# Canadian maker/supplier of reverb tanks?



## Geek (Jun 5, 2007)

Hi folks,

I need reverb tanks for my designs and prefer to go with a Canadian maker or supplier.

Anybody know of any?

Thanks!


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## Wild Bill (May 3, 2006)

Geek said:


> Hi folks,
> 
> I need reverb tanks for my designs and prefer to go with a Canadian maker or supplier.
> 
> ...


Nope!

Not saying you won't find one but I'm sure glad it's you looking and not me!:smile:

We're just too small in volume for stuff like that and somehow we've never been that good at going after the world market.

For small quantities http://www.tubesandmore.com has the best prices I've seen. If you can offer bigger sales you might be able to entice Accutronics directly.

I'm wondering how much longer Accutronics will be able to withstand the Chinese competition. Maybe the Chinese will get caught for using poisonous springs...

:food-smiley-004:


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## Guest (Aug 22, 2007)

This actually made me think of something that's been swirling around in the back of mind for a while now: I don't like the reverb on my TwinTone. It's a much shorter 'verb than my Rect-O-Verb had. I like a medium to longer reverb. Can I just buy a new tank and pull the one in their out, drop the new one in? It's an Accutronics tank in there now.


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## Geek (Jun 5, 2007)

Hi Bill,



Wild Bill said:


> Nope!
> 
> Not saying you won't find one but I'm sure glad it's you looking and not me!:smile:


LOL!!!!

I'll certainly report back if I find some 




> For small quantities http://www.tubesandmore.com has the best prices I've seen. If you can offer bigger sales you might be able to entice Accutronics directly.


Been to both places. AES is giving me a better price retail than Accutronics is wholesale 




> I'm wondering how much longer Accutronics will be able to withstand the Chinese competition. Maybe the Chinese will get caught for using poisonous springs...



Have you heard a Chinese tank? Accutronics is safe for now :wink:
(I'm sure there's good ones out there, but they haven't hit this continent as far as I've heard :-( )

Thanks for the responses guys :smilie_flagge17:


Hi Iaresee,



> Can I just buy a new tank and pull the one in their out, drop the new one in?


That's the deal usually, as long as the input/output impedances are reasonably close and the ground/isolated connections are the same.

Cheers!


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## Wild Bill (May 3, 2006)

Geek said:


> Hi Bill,
> 
> Been to both places. AES is giving me a better price retail than Accutronics is wholesale
> 
> Cheers!


Electronic sales was my lifetime career so I have some perspective on how things work.

Many places will give you a small courtesy discount for being "in the trade" but when push comes to shove it all comes down to money!

AES orders a far bigger number of tanks each year than us little guys. So they get a much better cost. Period. End of story.

Wholesale and retail is not simply a matter of belonging to a club or knowing the right people and connections. If you want a big guy cost then you must order in comparable volumes.

I've been looking at a line of decent quality pots for years now. You know, real ones! Mil spec RV4 style, 2 watt with real audio tapers. What's stopping me? I know the source but I also know that I need to buy a minimum production run. That means a couple of hundred pots at a cost of over $10 Cdn. I can't buy one or two. I can't get a thousand piece price unless I order over a thousand. And although lots of guys claim they would buy from me I really don't have confidence that they wouldn't just wuss out and buy the cheapie Alpha's.

It's all a matter of scale and it's one of the things that makes breaking into manufacturing so difficult. What you really have to do is make your parts cost less important to your resale price. If you're selling a custom unit then you can charge more. You can never compete with mass-produced products on price. You have to charge more but give the buyer value that your competition can't, like easy service to lower repair costs and circuit tweaks custom to the player.

If you worry too much about parts costs the Chinese will eat you for lunch! If the player wants a cheap amp they will ALWAYS be the cheapest! I laugh at those Chinese Epiphones. You pay for a cheap amp and then spend the same again in good parts, let alone costing out your added labour!

Anyhow, that's why I've never entertained the idea of a standard line of amps. I do custom builds, with every amp a "one-of" both in circuit tweaks for the player and in cosmetics. With even Fender having abandoned production in North America in favour of Chinese production I just don't think copying the larger mass-production companies is a good survival tactic!

Just my humble opinion....

:food-smiley-004:


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## Geek (Jun 5, 2007)

Bill, your words are GOLD! 

Yes, with the HiFi business, the hardest thing to get was a decent locally made, plastic free, solid aluminum knob. No problem, find a local metal hobbiest with a lathe... done!

The unique things guitar amps need, you can't go to your local railroad club and find an old retired dude with time on his hands to build you a reverb tank.

Some things can't be had without paying the proper folks for.

Cheers!


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Interesting thread !!

Dave


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## Adicted to Tubes (Mar 5, 2006)

Why do you need a Canadian maker for reverb tanks?
I get mine south of the border for cheap.
And as far as Chinese reverb tanks,the new Ruby tubes reverb tank rocks!Same price as accutronics.I use both.
There are several types of reverb tanks available.Short,long and medium delay.And also several lengths and some are two spring ans some three.The three spring ones usually sound best with a dwell control.not always.
Reverb can be like changing tubes.Get a couple of tanks and swap them out and see if you like the change.Way cheaper than tubes.

www.claramps.com


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## Geek (Jun 5, 2007)

Adicted to Tubes said:


> Why do you need a Canadian maker for reverb tanks?


I didn't say that. I said:



> ....and *prefer* to go with a Canadian maker or supplier.


To support my country and fellow Canadians :smilie_flagge17:


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## Adicted to Tubes (Mar 5, 2006)

I would rather support Canadians too,but alas there are no tank manufacturers here in Canada.At least Hammond has good transformers.:smilie_flagge17:

www.claramps.com


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## Geek (Jun 5, 2007)

Adicted to Tubes said:


> At least Hammond has good transformers.:smilie_flagge17:


Indeed!! :smile:


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