hi or low speed, and switches b/t the amp cabinet or Vibratone cabinet. Also when stereo miking up the Vibratone cab do a 11 to 1 o’clock soft pan. Remember that the Vibratone cabinet and external amp/head cabinet is design to operate in either A or B mode, with no A+B.
I remember my father having one of those when I wasa kid, though his was the later version with the silver strip across the front. He bought it brand new around 1969 or 70 when he was playing organ for a local band. It got sold along with most of his gear in 1972 when health issues forced him to retire from the music business. The money got used to buy our first color TV.
65-67 I was in bands in La Crescenta, CA, when Fender was starting to experiment with Vibratones and other ways to get the sound of a Leslie. There was one guy, a real math/engineering whiz at my hs, Gary Demos, who came up with an experimental "box" that was trying to imitate the Leslie sound, he got funding from Fender to experiment, it most likely was a prototype for an early pedal, the box was like a small jewlery box, but looked like a little Fender amp. This was in La Crescenta(Glendale, CA). He later obtained several patents for devices and mechanical patents for digital film equipment and was quite successful. In later years I discovered quite a few rockers passed through my area and the little music shop I frequented. Randy Rhodes taught guitar at Grayson's Tune Town, Michael McDonald played at a dive bar in Glendale before he got with the Doobie Brothers, and several others. Love your videos!
I made one of those cabinets a few years ago similar to that anyways. There was a old Lawrence Welk organ on craigslist for free so I got it because it had a Leslie system in it. The keyboard I had a ground issue I couldn’t figure it out but I decided to take the Leslie out and put it in a old empty 15 guitar cabinet. I also installed a 12 inch speaker . It turned out pretty good I rigged up a foot switch to control the two speed motor. Only used it in one gig and I actually didn’t use it I let my keyboard player play through it. He ended up buying a Roland keyboard which had a Leslie simulator in it Sweet. I have a demo of me demonstrating that cabinet on TH-cam. Really enjoy your shows.😎
Thanks for sharing..Love this thing... And you mentioned Wes Jeans uses this live. The very first live blues show i got to see/experience was Wes and his friend Rhett (bass) back when we were 16. (Briars club, Lufkin, TX) His cover of "Lenny" that night....It truly changed my life, what i listened to and what i wanted to play. Caught every show i could of his for 4 or 5 years after. Anyway, hope to catch a show of yours soon too and hope i get to hear that Vibrotone in action.
Wish I could post pictures here because I’d love to show you an absolutely immaculate Leslie 18 I just bought from the original owner. I’ve been looking for one for years. I have a couple of the Cordovox CL-20 cabs. They are basically Leslie 16/Vibratones but branded Cordovox and they were used for accordion but work great for guitar as well. I have a Motion Sound Pro 3 on top of one of them and it sounds great. Yours sounds glorious and looks to be in great condition for 67.
I had a Cordovox rotating speaker for accordion in the nineties. Had a wooden rotor which sounds better than the styrofoam. They are basically identical to the Vibratone, but smaller cabinet.
Matt, Before I get into a big explaination, please do some research on Goff Professional from Newington Connecticut. Al Goff and his nephew Dave did lots of work on SRV's Vibrotone, and Leslie 825. Both Al and Dave told me directly that the Molded Hopper absorbs lots of Highs and Mids. So theyre solution was to simply remove the Grills, Engage the motor, Spray a very good primer, on the entire hopper, while it was spinning in Chorale mode. (Slower Speed). Once dry.. they'd apply several ( VERY IMPORTANT) coats of a High Gloss Black . Allowing to dry. The idea is fairly simple, yet effective. The gloss reflects the lost tones, found on the untreated hopper. And the Gloss shoots those Highs and Mids out like a rocket. I did it, SRV and others have done that mod as well. Sadly, last I spoke with dave, they are no linger servicing B3's or Leslie Cabinets. Dave was repairing ATM Machines. In fact, Al gave me a JBL out of SRV's 825 Leslie. No documentation, but oh well.. It's still a great JBL. Just for a Goff Professional teaser, Watch just about and Greg Allman video. Over his right shoulder in big Gold Letters you'll see Goff Professional, Paul Schaffer from David Letterman, Jimmy McGriff...etc, etc. All Goff Professional Clients. THey know Leslie products. period. I hope this information is helpful to you. Enjoy... Keep the Vintage love going.. Us old guys will all someday be gone, and we are hopeful, the "Thing" continues...
Hey Matthew Scott! I just ran into you on TH-cam; I was.hip to what you had going on and interested in seeing you are a Strat-freak (me too life-long) and your interest in '70's Strats. I think one of the nicer ones was (I think) the mahogany ones with brass fittings. Gibson had issued "the Paul" Les Paul's at about this same time and it got to the point where I was beginning to think that Fender and Gibson were in a completion to see who would be the first to issue a guitar that didn't look like a coffee table! I'm glad those days are long gone. This is not to say that every thing these guys were offering those days was horrible because that wasn't the case. Back in '79 I was playing an all black Strat with a maple fingerboard (any Strat I would own must have a maple fingerboard---I can't stand anything else on a Fender, and for the record I started playing back in '68). At that time a very popular guitar/amp combination was a Strat through a Dual Showman. Still really like it, and a Dual Showman was really pedal-friendly. The 3-bolt configuration was a real deal killer; no body liked them then and they still make fun of them now. Fender in those days were using really nice rosewood in their guitars and those are still in demand for that reason alone. I always thought they were nice looking, but it maple only for me even then. If you were going to hot rod a Strat, the DiMarizo Super Distortion were pretty much reque and all the hot rod Strat guys loved to blow the doors off with the old 200 watt Msrshall Major's. Those damn things were ungodly loud and heavier than hell. I think I'm about to run out of space but you can connect with me at markziz60@yahoo My name is Mark and I'm glad to make your acquaintance.
