David Gilmour’s Leslie 122 on the ‘Shine On’ Intro — and the Footswitch Trick

During the Wish You Were Here sessions, David Gilmour swapped his usual Hiwatt stacks for a Leslie 122 rotary speaker on the opening of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1–5).” That slow, swirling slide guitar is pure Leslie — not the “Breathe” verses (that was a different recording, on Dark Side).

Gilmour controlled the Leslie’s slow/fast speed with a simple footswitch on the studio floor. He