Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere

Simple stuff. A bit confusing it was after using the Dunlop rotovibe. My only complaint is the breaker switch which needs to be stepped on and hold it. Funny that it would be much more logical to me if it was the slow speed goin on when the effect is on. On the rotosphere it starts with the fast ramp... anyway you can get used to it... The manual is great.

I am a hungarian guy, who has been always hooked on leslies. I am a guitarist, so I have been looking for some rotary stuff which could give me the same kindda sound what could be heard on Cry Of Love albums, Beatles stuff, the solo of "Janie's got a gun" (Aerosmith or on "Give" (Dishwalla. I have heard that Mike McCready (Pearl Jam)uses it on the Riot Act album and Rich Robinson (Black Crowes) on the Lions album...
As a matter of fact I was using the rotovibe, which much more like a vibe/phaser kindda stuff.. I like vibe sounds too a la Hendrix, Trower, Audley Freed and so on, but this I could not skip...
My setup: Gibson sg through Vox wah - Fulldrive 2 - rotosphere - Ibanez AD-9 - Boss PN-2 tremolo pan - into a Marshall JCM 900 dual reverb head.
I heard things that it might be an overrated expensive pedal, but if it was good for the Crowes, John Lord, Blues Traveller, Imperial Crownes, etc.. it might be ok for me too. It has a nice chorus like leslie sound, with the drive turned up a bit, it is really convincing... A bit of hiss I can live with, it is ok... Not to mention real leslies have noise too..
Pity that the speed cannot be adjusted, but when could anyone set the speed ratio on a real leslie. Slow and fast, then shut up and go!
Of course it is not a real leslie, but close. I was thinkin about buying a fender vibratone (there was one for sale for a very good price on a hungarian auction), but no way man, I ain't gonna be carrying around one more cab heavy as shit.. It gives me enough back-ache moving my Marshall cab and the head, pedalboard, etc...

So far so good.. Looks like if it was bulilt like tank, in a good old "german way". Never tried it with keyboard, but I have heard it comes really close to a real leslie cab. Hope the tube inside will be long lasting...

Never had to deal with them. The manual is perfectly easy to understand. I have heard that Mark II is better, so what? It is ok by me.

When the first time I tried it, it was in a small shop on low volume, shitty lil combo, ok guitar. It did not convince me. After a while, after trying the item several times, and listening to some recordings including the rotosphere I turned to be interested. The story is: I found one in a shop, which had been keepin it for years, no one wanted to buy it for that high price... Then the price got down to 220 USD and on the day I went in to pick it up, the guy told me, that someone was quicker than me.. I thought I go mad, cause I saw these on ebay for really high prices even for 2nd hand too. The new ones are not my budget, too expensive, I think it is far above which it should cost. Anyway it is just an effect, not an amp, so no idea why is it that expensive. So after 2 years waiting with no succes finding one, someone called me up and sold it to me for 250 bucks mint condition, that was the money which was ok, but not more. I am happy for it, will be just perfect for me to use it in my 701ies sounding heavy blues band, Ozone Mama. (check on myspace)
Bit too pricey for a brand new one, and has good reputation among musicians, so hard to get it for good price 2nd hand. Took me 2 and a half years to purchase on for a relatively satisfying price.
Be patient and you will find one for cheaper price. And when you have it, you will be blown away!

plug in your instrument....stereo or mono -- adjust settings to taste -- let's jam! I give it a 10 because my 12 year old neice can operate this pedal. Everything is even notated on the back of the pedal, (ie. left, right/mono, inputs, outputs, guitar/keyboard switch, etc.) -- and if you still have trouble, you can go to the Hughes & Kettner Website, and download a copy of the user manual for the MKII (works the same way) buttons on the front are all labeled...and there are lights that blink to show you the speed of your rotary...WOW!

The sound quality as far as the rotary goes, it sounds wonderfall -- the overdrive is nice and creamy if you dial it in right, and the rotary effect sound right on. There is quite a bit of "hiss" in this pedal....you can dial it down on the pedal with the output/overdrive controls - but it really takes the volume down. This is not noticable with a full band...but quite audible when playing alone or in the studio. But, I have learned to work around it, so it is nothing too serious. Maybe this is something they fixed in the MKII -- that would be great. Sounds Fantastic in stereo -- not as "big" in mono, but still believable as a rotary simulator. I would reccommend this pedal to any professional looking toe save their back on the road...

Warm, Responsive, believable -- minus "hiss" = Another purchase from myself!

This thing is built like a tank. I am still quite careful with it. I bought this unit used -- still all original (even the tube), and is still going strong. The answer is yes, it is dependable

never had to call them.