I found the inner workings of one of these inside an old organ, Thomas Organ? Same components just without a cabinet. Very cool. The belt tension on the rotor can be used to control the length of the "wind-up time" and "wind-down" time when changing rotor speeds. A looser belt will get more belt slippage and extend the times for both up and down. The Leslie plug-in from IK Multimedia labels that feature as "acceleration" and "deceleration".
Cool find, Matthew! I built a Vibratone about 20 years ago, for my lad Owen (you have a mutual friend in Joel, btw) back in the days when we had a Texas blues band called The Rockin Armadillos. The prototype used a plastic bucket with a slot cut in it and a motor from an electric fan - not my most successful build, it has to be said! The second one used the Leslie unit from an old Hammond organ, with exactly the same rotor and motor mechanism as the Leslie 16, but with an even more feeble 10" speaker than the Vibratone. I replaced it with a Celestion Vintage 10 and built in a couple of relays to handle the speed switching - all quite crude, basic stuff, but it sounded good and worked - it still does. Because we were gigging mainly small venues, I decided to try to build it into as small a box as I possibly could. It's about half as tall as a Vibratone so the sound is a bit compressed and boxy and it rattles a bit when you turn it up, but that kind of adds to the overall vibe of it. Owen used to drive it, either with an old Bassman 100, or for smaller gigs, my Rivera design Super Champ, alongside a modded Bandmaster Reverb and a Trace Elliot Speed Twin. When the band split and Owen went off to the USA with his band, the Leslie ended up in my garage for about 15 years. I dusted it off a few years ago and posted this video on Facebook, featuring an Armadillos track with the Leslie on the rhythm guitar (and also some of my awful guitar playing towards the end, for which, apologies!) :) Here's the video facebook.com/tim.aves.7/videos/10156248679190628 Nowadays, it lives in our studio, www.rooksyard.co.uk where it occasionally sees service on a session or two.
That tone is just so beautiful with the Strat. I mean-it’s great with the old LP, but the Strat is gobsmacking. Your touch was perfect-especially considering the shortcomings of the setup as it stands. Can’t wait for the next iteration of the Vibratone.
Nice video! i think i read somewhere online that Buddy Guy used a vibratone in the studio on the Junior Wells album "Hoodoo man". You sure can hear some tracks with the guitar through a rotary speaker
Those were designed to be use with combos that had detachable speaker cords, so that you could use the speaker out to leslie in, and leslie out to amp speaker, so that the amp would still carry some sound, but the Leslie would accentuate the middle frequencies, especially with fast speed engaged. I was very disappointed that you did not demonstrate your unit on fast speed to simulate an organ. When I used mine in the late 80's - early to mid 90's, I was mostly in 2 guitar bands, so mine was heavily used to simulate many key parts. Good Times.
I found one of these on Craigslist last year for $50. It was in fantastic cosmetic shape but when I picked it up, all the guts had been ripped out and it was converted to just a 1x15 speaker cab with a cheap RadioShack speaker. Got it anyway but traded it a month later for a Catalinbread Echorec which is definitely a space saver by comparison.
I have a Leslie 16 and 18, both with EVM speakers - but don't use the crossover thing. I just mounted a speaker jack in the back, and use a seperat Dual Showman Reverb head to run it. I use tons of reverb through it, as it sounds so great.... Also good to use a lot of treble, as the styrofoam absorbs a lot of high frequencies.... All the best from Denmark
nothing beats the sound of things physically moving to augment sound, whether tape echo, leslies, spring verbs,,,etc mechanical effects are endlessly satisfying. Theres just a dimensionality that really cant be replicated digitally, at least in person, even if just by the whimsy of it all. Great stuff dude!
Theres a local r&b band I listen to (not very often but I do) who uses vintage esk tones with strats and mix jazz fusion with r&b and soul. I went to a show the did in my town and I noticed they were using a leslie, but it was only for the Intro for one song and that was it.
Leslie's are cool. Not enough can be said about melding the doppler effect with good guitar! Magnatone has a very good handle on that effect and is speed adjustable. I have a '65 262 Maggie that really gets that good bending tone.
🎙 Mic. Suggestion!! 🙏 🎙. Hey, fantastic video as ever Matt! Just a thought, I bet an M/S stereo mic setup would be amazing to capture that rotating vibe. If you can put one together - just stick it dead centre to the cone a couple feet away, then experiment with changing that distance around a bit. It could be the perfect ‘natural stereo’ vibe for that cab! Good luck, and peace brother, from Manchester 🐝 , England. 🙏🥰
Yay! I bought a Hammond t-120 (real tonewheel) organ a few years ago with a very similar built-in speaker. Someone fitted the organ with an input jack presumably for bass, but I plug my guitar into it and it is sweet!!! It has that same funny looking foam speaker spinner. It’s branded Leslie when you open up the cabinet. Pretty cool. Not exactly what you have there but very close. Early 70s. $150. Not bad.
Great addition. Go to harbor freight and get some plastic interior removal tools for when you’re working on these. Would be way less risky than using a screwdriver and prying.
In the late 60's, the organ player in the band I played lead guitar in, had one of these Vibratones (an early one, without the Vibratone logo on the front). He used it with an Ampeg B50 amp, and a Panther organ.
Best not to assume the recorded Leslie sound you hear is a Leslie 16/18. Buddy guy used a Leslie 122/145 on hoodoo man blues, as did Jesse Ed Davis with Taj Mahal. The 16/18 are passive cabs requiring an amp, although European versions exist with a built-in amp. Today the digital pedals from Neo Instruments are incredible reproductions without any of the negatives: weight, size, mechanical noise, mic problems, poor volume and volume distortion both on the speaker and the cabinet itself. The only difference is the physical cab throws the sound around the room. Plus, the Leslie is best heard in wet/dry.
