Dukes of Hazzard Horn: Get the General Lee Horn Sound on Any Car
Twelve notes of Dixie, one orange Charger, and forty years of people trying to get that horn on their own car. Here's how to do it in two minutes, free.
Some sounds don't need an introduction. The Dukes of Hazzard horn is one of them. Twelve notes, a Southern twang, and by the third note everyone within earshot is looking for an orange 1969 Charger with 01 on the door. It's the General Lee horn, the dixie horn, the sound that made a TV car more famous than the actors.
It's also one of the most searched novelty car horn sounds on earth. People type it as the Dukes of Hazzard horn, the General Lee horn sound, the dixie horn, and a fair few type Dukes of Hazard with one z. Same twelve notes either way. Here's what the horn actually is, how the show got it, where to download it for free, and why loading it on a programmable car horn beats bolting five trumpets to your engine bay.
What the General Lee Horn Actually Is
The General Lee is the 1969 Dodge Charger that Bo and Luke Duke drove, jumped and generally abused through seven seasons of The Dukes of Hazzard, from 1979 to 1985. Its horn plays the first twelve notes of "Dixie", the 19th century tune most people can hum even if they've never heard the name.
On the real cars it was a musical air horn: five chrome trumpets, each tuned to one note, fed by a small compressor. The story that gets told is that during filming in Georgia the crew heard a local driving past with a Dixie horn, chased him down and bought it on the spot. Whether or not every detail is true, it stuck, and the General Lee horn became the sound of the show.
That's why the Dukes of Hazzard horn still turns up at car shows, cruise nights and on lifted trucks four decades later. It works on anything. It's the most requested novelty car horn sound there is, twelve notes of pure nostalgia, and nobody hears it without grinning.
Hear the General Lee Horn Sound and Grab It Free
The Dixie horn is sitting in the Sound Clips library under Music & Tunes. Hit play to hear the General Lee horn sound right there on the page, hit download to grab the MP3. No cost, no signup. It's a clean recreation of the twelve-note tune, not a recording lifted from the show, but it's the sound everyone recognises.
Dixie Horn Kit vs an Electric Dukes of Hazzard Horn
Search for a dixie horn kit and you'll mostly find the traditional hardware: five chrome air trumpets, a compressor, a relay, and a tangle of air line bolted into the engine bay. It's the authentic General Lee setup, and it sounds great. It's also a big install, it only ever plays Dixie, and the compressor is the part that fails. Expect to pay around $70 to $150 for a branded kit in Australia.
The Sonic Horn is the electric dixie horn version of the same idea. One compact unit, two wires to the battery, no compressor and no air lines. It plays the same twelve-note tune through a 30W amp at 130 decibels, which puts it among the loudest car horn options you can fit without air. And because the Dukes of Hazzard horn is just a file on the unit, the same horn holds three other sounds for whenever you want them. Same General Lee horn, a fraction of the install, and you're not married to one tune. Our musical car horn guide has the full comparison of trumpet kits, preset horns and programmable ones.
Why Limit Yourself to One Sound?
Most horns built around the Dixie tune are built around nothing else. You buy it for that sound, and that's the only sound it ever makes. Fine if you're certain that's all you'll ever want. Less fine the day you want something different for a different mood.
A custom car horn like the Sonic Horn holds four sounds at once. Put the General Lee horn on button A and fill the other three with whatever you like. A train horn. La Cucaracha for the car show crowd. The classic wolf whistle horn. Your own voice. You're not choosing between a Dukes of Hazzard horn and a programmable car horn. It's the same unit, and the next sound is a free download instead of a new horn.
How to Load the Dukes of Hazzard Horn
1. Download the Dixie horn MP3 from the Sound Clips page.
2. Plug the horn into your computer over USB. It shows up like a USB drive. Drag the file on, eject.
3. Reconnect the horn, press the matching button on the wireless remote, and you've got the General Lee horn sound. About two minutes, start to finish.
Works on Anything With a 12V Battery
Doesn't have to be a Charger. The Sonic Horn runs on any 12V vehicle, so the Dukes of Hazzard horn sounds exactly as good on a Hilux, a Mustang, a Jeep, a golf cart or a boat. Wherever you are in Australia, or anywhere else we ship, if it's got a 12V system, it'll take the sound.
Installing this custom car horn is two wires to the battery and a bracket in the engine bay. About 20 minutes, no mechanic needed. The full install guide walks through it step by step.
The General Lee horn used to mean five trumpets, a compressor and a weekend under the bonnet. Now the Dukes of Hazzard horn is a free download, a USB drag and a button press, with three more slots waiting for the next idea. Want it on your car? Get The Sonic Horn here.
Dukes of Hazzard Horn FAQ
What horn does the General Lee have?
A musical air horn that plays the first twelve notes of "Dixie". On the show cars it was five tuned trumpets and a compressor. That's why it's known as the Dixie horn, the Dukes of Hazzard horn and the General Lee horn. All three names mean the same tune.
Can you buy the Dukes of Hazzard horn?
Yes, two ways. A dixie horn kit gives you the original trumpet-and-compressor hardware and plays Dixie only. Or download the tune free from our Sound Clips page and load it on the Sonic Horn, a programmable car horn that plays it at 130 decibels with no compressor and keeps three more sounds alongside it.
Is this the real General Lee horn sound?
It's the same twelve-note tune people associate with the General Lee. It's a clean recreation, not a licensed recording from the show, but it's the sound everyone recognises the moment it plays.
How much does a Dukes of Hazzard horn cost?
Branded dixie horn kits run about $70 to $150 in Australia, and that buys one tune. The Sonic Horn is $159 AUD and the Dixie file is free, as is every other sound in the library.
Do I have to keep it on permanently?
No. It's one of four sound slots, not a fixed installation. Load it for a car show, swap to something else the next day, load it back later. Two minutes either way.
Will it affect my factory horn?
No. The Sonic Horn runs as a separate unit wired straight to the battery. Your factory horn stays exactly as it was, working normally. This custom car horn sits alongside it on its own remote.
Your Car..... Your Sound.