I just got the MIK Accutronics pan and absolutly love it. It has the best drip compared to MOD, TAD, MIA Accutronics and some Gibbs ones.

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Stormtiger wrote:

I had a big surprise with my tank. My MIK pan arrived and I installed it only to find the reverb was very weak. It had a nice drip but I had to max the mix to 9 or 10 to get what I normally get at 5 or 6. I put the old pan back in. On removing the old pan I was surprised to see 3 springs and the model number is 9AB3C1B, which I believe is the wrong pan for a reverb unit, but it sounds better to me. What the hell, I'm completely baffled. I think I'll stop messing with it and just play.

Yeah, that is baffling - there is no way that I would consider the MIK to be weak at middle settings. Is the new MIK pan the 4AB3C1C (vertical mount) or the 4AB3C1B (horizontal) ?
At the end of the day, though, it's all about what you are happy with so your old pan seems to scratch that itch. I cannot help but think that you either have a defective unit, you need to swap the In/Out RCA connectors (I had to do that, btw, with both my MOD and my MIK Accu relative to my stock MIA Accu) or that you do not have the correct part number for the MIK.
Don't worry, connecting the 'wrong' RCA connectors in itself is not going to damage anything but it sure doesn't help with the sound! - it is also a common thing that players have to do even though it seems counter-intuitive.

Lorne
The Surf Shakers: https://www.facebook.com/TheSurfShakers
Vancouver BC Canada

I think there's no escape from personal experience here, everything is so specific, everyone's setup is different. The pans are delicate mechanical units, that rely on magnetic suspension and a matrix of tiny springs... The tolerances are minimal. The most common complaint I read here, and all over the internet, regarding any spring reverb unit of any kind, has to do with the pan itself. Stormtiger, it might just be that another MK one, exactly the same, would sound really different. Not that it's broken, it's the nature of the beast.
One thing we forgot to establish in these threads, is what we are comparing to? What's the base line? Dick Dale and Astronauts? Fine by me! Because the 3 spring sound is initially something very different...

So... would all this apply similarly to the reverb pan/circuit in a COMBO? Because I recently switched out the stock Fender Accu (no idea if it's MIK, I assume so) with a MOD pan, and heard ZERO difference. I'm wondering if maybe swapping the reverb send/driver would make any difference.... or if this stuff applies to outboard reverb differently than onboard reverb?

FWIW, it's a Super-sonic 22.

SixStringSurfer wrote:

You guys must all be good with wiring, electrical components, etc... Isn't it difficult to change out a pan? Isn't it possible to get shocked pretty badly?

I am a complete novice with electrical projects. Changing out a pan is one of the easiest and safest modifications.
The only requirement is to unplug the electrical cable and turn the unit off. The reverb pan is NOT powered - it simply has In/Out RCA connector cables which only carries audio. Disconnect those two RCAs from the pan. This can be done once the unit's electrical cable is unplugged or once the following steps are done:

In a typical Fender Reverb unit, the front panel (with the grill cloth) has four screws that fasten the panel to the inner frame of the reverb unit.
Once these 4 screws are removed, the panel is free and gives access to the vertically-suspended pan attached to it. That pan is suspended by small utility springs to anchor posts on that front panel of the reverb unit. Unhook those 4 springs and Voila, the tank is completely detached from the unit.

Lorne
The Surf Shakers: https://www.facebook.com/TheSurfShakers
Vancouver BC Canada

Last edited: Feb 12, 2015 17:17:56

SixStringSurfer wrote:

Hi shake_n_stomp, thanks for the reply. I am surprised to hear it's not a huge deal to swap out the pans. I hate to ask, but if it's not too much trouble could you possibly upload some pics (I dare not ask for a video!) the next time you do a swap? If not, I totally understand. Thanks again for the reply.

Better yet, here is something that was already uploaded to Youtube that I benefited from prior to doing my own pan swaps...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0n8_kT5Wi4

Lorne
The Surf Shakers: https://www.facebook.com/TheSurfShakers
Vancouver BC Canada

Update: I tried the MIK pan again and this time, I DID NOT switch the cables despite the labels on the pan and now it sounds great. Very nice drip, much closer to the vintage tank I sometimes use. I am really happy with the MIK pan now and I am comforted knowing I now have the correct pan for the unit, and mystified as to how the wrong pan got in there but all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.

I have finally found the sound that I have been chasing! I kept asking myself, how does shake n stomp get that "lush" or "woosh" sound that I like so much? Well, I just bought a '65 Fender Reverb Deluxe RI, hooked my '63 tank up to it, and BOOM, I got "that sound!" You guys will think I am nuts, but I turn the dwell and mix up to 10, tone to 6, and turn the reverb on the amp up to about 4.

I know, I am using way too much reverb, but I love it! To be clear, I don't keep the settings like this at all times. Often, I turn the amp reverb down to 1, and set the tank to 8 8 6. Anyway, I just thought I would share my experience. To each his own, right?

MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale. New Singles "Finish Line" and "Paradiso" on Bandcamp and website.

SixStringSurfer wrote:

I have finally found the sound that I have been chasing! I kept asking myself, how does shake n stomp get that "lush" or "woosh" sound that I like so much? Well, I just bought a '65 Fender Reverb Deluxe RI, hooked my '63 tank up to it, and BOOM, I got "that sound!" You guys will think I am nuts, but I turn the dwell and mix up to 10, tone to 6, and turn the reverb on the amp up to about 4.

I know, I am using way too much reverb, but I love it! To be clear, I don't keep the settings like this at all times. Often, I turn the amp reverb down to 1, and set the tank to 8 8 6. Anyway, I just thought I would share my experience. To each his own, right?

Indeed. There are no rules. If there were rules, this wouldn't be so fun.
The whole thing with dialing it at 6-6-6 should never be regarded as the only acceptable way to run a reverb unit. This is just a half-decent starting point.

Lorne
The Surf Shakers: https://www.facebook.com/TheSurfShakers
Vancouver BC Canada

Stormtiger wrote:

Yes the new MIK pan is 4AB3C1C. The input and output jacks are marked on the pan but reversed from the old pan, I reversed the cables so input cable goes to input jack, etc. My old pan appears to be a horizontal mount, what! I may give it another try and switch the cables and make sure I didn't leave the foam block in touching the springs. I hadn't know about the foam block before, I understand it should be glued to the baffle, my old one fell off when I removed the pan. I'll have to face the fact that I have a mutant reverb unit but it sounds pretty good anyway.

When I was doing the pan swap,I noticed my foam block was hanging by a thread so everybody should check that when your in there.Also, why did Fender choose such short and wimpy RCA/cinch cable? I put some beefier .5m ones in mine.