What is that organ-like guitar effect on Badge?

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heatmiser

heatmiser

mr. green christmas
Hey,

Maybe a well-known thing, but I can't figure out what that signature George Harrison / Eric Clapton guitar effect is that makes the guitar sound almost like an organ.

Y'know like the riff on Badge (in the bridge I think?) from Cream's last album?

It seemed like a common effect from around '68 through the early '70's, but I don't hear it much anymore and wish I could emulate it.

Anyone know what it is? I'm guessing not simply some brand name stompbox?
 
I don't know the riff but it sounds like you are describing a Leslie cabinet effect.
 
Back in the 80's, I used a leslie cabinet with my guitar. I loved the sound and likened it to an organ sound. The problem was that I didn't own the cabinet and it was ugly hauling it around but I was inspired by Clapton and loved the effect. I am currently considering building a small cabinet for my studio and will probably start when the snow melts and I get my back yard back again so I can pull out my table saw and start cutting. Man, I love that sound. Nuthin like it.
 
Ah...I suppose that could be it, although I thought that simply imparted a panning effect? I suppose coupled with some overdive it could also color the tone?

I have an old non-functioning '60's Lowrey organ lying around with a functioning leslie speaker inside...I wonder if I could canibalize it? Probably beyond my abilities...is that ever done?
 
Clapton plays through a Leslie on Badge.

About the cannibalized organ Leslie--- yeah, it's do-able. They come up every once in a while on Craigslist.
 
Cool. It would be great if I could figure out a way to remove the leslie and be able to run the guitar through it. I'll do some online research as someone must've done it before. Maybe I can find someone locally who would do that for me for a fee?
 
Contact somebody that services Hammond organs. They should be able to hook you up. Leslie made outboard stompbox preamps to interface with un-modded Leslie cabs so you may need to find one of those, depends how extensive a mod your tech can do and if the preamp in the Lowery is salvageable.
 
There was a time in the 60s when just about everything by certain bands was put through the Leslie, even vocals. It was such a particular effect that it's easy to see why it never carried on into the 70s.
 
TelePaul said:
Try an Electro Harmonix POG with some extra chorus on there.
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Cool, thanks. I checked out some video demos of that last night. Very cool. Although I never heard anyone dial in that sound, it seems like you could get reasonably close. Certainly does impart a synthesized keyboard kind of sound,
 
Well for my Audio Interface I have the UX2 from Line 6 they have a preset for the Badge song which to me sounds pretty good, it has a Rotary Drum+Horn effect.
 
I get a nice organ effect with an old DOD Octoplus pedal and a lot of overdrive. Turn on the leslie and it's very Deep Purple sounding.
 
heatmiser said:
Cool, thanks. I checked out some video demos of that last night. Very cool. Although I never heard anyone dial in that sound, it seems like you could get reasonably close. Certainly does impart a synthesized keyboard kind of sound,
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Yeah you can really vary the tone depending on what you pair it with. ODs can sound very organ-y, while other mod effects can make things sound more synthy.
 
Morely pedals will make that sound. A friend used them in the 70's. Very unique effect, similar to how tape echoplexes worked except it had a whirling canister filled with magnetic fluid with sensors that ....nevermind! Anyway very likely that with a Leslie speaker.
 
forestabri said:
Morely pedals will make that sound. A friend used them in the 70's. Very unique effect, similar to how tape echoplexes worked except it had a whirling canister filled with magnetic fluid with sensors that ....nevermind! Anyway very likely that with a Leslie speaker.
Click to expand...

No. The Morley rotating stuff came after "Badge".

It is a cool effect if you can find one that's fully operational. But it ain't a Leslie.
 
My Eventide Mod Factor has a pretty convincing rotary model. Beats the shit out of hauling around a big-ass Leslie cab. ;)
 
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Lots of ideas here which is interesting. I do have rotary effects built in to my Roland recorder and a digitech multi-fx pedal, but for the most part they sound like crap. I almost got there once with an ibanez flanger and an overdrive pedal (plus some tremelo?), but not quite. Frustrating to have a working leslie here but unable to use it. I just love that sound and would probably beat it to death if I could replicate it.
 
Yes, that cabinet might do it I guess, but too expensive for me for a single effect and I don't think I could power it with my amp. This just made me realize that removing the leslie from my old keyboard would probably not workeither as I'd need an amp with some kind of outputs to power it. So, without spending a ton of money I'm probably looking at settling for some approximation of the effect using a stompbox or waiting until I come upon a ton of cash.
 
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