This isn't really an amp, so I stuck this thread here in DIY Effects. But it's not a pedal either...
I rescued an ancient Lowrey organ from the trash and removed the rotating speaker baffle unit; the rest was in very sad shape as it had been stored outside for some time. As you can see from the pics, the thing is basically a speaker baffle board with a Styrofoam drum in front of the 8" speaker that is rotated by a small AC motor and a belt on pulleys.
Fender used to sell something like this; it was called a Vibratone cabinet. Fender was owned by CBS--who also owned the Leslie name, so it was a match made in heaven. This rotor I have is identical to the Fender unit, but theirs was mounted vertically and they used a 10" speaker. More info on the Vibratone here
www.nmia.com/~vrbass/vibratone/
I used 1/2" ply for the top and sides. I had originally intended to make a simple box with square corners, but decided to exercise some artistic license instead. I grooved four poplar sticks to serve as exposed corner posts and routed everything smooth for an art deco look. The mismatched wood grain is not an issue because this will be getting paint.
I put an infinitely variable speed control on it instead of the original 'fast' and 'slow' switch; it goes from barely moving to about 400 RPM.
This cab is 20" long, 17" wide and 14" tall. Perfect for the corner of the living room as an end table, or maybe even an ottoman with a cushion on top.
Pics of the cab in progress:
Primed and sanded:
I "covered" it with Rustoleum spray-on pickup truck bedliner. It's got a pebbly texture to it, and when it's completely dry it has a satin surface finish. From a foot away it looks like perfectly seamless Tolex. And it's not only tougher than Tolex--it's a lot easier to apply and even easier to repair. It's pretty shiny in this pic because I just shot the 2nd coat on and it's still a bit wet.
I used repro early-70's Fender silver stripe speaker cloth, mounted vertically.
Here's a shot of the completed Leslie. It runs great and sounds fantastic.
It gets that slow Trower swirl and it gets the fast Jimmie Vaughan warble, and everything in between. I'm running it with a Traynor Quarterhorse (25-watt amp built into a little pedal with reverb, delay, tremolo, and clean/dirty channels).
I rescued an ancient Lowrey organ from the trash and removed the rotating speaker baffle unit; the rest was in very sad shape as it had been stored outside for some time. As you can see from the pics, the thing is basically a speaker baffle board with a Styrofoam drum in front of the 8" speaker that is rotated by a small AC motor and a belt on pulleys.
Fender used to sell something like this; it was called a Vibratone cabinet. Fender was owned by CBS--who also owned the Leslie name, so it was a match made in heaven. This rotor I have is identical to the Fender unit, but theirs was mounted vertically and they used a 10" speaker. More info on the Vibratone here
www.nmia.com/~vrbass/vibratone/
I used 1/2" ply for the top and sides. I had originally intended to make a simple box with square corners, but decided to exercise some artistic license instead. I grooved four poplar sticks to serve as exposed corner posts and routed everything smooth for an art deco look. The mismatched wood grain is not an issue because this will be getting paint.
I put an infinitely variable speed control on it instead of the original 'fast' and 'slow' switch; it goes from barely moving to about 400 RPM.
This cab is 20" long, 17" wide and 14" tall. Perfect for the corner of the living room as an end table, or maybe even an ottoman with a cushion on top.
Pics of the cab in progress:
Primed and sanded:
I "covered" it with Rustoleum spray-on pickup truck bedliner. It's got a pebbly texture to it, and when it's completely dry it has a satin surface finish. From a foot away it looks like perfectly seamless Tolex. And it's not only tougher than Tolex--it's a lot easier to apply and even easier to repair. It's pretty shiny in this pic because I just shot the 2nd coat on and it's still a bit wet.
I used repro early-70's Fender silver stripe speaker cloth, mounted vertically.
Here's a shot of the completed Leslie. It runs great and sounds fantastic.
It gets that slow Trower swirl and it gets the fast Jimmie Vaughan warble, and everything in between. I'm running it with a Traynor Quarterhorse (25-watt amp built into a little pedal with reverb, delay, tremolo, and clean/dirty channels).
Last edited:
