and last advantage !!!!
you can kick it without fear for breaking tubes

PM sent!

bjoish wrote:

JObeast wrote:

Question is, how much more power is the advisable limit? 18V is 33 1/3% higher than 12v – is that tolerable?

I do not recommend more than 12V. Since the amp is class-A, the heatsinks become quite hot even with 12V supply voltage. 18V supply voltage would affect the overall gain and cause even more heat.

There is info about 12V adapters on my website.

JObeast, mail me your delivery address!!

Squink Out!

At the risk of being labeled a blasphemer , has anyone tried a "short" 3-spring tank (8ABxxxx) with this unit? I'm thinking of pedalboard-friendly options here...

Wow, I have to say I am extremely pleased to see surf players embrace the Surfy Bear. I apologize for being narcissistic, but back in the 90's I built a solid-state reverb unit based on the Fender 6G15. To my years, it sounded just like a tube-driven unit, but the guitarists I showed it to simply did not like the idea of playing through a solid-state circuit. Remember, there was a backlash in the 90's against the rackmounted amplifiers and effects so being a 'purist' was the in thing. Another problem is that these guys were afraid they were missing 'something' because tubes weren't involved. To them, it was worth it to spend the extra money on the real thing, otherwise, they'd lose sleep at night worrying if their reverb was good enough or not.

Another problem I had was that building a solid-state reverb unit was still going to be expensive. I designed it so the electronics themselves would be very cheap. All of the parts were available from Radio Shack! But the cabinet and chassis put my cost over $250, meaning I'd have to be charging $500 for the completed unit. At that price, there's no way I could compete with the tube reverb available from Fender and others at the time.

Hopefully, the Surfy Bear can sell now because the market has changed. Back in the 90's, my competition was Fender, Kendrick, and other boutique reverb builders. But now that a lot of people are used to playing through cheap, crappy digital reverb pedals, they are excited to see that the Surfy Bear reverb blows them away at an affordable price. This new generation isn't as brainwashed about vacuum tubes so maybe they will listen with their ears instead of their eyes.

For comparison purposes, here's my old SS reverb circuit. It is enclosed in a small aluminum box and was meant to mount inside of a Fender Blues DeVille. DC power was taken off from the amplifier's circuit board. Unlike the Surfy Bear, I did not attempt to duplicate each vacuum tube with FETs. Rather, I duplicated each function of the Fender reverb unit using standard electronic circuitry.

http://s973.photobucket.com/user/bjb8543/library/Guitar%20Things/Solid-State%20Reverb%20Project

If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.

BJB wrote:

Wow, I have to say I am extremely pleased to see surf players embrace the Surfy Bear. I apologize for being narcissistic, but back in the 90's I built a solid-state reverb unit based on the Fender 6G15. To my years, it sounded just like a tube-driven unit, but the guitarists I showed it to simply did not like the idea of playing through a solid-state circuit. Remember, there was a backlash in the 90's against the rackmounted amplifiers and effects so being a 'purist' was the in thing. Another problem is that these guys were afraid they were missing 'something' because tubes weren't involved. To them, it was worth it to spend the extra money on the real thing, otherwise, they'd lose sleep at night worrying if their reverb was good enough or not.

Another problem I had was that building a solid-state reverb unit was still going to be expensive. I designed it so the electronics themselves would be very cheap. All of the parts were available from Radio Shack! But the cabinet and chassis put my cost over $250, meaning I'd have to be charging $500 for the completed unit. At that price, there's no way I could compete with the tube reverb available from Fender and others at the time.

Hopefully, the Surfy Bear can sell now because the market has changed. Back in the 90's, my competition was Fender, Kendrick, and other boutique reverb builders. But now that a lot of people are used to playing through cheap, crappy digital reverb pedals, they are excited to see that the Surfy Bear reverb blows them away at an affordable price. This new generation isn't as brainwashed about vacuum tubes so maybe they will listen with their ears instead of their eyes.

For comparison purposes, here's my old SS reverb circuit. It is enclosed in a small aluminum box and was meant to mount inside of a Fender Blues DeVille. DC power was taken off from the amplifier's circuit board. Unlike the Surfy Bear, I did not attempt to duplicate each vacuum tube with FETs. Rather, I duplicated each function of the Fender reverb unit using standard electronic circuitry.

http://s973.photobucket.com/user/bjb8543/library/Guitar%20Things/Solid-State%20Reverb%20Project

BJB,
I am a little surprised about the attention my FET Reverb got here at Surfguitar101. Since the 6G15 is 'the holy graal' here, I expected most people to immediately dismiss a SS design.
But atleast some people here seems to thinks it's fun with DIY and are open minded enough

I can imagine that your circuit sounded very good. Reverb circuits are no rocket science. I think the FET reverb sounds very good, but probably mostly because the reverb pan itself sounds so good.
You are right, a nice chassis and cabinet for a reverb tank can be expensive. Thats a problem.

I dont think there is a big market for something like this, but its been a fun project and the surf community deserves many reverb options!

Snufkino, here's the one I used: https://www.amplifiedparts.com/products/P-H1590C
The W&L are perfect for this, the H is quite oversized, has more than enough air buffer, I plan to stuff more circuitry and hardware there. You might find something more compact. SurbyBear PCB is 100mm X 70mm X 28mm.
The switch is wired to cross the ground and live wires coming back from the pan. Exactly like the PDF, it's as straight-forward as can be!

If you plan to enclose the PCB and pan separately, keep in mind you might need longer than standard (shielded!) RCA cables. This might, or not, affect the sound.

bjoish wrote:

Wow, truly unique
Pure freaky sci-fi !!!

Almost missed that, thank-you! that was the jest..
You're gonna see a lot more cool builds coming - get on with the stickers man! You've got a winner here, realize that to the fullest.

Last edited: Aug 30, 2014 20:55:26

No stereo jacks! The grounds need to be separated!

Snufkino wrote:

What are the dimensions for that enclosure? And how do you wire the footswitch up? If I can fit a box like that on my pedal board, I might give this a go.

If you want a real tight box I recommend a few ventilation holes.
The class-A amp inside can get unnecessary hot otherwise.

It is possible to mount the MOSFETs against the chassis, but you will need to use isolation pads to avoid a short circuit!!

i have already said but it is true ,this is not a one sound box it is plenty usable with various setting and evermore you play better with

Last edited: Sep 02, 2014 16:55:46

Saw some of these at Ace hardware stores. Thought you guys who have been using tool boxes would be interested in a cool looking enclosure.

Rocking boxes

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Last edited: Sep 09, 2014 23:53:45