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Leslie: the Next Generation





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From the inimitable whirl of a Hammond organ to John Lennon’s infamous, swirlicious vocal overdub on “Tomorrow Never Knows,” the inimitable Leslie keyboard amplifier has produced some of the most iconic sounds in music history. Now, the Leslie Models 3500, 3500W, and 991 bring you that soulful sound with enhanced high-definition clarity and presence. Each powerful 300-watt bi-amped unit incorporates the rotating 15-inch woofer and high-compression horn driver from the vintage reproduction 122H and 142H heritage models, which have been huge hits at Sweetwater. At Abbey Road Studios in the ’60s, the engineers had to jailbreak the input circuitry in order to amplify guitars, vocals, and other sources through a Leslie. In addition to the customary 11-pin jack that directly hooks up to your Hammond organ, the Model 3500 is spec’d with a standard 1/4-inch line-level input, conveniently allowing any instrument to be plugged straight in.





Modern features, epic sound





Working with a vintage Leslie offers sonic rewards, but compatibility and reliability can often be challenging, as is the case with all vintage gear. In contrast, the Leslie Models 3500, 3500W, and 991 give you all the sonic benefits of the cherished originals, plus high power, enhanced clarity and presence, and functional modernization. This cab’s brushless DC servo motors are not impacted by power frequency or voltage fluctuations, and it’s highly resistant to unwanted RF problems. Plus, you can even adjust the rise, fall, and rotor speeds to your taste. The new models are also equipped with a new solid-state preamplifier that reproduces the characteristic overdrive distortion of transistors. When presented with a gentle input level, they serve up lush, velvety warmth. Hit them hard, however, and they positively wail with a full-on classic rock scream. You can control these coveted overdrive characteristics with the Overdrive on/off switch and the Gain knob on the bottom control panel.





The definitive evolution





The Leslie Models 3500, 3500W, and 991 differ only in their cabinet specifications. The road-ready 3500 is built into a tour-tough chassis with ergonomic handles and heavy-duty casters; the 3500W rocks a classic walnut cabinet that lends a touch of elegance to recording studios and houses of worship. On the outside, the Model 991 is the quintessential vintage Leslie with a full-sized, furniture-grade walnut cabinet. Under the hood, however, all three of these state-of-the-art high-powered keyboard amps represent the definitive evolution of over a half-century of market-segment dominance. Without the constraint of traditional wooden cabinetry, the Model 3500 is optimized to efficiently propagate its internal sounds outside the cabinet with optimal resonance and modulation. The traditionally styled 3500W and 991 cabinets feature widened louvers to achieve the same sound-distribution performance. With their state-of-the-art high-power amplification systems, traditional driver configuration, flexible I/O, and acoustically optimized cabinets, the Leslie Models 3500, 3500W, and 991 are poised to dominate the music industry for at least the next half-century.





Leslie 991 Features:


300W bi-amplified keyboard speaker cabinet


Full-sized, furniture-grade walnut cabinet


Rotating 15-in. woofer and high-compression horn driver


11-pin and 1/4-in. line-level inputs


11-pin power remote switch


Adjustable Rotor speeds


Updated Overdrive circuit with on/off switch and Gain control


3-band EQ; Bass Out terminal with lowpass adjustment


Stationary output


Standard footswitch for Leslie speed