CosmicSandDollar
Joined: Dec 11, 2013
Posts: 19
Ventura
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Posted on Apr 24 2015 12:32 AM
OK, so I feel like an idiot and I need help.
I just bought and received a used Fender '63 Reissue Reverb Tank from Guitar Center (online, shipped from another store). It was marked 'Condition: Great'. Raced home, plugged it in and fired it up - no reverb! I'm getting sound through my amp (first a Fender Twin Reverb then a Roland Jazz Chorus) and the "Tone" and "Mix" knobs noticeably affect the guitar signal, but nothin' doin' on the "Dwell" (and therefore NO REVERB!)
What am I doing wrong here? It has to be me; the thing is in great shape and I can't believe they'd sell me a lemon straight out, knowing I can return it right away. Doesn't appear to have been damaged in transit - packed well, tank was locked, etc. I took off the front and back panels, visually checked everything, nothing looks out of place - but I'm also not an expert. But no loose wires, broken tubes, etc. The only thing is, the white RCA cable (output?) going into the unit is scratchy if wiggled. I tried it with a different RCA cable, same thing. Is that something? If so, is it something a neanderthal like myself could fix?
I want to figure this out because it was a good deal and I'm excited to dive in (first outboard reverb tank here), so I'm not hasty to complain to GC just yet. I'd rather just figure it out and surf on.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I know this site isn't trafficked a ton but you guys know your stuff and I'd rather wait here than deal with some riff-raff elsewhere.
Thanks in advance!
— The Cosmic Sand Dollars - Ride the Digital Surf!
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Apr 24 2015 12:43 AM
Switch the RCAs back and forth, try other RCAs. Are the tubes placed in the correct spots?
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DannySnyder
Joined: Mar 02, 2006
Posts: 11075
Berkeley, CA
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Posted on Apr 24 2015 12:46 AM
A couple things to try if you haven't already. Reverse the cables. If that doesn't work, try this. Locate another reverb pan, usually it's easy to find one on a a fender combo amp with built in reverb. Open the bag they're usually stored in and run rca cables from your tank to that pan. Again, if it doesn't work, reverse cables.
— Danny Snyder
"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo
I am now playing trumpet with Prince Buster tribute band 'Balzac'
Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta
Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party
Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF
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SanchoPansen
Joined: Jan 04, 2011
Posts: 1588
Berlin L-Berg
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Posted on Apr 24 2015 01:34 AM
Your Twin's pan should be a 4AB3C1B. So take it out of the back of the amp, check the part number and if they match, hook it up to the tank.
Another thing that happens in transit sometimes is that the 'locking/damping foam' that's glued beneath the pan falls off an blocks the springs on the inside of the pan. You have to carefully take the pan off the suspension springs on the baffle to check that. IMO your pan is either blocked or broken (no big deal anyway).
And what Danny and Jake said: reverse cables!
— The Hicadoolas
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SurfBeat
Joined: Dec 31, 2008
Posts: 284
Riverside, CA
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Posted on Apr 24 2015 01:48 AM
Did you plug your guitar cable into the correct slot?
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CosmicSandDollar
Joined: Dec 11, 2013
Posts: 19
Ventura
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Posted on Apr 24 2015 09:09 AM
Awesome, thank you guys very much for your insights and suggestions. I will definitely try everything.
I have the plugging-in part nailed down, and I even tried plugging directly into the footswitch jack just to make sure the Tone & Mix work (saw that posted somewhere else here) and it did. Also the tubes are in the right spots and they all appear to fire up normally. The unit seems to be operating as if everything BUT the Reverb portion is just dandy.
Thanks again guys, I really appreciate the help.
— The Cosmic Sand Dollars - Ride the Digital Surf!
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dboomer
Joined: Jan 05, 2009
Posts: 262
Port Hueneme, CA
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Posted on Apr 24 2015 11:05 AM
With the unit connected to your amp ... if you disconnect the RCA plugs that go into the tank and put your thumb on the hot of the RCA you should hear a loud hum when your thumb is on the plug that connects to the "out" of the reverb tank. Does this happen?
If you don't get a hum on either RCA plug then the reverb side of the circuit is not working.
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Noel
Joined: Mar 15, 2011
Posts: 8528
Back in Piitsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I grew up.
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Posted on Apr 24 2015 11:20 AM
Happened to me twice three times. The first was a broken wire in the reverb pan. The second third time was the RCA cables got loose.
But the first time was that the reverb driver side of the 12AX7 broke. The dry signal goes through the other side of the tube, and since it was okay, I still had the dry signal just like you. I replaced that tube, and the reverb came back.
See here for a diagram.
EDIT: I couldn't tell just by looking that only half of the 12AX7 was working.
— This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.
Last edited: May 07, 2015 17:12:46
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skeeter
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 2063
Virginia, USA
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Posted on Apr 24 2015 11:32 AM
I'm sure you did but I have to ask.
Are you sure you completely disengaged the locking lever?
