I feel like a Stinkin' Genius

[Scott_F]

Fixed the reverb on my recently acquired Pro Reverb. Put some new cables in there, no go. Messed with the tubes, no go. Got in there and just compared the circuit. Resoldered the input jacks, took out a little capacitor that had somehow made it's way onto the reverb output jack and now I have reverb again.

I'm not sure exactly what I did, or why that little cap ran from the hot on the reverb output to ground, but I'd rather be lucky that good.

I also put a 3-spring Accutronics tank in there, but I"m not that impressed. I think I'm going to go back to the 2-spring stock tank. The 3-spring tended to rattle a bit.

When I get back from traveling, I should have the parts arrived to do the cap job. Looking forward to the joy of working on this stuff myself. I cannot tell you how satisfying it is to repair it myself.

Bruce at MissionAmps created a monster with his little 5E3 kit.

 

[Curly]

Re: I feel like a Stinkin' Genius

cool, Scott

I think a lot of the time on those reverbs the transducers at the tank connections get messed up

you're kinda inspiring me to getting around to doing a cap job on my BF Bassman head ...
where did you get your parts? I know Mouser has the best prices on the filter caps, but Hoffman seems easier to order from.

 

[bvc310]

Re: I feel like a Stinkin' Genius

I use mouser due to their cheaper prices and they have pretty much everything you will ever need. While your there, ask them to send you a catalog (takes about 2 weeks to arrive) i find it easier to find the parts i need when i can look through something that is physically there.
Good luck,
Brian

 

[Indie P Bass]

Re: I feel like a Stinkin' Genius

oh, man, I want one of those 5e3 kits...

 

[Kent S.]

Re: I feel like a Stinkin' Genius

Fixed the reverb on my recently acquired Pro Reverb. Put some new cables in there, no go. Messed with the tubes, no go. Got in there and just compared the circuit. Resoldered the input jacks, took out a little capacitor that had somehow made it's way onto the reverb output jack and now I have reverb again.

I'm not sure exactly what I did, or why that little cap ran from the hot on the reverb output to ground, but I'd rather be lucky that good.

I also put a 3-spring Accutronics tank in there, but I"m not that impressed. I think I'm going to go back to the 2-spring stock tank. The 3-spring tended to rattle a bit.

Okay the above sounds really odd, but glad it worked. So the cap didn't
show up on the other scheamtic? Anyway, forgive me if I tell you something that you already know, but you are aware aren't you that there are a lot of different accutronics reverb tanks with very difference input and output impedances, and *grounding*schemes ... right? That may explain why the other tank didn't sound as good, it very well may not have been a proper match ... there are code numbers stamped into (or inked) the tops of the tanks that tell output Z,grounding scheme between in and out.
Like a guy told me, most of them will work, they just won't work right.
I put this up one time before, but here it is again, plus you'll know evrything about your tank you ever wanted to know ...
www.accutronicsreverb.com
You probably already know Scott, but just thought I'd throw it out there anyway. Congrats on the amp and the 'verb issues!

 

[Scott_F]

Re: I feel like a Stinkin' Genius

I messed around with it some more last night and I'm going to keep the 3-spring in for a while. This is the link I used to learn about the tanks. http://www1.korksoft.com/~schem/mods/reverbtanks.htm

I also got my tank and the wires off Torres Engineering site. I made sure that I got the one that gave a bit more of a lush tone to the normal 2 spring Fender.

Now that little cap is a real mystery. It's not on the blackface schematics, nor on the silverface schematics. My gut feeling is that it is like the tone control on a guitar. We all put small value caps in the tone circuit to bleed off some of the highs. Since reverb is mostly the highs, it makes sense that someone (fender or a tech in hte last 30 years) put it in there to bleed off some of the highs and maybe tame the reverb a bit. I'm going to experiment some more with that.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: I feel like a Stinkin' Genius

Fixed the reverb on my recently acquired Pro Reverb. Put some new cables in there, no go. Messed with the tubes, no go. Got in there and just compared the circuit. Resoldered the input jacks, took out a little capacitor that had somehow made it's way onto the reverb output jack and now I have reverb again.

I'm not sure exactly what I did, or why that little cap ran from the hot on the reverb output to ground, but I'd rather be lucky that good.

I also put a 3-spring Accutronics tank in there, but I"m not that impressed. I think I'm going to go back to the 2-spring stock tank. The 3-spring tended to rattle a bit.

When I get back from traveling, I should have the parts arrived to do the cap job. Looking forward to the joy of working on this stuff myself. I cannot tell you how satisfying it is to repair it myself.

Bruce at MissionAmps created a monster with his little 5E3 kit.

Enjoy yourself Scott....Nothing more enjoyable than doing this type of thing yourself...Tube amps are pretty forgiving to mods,so enjoy and listen while you tweak...Always do 1 mod or change at a time and make sure it works right before you even think about moving to step or mod 2..You probably learned this already the hard way like alot of us have,but it's a good tip to follow..

John