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Topic: Talk to me about Reverb Tanks |
Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 17 Oct 2022 2:27 pm |
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For general disussion on the subject of reverb tank types. I found lots of data on the tubesandmore.com tech article, but would like to understand the reasoning for selecting a particular type of unit.
I put a MOD reverb pan in my NV400 and it was better than the Accutronics unit that was in there. I went with the advice of others here for the 9EB2C1B which is a long tank with medium decay and was a little different numbering from the Accutronics. I liked it just fine.
I noticed there is also a short decay, number 1 and a long decay, number 3 for the same tank. So what determines which one a mfg. uses in their amps?
Does it depend on the circuit the amplifier uses? And is the quality the same, but just a longer tail?
For example, I have a MosValve amp that uses the a short decay pan and it sounds just fine to me. All other specs being equal, if I used the same model tank but with a longer decay, would that result in more of a surf type reverb sound, not that I'm looking for that, or is it just that the tail would roll off later?
Also, why would you use a 2 spring unit over a 3 spring unit in the same amplifier or vice versa?
A drippy, splashy reverb sound is dependent on the type of reverb tank or the amp's reverb circuitry? Or both?
I guess there's a difference in what a tube driven circuit would require v. a SS one?...or no?
No special reason here, just trying to understand the characteristics better. |
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Josh Yenne
From:
Sonoma California
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Posted 29 Oct 2022 11:44 pm
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| Well, beyond all of this, which is a longer discussion, I can have right now. I highly recommend the “revisit” reverb tanks. They are far and away the best modern tanks I have found. |
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Lloyd Walsh
From:
San Antonio, Texas, USA
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Posted 30 Oct 2022 7:27 am
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Owning an original ‘64 Fender tank and modern Surfy Bear tank i find both spot on for surf “drip”. Not knowing the particulars of the science I’m going to back off after stating one important factor in outboard vs a reverb pan built into an amps are the three controls the tank has make a big difference in modeling your sound, which the internal pan amps lack (except the Fender Tone King). The two tanks I use have controls for: Dwell, Mixer, and Tone. With those you can get all kinds of different reverb nuances, which you can’t with the simpler single reverb up and down dial.
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Instagram Artwork profile: lloydwalsh7405 |
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Chris Clem
From:
California, USA
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Posted 31 Oct 2022 5:29 pm
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Some here probably know that I work at Standel in the early 70s as the sound test engineer. Standel was always known for their Reverb sound, and we did a lot of testing on different tanks. First all our tanks were Accutronics. We had the short ones and the full size ones in either 2 springs or 3 spring. First I will say the short one didn't sound as good, so I would pass on them. Next was the long tanks, at low to mid volume they sounded pretty much the same. But if your were looking to play loud with a ton of reverb (like surf guitar) you can't beat the three spring ones.
Of all the test we did nothing made a bigger different then foam pad that was in the tank to keep the springs from just going nuts with vibrations. The thickness and the density of that foam just makes all the difference in the overall sound of those cans.
I'm guessing they still use foam in the modern can, I know we did back then. That would be where you can really dial in a reverb. |
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Eric Philippsen
From:
Central Florida USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 3:04 am
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| I know of no modern tank that uses foam. |
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Brett Lanier
From:
Madison, TN
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 10:34 am
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| Chris Clem wrote: |
| Some here probably know that I work at Standel in the early 70s as the sound test engineer. Standel was always known for their Reverb sound, and we did a lot of testing on different tanks. |
Nice job! I have a Studio 2x12 that has incredible reverb, such a sweet sounding top end. Just wish I could get it into my 50L15... |
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Bruce Derr
From:
Lee, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 5 Nov 2022 5:34 pm Re: Talk to me about Reverb Tanks
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| Jerry Overstreet wrote: |
I guess there's a difference in what a tube driven circuit would require v. a SS one?...or no?
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It's not whether a reverb circuit uses tubes or transistors. It's the type of circuit, specifically the impedances that the circuit is designed for. For example, the classic Fender amps use a tube reverb driver feeding a small audio transformer to provide a low-impedance output, and the tank has a low-impedance input to match. But it's not hard to design a transistorized reverb driver circuit for the same tank. However, most solid-state reverb driver circuits are designed for higher impedance tanks. This allows the use of lower-current devices in the driver circuit, which saves money. On the other hand, some tube-based reverb driver circuits, such as old Ampeg Reverberockets, use high impedance tanks. |
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