Matthew love the video as I also understand these were ran with combo amps such as a super reverb as an extension cabinet that way you have swirly on one side straight signal on the other really stereo phonic the chorus CE 1 was designed after this sound
Great find! I made one myself from a discarded Hammond organ internal Leslie. Keep the belt loose as it can be and still turn. This will allow you to 'play' the 'slip' (ramp-ups and downs) when you change speeds like the great B3 guys do.
Hello Matt - Thanks for the video. Nice found ! - I have one like that. - It seems that yours is missing as support rod or small shaft that is supporting the motor. You can see the hole in the back of the front baffle, it goes thru the rubber bushing on the motor bracket. You can make it out of bolt or something that fits the hole. Use loctite or something to secure it to front baffle. It's important part because now the motor is only on their rubber bushings. Make it long enough, - if it's too short, it's difficult to put back the front baffle. best regards AJ
I love your channel. Idk anyone else that pays respect to equipment like you do. My father played a Supro amp and it had the antique russian tubes that aren't made anymore. It has a killer tone. I can remember him taking me with him when he checked it out. He brought home an Epiphone Melody Maker I believe. It was 1968-69 and he still has both piece's. Sorry I got off track from this video but your amp sounded better with the strat than the Les Paul,my opinion. Your purple rain is d love to hear complete.
I worked in a band in Buffalo NY about 25-30 years ago and one of the guitar players used one of these. He built a smaller plywood cabinet for it, not sure why, maybe just easier to carry around, but I remember seeing that styrofoam drum. We didn't have a keyboard player so he used it to put out an organ type vibe when he played rhythm parts and it was an extra little table to hold drinks and an ashtray too.
Man I had the Leslie version of this year's ago, well back in the 90's anyway. Like a fool though I sold it then bought a Motion Sound SR 112 and year's later sold that as well. Finally settled for the Hughes and Kettner Rotosphere pedal. Every time I watch one of your cool vids I always kick myself for ever getting rid of any vintage gear I owned, I should've known better. Although that stuff isn't easy to haul around, there just isn't anything that can really replace it. Some of the new Leslie simulator pedals are really nice, but there not moving any air. The sound that you get when it's miked up fills the room its amazing, it's unmistakably the real deal. Just don't get rid of it lol.
They are is a rebadged Leslie model 16. The Leslie 16 has a 10 inch speaker with a crossover network and the model 18 has a 12 inch speaker that is full range with no crossover.
It was great to see one of these original Fender units in action; they are pretty rare. If you want this sound on a budget, and you are somewhat handy with wood and wiring, there is an option that can be extremely low cost, if you don't mind putting in some work. As you can see in this video, the Leslie unit consists of a 2-speed motor assembly and a rotating drum assembly mounted on a baffle board, with a speaker mounted on the other side of the baffle (not shown.) The rotor has an opening at one end, and is shaped to direct the sound of the speaker out through the open end while the rotor spins, throwing the sound around rhe room and creating the effect. Here's the good part: Back in the 1960's and 70's, Leslie made units like this available to organ manufacturers (just a rotor, a motor, and a speaker mounted on a board), which these organ companies installed in various models of their organs to add the Leslie effect. Countless thousands of people used to have these organs in their homes. And because they have declined in popularity and they take up a lot of space, you can frequently find them in thrift stores or on Craigslist, dirt cheap or even free! I have built a few low-budget "Vibratone" cabinets using units harvested from organs that I got for free, and they sound amazing. (You can also occasionally find the units on ebay, from sellers who have pulled them from organs.) The ones installed in home organs are frequently a little smaller: The Fender Vibratone 16 shown here came with a 10 inch speaker and a 15 inch rotor, whereas the organ units are usually an 8 inch speaker and a 13 inch rotor. I fitted the one I currently use with a 10 inch, 16 ohm Celestion that is good for about 50 watts. I also mounted it horizontally in a cabinet that is open on all sides, so it is more like an actual Leslie speaker which throws the sound around the entire room in a 360-degree pattern (The Fender vibratone is throwing the sound out vertically, mostly out of the two slots on the sides of the cabinet.) And although 50 watts doesn't sound like a lot, the sound literally fills the room because it is traveling in all directions. You don't need as much power to be heard, and hearing it in person is like nothing you have ever heard in a recording. So, start hunting on Craigslist, etc. for home organs like Conn, Baldwin, Lowrey, etc., and make sure you find one with a 2 speed Leslie. Remove the Leslie unit, svcavenge whatever wires, amplifiers, speakers, etc. you want to keep, and dispose of the organ. the motor is actually two motors on a common mechanism; each has two wires and running one or the other gives you slow and fast speeds. Connect one wire from each motor to the common (neutral) 120 volt supply, and make a footswitch to toggle the power back and forth between the other wires of the slow and fast motors. Mount the unit in a cabinet of some sort. Mounting it vertically will make it similar to the Vibratone. It sounds better mounted horizontally, but if you mount it horizontally make sure the motor hangs downward. (You'll understand when you see how the motors interact.) The stock speaker will be good for maybe 15 watts (champ/princeton/deluxe, etc.) but I highly recommend upgrading to a 10 inch speaker that can handle some power. I'm using a 16 ohm Celestion, and paired with a 15-30 watt tube amp it will keep up with a drummer and a band at small club levels. Enjoy!
The mechanical parts are just like my Leslie with the exception of the cone. Mine has a wooden cone-wheel whatever you want to call it. Also the one I have has a larger cabinet that weighs a ton.
Although not a real vibratone I did acquire 2 amps specifically because each had that effect on it; the Fender 100 acoustic amp and the Fender Super Champ X2. I adore the Vibratone sound. Awesome video.
There's a Blog Page if you Google this model, and someone has provided a full list of every artist and song (up to a certain date, but still pretty lengthy) that this has been used on. Very informative. Nice find you have there. I understand the 5 or so pin connector cable is a hard find as well. If anyone knows of a tech that makes them, please list that info. Thanks
I know people are saying Clapton used one here in the comments but he used a leslie speaker for Hammond organ along with a Marshall head for the preamp sound. He still uses that setup live for Badge, Isn't it a Pity (occasionally plays this song).
