DIY Reverb Tank Stompbox? how?

[viivian23]

I do not own any amps with reverb. I really could use some, but I don't have any money for another amp or a stompbox. I do have a bunch of parts and a spare reverb tank though. I was thinking of building a stompbox similar to the little lanelei reverb pedal. I have little experience building stompboxes but I know the basics. Could someone send a schematic or at least a little advice?

[Phaze]

Wow, good luck with that!

I'd be totally interested in that as well, however, as I have a spare oddball spring reverb on the shelf myself. AFAK, any schemos for spring reverbs that I've seen were tube driven w/a current driven amp on the front end driver and a tube recovery amp on the other end. And then you have got the wet/dry mixing issue. All usually located post-preamp in the amp circuit.

As an example of a standalone spring reverb there is the Fender 6G15 Reverb Unit. Now you're talking output transformers, power supply, etc.

Digitally, there is the Boss FRV-1, Guitar Effects Amplifier Modeling (pre-input) Pedal with 1963 Fender Reverb Model w/ Dwell, Tone, and Mix Controls, about $130.00; in the end probably cheaper--but not as much fun to build.

[JohnnyCrash]

A spare reverb tank? Like an Accutronics type box with the springs in it?

You'll need something to drive signal into it, then something to take the output from it. When it comes to reverb tanks in tube amps, a small transformer is needed to compensate for impedance and a tube stage is usually on either end (drive or recovery).

Solid state type circuits will require less parts, but you'd have to figure out a circuit for the tank.

You might be able to mod a current amp to insert the tank into... what kind of amps do you have?

[Guitar_Ninja]

General Guitar Gadgets has two projects. One is a digital reverb box based on the Belton Digital Reverb Brick, the other is a spring reverb unit that appeared in Guitar Player magazine back in the 70s. Both are fairly simple builds, and are supposed to be pretty decent sounding.

[JohnnyCrash]

Originally Posted by Guitar_Ninja

General Guitar Gadgets has two projects. One is a digital reverb box based on the Belton Digital Reverb Brick, the other is a spring reverb unit that appeared in Guitar Player magazine back in the 70s. Both are fairly simple builds, and are supposed to be pretty decent sounding.

I just looked at some photos of a GGG Stage Center Reverb driver/receiver pedal. Very cool! Its weird seeing those old RCA jacks for the tank on the side.

Its like a solid state version of the standalone tube unit in a way. Transistors instead of tubes... and very portable.