Why was this built?

[Jwolter]

[tiredoldgeezer]

Because people will buy anything.

In fairness, though, it looks like it's a simple relay box. Let's say you're pulling an OLD tube amp and replacing it with a shiny new solid state amp, which being all shiny and new, just HAS to be better. Who knows? Maybe it has a USB port, even.

Once you pull that OLD tube amp, you lose your speed control.
This looks like a job for....dun, dun, duhhhh!!!.... PURPLE PLUS!!

Or, as I see it (probably like you) yet another set of connections to screw up and melt down.

TOG

[tpappano]

Could it be to aid conversion of a single-speed model 47 (or similar) to two-speed? It looks like it provides a place to plug in all four motors and a relay to change speeds. Just guessing, I'm new at this Leslie "stuff" 8)

[tiredoldgeezer]

No, not really.

Nothing onboard to make a motor run at a different speed. Just a relay. A rather simple relay at that.

This is just a simple relay switch.

[tpappano]

I was thinking that since a dual-rotor, two-speed Leslie requires two 'slow' motors and two 'fast' motors, and the box has two 'slow' sockets and two 'fast' sockets that maybe the box was a conversion gizmo.

[Jwolter]

Because people will buy anything.

In fairness, though, it looks like it's a simple relay box. Let's say you're pulling an OLD tube amp and replacing it with a shiny new solid state amp, which being all shiny and new, just HAS to be better. Who knows? Maybe it has a USB port, even.

Once you pull that OLD tube amp, you lose your speed control.
This looks like a job for....dun, dun, duhhhh!!!.... PURPLE PLUS!!

Or, as I see it (probably like you) yet another set of connections to screw up and melt down.

TOG

I was thinking along those lines. Heil Sound was a local shop back in the day, and I bet someone asked him to come up with a way to use a diffetent amp with their leslie. They were probably needing more volume, who knows.

[tiredoldgeezer]

I was thinking along those lines. Heil Sound was a local shop back in the day, and I bet someone asked him to come up with a way to use a diffetent amp with their leslie. They were probably needing more volume, who knows.

As likely as not.

Keith Emerson used HiWatt amps for his leslies.
Some folks have used Marshall.
I use Crown.

Lots of options.

[Tim Rinkerman]

Bob Heil was, and as far as I know still is big into Hammonds...I believe this box allows you to run a 2 speed leslie without the amp, and provides the pre amp output from the organ at the 1/4" jack....allowing you to use what ever amplifier you want to, or the 1/4" jack was for a common footswitch to change speeds....can't see enough of the wiring to tell.

[Jwolter]

Bob Heil was, and as far as I know still is big into Hammonds...I believe this box allows you to run a 2 speed leslie without the amp, and provides the pre amp output from the organ at the 1/4" jack....allowing you to use what ever amplifier you want to, or the 1/4" jack was for a common footswitch to change speeds....can't see enough of the wiring to tell.

The 1/4" jack is for a footswitch.