Given that the Univibe is my all time favorite guitar effect, I'd kill for something like this. Holy shit that thing is beautiful. A real rotating speaker just gives you tones no pedal can
This thing is sick, great video dude.
Man I just caught you on insta live right after listening to dipped in tone. I swear i am not following you in that way. (I mean, i follow you but not that way lol)
I like your vids man great stuff!
I saw The First Edition in the late sixties. This was just after their first successful album and just before Kenny Roger's name was featured in the band name. Terry Williams (lead guitar) used the Fender Vibratone amp extensively during the concert.
Next Rhett will get one and do vids and these will become unobtainium!
Thanks Rhett, would be great to hear you record through one! ✌🏻
I was gifted an organ and a Leslie speaker in ‘74. I didn’t play the organ that much so I played my guitar through it. It was addicting
Did you get it from an organ donor?
@@norlanderduwallis9074 😅🤣
Hope you still have it! ✌🏻
@@MatthewScottmusic Actually, the keyboard player in my band was a much better organist than I was a guitarist, so, after about 20 years, I gifted it to him. He still uses it!
@@norlanderduwallis9074 It was an organ "gifter".
Matthew Scott collection is just guitar history, it can even be a museum at this point 😂
To my ears, THAT is literally as good as a Strat can possibly sound. This is clean tone to die for. I would be attached to my guitar for hours on end if I had that amp...
Kudos!
"You don't Know How It Feels" is a good example of Mike Campbell using one.
I’ve owned both a Fender Vibratone cabinet with the silver banner across the front, and a Leslie Model 16. They are the same inside.
My Leslie Model 16 is just like this Fender Vibratone cab, just with a Leslie badge in place of the Fender badge.
Great sounds.
I still have the Leslie Model 16 but passed along the Vibratone.
Every time I watch one of your videos I get the sudden urge to pick up my strat and jam out for a bit
Can confirm this is true
Can you imagine watching this guy and not having a Strat?
Awesome. Thats all I can hope for!
The Vibratone is *AWESOME!*
The Fender Pinwheel pedal does a really good job of replicating the tone of the Vibratone and Leslie roto effect.
Do you run it through two amps? I’m not overly impressed mono. I’m sure that my amp choice (5e3 Tweed) isn’t helping my cause, but that more about the Tone.
@@druwk I run it through two amps but I like it in stereo and mono. I run a brown and tweed deluxe or a tweed bassman. You need something with good treble response, try using the bright channel on your deluxe.
@@matthewf1979 Check! (Run it through the Bright channel, and have the Tone up high) Have to keep the drive as low as possible, since it comes after my gain pedals, and the Tweed breaks up quickly on its own. The “on” light is annoyingly bright. I’ve never really gotten used to using the ramping foot switch (Break vs Off vs Ramp). It’s quite a fight to get to a sound that’s not as good as it would need to be, to fight as hard as I do?
Ultimately, when I get the sound where I “like” it, everything else on my board isn’t working for me? It would have to be in its own loop?
I have a TC Electronics Vibraclone pedal that actually sounds ok, but again, kind of needs its own setup. I’ve tried a Lester G. Haven’t tried the Vent?
Right now, I just added the Strymon Flint (for both the Reverb, and Tremelo), and I’m hoping that the Tremelo(s) can fill in for the Vibroclone sound. It’s way different, I like it, it’s more successful being something it’s not, and it’s easier to use.
As a keyboard player, I really love the Leslie type of sound. You asked for examples: Jesse Ed Davis can be heard on Taj Mahal's Giant Step (listen to "Bacon Fat") using the Vibratone. Also, Robbie Robertson used Traynor's version of this rotating speaker on "Music from Big Pink".
Hi Matthew, I have a Vibratone just like yours! These are great, I am not much of a pedal guy but these are the real deal. I've had mine since the 70's back in the day when I was with Wishbone Ash and I still come back to it every once in a while.
i was lucky enough to get my hands on a late 60’s Vibratone back in january, been completely addicted ever since lol
SRV was a genius also i like the secret Mod he used to do to his Fender amps to get a less harsh tone , he would get duct tape and put it across the speaker to add more bass to the tone , I love the old Blues players , they were not the fastest players but they had the sweet spot in tone , where as someone like Yngwie Malmsteen gets boring very quickly , A good blues player is like a classical composer never plays the same thing twice.
That tone is literally out of this world ... stunning. I’ve never ever listened to sweeter tones that yours Matthew, always on point thanks for these wonderful vids, we want more !
The master of the telecaster also known as Danny Gatton played something like that. He got sounds like an organ when playing chords. It was amazing. I have no idea what equipment he used. A telecaster for sure :)
Gatton did use a Leslie cabinet, I believe. He controlled it thru his Magic Dingus Box.
I live in a village in Ohio of 3200 people. One of the churches uses one for the organ. Keys. Whatever they use it for. I’ve never been but the pastor is a pretty cool guy and told me about it.
A little tribute to Prince in there....🙏🏻👍🏻🇺🇸
The Wikipedia page for the Fender Vibratone is short but the external links at the bottom are worth looking at. There's a scan of the owner's manual and a link to an extensive web page called "Inside the Fender Vibratone" that has a link to a list of many suspected Vibratone recordings.
I found a USA vibratone leslie inside a 1973 Farfisa Organ... i chopped the organ and took it out ! .. love it
I haven’t come across one of these in Australia. You didn’t mention if it was an amplifier, or just a Leslie type of speaker cabinet. If it is a complete amplifier, I would strongly recommend giving that 50-year-old baby some TLC, like new filter caps, checking the tubes, servicing the pots and sockets. Thank you for bringing this to light.
I bought a Jennings organ plus accompanying box many years ago. This speaker box works on a different principle than the Fender. There is a 45 degrees from the bottom beveled rotating styropur cylinder, which is sounded by a lying speaker below. The box is open on four sides on the upper third and two thirds down at the front to ge a "surround sound". There are also two speeds and the old thing is mechanically a bit noisy. I´ve only used it for my guitars and it reminds me in sound of the Boss Phaser I used to own, and since we're on the subject of George Harrison, of a couple of spots on the Beatles' Abbey Road album. Thank You Matthew for the post, because it made me want to take care of the good piece again.
Sounds lovely!
I have a recording of SRV in Australia (I think, or Japan) using the Vibratone for the whole show. It was just before he hit rock bottom with the substances; everything is a LITTLE sloppy and jammed out to forever, too. Still SRV, just far from my favorite performance!
Beautiful playing of Purple Rain
Very cool. Isnt it so hard to imagine someone in the late 60s, with a new strat plugging into this and getting this tone. No internet to share it, probably not even near recording equipment or cameras. Not a cell phone in the world to use. Just the pure enjoyment out of something so new.
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
You can jam and dry a load of laundry at the same time!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That thing is totally cool and looks to be in great shape for it's age.
Great find Matt!!!!!!!!!
"The Fender Vibratone was introduced in 1967. Since its introduction, many groups like The Beatles, The Byrds, The Zombies, Blind Faith, as well as guitarists like Mike Campbell, David Gilmour, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, all have used the Vibratone in their recordings." (from wiki)
this is cool as hell, didn't know too many of these still existed today
Not many do. There are not for sale that I can find online.
I own a 1968 Vibratone. I had it serviced. The foam drum bearing needs lubricant, and it’s a tricky bearing to disassemble and lube.
I also had the 10” speaker replaced, and a three pronged grounded plug cable added in place of the original two pronged plug for safety.
The Vibratone works in an A or B mode with a separate amp head and cabinet.
When the Vibratone is engaged by the foot switch, amp head is only driving the speaker in the Vibratone cabinet.
When the Vibratone is disengaged, the amp head audio signal goes to its attendant speaker cabinet.
It doesn’t have a crossover, it has an external mid pass filter. That keeps the frequencies reaching the Vibratone’s 10” speaker in the 250hz to 2,000 hz band.
The Doppler type chorus effect tone the Vibratone makes isn’t very effective with low or high frequencies, so the mid pass filter removes them.
When the guitarist doesn’t want the chorus effect from the Vibratone, the foot switch is used to change modes back to the amp and it’s cabinet.
The cable rounding is as follows:
Guitar into amp head.
Speaker cable out to Vibratone via its pigtail.
Speaker cable return to the amp cabinet via its pigtail.
Foot switch activates hi or low speed, and switches b/t the amp cabinet or Vibratone cabinet.
Also when stereo miking up the Vibratone cab do a 11 to 1 o’clock soft pan.
Remember that the Vibratone cabinet and external amp/head cabinet is design to operate in either A or B mode, with no A+B.
I remember my father having one of those when I wasa kid, though his was the later version with the silver strip across the front. He bought it brand new around 1969 or 70 when he was playing organ for a local band. It got sold along with most of his gear in 1972 when health issues forced him to retire from the music business. The money got used to buy our first color TV.
65-67 I was in bands in La Crescenta, CA, when Fender was starting to experiment with Vibratones and other ways to get the sound of a Leslie. There was one guy, a real math/engineering whiz at my hs, Gary Demos, who came up with an experimental "box" that was trying to imitate the Leslie sound, he got funding from Fender to experiment, it most likely was a prototype for an early pedal, the box was like a small jewlery box, but looked like a little Fender amp. This was in La Crescenta(Glendale, CA). He later obtained several patents for devices and mechanical patents for digital film equipment and was quite successful. In later years I discovered quite a few rockers passed through my area and the little music shop I frequented. Randy Rhodes taught guitar at Grayson's Tune Town, Michael McDonald played at a dive bar in Glendale before he got with the Doobie Brothers, and several others. Love your videos!
Harrison used his on the single version of Let It Be. He also used it on the bridge section of Badge by Cream and on It Don't Come Easy by Ringo.
I think Jesse Ed Davis played a Vibratone. He is such an underrated player. One of my favorites of all time.
I made one of those cabinets a few years ago similar to that anyways. There was a old Lawrence Welk organ on craigslist for free so I got it because it had a Leslie system in it. The keyboard I had a ground issue I couldn’t figure it out but I decided to take the Leslie out and put it in a old empty 15 guitar cabinet. I also installed a 12 inch speaker . It turned out pretty good I rigged up a foot switch to control the two speed motor. Only used it in one gig and I actually didn’t use it I let my keyboard player play through it. He ended up buying a Roland keyboard which had a Leslie simulator in it Sweet. I have a demo of me demonstrating that cabinet on TH-cam. Really enjoy your shows.😎
that tone at the start man wow
I look forward to every video you post cause your tone and your picking makes me happy.
Thanks for sharing..Love this thing...
And you mentioned Wes Jeans uses this live. The very first live blues show i got to see/experience was Wes and his friend Rhett (bass) back when we were 16. (Briars club, Lufkin, TX) His cover of "Lenny" that night....It truly changed my life, what i listened to and what i wanted to play. Caught every show i could of his for 4 or 5 years after. Anyway, hope to catch a show of yours soon too and hope i get to hear that Vibrotone in action.
Wish I could post pictures here because I’d love to show you an absolutely immaculate Leslie 18 I just bought from the original owner. I’ve been looking for one for years. I have a couple of the Cordovox CL-20 cabs. They are basically Leslie 16/Vibratones but branded Cordovox and they were used for accordion but work great for guitar as well. I have a Motion Sound Pro 3 on top of one of them and it sounds great. Yours sounds glorious and looks to be in great condition for 67.
Purple rain was one I wasn’t expecting from you man. Respect.
Man its a great tune and love Prince.
Sounded great! Awesome song!
