Studio 12+ - 100W 12" Dual Rotary Combo Amp Review

Cool sounding smaller size Leslie

I wanted to review this Leslie to help any of those considering it. I have a limited space so I was looking for a dual rotary Leslie but smaller in size. (This has the rotating horn on top and the rotating baffle on the bottom I believe which effects the lower fixed speaker if I am not mistaken.) I had this on the floor but recently raised it up on a square strong stand to the rotating… read more horn is just above my ears while sitting on the organ bench. This really helped listening and reacting to the sound and improved the sounds a lot. I added a powered subwoofer below it (10" only). I route my pedals (bass) through mainly the subwoofer. Adding a slight amount of the bass to the Leslie 12 upper cabinet. I am actually using an analog bass module programmed to replicate the thump of the pedal drawbar. I trigger the Hammond B3X plug in with a 2 manual Korg organ which has no pedal drawbars anyway. I use the B3X plug in as the sound source and the Korg as the controller. It's a poor man/woman's Hammond XK-5 basically and works great for all but the internal sounds. I have a set of midi pedals that work well from Viscount, the Viscount Pedalboard 25 with volume pedal. Slightly smaller pedals width wise to fit under my Korg. They work really well. My first cheaper set from a generic seller on Amazon were too short front to back and not smooth enough in action. So this Leslie really gives the Hammond plug in the B3X an authentic sound. It's the same sound in the XK-5. The new XKK Pro (the dual manual Hammond) available soon, seems like a great choice for anyone looking for a great dual manual Hammond product.

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Pretty Good

I decided to give this a review since it has some negative reviews. It has shortcomings compared to a 122, but if you use it right, it's worth it at its price and size point. The most glaring shortcoming is the slightly synthetic sound from the solid state power amp. However, I got around this by unscrewing the control panel and connecting my tube amp to the speakers. This was… read more an extremely easy process. All you need is 1 speaker cable with the 1/4 jack on one end and the connections that go directly to the speaker on the other end. There's no way I was going to go out and spend over twice as much on a 122 for its tube amp when it's not portable for 1 person and I only run the thing on 1 in my apartment anyway. So keep in mind you can just connect a tube amp easily if that's a deal breaker for you. The second shortcoming is there isn't very good onboard tone shaping or eq. I got around this by using a separate eq after my XK-5 and it works amazing. I can boost the upper bass to fill out the notes, boost the mids even more to make it sound more like a tonewheel, isolate the keyclick and adjust that to taste, and reduce the synthetic air at the very top. So I absolutely recommend a nice eq pedal or a rack eq to use with your XK-5. Other than that, it's pretty much a real Leslie. If you tweak it and work it right, you're basically there for Leslie sound. I face it backwards and remove the panels over the horn and rotor for the sound to come out unimpeded. The only other thing I can think of is the cabinet itself is covered in tolex so that softens the sound a tad compared to the grind of the wood on the 122. It even has a speed pedal jack for how fast the speakers spin. So I give this 5 stars because it does everything I wanted. It's a good price, it's portable, and it sounds good if you tweak it.

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Excellent speaker except for the foot switch

absolute beast this makes the Hammond SKX would not go without. Defiantly if your thinking Hammond Orange do not go without the Leslie it make the sound that much more different. the Hammond skx can go thru regular speakers but The Lesise is well worth the price. The only problem I have had with it is the foot switch going out.

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There is nothing like moving some air!

Let's just repeat the title... There is nothing like a real spinning speaker moving air. To hear it live in a room is breathtaking. I own a couple of Leslie sim pedals (Ventilator and Strymon LEX) Which are are great and way more practical for most uses. But, when you crank this baby up, it's the real-deal and will rock your world. I play both guitar and keys and have a nice Hammond… read more XK-1c. The HK-1c is killer and does have a great Rotary Sim onboard. In my home studio, the XK1c sounds great direct into Pro Tools. Totally believable. That's the way I track with it. This version of the Studio 12 is a nice size and doesn't overwhelm your room. At 85lbs, it's heavy, but has strong handles and a tough finish, if you wanted to gig with it. The fancier Mahogany furniture style version is more for home only use. I bought the black version which is great if I ever did want to gig with it. Stop. I have to be honest, I bought the Studio 12 for me. It was a bit of an over-indulgence, but, there is nothing like cranking it up in the room and wailing. It's just rocks. It sounds great on keys and guitar. Running a guitar direct into it, the tone is great. You can stop the rotation if you want and use it as a nice clean amp. Plenty loud for playing with a drummer. And, the built-in foot-switchable overdrive is totally useable (Obviously better for use when its spinning than as a loud crunchy amp). Running a sim pedal into a 2x12 guitar cab is nice and I am totally happy doing that playing out. But, if you can afford it and have some space for it, once you hear the real-deal, there is no going back. 100% recommended, not a single complaint.

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Leslie Studio 12 Rotary Amp

As close as it gets to a big cabinet Leslie... unbelievable sound and highly recommended. Also purchased the 11pin cable that is needed to connect my Hammond XK-3c keyboard. Arrived on time on a pallet and was heavily protected in plastic. Always wanted a leslie and should have bought this a long time ago. Everyone at Sweetwater was great - Thanks!!!

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