NORD ELECTRO 2 V2.0x
9. History: The story behind the Electro 2 instruments
Page 53
He filed a patent application in 1940. Don Le-
slie met with Hammond representatives that
same year and gave them the opportunity to
buy his invention, but they refused. Instead, he
started his own company and launched the
product into the market under the name "Vi-
bratone." In 1946 the name was modified to
"Leslie Vibratone". Finally, in 1949, The
name “Vibratone” was dropped and the mod-
els where named only “Leslie” after its inven-
tor.
Over the years, Don Leslie improved the design and intro-
duced a vast number of different models. In 1963, he began
shipping the Leslie 122 cabinet and it became the most popular
model. The basic principle behind the Leslie 122 is the incor-
poration of two rotating objects. One is a spinning drum with
a deflector mounted beneath a downward-facing 15" speaker
for bass frequencies -- those below 800Hz. Higher up inside
the 122 is a compression horn-driver attached to a rotating
dual-bell horn assembly for mid range and treble frequencies.
One of these horns is actually sealed; it's only there to serve as
a counterbalance. Therefore, you only hear higher frequencies
emanating from the open-ended bell. The sound is amplified
by a 40-watt tube amplifier. The 122 also features two rotation
speeds: The slow speed, which creates a chorus effect, is known
as "chorale," and the faster speed was named "tremolo."
Switching between these two speeds at musically appropriate
times creates a wonderful -- and even emotional -- effect.
Don Leslie, who turned 91 in
2002, estimates that around
200,000 original Leslie 122 cabi-
nets were built in total. Laurens
Hammond himself never liked the
Leslie cabinet and refused to have
anything to do with this product.
Instead, he tried to manufacture
other solutions hoping he would
make the Leslie obsolete, but he
never succeeded. The Leslie speak-
er was an instant success. Pairing a
Leslie with a Hammond organ
proved the perfect match, and this
combination became a "must
have" for many Hammond organ
players.
The patent for the
“Apparatus for
imposing vibrato
on sound” filed by
Don Leslie in
1940.
Inside a Leslie 122. Each rotor has its own mo
tor. A 40-watt tube amplifier drives the speak
er components.
The treble horns in a Leslie 122. One
horn is a dummy to give the right a bal-
ance during rotation. Only the horn ro-
tates; the horn driver remains stationary.
At the mouth of the horn is diffuser cone
which widens the dispersion to give a
"more musically pleasing tone".
The bass drum. The deflector inside the
drum isn't visible. A thin cloth covers the
round drum. The Leslie 122's 15" speak-
er doesn't rotate. It remains stationary
while the drum spins.