@@MatthewScottmusicGotta hear it on the next Tele you get.
watching matt work the fretboard is good!
I had a Cordovox rotating speaker for accordion in the nineties. Had a wooden rotor which sounds better than the styrofoam. They are basically identical to the Vibratone, but smaller cabinet.
Matt, Before I get into a big explaination, please do some research on Goff Professional from Newington Connecticut. Al Goff and his nephew Dave did lots of work on SRV's Vibrotone, and Leslie 825. Both Al and Dave told me directly that the Molded Hopper absorbs lots of Highs and Mids. So theyre solution was to simply remove the Grills, Engage the motor, Spray a very good primer, on the entire hopper, while it was spinning in Chorale mode. (Slower Speed). Once dry.. they'd apply several ( VERY IMPORTANT) coats of a High Gloss Black . Allowing to dry. The idea is fairly simple, yet effective. The gloss reflects the lost tones, found on the untreated hopper. And the Gloss shoots those Highs and Mids out like a rocket. I did it, SRV and others have done that mod as well. Sadly, last I spoke with dave, they are no linger servicing B3's or Leslie Cabinets. Dave was repairing ATM Machines. In fact, Al gave me a JBL out of SRV's 825 Leslie. No documentation, but oh well.. It's still a great JBL. Just for a Goff Professional teaser, Watch just about and Greg Allman video. Over his right shoulder in big Gold Letters you'll see Goff Professional, Paul Schaffer from David Letterman, Jimmy McGriff...etc, etc. All Goff Professional Clients. THey know Leslie products. period. I hope this information is helpful to you. Enjoy... Keep the Vintage love going.. Us old guys will all someday be gone, and we are hopeful, the "Thing" continues...
Hey Matthew Scott!
I just ran into you on TH-cam; I was.hip to what you had going on and interested in seeing you are a Strat-freak (me too life-long) and your interest in '70's Strats.
I think one of the nicer ones was (I think) the mahogany ones with brass fittings. Gibson had issued "the Paul" Les Paul's at about this same time and it got to the point where I was beginning to think that Fender and Gibson were in a completion to see who would be the first to issue a guitar that didn't look like a coffee table! I'm glad those days are long gone.
This is not to say that every thing these guys were offering those days was horrible because that wasn't the case. Back in '79 I was playing an all black Strat with a maple fingerboard (any Strat I would own must have a maple fingerboard---I can't stand anything else on a Fender, and for the record I started playing back in '68).
At that time a very popular guitar/amp combination was a Strat through a Dual Showman. Still really like it, and a Dual Showman was really pedal-friendly.
The 3-bolt configuration was a real deal killer; no body liked them then and they still make fun of them now.
Fender in those days were using really nice rosewood in their guitars and those are still in demand for that reason alone. I always thought they were nice looking, but it maple only for me even then.
If you were going to hot rod a Strat, the DiMarizo Super Distortion were pretty much reque and all the hot rod Strat guys loved to blow the doors off with the old 200 watt Msrshall Major's. Those damn things were ungodly loud and heavier than hell.
I think I'm about to run out of space but you can connect with me at markziz60@yahoo
My name is Mark and I'm glad to make your acquaintance.
I found the inner workings of one of these inside an old organ, Thomas Organ? Same components just without a cabinet. Very cool. The belt tension on the rotor can be used to control the length of the "wind-up time" and "wind-down" time when changing rotor speeds. A looser belt will get more belt slippage and extend the times for both up and down. The Leslie plug-in from IK Multimedia labels that feature as "acceleration" and "deceleration".
I had a tolex-covered speaker back in '75 that looked like this, but was branded "Leslie 18." It had a great sound.
I love the strat sound so much being a fellow texan...srv is one of my heroes,. Love ur videos man!!
Matthew - Your stories are so great. I look forward to them when published.
Cool find, Matthew! I built a Vibratone about 20 years ago, for my lad Owen (you have a mutual friend in Joel, btw) back in the days when we had a Texas blues band called The Rockin Armadillos. The prototype used a plastic bucket with a slot cut in it and a motor from an electric fan - not my most successful build, it has to be said! The second one used the Leslie unit from an old Hammond organ, with exactly the same rotor and motor mechanism as the Leslie 16, but with an even more feeble 10" speaker than the Vibratone. I replaced it with a Celestion Vintage 10 and built in a couple of relays to handle the speed switching - all quite crude, basic stuff, but it sounded good and worked - it still does. Because we were gigging mainly small venues, I decided to try to build it into as small a box as I possibly could. It's about half as tall as a Vibratone so the sound is a bit compressed and boxy and it rattles a bit when you turn it up, but that kind of adds to the overall vibe of it. Owen used to drive it, either with an old Bassman 100, or for smaller gigs, my Rivera design Super Champ, alongside a modded Bandmaster Reverb and a Trace Elliot Speed Twin. When the band split and Owen went off to the USA with his band, the Leslie ended up in my garage for about 15 years. I dusted it off a few years ago and posted this video on Facebook, featuring an Armadillos track with the Leslie on the rhythm guitar (and also some of my awful guitar playing towards the end, for which, apologies!) :)
Here's the video facebook.com/tim.aves.7/videos/10156248679190628
Nowadays, it lives in our studio, www.rooksyard.co.uk where it occasionally sees service on a session or two.
Cool find. Love your search for the vintage gear.
Sweet! Nice job figuring out the rotating sound problem. That’s exactly what I would have done.
That tone is just so beautiful with the Strat. I mean-it’s great with the old LP, but the Strat is gobsmacking. Your touch was perfect-especially considering the shortcomings of the setup as it stands. Can’t wait for the next iteration of the Vibratone.
Nice video! i think i read somewhere online that Buddy Guy used a vibratone in the studio on the Junior Wells album "Hoodoo man". You sure can hear some tracks with the guitar through a rotary speaker
I heard it maxing out too, still sounds special.
