How David Gilmour Used a Leslie Speaker Cabinet to Make ‘Dark Side’ Guitar Solos Swirl and Drift

The eerie, spinning quality of the guitar solos on “Time” and “Any Colour You Like” comes from a Leslie speaker cabinet — a rotating speaker rig originally designed for Hammond organs. David Gilmour didn’t just plug straight into an amp. He ran his guitar signal through a Leslie, which physically spins a horn and a woofer in opposite directions, creating a Doppler-like pitch shift and a thick, warbling chorus effect.

To get that particular bite, Gilmour often pushed a fuzz or overdrive pedal before the Leslie, then miked the cabinet’s top rotor and bottom speaker separately. The blend of direct growl with the spinning air gave the solos their unsteady, almost vocal-like presence. It’s the same trick heard on “Breathe” — a way to make a guitar seem like it’s orbiting inside the room rather than just playing a line.