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484 Chapter 26 EVB3
The Leslie
Don Leslie developed his rotor cabinets in 1937, and began marketing them in 1940.
Laurens Hammond wasn’t keen on the concept of rotating speakers at all! Leslie’s
approach was to simulate a variety of locations in the pipes, resulting in a new spatial
perception for every note. The rotor speaker cabinets could simulate this effect, and the
sense of space that they impart is incomparable, when placed side-by-side with any
fixed speaker. The periodic undulations in sound and volume, and the vibrato caused
by the doppler effect aren’t all there is to the Leslie “sound”—it’s the space effect, too!
The first Leslie, the model 30, had no chorale, just tremolo and stop. The Chorale idea
(which came much later) was borne of a desire to add a vibrato to the organ. Chorale
offers far more than a simple vibrato, and was first introduced to the market with the
122/147 models. At this time, Leslie also added the “Voice of the pipe organ” label to his
cabinets.
It wasn’t until 1980 that the two companies and brand names came together, six years
after the last tonewheel organ was built. Mechanical Leslie rotor cabinets are still being
built today, by the Hammond-Suzuki company. Even the newest digital B3 model is
combined with a real, mechanical, Leslie cabinet.
As an interesting piece of trivia, Don Leslie never actually owned a Hammond organ!
If you’re interested in every detail of the Hammond organ’s history, models, facts, and
recommendations for buyers, you should take a look at “The Hammond Organ—Beauty
in the B”. This book, by Mark Vail, is highly recommended.