Good job, I just discovered the channel and it seems like an excellent proposal. Nice rig!
Those were designed to be use with combos that had detachable speaker cords, so that you could use the speaker out to leslie in, and leslie out to amp speaker, so that the amp would still carry some sound, but the Leslie would accentuate the middle frequencies, especially with fast speed engaged.
I was very disappointed that you did not demonstrate your unit on fast speed to simulate an organ.
When I used mine in the late 80's - early to mid 90's, I was mostly in 2 guitar bands, so mine was heavily used to simulate many key parts.
Good Times.
That's a perfect match for the Strat. No so much for the Paul, and I love that Paul.
I have one and I love it when the soundman puts the mic in front of the cab.
INCREDIBLE VIDEO! My mind is blown Matthew!
I found one of these on Craigslist last year for $50. It was in fantastic cosmetic shape but when I picked it up, all the guts had been ripped out and it was converted to just a 1x15 speaker cab with a cheap RadioShack speaker. Got it anyway but traded it a month later for a Catalinbread Echorec which is definitely a space saver by comparison.
I have a Leslie Model 16 in very good condition and it’s all original. Think “Shine on you crazy diamond” and “Cold Shot”.
Wow ! Love that Leslie tone ❣️
That sounds great, Matthew! I don't understand why it didn't sell better. There's not a single one on Reverb right now. I like your Showman, too!
Thanks for the cool video. It looks like you are having fun with your new Vibratone!
I have a Leslie 16 and 18, both with EVM speakers - but don't use the crossover thing.
I just mounted a speaker jack in the back, and use a seperat Dual Showman Reverb head to run it.
I use tons of reverb through it, as it sounds so great....
Also good to use a lot of treble, as the styrofoam absorbs a lot of high frequencies....
All the best from Denmark
nothing beats the sound of things physically moving to augment sound, whether tape echo, leslies, spring verbs,,,etc mechanical effects are endlessly satisfying. Theres just a dimensionality that really cant be replicated digitally, at least in person, even if just by the whimsy of it all. Great stuff dude!
Theres a local r&b band I listen to (not very often but I do) who uses vintage esk tones with strats and mix jazz fusion with r&b and soul. I went to a show the did in my town and I noticed they were using a leslie, but it was only for the Intro for one song and that was it.
Leslie's are cool. Not enough can be said about melding the doppler effect with good guitar!
Magnatone has a very good handle on that effect and is speed adjustable. I have a '65 262 Maggie that really gets that good bending tone.
🎙 Mic. Suggestion!! 🙏 🎙. Hey, fantastic video as ever Matt! Just a thought, I bet an M/S stereo mic setup would be amazing to capture that rotating vibe. If you can put one together - just stick it dead centre to the cone a couple feet away, then experiment with changing that distance around a bit.
It could be the perfect ‘natural stereo’ vibe for that cab!
Good luck, and peace brother, from Manchester 🐝 , England. 🙏🥰
Awesome video! Nice work with the fix. I've been wanting to build one of these for a while now.
Yay! I bought a Hammond t-120 (real tonewheel) organ a few years ago with a very similar built-in speaker. Someone fitted the organ with an input jack presumably for bass, but I plug my guitar into it and it is sweet!!! It has that same funny looking foam speaker spinner. It’s branded Leslie when you open up the cabinet. Pretty cool. Not exactly what you have there but very close. Early 70s. $150. Not bad.
A great find, a quick FIX... and ITS ALIVE!
Great addition. Go to harbor freight and get some plastic interior removal tools for when you’re working on these. Would be way less risky than using a screwdriver and prying.
In the late 60's, the organ player in the band I played lead guitar in, had one of these Vibratones (an early one, without the Vibratone logo on the front). He used it with an Ampeg B50 amp, and a Panther organ.
OMG! I haven't seen one of those in decades!
One of the best videos yet. Great job man.
Best not to assume the recorded Leslie sound you hear is a Leslie 16/18. Buddy guy used a Leslie 122/145 on hoodoo man blues, as did Jesse Ed Davis with Taj Mahal.
The 16/18 are passive cabs requiring an amp, although European versions exist with a built-in amp.
Today the digital pedals from Neo Instruments are incredible reproductions without any of the negatives: weight, size, mechanical noise, mic problems, poor volume and volume distortion both on the speaker and the cabinet itself. The only difference is the physical cab throws the sound around the room. Plus, the Leslie is best heard in wet/dry.
TH-cam wandered me into your live show video you posted last year. You werent happy, but I was. That was NICE guitar playing. I sure enjoyed that
Matthew love the video as I also understand these were ran with combo amps such as a super reverb as an extension cabinet that way you have swirly on one side straight signal on the other really stereo phonic the chorus CE 1 was designed after this sound
Great find! I made one myself from a discarded Hammond organ internal Leslie. Keep the belt loose as it can be and still turn. This will allow you to 'play' the 'slip' (ramp-ups and downs) when you change speeds like the great B3 guys do.
Wow that is unique & looks in good shape, love the sound
Hello Matt - Thanks for the video. Nice found ! - I have one like that. - It seems that yours is missing as support rod or small shaft that is supporting the motor. You can see the hole in the back of the front baffle, it goes thru the rubber bushing on the motor bracket. You can make it out of bolt or something that fits the hole. Use loctite or something to secure it to front baffle. It's important part because now the motor is only on their rubber bushings. Make it long enough, - if it's too short, it's difficult to put back the front baffle. best regards AJ
Always a real pleasure to hear you playing.
I love your channel. Idk anyone else that pays respect to equipment like you do.
My father played a Supro amp and it had the antique russian tubes that aren't made anymore. It has a killer tone. I can remember him taking me with him when he checked it out. He brought home an Epiphone Melody Maker I believe. It was 1968-69 and he still has both piece's.
Sorry I got off track from this video but your amp sounded better with the strat than the Les Paul,my opinion. Your purple rain is d love to hear complete.
