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Hello,
I've had my reish reverb unit for a few weeks now and have had lots
of time to use it. I am very glad I got it! Palm muted parts sound
great now.
But it does sound a bit harsh, especially when played loud. Lots of
people have posted they have done the mod to their units. I got this
info from a guy who sells NOS tubes. He either knows what he is
talking about or he is trying to sell lots of tubes (or both). For
those of you that have swapped tubes out: how much of what is
described below did you do?
Replace 6V6 with NOS RCA 6K6GT ($15) (NOS 6K6's are $7.95)
Replace 12AT7 with NOS Mullard CV4024 ($22)
Replace 12AX7 with NOS JAN GE 5751 ($15)
Change capacitor C10 with either a 390pF or 500pF silver mica cap
(rated at 200V or higher) (~$0.60)
His link:
In general, I am not an audiophile and I don't have a tube fetish.
But tube amps do sound better to me than solid state. I don't want to
start that flame war here. But this tube stuff is greek to me and I
would appreciate any advice.
Thanks,
BN
Hi Brian,
I'm no tube nerd either (my amp is solid state), but I did retro mod my 63 reish
unit with tubes from
KCA NOS tubes. Exact tubes you've got listed there, funnily enough. Service was
exemplary and
he shipped within hours. Tubes arrived packed in a ton of polystyrene and very
safe. Highly
recommended.
Cheers,
Eddie
>Hello,
>
>I've had my reish reverb unit for a few weeks now and have had lots
>of time to use it. I am very glad I got it! Palm muted parts sound
>great now.
>
>But it does sound a bit harsh, especially when played loud. Lots of
>people have posted they have done the mod to their units. I got this
>info from a guy who sells NOS tubes. He either knows what he is
>talking about or he is trying to sell lots of tubes (or both). For
>those of you that have swapped tubes out: how much of what is
>described below did you do?
>
>Replace 6V6 with NOS RCA 6K6GT ($15) (NOS 6K6's are $7.95)
>Replace 12AT7 with NOS Mullard CV4024 ($22)
>Replace 12AX7 with NOS JAN GE 5751 ($15)
>
>Change capacitor C10 with either a 390pF or 500pF silver mica cap
>(rated at 200V or higher) (~$0.60)
>
>His link:
>
>In general, I am not an audiophile and I don't have a tube fetish.
>But tube amps do sound better to me than solid state. I don't want to
>start that flame war here. But this tube stuff is greek to me and I
>would appreciate any advice.
>
>Thanks,
>BN
Brian,
I have a re-issue, and an original. I chose NOT to do the mod on my re-issue
since I have an old one. But! a buddy of mine did the exact mod that was
described to you in the email there, and It makes a BIG difference! His now
sounds very much like my old one. If you can afford it, I think you should
do it... I feel it is WAY worth it.
Chris
Thanks everyone who has replied both off and on list about this.
Here is another novice question: tubes have pins, right? So they just
pop in and out of a socket? I.e. you don't screw them in like a light
bulb. Any special tricks or precautions for installation/removal? I
noticed the reverb unit appears to have covers for the tubes unlike my
amp.
Happy Thanksgiving!
--- In SurfGuitar101@y..., Thefuturas@a... wrote:
> Brian,
>
> I have a re-issue, and an original. I chose NOT to do the mod on my
re-issue
> since I have an old one. But! a buddy of mine did the exact mod
that was
> described to you in the email there, and It makes a BIG difference!
His now
> sounds very much like my old one. If you can afford it, I think you
should
> do it... I feel it is WAY worth it.
>
>
> Chris
Hey Brian!
You are correct - tubes have pins that fit into sockets - no screwing
required. They can be stubborn coming out sometimes, and you'll have to
gently rock them back and forth to remove them. With your reverb tank
unplugged (obvious, but it's always good to double check . . . ), grasp the
tubes by their base and rock/pull them out. The 12AX7 and 12AT7's have
spring loaded covers which you need to twist to remove - I believe that
these are intended as shock "insulation" for the tubes. With the 12AX7 and
12AT7, there is no "base" to grab, so you can just hold the tube. Also, do
it while the tubes are cold - they can get mighty hot after use!
-Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Neal" <>
To: <>
Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2001 1:36 PM
Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Re: Reissue Fender Reverb Unit Mods
> Thanks everyone who has replied both off and on list about this.
>
> Here is another novice question: tubes have pins, right? So they just
> pop in and out of a socket? I.e. you don't screw them in like a light
> bulb. Any special tricks or precautions for installation/removal? I
> noticed the reverb unit appears to have covers for the tubes unlike my
> amp.
>
> Happy Thanksgiving!
>
> --- In SurfGuitar101@y..., Thefuturas@a... wrote:
> > Brian,
> >
> > I have a re-issue, and an original. I chose NOT to do the mod on my
> re-issue
> > since I have an old one. But! a buddy of mine did the exact mod
> that was
> > described to you in the email there, and It makes a BIG difference!
> His now
> > sounds very much like my old one. If you can afford it, I think you
> should
> > do it... I feel it is WAY worth it.
> >
> >
> > Chris
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> .
> Visit for archived messages,
bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
>
>
Dick is correct about the "shock resistant" intent of the covers, in
that they appear most often in Fender tube amplifiers with the tubes
mounted upside down (keeps them in place). The larger power tubes
typically have flanges that grip the tube at the base, so no need for a
cover. I think the covers may also have some effect on heat isolation
in crowded spacings (much like the "heat shields" protecting components
near exhaust manifolds on cars).