Great pedal. I play keyboard and guitar - blues...this works for both instruments equally well for the same genre of music. Forget about the Univibe...this pedal is tops for me on rotary sims - sound like you have a 147 hidden in your back pocket...Thumbs Up!

Very easy to use--even a Drummer could figure it out!

NOISY, NOISY, NOISY!

I did not buy the unit just because of the noise factor. It gives a fairly convincing slow to mid-speed Leslie effect, but at higher speeds it became way too messy--over-modulated and overblown, and WAY TOO BRIGHT--even on the neck pickup and the treble knob reduced on the amp. The overly bright overtones surprised me because of the tube in the circuit--I expected it to be warmer in tone.

I tried it out with a variety of guitars and amps, but each time it was too "hummy", "hissy" and bright--even with humbuckers! I also play harp (harmonica to all you non-blues cats) through my effects pedals, and this unit was way too brittle and bright to be usable, not matter what the setting was.

It seems pretty solid.

Never dealt with them.

I play Texas Roadhouse music (blues+rock+outlaw country=Texas Roadhouse) in a band called the SCREAMIN' ARMADILLOS. Imagine the Fabulous Thunderbirds and ZZ Top touring with Waylon Jennings. Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals are my poisons of choice.

I wanted to get the Jimmie Vaughan/Doyle Bramhall II/Stevie Ray Vaughan Leslie cabinet sound without a hernia, and hoped this would do it. It didn't. I was very disappointed in this unit...I wanted it to work so much, but it just did not sound good to me.

I got a reasonably convincing (and much quieter, warmer sound) Leslie effect by turning my MXR Phase 90 up all the way, then backing it off about 3/8 to 1/4 of an inch. Turn on some mild overdrive AFTER the Phase 90, and you'll get that sweet "breathy" doppler sound--with less strain on the back (compared to a true Leslie cabinet) and wallet (compared to the Rotosphere). Also, the Phase 90 was usable for other sounds, whereas the Rotosphere didn't really seem to do anything else.

I wanted this to work so much I could taste it...

Fairly easy to use

This is follow-up to a previous post. Since I have acquired a Hammond C-2 with Trek II percussion. The Rotosphere allows me to hook up the C-2 to pretty much any amp (once you arrange for the Hammond pre-amp to have a line out--it will be hot, almost unusable, but if you figure out how to control it, you can distort until your Pale is a Whiter Shade than Procol's). My C-2 came with a JR-20 cab, 4X12 and a 15" I believe. I figure I can hook it up to my boutique 4X12 guitar amp thru the H&K. Sitting in between these two cabs and leveling out the sound--I'm not sure I'm missing much by not having a Leslie. I can get the thing to growl at conversation level. Tres cool.

Sure beats lugging a Leslie. And since bass is covered in the other cab, the Leslie contrast is heard nicely. It's a unique set-up that works for me, and since I already had the H&K, it turns out I got the classic Hammond sound for a song. It takes a little to figure out how to go about switching the thing on/off and slow/fast, but that's a minor issue. With the H&K, the C-2 can sound like any Yes record from the 70's, Counting Crows, Kansas--it nails the tone, as I've played along with the recordings--minimal difference. I'm sure the Leslie will have its idiosyncracies, but the H&K can fake most, I bet.

I've had the original Rotosphere for about 7 years. I love it. I use it on guitar only - although I have used it on a DX-7 with organ patches and needed to spice it up a little. I am amazed at the sound. I still have the original tube in it. It's probably time to change it. There's just a couple of knobs to set gain and to set your hi/lo rotor balance.

It's part of my effects chain: Dunlop Wah, Fulltone FD2, Fulltone CF1, Rotosphere, Memory Man Deluxe --> into a variety of tube amps: Victoria, Fender Deluxe, Matchless, Cage rebuilt Marshall 1987X, Cage rebuilt Fender Bassman, Cage rebuilt Fender pro Reverb, Carr Rambler. It's an all analog chain. Look, I use this effect all of the time. I'm in a 3 piece band and you've got to have a variety of tones to keep the music interesting. I've had people looking at the bandstand to try and figure out where the keyboard player is hiding!
I run this in mono. I know exactly how a Leslie 14x is supposed to sounds. They are wonderful. Nothing can touch them. But when you are gigging and don't want to haul 150lbs of cabinet around, this works just fine, thank you.
There is a certain degree of noise with this unit. You have to compsentate for it by optimizing your gain. I wish it was quieter in that respect.
Unlike one other reviewer, I use this in the fast mode most of the time. I prefer the Fulltone CF1 for a chorused effect. Actually, the Fulltone gets a better Stevie Ray Vaughan "Cold Shot" effect than the Rotosphere. Kicking on/off the speed control at the right time really fools people into thinking they are hearing a real Leslie.

