Power Requirements: 120v (N. American Standard) detachable cable included
Cosmetic Condition: Excellent (-) condition with some minor marks and tiny tears in the tolex. Overall condition is an 8.5 out of 10
Operational Condition: Fully-functioning
Description (borrowed from theaterorgans.com):The PRO-3 is a Leslie simulator with a twist; rather than simulate the Leslie rotating speaker's audio characteristics purely electronically, it uses an actual rotating treble horn with a compression driver and a solid state amplifier for frequencies above 700Hz. Frequencies below 700Hz pass through a stereo bass rotor simulator and is made available at 1/4" output jacks for use with a user-supplied amplifier. Though not a rackmountable unit, the PRO-3 is a small, lightweight, and highly portable package.
While there's still room for improvement in the PRO-3 design, overall I believe that the PRO-3 does a far more convincing job of Leslie simulation than do conventional electronic simulators, and even has some advantages over real Leslies. This review criticizes the PRO-3 on some of the fine points, but in all I feel this unit is a great asset for live organ players.
Since the PRO-3 is effectively part Leslie, part Leslie simulator, it can be evaluated with respect to each. When compared to a real Leslie, the PRO-3 is far more portable, needs no maintenance, and when teamed with a good amp it's quite a bit louder than most Leslies. However the PRO-3 uses a bass rotor simulation so if you have finicky ears and listen in a quiet setting, you may miss a real bass rotor. Also, the PRO-3 does not quite have the warm tone associated with tube Leslies such as the 122 or 147, and it can't produce the classic tube Leslie overdrive sound.
Compared to an electornic Leslie simulator, the PRO-3 sounds larger, more animated and alive. In side-by-side comparisons, electronic simulators sound two dimensional and a bit flat. On the other hand, electronic simulators can be wired directly to a sound board (as can the PRO-3's bass rotor simulation, discussed below) while the PRO-3's treble rotor needs to be mic'd if you use PA reinforcement. It's arguable whether a mic'd PRO-3 would sound better than a good electronic simulation when heard through a PA only, though as a player I'd much prefer having a PRO-3 for my stage monitor over an electronic simulator. The PRO-3 has no MIDI control, as do some (though not all) of the electronic Leslie simulators.