I worked in a band in Buffalo NY about 25-30 years ago and one of the guitar players used one of these. He built a smaller plywood cabinet for it, not sure why, maybe just easier to carry around, but I remember seeing that styrofoam drum. We didn't have a keyboard player so he used it to put out an organ type vibe when he played rhythm parts and it was an extra little table to hold drinks and an ashtray too.
A bit challenging in the studio but that sound is worth every bit of the low end filtering required to reduce the hum.
Very cool. The model 18 has a 12” and no crossover. I’ve always wanted the Leslie branded one, thought the logo looked cooler.
You had me at purple rain! Nice tones n tunes
Complaint.
This video was about 30 minutes too short. I loved the sound.
Man I had the Leslie version of this year's ago, well back in the 90's anyway. Like a fool though I sold it then bought a Motion Sound SR 112 and year's later sold that as well. Finally settled for the Hughes and Kettner Rotosphere pedal. Every time I watch one of your cool vids I always kick myself for ever getting rid of any vintage gear I owned, I should've known better. Although that stuff isn't easy to haul around, there just isn't anything that can really replace it. Some of the new Leslie simulator pedals are really nice, but there not moving any air. The sound that you get when it's miked up fills the room its amazing, it's unmistakably the real deal. Just don't get rid of it lol.
Beautiful sensitive playing suited the cab s well.
They are is a rebadged Leslie model 16. The Leslie 16 has a 10 inch speaker with a crossover network and the model 18 has a 12 inch speaker that is full range with no crossover.
It was great to see one of these original Fender units in action; they are pretty rare. If you want this sound on a budget, and you are somewhat handy with wood and wiring, there is an option that can be extremely low cost, if you don't mind putting in some work. As you can see in this video, the Leslie unit consists of a 2-speed motor assembly and a rotating drum assembly mounted on a baffle board, with a speaker mounted on the other side of the baffle (not shown.) The rotor has an opening at one end, and is shaped to direct the sound of the speaker out through the open end while the rotor spins, throwing the sound around rhe room and creating the effect. Here's the good part: Back in the 1960's and 70's, Leslie made units like this available to organ manufacturers (just a rotor, a motor, and a speaker mounted on a board), which these organ companies installed in various models of their organs to add the Leslie effect. Countless thousands of people used to have these organs in their homes. And because they have declined in popularity and they take up a lot of space, you can frequently find them in thrift stores or on Craigslist, dirt cheap or even free! I have built a few low-budget "Vibratone" cabinets using units harvested from organs that I got for free, and they sound amazing. (You can also occasionally find the units on ebay, from sellers who have pulled them from organs.)
The ones installed in home organs are frequently a little smaller: The Fender Vibratone 16 shown here came with a 10 inch speaker and a 15 inch rotor, whereas the organ units are usually an 8 inch speaker and a 13 inch rotor. I fitted the one I currently use with a 10 inch, 16 ohm Celestion that is good for about 50 watts. I also mounted it horizontally in a cabinet that is open on all sides, so it is more like an actual Leslie speaker which throws the sound around the entire room in a 360-degree pattern (The Fender vibratone is throwing the sound out vertically, mostly out of the two slots on the sides of the cabinet.) And although 50 watts doesn't sound like a lot, the sound literally fills the room because it is traveling in all directions. You don't need as much power to be heard, and hearing it in person is like nothing you have ever heard in a recording.
So, start hunting on Craigslist, etc. for home organs like Conn, Baldwin, Lowrey, etc., and make sure you find one with a 2 speed Leslie. Remove the Leslie unit, svcavenge whatever wires, amplifiers, speakers, etc. you want to keep, and dispose of the organ. the motor is actually two motors on a common mechanism; each has two wires and running one or the other gives you slow and fast speeds. Connect one wire from each motor to the common (neutral) 120 volt supply, and make a footswitch to toggle the power back and forth between the other wires of the slow and fast motors. Mount the unit in a cabinet of some sort. Mounting it vertically will make it similar to the Vibratone. It sounds better mounted horizontally, but if you mount it horizontally make sure the motor hangs downward. (You'll understand when you see how the motors interact.)
The stock speaker will be good for maybe 15 watts (champ/princeton/deluxe, etc.) but I highly recommend upgrading to a 10 inch speaker that can handle some power. I'm using a 16 ohm Celestion, and paired with a 15-30 watt tube amp it will keep up with a drummer and a band at small club levels. Enjoy!
I really like the trolley. We use them at work. Smooth, durable and really useful. Great piece of kit.
Nice Leslie by the way.
I can definitely here some Stevie in that tone! Really cool old amp!!
The mechanical parts are just like my Leslie with the exception of the cone. Mine has a wooden cone-wheel whatever you want to call it. Also the one I have has a larger cabinet that weighs a ton.
Although not a real vibratone I did acquire 2 amps specifically because each had that effect on it; the Fender 100 acoustic amp and the Fender Super Champ X2. I adore the Vibratone sound. Awesome video.
There's a Blog Page if you Google this model, and someone has provided a full list of every artist and song (up to a certain date, but still pretty lengthy) that this has been used on. Very informative. Nice find you have there. I understand the 5 or so pin connector cable is a hard find as well. If anyone knows of a tech that makes them, please list that info. Thanks
One of the coolest pieces to be featured here recently for sure! And loved the Prince rendition. Respect.
A pleasure as always and thanks for sharing.
Very nice job on the repair. Your guitar playing has become very bluesy. You play with a lot of soul. Cheers
I know people are saying Clapton used one here in the comments but he used a leslie speaker for Hammond organ along with a Marshall head for the preamp sound. He still uses that setup live for Badge, Isn't it a Pity (occasionally plays this song).
Given that the Univibe is my all time favorite guitar effect, I'd kill for something like this. Holy shit that thing is beautiful. A real rotating speaker just gives you tones no pedal can
That's wild! Congrats on the find!