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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink MOD reverb tanks?

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Anybody tried these? You can check out the info here: http://www.300guitars.com/2009/12/mod-reverb-tanks/ . They claim to sound more "vintage" sounding than other current production tanks. Just wondering if anyone has first hand experience with them.

I havn't been happy with my tank, thinking of ordering one, just not sure which one to get...

P.S. pan.. not a whole new unit..

I wanna play just like him when i grow up...

I'm waiting for one (4AB3C1B equivalent) to arrive. I can let you know what happens once it's in there.

Please do link, right now im using the pan out of a 68 princeton for my reverb unit.. its ok.. but no drip

I wanna play just like him when i grow up...

I ordered one too! Hopefully it will be better than accutronics.

http://www.reverbnation.com/bangmustang
http://www.facebook.com/bangmustang
https://soundcloud.com/bang-mustang

These do sound promising, Ill be awaiting your reviews!

Hearing more and more good things about this MOD tank! Hopefully it will arrive soon. I think the tank is the most important part in a Reverb Unit. The biggest change in sound.

http://www.reverbnation.com/bangmustang
http://www.facebook.com/bangmustang
https://soundcloud.com/bang-mustang

Yeah, this thing had better be a quick trip to dripville; the postage is costing me more than the pan. Should be here any day now.

Just got mine the other day and I gotta say this thing blows away the stock Accutronics tank I have in my Gomez G-Spring. The sound is a darker but also smoother and has more drip. A lot less harsh and ice-pick bright as the Accutronics. I really love it. It really does sound more "vintage" than most modern production tanks. I highly recommend it to everyone that hates the sound of their Accutronics tank and can't afford a vintage Gibbs unit. A real steal at $18.00

Danny, which model did you get? i think they offer 3? I am using a hoffman OT transformer and not sure which pan matches with it best:) And to top it off.. my 43 year old power transformer died last night... no blown fuse or anything.. just quit:(

I wanna play just like him when i grow up...

It finally arrived -- the MOD pan is here, and the transplant complete. As the only pic on the web site leaves a lot to be desired, I took a few shots during the installation process for your viewing pleasure.

image
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Dimensions are similar, but not identical, to the stock Accutronics pan used in Fender reverb units.
image
image
There are numerous detail differences between the MOD and Accutronics. The stock pan looks pretty cheap by comparison.
image
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The MOD pan fits in exactly like the original; getting the springs through the holes is still just as big a pain in the ass as Fender intended.
image

On to the important question: Is there more 'verb? I'm not gonna waffle. The answer clearly seems to be yes and no. I'd been hoping for the kind of pronounced drip that's probably best represented on many Surfites tunes, and I still haven't got it. That's the bad news.

On the other hand, there is a 'general' increase in reverb. Without having touched the amp or guitar settings, I noticed an increase in volume, and that the reverb had more depth and resonance. What I'm trying to impart here is that I really got the feeling of playing in a big room with amazing natural resonance, and this is something I'd never heard or felt before. It was actually too much at times, with waves of reverberation washing over each other and obscuring the clarity of the notes. The big difference between pans, in other words, seems to be the greater 'sustain' or duration of the reverberations. I guess it will take a bit of dialing in before the best balance is found.

The other good news is that the unit's controls are a bit more responsive now; previously, my tank had effectively three settings: no 'verb, 'verb, and tinny noise. Adjustments are still pretty coarse, but I'm noticing some improvement. Is it just a case of Emperor's New Clothes? Not sure about that...

For the record, I played two guitars into this tank -- an SGV300 and Danelectro Hodad, both with 11 flats. I played with and without palm muting, with both light and heavy picking, through the speaker and with headphones. It was with the headphones that the greatest difference could be heard. (That brings up a question I've been meaning to ask for some time, but will save for a different thread.) With the headphones, I did notice more drip. That was true with the old pan, also -- phones = more perceived splash. In this condition, I definitely noticed more of what I'd hoped to get out of this pan. Not only a passable drip emanating from the heavier strings, but even from the high E. That was not the case with the Accu pan. With muting, the post-swap sound was almost like that produced by dropping pebbles into a pool in a deep cave. It wasn't that good with the old pan.

All in all, the change is not what I'd call utterly transcendent, but the headphone experiment suggests that my amp/speaker may be a bottleneck. It's a noticeable improvement, and I have no desire to put the Accutronics pan back in. For $18, you can't really go wrong.

you got the 4AB3C1B model?

And i have 3 vintage pans and none of them get good drip... I want to know how the fathoms get their sick drip.. never heard anyone else with it like them..

I wanna play just like him when i grow up...

Icetech
you got the 4AB3C1B model?

That's the one.

You driving me crazy! The thing is still not here. Hopefully it will arrive the next days...

http://www.reverbnation.com/bangmustang
http://www.facebook.com/bangmustang
https://soundcloud.com/bang-mustang

Ordered mine today, along with the new power transformer... and new tubes for the 6g6-b... and other various amp crap.. stuff is getting expensive

I wanna play just like him when i grow up...

Bought one for my Guyatone tank last week. It arrived 3 days later and I dropped it in. Missing Link pretty much nailed it in his critique, the controls are noticeably more responsive and the tank now seems more sensitive dynamically, the harder you attack the more the reverb opens up. The "drip" is definitely there, although not as pronounced as I would have hoped. As with M-L, I suspect the weakness probably lies somewhere else in my signal chain. All in all, at $27 shipped it's definitely the cheapest upgrade I've ever done and now I'm one step closer to that sound!

On a side note, I just checked the Antique Electronic Supply site and for whatever reason (closeout maybe?) they've dropped the price from $18 to $16.20, so if you were on the fence you might want to grab one now.

Bill S._______
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HELLDIVER on Facebook

Sonsabitches! I just ordered mine like 2 days ago at the normal price:( bah! should be here tomorrow

I wanna play just like him when i grow up...

remora1
the controls are noticeably more responsive and the tank now seems more sensitive dynamically, the harder you attack the more the reverb opens up.

Agreed. Having spent a few days playing with the MOD to see if my first impressions would hold up, there's no doubt anymore that the sensitivity of all the controls has increased/become less bad. I'd also agree with Dannylectro about it being a darker reverb. Certainly not too dark, though.

The only problem is that since reading that post yesterday about shimming loose transducers, the urge is building to yank the MOD back out for more detailed comparison with the old pan, after shimming. Damn, I need to be tied to a chair, hit over the head, sedated, or something...

I picked one up locally. It is cheap. Sounds okay. Not as good as my stock Accutronics. It is more hi-fi sounding. Some drip but not as much.

Then again, I think the nature of converting part of your guitar signal to mechanical vibration and then recovering as signal means that small variations (even in the same part) can cause audible differences.

I am curious about shimming transducers. Anyone care to elucidate?

SSIV

This is the post I was referring to, which itself refers to an older post about shimming (which I've been unable to find again).
http://surfguitar101.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=7145&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15
Danny spells out this mod pretty clearly in the one I've linked to.

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