Vintage Leslie Pro-Line 820 Solid State Amp with Leslie Combo Preamp III and Cable

Vintage Leslie Pro-Line 820 with matching original Leslie Combo Preamp III and 11-pin cable

Local pickup due to size and weight.  Arrange for pickup at our location, just under 2 hours East of Nashville, or for a negotiated fee, we will to deliver it or transfer it to your vehicle at a location within a one-hour drive.  We have 5-star feedback from another customer describing a pleasant pickup experience with us.   

It is increasingly rare to find a Leslie 820 complete with its original matching Combo Preamp III and cable as we are offering in this listing.

Condition: Photos are essential in understanding the condition, please view.

• Leslie 820: Amp works well, and is plenty loud. There is some scuffing to the black tolex covering on the plywood cabinet. There are three grilles, and these show wear, including some fraying, and minor discoloration. The two handles have breaks in the plastic portion, which we have decided not to glue in place, as the new owner may wish to replace these. Electrical cord and 11-pin connector are free from damage, and work as intended.  A large "Leslie" badge is attached to the front of the speaker with double-sided tape, and is readily removable.  It is possible that the amp would benefit from adjustment or replacement of belt that drives the rotating baffle, and lubrication of the shaft.
  
• Leslie Combo Preamp III: Significant wear on bottom; one tone knob missing but easily replaceable; portions of the labeling are worn or missing. Unit functions correctly and well.
  
• Leslie 11-pin Cable: Connectors and pins are in excellent shape, nothing broken or missing, the insulation is in good shape. No functional issues.

Nothing, I think, sounds like a genuine, rotating Leslie to deliver that distinctive 3-dimensional sound; I have yet to find a pedal that comes close (although the Hughes & Kettner RotoSphere is quite good). I have used this unit primarily with guitar, but also have used it with keyboards.   I find that this amp takes pedals well, and have run it with overdrives, delay units, and other modulation effects as well.

The Leslie Pro-Line 820 features a 2-speed rotor (fast/slow/stop), with a 60 to 75 Watt solid state amp, significantly more powerful than the earlier Leslie tube amps. This amp creates its distinctive rotary sound by means of the rotating foam drum under the downward-facing 12" speaker. As the 820 does not have rotating horns, it is not as bright sounding as a 147 for example, however, I find that a Telecaster or a guitar with highs boosted via an EQ pedal or wah will be as bright as you like.  

• Read more under Development of the Leslie Pro-Line series below. The key point is that the Pro-Line amps were designed to be more powerful than the earlier 40 Watt tube amp Leslies (the iconic 122, 147, etc.), with the 820 as the more usable successor to the earlier 825 'guitar Leslie'.
  

While the 820 is a great keyboard amp, it is even better as a guitar amp. Includes proper and rare Leslie Combo Preamp III 2-channel pre-amp pedal and 11-pin cable.

• Note that 11-pin B-3 clones can plug directly into the 820 without using the Control Unit / Pre-amp, but most use these remarkable Leslies for amplifying 'single channel' keyboards or guitars.
  

Guitarists: I have a strong bias for tube amplifiers, but I find this solid state amp to be really excellent.  Using the Combo Preamp, you can feed this Leslie 820 directly from your guitar, from a bank of pedals, or even using the line-out of a guitar amplifier. Of course, keyboardists, can also run pedals, or amp line-out as inputs to this system as well as the 1/4" output of the keyboard.

Leslie Pro-Line 820 Specifications:

• Power: Solid-state amp, 60 Watts RMS (listed as 75 Watts RMS by a number of resources).
  
• Connector: Standard 11 pin connector;
  
• Channels: one, mono. Note: You can send a mono mix of two instruments via the preamp.
  
• Rotor Speeds: 2-speed rotor (fast/slow/stop);
  
• Speaker: 12" (literature suggests these are special design 6-Ohm speakers, and are JBL clones, often made by Rola; we have not confirmed speaker model that is installed).
  
• Dimensions: Height: 31 inches, Width 25 inches, Depth 19 inches;
  
• Weight: 122 pounds, approx.

Leslie Combo Pre-amp III Specifications:

• Inputs: two, standard 1/4" jack
  
• Channels: two, each with gain and tone controls. Allows mixing two instruments (guitar and keyboard, for example) for correct balance.
  
• Output: mono, via 11-pin connector.

11 Pin Connector Specifications:
1. Audio Signal Hot
2. No Connection
3. No Connection
4. Audio Ground
5. Control Supply Common
6. Control Circuit Common
7. Fast Motor Control
8. Slow Motor Control
9. No Connection
10. No Connection
11. 29 VDC for control head

Development of the Leslie Pro-Line series:
In the 1970s, Leslie produced a series of high-powered solid-state models of their rotating speaker system to meet the demands of Hammond organ players wanting more 'oomph' than the valve 147 and 122 cabinets could provide (optimistically rated at 40 watts).

For the X5 Hammond, Leslie designed the monstrous 760, but also the much smaller 825. The 825 still packed some serious punch, with a 70-watt amp feeding a special speaker, but only had the rotating foam drum under the downward-facing 12" speaker, without the rotating horns, and was designed as the 'portable' Leslie for smaller venues.

Guitarists quickly began using the 825 model, often referred to as the 'guitar Leslie'; the 825 was perfect for guitar use, due largely to its own 2-channel 'Combo' pre-amp and control unit, which could be fed directly from a guitar, from a bank of pedals, or even from the line-out of a guitar amplifier.

Introduction of the Pro-Line 820: In about 1977, the 825 was updated to become the 820 model, and the 825 was then discontinued. The main difference was the change from the 825's 9-pin system to the 11-pin system that had since become a Hammond/Leslie standard. This change meant that the power cord was fitted to the speaker box itself, rather than to the pre-amp, making it more practical to use.