# simple reverb mod



## ccuwan (Jul 9, 2008)

I’m curious to learn if anyone else has tried this and what the results were. 

About a year ago I rebuilt a red knob Fender Super 60 amp into a head unit with an assortment of speaker cabs. 1x12, 2x12, 4x10. 

As a result of the rebuild and due to the fact that I had one available, I swapped out the stock 8” reverb tank for a 12”. The results are outstanding with a substantially greater range of reverb and done with no performance loss that I can notice. If it is that simple to enhance the reverb capabilities of an amplifier, how come I have not heard of anyone else doing it or did I just luck out with a reverb circuit that could handle the larger tank?


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Thanks for starting this thread. This interests me also.

Did you have to shield the reverb pan in the head box or make the head box extra large (i.e., additional height) to put enough distance between the pan and the amp chassis to eliminate the potential for noise (or both)?

Cheers

Dave


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Long springs do add appreciably to the richness of a reverb sound. Once the amp is big and powerful enough, the cost diferential between an 8" and 12" pan is not so much that the manufacturer would be motivated to skimp on the pan just to shave $4 off the manufacturing costs of an amp that retails for over $600. More than likely, the use of a shorter pan would be motivated by other factors like whether it can fit the intended space or not.

Pans come in 4 and 6-spring versions (i.e., 3 sets of two springs soldered end to end). Six-spring pans sound richer than 4 and other formats, just as longer springs sound richer than shorter ones. 

While there are many choices for replacing one pan with another, it is important to be mindful of the input and output impedances of the pans, since the supporting electronics in the amp will be designed in anticipation of that.


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## ccuwan (Jul 9, 2008)

greco said:


> Thanks for starting this thread. This interests me also.
> 
> Did you have to shield the reverb pan in the head box or make the head box extra large (i.e., additional height) to put enough distance between the pan and the amp chassis to eliminate the potential for noise (or both)?
> 
> ...


Hey Dave,

Fact is when I built the head cabinet I had planned on using the 8 inch tank that came with the Super 60. The Super 60 also came as a head unit and Fender attached the tank to the backplate in the head cabinet. I found when I installed the 12" tank in the head cabinet I got some unwanted noise due, as you suggest, to proximity of the amp. As a result so far I have run the tank, which is in a padded bag, external to the head. If I had it to do again I would have made the head cabinet another inch deeper and attached the tank to the backplate of the cab allowing for greater gap between the amplifier and the tank. The downside of that is, from what I've read, tanks are built for either flat or side installation and mine definitely came out of a flat install. I suggest that to make the best call with regards to the position of the tank, you need to experiment prior to construction.

My current plan is to built a small cabinet to lay under or near the head to hold the 12' reverb tank. I have already mounted the 8" tank in the head for convenience but as the tanks just plug in with simple RCA plugs, I can switch and use whichever one I want depending on siituation. If Fender can build a stand alone reverb, I guess I can too.

Truth is, I'm enough impressed with the 12" tank that I expect to be hauling it with me separately.

Ray


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

ccuwan said:


> Hey Dave,
> ..... I found when I installed the 12" tank in the head cabinet I got some unwanted noise due, as you suggest, to proximity of the amp. .......
> Ray


Anyone know if the noise can be eliminated by shielding the tank? 
If so, how would you go about shielding it?

Not wanting to hijack your thread Ray... just wondering.

cheers

Dave


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

One way is to use the hum-bucking approach that Craig Anderton adopted for the PAiA "Hot Springs" reverb unit. http://www.paia.com/ProdArticles/hotspuse.htm

It works esentially the same way that a humbucker pickup does. The downside is that it involves 2 reverb pans. The upside is that with more springs you get a richer reverb.


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## ccuwan (Jul 9, 2008)

greco said:


> Anyone know if the noise can be eliminated by shielding the tank?
> If so, how would you go about shielding it?
> 
> Not wanting to hijack your thread Ray... just wondering.
> ...


Please do.....good question.....

"The downside is that it involves 2 reverb pans."

.....tough answer


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