Do we have a comparison of TAD vs new Accutronics pans? I agree that the MOD has an awfully cavernous sound which is too messy for my purposes – want drip/attack, not so much tail.

Squink Out!

True bypass was my first intention since it's the only bypass wiring I'm familiar with. I changed my mind when I read about the volume drop. So maybe I'd be better off building this unit as close to the original as possible. And in the future if need be, add a footswitch or use a loop box.
So from my understanding the switch simply turns the power on and off. So what would you want a DPST for; if I'm correctly thinking that's what Fender is using.

Just found something interesting about how they set the decay in the reverb pan:

"I had read in a Gerald Weber book, years ago, where he was talking about how they set the length of decay. I couldn't find it in his books this morning.

It's the damping disk. It's like a flat washer that is strung/threaded on the end of the springs straight mounting wire/rod that is inserted into the cooper/brass tube that sets the decay time.

The bigger the diameter of the disc (and what it's made of) limits/restricts the springs movement ( just like a guitar strings movement) in the tube."

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

Got my kit a few days ago. I'm going the Harbor Freight toolbox route per stratdancer's recommendation. Since this is going to be an xmas gift for our other guitarist, I'd better hurry up and start this "Build a Bear" project. Gotta leave plenty of time for "testing and evaluation"

Bill S._______

HELLDIVER on Facebook

how sound the r4 ? like the r3 ?

Bill S._______

HELLDIVER on Facebook

Just got a MOD 8AB2A1B pan for the Surfy Bear. I wanted a shorter decay but this one has a shorter, but really terrible sounding room tail. Something like a weird echo. Can not recommend it.

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

remora1 wrote:

I picked up this one which was recommended a few pages back -

AC121 - 12VDC 1A Regulated Switching Power Supply

Yes, this is the type I normally recommend, a small 'switch-mode' power supply with a fixed 12V output.

ludobag wrote:

how sound the r4 ? like the r3 ?

Nothing that affects the sound is changed in R4.
Its smaller and easier to manufacture (SMD + no bias trim).

This has been interesting to follow all of this before I build mine. If I have a very successful vacation after Christmas, I should be ready to start in the next 30 days. I'm still evaluating all the possibilities for power supplies, enclosures, bypasses, etc. The phrase: two heads are better than one comes to mind.

Honey, look what was in the mail today.
image
Just kidding, that was actually a couple of days ago and I've bought another (version 3) kit some months ago. But I gave 2 of the kits to close friends as presents - stay tuned for their results, as they have some crazy ideas as well.

So I finally found the time and gutted the old television/movie cutting device I found on our local TV station's trash a couple of years ago. I do not recall, why I took it with me that day, but today it all made sense. Apart from finding TONS of tubes in it (some of them are even useful for amps) it finally made the perfect housing for the Surfy Bear Fet Reverb. This is what it looked like...nice eyecatcher, but useless.

First I needed an additional pan, so I ordered another MOD pan. Yes, I know. Most guys on here don't like the MOD pans and would prefer the TAD pan over the MOD, but I simply don't. I have tested them both. Tbh, I always have a spare MOD pan around, just in case. My favorite pan - so far - was the Accutronics I pulled out of a '76 Bandmaster Reverb TFL 5005D. But it ended up in my RI tank, so the MOD is the best (to my ears) you can order today.

What to do with this gutted housing now? Where to place what? So many options.

I decided to only use the left side of the panels and maybe the right side will become a nice trem someday.

Two more issues had to be solved. First, the pan did not fit in the case as expected, so it IS NOT mounted vertically. Maybe I will cut away some of the pans outer casting and build a suspension for a vertical mounting.

The second issue was having this solid case on the one hand and a tiny looking power input like on any pedal on the other. So I decided to mount the power adapter on the inside and connect it to a regular outlet. Looks much better, IMO.

So far I've only tested it on low volume, but the result was impressive. I am very excited to check it out at our next rehearsal. I would like to thank Björn for this outstanding kit and my good friend Sascha for his help with the whole project. You guys (surf)rock!
Some more pics:

Oh, I do have a question though. As you can see on the last picture, I play Hallmarks/Mosrites and you know how hot those PUs are. How do I operate the gain trimpot? With a regular Phillips head screwdriver? In which direction and how far without causing damage? Thanks in advance. Cheers!

The Hicadoolas

Last edited: Dec 21, 2014 19:09:00