Within the huge universe of modulation pedals, a few of the finest had been invented a long time in the past. Someday within the distant previous, a intelligent participant plugged his guitar right into a Leslie speaker – an amp/speaker designed to be used with Hammond-style organs – and was rewarded with a few of the sweetest, airiest results recognized to mankind. You’ve heard it on classics just like the Beatles’ “Let It Be,” SRV’s “Chilly Shot,” and Soundgarden’s “Black Gap Solar”; it’s a wobbling sound akin to a guitar amp dipped in a pool of water. Boss is now capturing that vibe with the RT-2 Rotary Ensemble.

In the event you’re not aware of a Leslie cupboard, it’s a heavy wooden field the dimensions of a small chest freezer that homes a rotating treble horn and a spinning bass baffle that collectively successfully stir the sound they produce. The consumer/participant can modify the cones’ rotation pace, which equates to the “Pace” knob on a refrain, vibrato, phaser, or tremolo pedal.

The brand-new RT-2 is a blissfully easy unit; there are controls for Stage, Drive (a little bit of grit), and two concentric Pace knobs to simulate the Leslie’s two audio system. The Mode change provides three flavors of Leslie – conventional, a more-spacious impact, and a contemporary variation. Extra toggles on the again enable additional tweaking of the distortion and stability between the rotors. There’s additionally a digital rotor show, including a cool psychedelic impact for visualizing the pace, in addition to stereo inputs and outputs.

For that basic Leslie lushness, cut back the drive to style and push the 2 pace knobs up pretty excessive. Abruptly you may have that epic sound that graced albums by George Harrison, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Peter Frampton, and zillions extra.

As a substitute of hauling round a backbreaking 130-pound Leslie cupboard, Boss offers you all of the rotating speaker you’ll ever want with the RT-2. It’s a modulation pedal undoubtedly price trying out. – Pete Prown

This text initially appeared in VG’s January 2026 subject. All copyrights are by the writer and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.