Best regards, Dana Vincent
Dick Messick wrote:
> I believe that these are intended as shock "insulation" for the tubes.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Another purpose of the tube shields
is to keep out electrical noise.
The plate of the tube can act as
one side of a capacitor.
The shield being metal
blocks electrostatic effects.
Being steel, it keeps out magnetic effects.
-----Original Message-----
From: Dick Messick [mailto:]
Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2001 2:47 PM
To:
Subject: Re: [SurfGuitar101] Re: Reissue Fender Reverb Unit Mods
Hey Brian!
You are correct - tubes have pins that fit into sockets - no screwing
required. They can be stubborn coming out sometimes, and you'll have to
gently rock them back and forth to remove them. With your reverb tank
unplugged (obvious, but it's always good to double check . . . ), grasp the
tubes by their base and rock/pull them out. The 12AX7 and 12AT7's have
spring loaded covers which you need to twist to remove - I believe that
these are intended as shock "insulation" for the tubes. With the 12AX7 and
12AT7, there is no "base" to grab, so you can just hold the tube. Also, do
it while the tubes are cold - they can get mighty hot after use!
-Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Neal" <>
To: <>
Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2001 1:36 PM
Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Re: Reissue Fender Reverb Unit Mods
> Thanks everyone who has replied both off and on list about this.
>
> Here is another novice question: tubes have pins, right? So they just
> pop in and out of a socket? I.e. you don't screw them in like a light
> bulb. Any special tricks or precautions for installation/removal? I
> noticed the reverb unit appears to have covers for the tubes unlike my
> amp.
>
> Happy Thanksgiving!
>
> --- In SurfGuitar101@y..., Thefuturas@a... wrote:
> > Brian,
> >
> > I have a re-issue, and an original. I chose NOT to do the mod on my
> re-issue
> > since I have an old one. But! a buddy of mine did the exact mod
> that was
> > described to you in the email there, and It makes a BIG difference!
> His now
> > sounds very much like my old one. If you can afford it, I think you
> should
> > do it... I feel it is WAY worth it.
> >
> >
> > Chris
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> .
> Visit for archived messages,
bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
>
>
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:.
Visit for archived messages,
bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
Count me in the converted category. I installed some NOS tubes last
night and immediately noticed the difference. The harshness is gone.
Before the change, setting anything above 6 or 7 was getting harsh.
Now the controls have much more range. At first I thought I had lost
some reverb, but then I simply turned some knobs up a bit and it came
back, only this time it didn't have that edge to it.
While changing the tubes I also noticed that I had the pan in the
locked position the whole time! I unlocked it and it didn't seem to
make much difference to the reverb, which was kind of odd. Except now
kicking the unit produces a much more impressive crash that lasts a
lot longer :^)
Hey Brian!
Glad to have you among the "converted" ones ! :)
I noticed a big change when I put my NOS tubes in, too. I'd like to report
on my latest mod to the RI reverb tank - I tried the cap mod on cap "C10",
which is right under the "Mixer" control. I had a 500 pf silver mica cap
lying around my parts bin, so I swapped the original C10 cap with the silver
mica cap - I think the mod I saw a while back on the Cowabunga list
recommended a 390 pf silver mica, but what the heck . . .
So I could A/B the change, I removed the original ceramic cap and installed
a DPDT switch and attached the "stock" cap to one side, and the 500 pf
silver mica cap to the other side of the switch. This allows me to switch
back and forth from "stock" to "hot rod" at will. It also allows for a
better comparison of the "before" and "after" sound.
I must say, the replacement with the 500 pf silver mica mod is worth it! It
provides a richer, lusher reverb - it seems to be deeper, with a lot more
presence. Someone suggested to me that it would be cool to do this mod
using a footswitch so you could go back and forth easily while playing.
Neat idea, and certainly possible - however, I find myself using the 500 pf
cap all the time :)
I would recommend it to those who are comfortable with soldering irons - the
entire mod took less than 1 hour from the time I unplugged my reverb tank to
the time I plugged everything back in. If anyone on the list is interested,
I could provide some step-by-step details on the process, including the
switch wiring (very simple).
-Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Neal" <>
To: <>
Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2001 1:36 PM
Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Re: Reissue Fender Reverb Unit Mods
> Count me in the converted category. I installed some NOS tubes last
> night and immediately noticed the difference. The harshness is gone.
> Before the change, setting anything above 6 or 7 was getting harsh.
> Now the controls have much more range. At first I thought I had lost
> some reverb, but then I simply turned some knobs up a bit and it came
> back, only this time it didn't have that edge to it.
>
> While changing the tubes I also noticed that I had the pan in the
> locked position the whole time! I unlocked it and it didn't seem to
> make much difference to the reverb, which was kind of odd. Except now
> kicking the unit produces a much more impressive crash that lasts a
> lot longer :^)
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> .
> Visit for archived messages,
bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
>
>
Dick:
I for one would be very interested in the directions for this mod. I've
been very happy with the NOS tube mods, but Mel Waldorf (thanks Mel!) had
suggested
this cap mod in addition to the tubes. and I would definitely like to try
it too. Any info would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks.
Mike
WindAnSea_63