I've used it for 7 years on hundreds of gigs without a backup. If it could not be repaired quickly, I'd have to spring for another one because it is such an integral part of my tone palette.

I've never had to deal with customer support. I don't speak German. Do you think that's required?

I play Rock, Blues, R&B, Jazz. This compliments all musical styles. I'm sure it could do country if the mood was set right. Remember the band Poco? They used to run their pedal steel thru a Leslie. This would do the trick for that, too! If it were lost or stolen, I would buy another one.
I compared this to a real Leslie and dozens of chorus pedals and emulators that said they could do a rotary effect. I've even tried that rotating speaker from Mesa Boogie - which sounded great! Given price, portability, sound, I have not regretted my choice of the Rotosphere.
If I have to hate something, like many of my brethern, it's the wall wart power supply. I know what H&K is trying to do - but come on, get the UL certification and integrate a power supply into the unit and I'd pay an extra $100. After 7 years of playing with stupid wall wart power supplies, it would be worth it to pay extra to eliminate that. My EH Deluxe Memory Man hs a power cord on a $250 effect. H&K is creative enough to fix this on the Rotosphere III, right?

Very easy.

Hammond M-101, XP-30 with Keyboards of the 60s/70s, Solton leslie.
People are very enthusiastic about this thing. I cannot fully agree with them. For a simulation it's okay, but:

While the "slow speed" sounds really cool, the "high speed" doesn't convince me at all. It sounds more than a chorus-tremolo or whatever.
When you screw up thedistortion, it sounds a bit artificial.
My leslie-clone from Solton (solid state) is much, much better.

For recording: I also compared it to the leslie plug-ins from the B4 and the EVB3 from Emagic. The B4 simulation is superior to the rotosphere.

Ok.

As I wrote before: it's okay, but I decided to use on stage my XP-30-organ sounds together with the built-in Leslie effect from Roland. Even if it sounds a bit weaker, for me the more work with wiring and so on it's not worth it.

I bought my MKI Rotoshpere used, for a very fair price on ebay. I sold of a Yamaha CP-30 electric piano to raise cash for an ebay Farfisa, like the old Combo-Compact I had when I was a Ute. Snagged a near-pristine VIP 600 dual manual Farfisa and hooked it up to old Aminita twin keyboard cabinets I had 2 X 12" LF and 4 x 3" HF compliment in each cabinet. But the Farfisa is mono, unlike the Yamaha CP-30. Plus I missed the nice Leslie 147 I used to have with the Combo Compact. I found the Rotosphere by accident while search on something or other. I read the review here on Harmony Central and thought I'd give it a try before buying a used 147 that weighs about 350 pounds. I was hoping the Rotoshpere would convert the mono Farfisa signal to stereo, and it does. Hook up and use are easy as pie. (read on for sound quality observations)

The review here made me think that the Rotoshpere would fall short of my old Leslie sound. Au Contraire. When I patched this sucker in and fired it up the dreams of my youth were revived. All right, so I upgraded to the organ I would have died for as a rock band teen. But I had a strategy. Combine the Kettner Rotosphere with a Peavey 50/50 Classic Tube amp and voila'instant Stereo Leslie with my twin cabinets.

Most of the time when you have a dream and a plan you're lucky if you don't get totally disillusioned by the failure of both. In this case, I'm still mooning over the rig after months of settling in. Maybe its the full stereo set up, maybe it's the tube amps, maybe it's the tweeters in the keyboard cabinets, maybe it's just the perfect synergy of all of them with the Farfisa, but whoa baby I can barely control myself when I sock out House of the Rising Sun on this combo. I had a suspicion that the reviewers that said "not quite as good as a Leslie" were running it in mono, and I think that is now confirmed. Run your old mono Farfisa through this to make it stereo and it's like the past has been improved. Yank all the stops out on the VIP 600 (or any Farfisa dual manual) and let the Rotosphere loose in overdrive mode and all things are right in the world.

Yes, there's a bit of hiss when idling. So play something already.

Oh, I almost forgot. Here's the real kicker. The Farfisa VIP 600 works as a rudimentary piano on the lower manual. This sounds pretty much like a lame duck piano in mono mode, especially after I was used to pitch tweaking my Yamaha CP-30 off center a bit to make it sound more real. Well, enter the Rotosphere miracle. The mono to stereo coversion in slow rotation mode, or even in stopped mode, effect in circuit, just makes this Farfisa's piano sound so good I don't feel like I even gave up the Yamaha piano.

