the fender reverbtank gang

hi guys, i know it´s not really an amp, but it is not a stompbox too. i have a reverbtank for a couple of days now and my mind is blown, my playing has changed and my own sound feels to me like a million dollares. so who else digs the fender reverbtank and wants to share opinions, tricks and experiences? first thing i did with mine, was to put some babycream on the locking mechanism to make it work a bit smoother. eddie

Question,What are you referring to by "locking mechanism"?? I have one and don't see anything that might be called that..

Question,What are you referring to by "locking mechanism"?? I have one and don't see anything that might be called that..


+1 locking ??

the metal thing that makes you block the springs. kinda rough looking on the rear of the tank.....

im in
66 tank
and mine has the lock too (it aabout 1 inch wide L shaped bracket that slides that can lock the tank during transport-it can also be used as a very half assed mute if youre playing a dick dale volumes and the tank gets too much vibration from the amp speakers

these are a wonderful thing indeed

another good trick, if you want to place the tank on top of your amp: use some camping-matress foam as insulation against the vibrations of the speakers.

My '65 6G15 sitting on top of my '64 6G2 - these two were just made for each other.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b164/erksin/6G2reverbstack2.jpg

There is a picture out the of John Mayer's tank sitting on some short bungee cords. Hard to explain, but they look like they would keep the pan free from outside vibrations. That can't be necessary, can it? Let me find that photo.

I got rid of the vibration problem by fastening the tank down to the cab wall.Removed the hold down springs.Works for me...

I love my reissue tank. I put in a Telefunken 12AX7, JAN-Phllips 12AT7, and a RCA 6K6 which made it sound way better than the cheap Chinese tubes that were in it when I bought it new many years ago. Have fun, Wayne

There is a picture out the of John Mayer's tank sitting on some short bungee cords. Hard to explain, but they look like they would keep the pan free from outside vibrations. That can't be necessary, can it? Let me find that photo.


I've read somewhere that Neil Young stage has a trap door that opens up to a small space for his reverb tank to sit on. It then lowered underneath the stage and is isolated somehow to reduce vibration.

Kinda cool, eh?

We've got a Brown 1963 Fender Reverb unit which we inherited from a close family friend who passed away

I've owned a Kendrick version of the Fender tank for about 15 years. Always wanted a vintage Fender tank, but the Kendrick is spectacular, and best of all, it's paid for!

Wish i had one, how cool is it to kick these things.

I love my reissue tank. I put in a Telefunken 12AX7, JAN-Phllips 12AT7, and a RCA 6K6 which made it sound way better than the cheap Chinese tubes that were in it when I bought it new many years ago. Have fun, Wayne

I just got one and I too put in old RCA and JAN tubes. I use it with my Fender 57 Deluxe tweed 5e3 amp and wow, people just can't believe how good it sounds. The 3 knobs on the amp compliment the 3 knobs on the reverb unit.. and together - what a tone!! :grin:

Here's mine. One shot showing the locking bracket. Supposedly smooth white is the least common color. Rough white ones aren't that common either. The Footswitch is from a 64 Showman. How many of you guys actually had an original with the FS? I like being able to use the FS but it's noisy when turned off. I tried changing everyting on it to cure the noise.
Nothing comes close IMO. They still can be had cheap. too! Aren't they technically amps?
Tube chart stamped NA. I've had 3 others beside this one. 2 black 65's and a smooth brown 64, my first one, swapped a hotrodded 57 Musicmaster guitar for it.
My first Reverb was a Premier 90. Sold it shortly after I got a Fender. Kinda cheap and noisy in comparison to the Fender.
It's the only effect I use. I wish Fender had made them with more ins and outs, at least 2 inputs. I don't know why they didn't? Then the Rhythm and lead players could use it. Maybe to sell another Unit?

Papa Joe when you mounted the pan to the panel did you remove the foam made to dampen the springs?

FWIW, on Splish Splash the effect was achieved by kicking a Premier 90 unit.
Oh and Dick Dale hangs his unit from the ceiling with rope!

Since last week I'm the lucky owner of a Blonde Reissue Fender '63 Reverb from 1994 (August - the tube chart indicates EH). Now this reverb has no serial number and lacks the identification plaquette on the rear panel. Inside the chassis there is a handwritten number: 1798. The board shows 2394. I am the third owner, the first one, so was said, needed the Flat Amp Logo for one of his cabs and replaced it by a MADE IN U.S.A. logo, which I replaced by a Reissue Fender Tail Logo. Now the Reissue Blondes seem to have had a short production time. This Blonde unit is unlike the ones that are showed in the 90ties catologus. Instead of a brown leather handle this one comes with a black tolex handle. The grillcloth is 'reissue wheat' instead of oxblood. Besides that, the cloth is turned 45 degrees., so it's installed on its side. Nothing indicates that the handle nor the cloth are attached later on. I've seen a lot of messing around with that on vintage amps. The looks of my Reverb can be compared with the picture of the Blonde/Taillogo Unit on page 200 of Teagle and Sprung.
I changed the 6V6 to a NOS Sylvania 6K6. Pre-amped it with a Philips ECC83 and a JJ 12AT7.
C10 I changed with a 500pF Silver Mica (great mod!!!).
In the Service Manual CR5&6 are mentioned. They are absent in my unit. Unlike the schematic the pots are wired to the board. The output and the input fix the PCB to the chassis.

Now this morning I ran into the Reverb Tank Gang and noticed the pictures of the vintage blonde tube reverb. There is a 'locking systeem' fixed on the bottem of the cabinet. There is no such thing in mine, but.. there are two screw holes on just the right spots so I guess it has been there but was removed. Does someone know where I can get such a locking mechanism?

It's nice to see my '63 Reissue has quite the same looks as the vintage blonde.

I love the sound of this '63 Reverb Unit. It's great in combination with my Vibro Champ and my Musicmaster Bass Amp.

It seems it's an early example of the reissue reverb units. It differs from the rest of them.

(It's an export model - 230V)

blindmouse, check out partsisparts.com they have the brackets. I think that's John Peden's store. Look under Fender Amp parts. They're $12.
It's handy to have them if you transport it to gigs or rehersal. You'll want some small washers to go on the screws, I'm not sure the one at PiP comes with screws. Check under the pan in yours there should be some soft foam that dampens the springs when the lock is pushed in and keeps them from flopping around. You may be able to tell with out removing the pan just by pushing it in with your hand and checking if the springs rattle.
You RI looks almost identical to my '64.

A great fiddle player told me once "just use enough reverb that you have to listen for it." I've found I like that advice and rarely turn Mix and Dwell past 3.

It looks like I may have to sell something and if I do the Reverb might have to go. Bummer, I'll miss it. But they aren't that hard to replace when times get better. I just saw a '62 rough white one that was painted black sell for less then $500 on eBay.

wstrnswingster, thanks! I'll contact partsisparts.com. There is a fine looking piece of foam under the pan, so the bracket is all I need. I'm trying to get a flat tail logo. That's gonna be hard I think, cause I don't intend to pay $ 100 for a logo. So there is a big chance I leave the raised tail logo on. It looks good too. I'm very pleased with the sound of this unit. I use it al the time with my Vibro Champ.