SpaceTimC
Joined: Apr 18, 2015
Posts: 189
Bay Area, CA
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Posted on Mar 26 2018 06:24 PM
I'm getting some distortion coloring my tone when using my Surfy Bear. It only shows up when playing in the band situation - never when practicing at home solo.
I have it mounted in a metal toolbox. I wondered if maybe it's picking up vibrations in the room, but placing it on a fluffy towel did not mitigate the problem.
Does anybody have any ideas as how to troubleshoot this? Would mounting in a wood cabinet alleviate the problem?
— The Reverbivores - we're local favorites!
Last edited: Apr 06, 2018 11:58:05
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Tqi
Joined: Dec 07, 2014
Posts: 1222
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Posted on Mar 26 2018 08:47 PM
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Last edited: Feb 02, 2024 13:18:22
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JObeast
Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Mar 26 2018 11:41 PM
Tanks get old and make a nasty fuzz sound as the tiny transformers loosen up physically from vibrations over time. You can fix it with little shims covered in glue inserted to minimize looseness. Or you can get a new tank for $20. Both work.
Otherwise SB v3 has a trim pot to adjust input gain.
— Squink Out!
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crumble
Joined: Sep 09, 2008
Posts: 3158
Guildford England
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Posted on Mar 27 2018 04:26 AM
Having the tank cables connected the wrong way around can cause strange noises, I know it sounds silly but it's best double check them first.
I had issues with strange noises and cutting out completely. I used mounting springs in my project and one spring was pushing against the RCA plug on the tank, in turn bending the internals of the socket. I used a jewellers eye piece to look inside the socket and I could see the problem right away, the contacts were bent and touching - I carefully bent them back and I've had no problem since.
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Gilette
Joined: May 04, 2014
Posts: 734
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Posted on Mar 27 2018 11:25 AM
I'm experiencing some distortion as well with my SB. It is more noticeable when I use a guitar with higher output, and also when I just turned on my set. after about 5 minutes it's gone. It's not an unpleasant sound though. Just a bit of growl around the edges.
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SpaceTimC
Joined: Apr 18, 2015
Posts: 189
Bay Area, CA
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Posted on Mar 27 2018 01:10 PM
Gilette, my problem is nearly the opposite. The growl is around the edges, but starts showing up after I've been playing for awhile, and only seems noticeable during band practice. Haven't tried higher output guitar (my main player is a Jazzmaster build with Fender '65s).
Unfortunately, our sound is clean, and the growl isn't what I need. 
I generally take good care of the unit- there's only two songs in our repertoire that calls for a tank kick 
— The Reverbivores - we're local favorites!
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dragonsurfer
Joined: Apr 17, 2008
Posts: 128
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Posted on Mar 27 2018 05:33 PM
SpaceTimC wrote:
Gilette, my problem is nearly the opposite. The growl is around the edges, but starts showing up after I've been playing for awhile, and only seems noticeable during band practice. Haven't tried higher output guitar (my main player is a Jazzmaster build with Fender '65s).
Unfortunately, our sound is clean, and the growl isn't what I need.
I generally take good care of the unit- there's only two songs in our repertoire that calls for a tank kick
Need clarity on the actual problem. Is there distortion the whole time you'r using the tank or only on tank kick?
Is tank kick what you mean by "color up my tone?"
Aside, did you check the tank connections to see if they are dirty or corroded? Sometimes those (if they are cheap RCA's) get gunked up just sitting around and a good cleaning of the ground connection on those jacks or simply moving the RCA connections with your fingers twisting the connections on their jacks (they are are RCA aren't they?) to displace the gunk brings back the tank clarity.
I'm still not sure what "distortion" you're experiencing.
What does "around the edges" mean?
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Gilette
Joined: May 04, 2014
Posts: 734
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Posted on Mar 28 2018 01:41 AM
SpaceTimc, does the situation change if you lower the dwell or change the miix setting? And does the volume setting of your guitar make a difference?
Last edited: Mar 28, 2018 03:01:54
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SpaceTimC
Joined: Apr 18, 2015
Posts: 189
Bay Area, CA
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Posted on Mar 28 2018 10:05 AM
Gilette wrote:
SpaceTimc, does the situation change if you lower the dwell or change the miix setting? And does the volume setting of your guitar make a difference?
Good questions - I don't know. I will investigate tonight and report back.
— The Reverbivores - we're local favorites!
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bjoish
Joined: Jul 06, 2010
Posts: 597
Stockholm
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Posted on Apr 02 2018 10:45 AM
SpaceTimC, did it work out for you to improve the sound by adjusting the mix/dwell settings?
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SpaceTimC
Joined: Apr 18, 2015
Posts: 189
Bay Area, CA
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Posted on Apr 02 2018 02:08 PM
bjoish - no, that did not. What we found is, when a bandmate pressed down on the top of the toolbox in which I have my Surfy Bear mounted, the distortion went away. I'm not quite sure what that means...
Next steps, I'm thinking about (1) swapping out the reverb pans from my Fender Deluxe Reverb, and (2) whipping up a quick and dirty wooden cab.
— The Reverbivores - we're local favorites!
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JObeast
Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Apr 02 2018 03:19 PM
Did you see my tip above? I found shimming the transformers at the spring ends eliminated distortion on old pans with a minimum of fuss.
— Squink Out!
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SpaceTimC
Joined: Apr 18, 2015
Posts: 189
Bay Area, CA
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Posted on Apr 02 2018 04:48 PM
JObeast, I saw your tip, thanks  I haven't had a chance to implement, as life has gotten in the way. However, it's not a particularly old pan; maybe a year old if that.
— The Reverbivores - we're local favorites!
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dragonsurfer
Joined: Apr 17, 2008
Posts: 128
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Posted on Apr 02 2018 05:25 PM
SpaceTimC wrote:
bandmate pressed down on the top of the toolbox in which I have my Surfy Bear mounted, the distortion went away.
Sounds like grounding or shorting somewhere.
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SpaceTimC
Joined: Apr 18, 2015
Posts: 189
Bay Area, CA
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Posted on Apr 05 2018 05:52 PM
OK - so, after much investigation on my own, and making sure bandmates were talking about the same noises, I think I may have isolated my problem!
I think it's my guitar cables. 
New set on order; we'll see if that definitely solves the problem.
— The Reverbivores - we're local favorites!
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Tqi
Joined: Dec 07, 2014
Posts: 1222
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Posted on Apr 05 2018 06:23 PM
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Last edited: Feb 02, 2024 13:29:06
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Gilette
Joined: May 04, 2014
Posts: 734
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Posted on Apr 06 2018 01:42 AM
Glad you found it. Thankfully it's an easy fix.
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Riphraff
Joined: Mar 22, 2018
Posts: 5
Las Vegas
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Posted on Apr 06 2018 02:29 PM
Good afternoon gentlemen! I'm hoping this is the spot to be because I am out of my mind irritated haha! I just completed my surfy bear build and I'm getting sound when I tap the Reverb tank you can hear that crash but I'm not getting any Reverb in my plane. Any ideas or help would be so greatly appreciated. Thank you
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Brian
Joined: Feb 25, 2006
Posts: 19362
Des Moines, Iowa, USA
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Posted on Apr 06 2018 02:31 PM
Hi Riphraff, you should probably start your own thread, or ask in the surfy bear mega-thread.
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Tqi
Joined: Dec 07, 2014
Posts: 1222
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Posted on Apr 06 2018 04:31 PM
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Last edited: Feb 02, 2024 13:35:27
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