The thing looks and feels like it was built by craftsmen. Rock solid and bulletproof. And I love the feel of the switches. They're just as ornery tough as my old Leslie 147 preamp foot switches were.

So, since I bought it used it had no manual. The H&K web site said only some manuals are available. I crossed my fingers, clicked and printed out the MKII manual in four languages. Glory hallelueah.

I'm about to try to order a full stop switch a la MKII to replace the hold-down "Breaker" switch. So we'll find out how helpful they are on parts.

I use this with the aforementioned kit to play mostly rock, but I could probably fill a church with satisfying Sunday hyms or wild Gospel if I got two more cabs and another Peavey Classic 50/50 and ran them in mono.

If I lost this Rotosphere, I'd be shattered until I found another. It would be hard to live and play without the happily blinking red and green LEDs and the orange glow of a single tube under by keyboard.

Even though I considered and almost went for another Leslie, having used this piece, I don't think I would. The twin cab, stereo amp, Rotosphere combo is easier to trasport and has more versatility, including spreading the cabs left and right stage for a ridiculously big sounding organ.

Last bit of advice. I almost bought a heavily worn one, bidding on ebay for $270 +, when I gave it up and let someone else "win". A week later I snagged this "used once or twice" pristine piece for a Buy it Now of $199. Since the MKII is out now, gearheads will be selling their MKIs just to have the latest. So hang tough and wait for one around $200. Try bidding Christmas day when everyone's napping with a food hangover.

It's pretty easy. Two speed selections: fast and slow, a breaker switch for slowing down rotors, drive, output, and a tone knob thingy.

Strat to Teese Picture wah, H and K TR, SHO, Menatone Red Snapper or TS9/808 or Maxon OD820, Chicago Iron Octavian, Fulltone Choralflange to Boss Tuner. This gets a pretty good Leslie sound. Although, you will never replicate a rotating speaker sound without a rotating speaker. But still, the sound this thing produces is nice, very useable. Oh yeah, hiss comes with avengeance. If you want a dead quiet unit, stay away from this. It's not evident when you are playing a song, only when the song is done and you leave it on.
The drive is very useable. It adds a nice grit to the sound.

Highly recommended. Although I wish it had speed controls other than just slow and fast.

This device is very easy to use. Plug it in, connect it via cables, and it's ready to go. Surprisingly there is no power switch on this thing. Once plugged in it turns on immediately, although you can bypass all effects.

For the most part the sound quality is great, with the ability to replicate the Leslie effect very accurately, especially by controlling the amount of saturation. However, this device has two great failings for a Leslie simulator, especially at this price: (1) no ability to vary the speed of the slow and fast rotation, and (2) no ability to vary the time it takes to transition from slow to fast and back again. On my Korg CX-3 (Hammond B3 Emulator), there is much greater variability built into the Leslie effects. In my opinion, the fast rotation on the Rotosphere is too fast (sounding a little cheesy), even though that might be a more accurate representation of what a real Leslie would do.

Haven't had enough experience, but appears reliable at first blush.

Haven't had any need for customer support so far.

This is a very high quality Leslie simulator with a very authentic sound, but in my opinion, two serious failings: (1) the inability to adjust the slow and fast rotor speeds, and (2) the inability to adjust the transition time between slow and fast.

Very easy: just couple of knobs and switches.

Doesn't appear to be noisy with the original Sovtek 12AX7-type tube which came with it. I was a bit disappointted with the overdrive when I was first playing Voce V5 organ module through it. It just sounded harsh and because of that I decided to try another tube with it. I swapped an 12AU7 instead of the old and I could immediately hear the difference. With 12AU7 there was always a little bit of overdriven coloration in the sound while 12AX7 sounded more transparent until the overdrive level. Unfortunately the noise level with 12AU7 was much higher but for my purposes that was bearable as the sound itself was more pleasant with organ.

Haven't had any problems with it. Very reliable.

Original Leslie speaker isn't really a replacable unit but this one does a good job in attempt to clone it. I play organ through it and for that purpose it's ok. Might work even better with guitars but I haven't tried with them as much. If it was ever stolen I would probably get an original Leslie speaker instead of an effect unit. I just wished it had some more options such as an 122/147-switch(?), diffusers in place/removed, upper/lower rotation speeds, overdrive/full leslie simulation. By the way - swapping the tube is pretty awkward procedure: you have to unscrew the sides and the connectors of the box and get the knobs removed and unscrewed as well. Only after that you can slide sideways the whole inner circuitry out which is in two parts and replace the tube with another one...