I just removed mine completely. You can eliminate rattle when transporting by keeping it face down.
— Paul
Atomic Mosquitos
Bug music for bug people is here!
Killers from Space
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derekirving
Joined: Nov 03, 2011
Posts: 660
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Posted on Apr 24 2015 01:30 PM
This happen to me once, turned out to be the reverb transformer.
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SurfBeat
Joined: Dec 31, 2008
Posts: 284
Riverside, CA
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Posted on Apr 24 2015 02:02 PM
I made up a flow chart to isolate G315 problems. If you want it, let me know. It is a tad lengthy, but it works well for my G315, but not my POS 76 SF verb.
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SanchoPansen
Joined: Jan 04, 2011
Posts: 1588
Berlin L-Berg
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Posted on Apr 24 2015 02:23 PM
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Stormtiger
Joined: Dec 12, 2006
Posts: 2687
Ventura, CA
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Posted on Apr 24 2015 02:54 PM
I'm in Ventura, I have an extra pan you try. I sent you a Private Message.
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SixStringSurfer
Joined: Sep 23, 2014
Posts: 1428
Memphis, TN
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Posted on Apr 24 2015 05:10 PM
Nothing worse than being excited about your brand new reverb tank, then getting home and it doesn't work properly. Don't worry, you'll be riding the reverb waves in no time. Keep us updated.
— MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale. New EP Louder Than Life available on bandcamp and website.
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CosmicSandDollar
Joined: Dec 11, 2013
Posts: 19
Ventura
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Posted on Apr 25 2015 04:30 PM
Update:
Tried everything mentioned - it looks like the reverb pan itself. I plugged the '63 RI unit directly into the pan from my Twin Reverb and - voila! - the DRIP.
So, continuing my ignorance, what does this mean exactly? Is there anything I can do to fix what appears to be a dead pan? Like I said before, I have to believe this unit was all functioning properly when it left the store to be shipped here - is there a chance something happened to the pan that can be fixed? (Obviously there's a chance, but how likely would it be that it's a fixable break for the lay-person like myself?). Not looking for a handout or even a detailed explanation, just need to know what I should be expecting, limits-wise and if I need to just get a new tank a.s.a.p.
FYI I plugged the (dead) '63 RI pan into my Twin Reverb and when I turned the amp on and turned up the Reverb knob, it was just an increasingly loud hum. Not crazy loud but it gradated with the pot and there was never any reverb.
YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME. I knew your collective knowledge would be deeper than the Pacific, but the amount of grace and generosity has been very great. Thanks again.
— The Cosmic Sand Dollars - Ride the Digital Surf!
Last edited: Apr 25, 2015 16:32:12
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CosmicSandDollar
Joined: Dec 11, 2013
Posts: 19
Ventura
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Posted on Apr 25 2015 04:30 PM
SixStringSurfer wrote:
Nothing worse than being excited about your brand new reverb tank, then getting home and it doesn't work properly. Don't worry, you'll be riding the reverb waves in no time. Keep us updated.
SERIOUSLY! I thought this exact thing! Thanks for your encouragement, the wave is coming!
— The Cosmic Sand Dollars - Ride the Digital Surf!
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PrestonRice
Joined: Oct 05, 2012
Posts: 1725
Austin, Texas
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Posted on Apr 25 2015 04:36 PM
Replacement tanks are roughly $20. Just grab one and swap it out! The guys here have tons of recommendations for the ones that sound the best.
— IMO.
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SanchoPansen
Joined: Jan 04, 2011
Posts: 1588
Berlin L-Berg
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Posted on Apr 26 2015 02:23 AM
Glad you found the issue and it wasn't anything big. Pans are a little fragile and they can break in transit if not properly wrapped up. A regular transport in a car won't do any harm, but shipping with a delivery service the goods get thrown around, fall to the ground, etc. It can happen.
Any 4AB3C1B (or 4AB3C1C) will do. There are different opinions on the brands available, but IMO the MOD, Accutronics (Korea) and TAD pans all work well.
As this is your first tank, be aware that every tube and every pan has it's own characteristic and changing one of those components will have an impact on the overall sound of the unit - for better or worse. That's why most folks here own more than one pan and one set of tubes.
/Edit: I wouldn't bother fixing the broken pan - it is not rocket science, but it's not an easy fix either  One more thing I'd suggest: get a new replacement pan and compare the new one to the one you got in your Twin. Put the one you like best in the tank and the other one in the Twin, as you won't be using the Twins onboard that much any more.
— The Hicadoolas
Last edited: Apr 26, 2015 02:28:48
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Surf_Skater
Joined: Sep 06, 2012
Posts: 1300
Lawrenceville , GA
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Posted on Apr 26 2015 06:13 AM
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Badger
Joined: Nov 16, 2013
Posts: 4537
Wisconsin
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Posted on Apr 26 2015 07:00 AM
Yes, pans are cheap but GC should be buying him the pan & having it drop-shipped to him.
— Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel
DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.
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