GearDump

Hughes And Kettner Tube Rotosphere Mk. II

Hughes & Kettner has manufactured the Rotosphere for a few years. The MkII is a minor revision of the original design. The Rotosphere has been discontinued though new ones are available for around $500-$600. This is a steep price but for true Leslie fans who cannot haul their cabinet this could be a God-send.

The pedal features a 12AX7. Like most other tube powered pedals requires a wall-wart AC plug. Tube based pedals can often introduce more noise in the signal but with the right provisions (like a voodoo labs pedal power 2) there should be no problems. The unit features controls for Drive, Level, Rotor Balance, Bypass, Breaker, and speed. In addition to the top-mount controls there is also an impedence switch for matching signal levels to keyboards or guitar. The effect is intended to be used in a stereo rig but has a switch for monorual operation.

The Rotosphere’s breaker control is unique to this pedal. The breaker control effectively simulates stopping the rotary motor, and so slows the rotating speaker effect down until it finally stops. The balance control is something like a tone control controling (if it were real) how much of the signal goes to the driver or the tweeter.

The effect really does a great job of emulating the sound of a Leslie with a stereo guitar rig. There has been discussion regarding the proper placement of stereo amps when utilizing the rotosphere but ultimately the sound is very close to that of a leslie. The pedal even ramps up and slows down when the speed switch is engaged. The addition of the breaker control is a nice addition as well. The AC power is really the only tonal drawback to this pedal. The casing is built very well and the tube is visible from a glass panel. Some users have reported that the tube is hard to get to for replacement but most 12AX7 tubes have a long life. For anyone who truly relies on the rotating speaker sound for their work the Rotosphere might just be the go-to effect pedal.

If you can stomach the cost of admission the Tube Rotosphere gets leslie-like bliss without back-breaking labor!

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