So, this weekend we were recording guitars for a song I wrote. We'd planned to run through the Leslie speaker but when I turned it on, no sound of rotation could be heard. I feared a burnt out motor, so I dragged it in from the garage, all 65 kilos of it.
Feb 2, 2026 23:23I opened up the case. No visible signs of motor burnination, so I did what you're not supposed to do and powered it on with the case open. The bass rotor ... fixed itself! The treble one, not so much.
I separated the power connector. Neither of the treble rotor motors are open circuit, and both of these connectors are getting switched mains at a lively 245V (I live right next to the substation). So it's electrically good.
I am therefore midway through oiling the top motor. Apparently you are supposed to do this annually; I have done it exactly zero times in four years. Judging by the effort to dislodge the idler wheel grub screw, it may have been longer still than that.
Thank goodness for online documentation:
synthfool.com/docs/Leslie/...I've got good news!
I'm re recording multiple parts of a song I'm working on through the Leslie. It gets kind of addictive after a while.
