Fender Reverb Unit

chovie d · Post by **chovie d** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 3:46 pm

Im lusting for one. Please tell me everything you know about em.
Mostly i wanna know how i can score a cheap used one but they seem to never come up for sale. Tell me how you got yours. reissues , are they any good? are these things fragile? do i need to do a million upgrades and mods the day after I pay $750 for new one for it to sound good?

already known:
new=$750
dick dale...meh

thanks

Electro-Voice 664 · Post by **Electro-Voice 664** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 3:52 pm

I recently bought a used brown tolex reissue for $400. It's stock and I think it sounds cool.

chovie d · Post by **chovie d** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 4:15 pm

awesome, thats what I like to hear. so where'd you find a used one? Craigs List? Ebay? (Im not to keen on ebay these days, tho in the past i have definetly scored there)

Electro-Voice 664 · Post by **Electro-Voice 664** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 9:46 pm

yeah I got it on ebay (yes ebay stinks these days) I can't say how it compairs to an original unit, or a new one with mods; but it does sound cool to me.

Mach Schnell · Post by **Mach Schnell** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 1:58 am

You should be able to score a used reissue unit in the 250 -350 range. My buddy just unloaded an original brown '62 chassis in a repro box for 4 bills minus the tank, tanks can be had for forty beans or so. I A/B'd my reissue against the brown after I rebuilt his (caps etc) and they were extremely close. There are a couple of tweaks for the new units, 6K6 tube upgrade, change one or two cap values. I got mine a couple of years ago for three bills, decent unit.

chovie d · Post by **chovie d** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 10:11 am

Thanks! i would LOVE to score one in the $400 or under range.
I just never ever see em used at all except on ebay.

I hadnt bought anything on ebay for a few years, then recently I did and it was just a horrible experience from the get-go. I STILL dont have the item I paid for. so Im not eager to go back for more

bluesman · Post by **bluesman** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 12:23 pm

I have a real jones for Fender outboard reverb units. I own a couple of early 1960's in all original condition that sound superb. I also own a blond/oxblood re-issue that I use to gig with. I removed the printed circuit board shortly after buying it on ebay for about $300 & made a new/old style circuit tag board out of phenolic material, better than the originals in that, this circuit board will never absorb moisture & therefore will not become conductive. I also changed the output transformer & swapped the reverb tank for a 3 spring which allows me to get that really deep space, David Gilmore type cleen sustain suspended in the blackness of space. Amazingly, I was able to sell the original printed circuit board with all components on ebay for almost as much as the cost of the parts to rebuild.
Since I did have both the reissue and a working original for a while, I did A/B them before I rebuilt the reissue & found the reissue to actually be very close, I'm sure that changing the 6v6 for a 6k6 and swapping the 2 spring tank for a 3 spring would have made it hard for me to tell the difference...but at the time I was obsessed with point to point everything...I still am, but I have plenty of projects & no longer need to go looking for them. I think that anyone would be happy with the stock reissue, but adding the 3 spring tank & a nos 6k6 would probably cost less than $50.00 & you would be glad you did it.
The secret in these things is the dwell control. The dwell setting determines how hard your signal is hitting the reverb tank...turn the dwell up & you get the typical splatter that is heard when you turn a Fender Amp's reverb control past 2.5....when you turn the dwell down the splatter dissappears & you are in creamy deep space. Turn the dwell way up & you get the "poink" pick sound heard on some early Ventures records that I used to love as a kid. There is also a tone control that only affects the reverb signal and a mix that lets you blend the wet signal with the dry to taste. The 3 spring tank adds extra deepness & longer sustain & is well worth it in my book.
They are indeed rugged enough to gig with & even have a lock for fastening the reverb tank while in transit. This keeps the tank, which is suspended in mid air by 4 springs, from slapping the sides of the case while in transport. I did score a small road case on ebay for cheap, which I lined with foam & fits my unit perfectly & keeps it looking Blonde.
I hope this helps you with your decision

chovie d · Post by **chovie d** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 12:59 pm

"I hope this helps you with your decision"

Your description makes me want one more than ever!!
I hope my aversion to ebay doesnt make this an impossible quest to find one used but in good shape.

Mach Schnell · Post by **Mach Schnell** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 4:49 pm

They've changed the rules on ebay recently, it is now extremely slanted in favor of the buyer and a real pain in the ass for sellers. Just make sure any potential sellers you're interested in have a decent amount of solid feeback before you buy and you should be ok. I'll keep an eye out and post a link here if anything crops up.

chovie d · Post by **chovie d** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 8:38 am

Thanks man.

Mach Schnell · Post by **Mach Schnell** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:09 am

Keep an eye on this one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0376788302

Recycled_Brains · Post by **Recycled_Brains** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:51 am

Hey Bluesman,

Do you ever use yours for things other than guitars? I've been eyeing one of these for a bit, to use as a spring verb for my recording rig (and for guitar).

Curious how one would sound on vocals.

bluesman wrote:I have a real jones for Fender outboard reverb units. I own a couple of early 1960's in all original condition that sound superb. I also own a blond/oxblood re-issue that I use to gig with. I removed the printed circuit board shortly after buying it on ebay for about $300 & made a new/old style circuit tag board out of phenolic material, better than the originals in that, this circuit board will never absorb moisture & therefore will not become conductive. I also changed the output transformer & swapped the reverb tank for a 3 spring which allows me to get that really deep space, David Gilmore type cleen sustain suspended in the blackness of space. Amazingly, I was able to sell the original printed circuit board with all components on ebay for almost as much as the cost of the parts to rebuild.
Since I did have both the reissue and a working original for a while, I did A/B them before I rebuilt the reissue & found the reissue to actually be very close, I'm sure that changing the 6v6 for a 6k6 and swapping the 2 spring tank for a 3 spring would have made it hard for me to tell the difference...but at the time I was obsessed with point to point everything...I still am, but I have plenty of projects & no longer need to go looking for them. I think that anyone would be happy with the stock reissue, but adding the 3 spring tank & a nos 6k6 would probably cost less than $50.00 & you would be glad you did it.
The secret in these things is the dwell control. The dwell setting determines how hard your signal is hitting the reverb tank...turn the dwell up & you get the typical splatter that is heard when you turn a Fender Amp's reverb control past 2.5....when you turn the dwell down the splatter dissappears & you are in creamy deep space. Turn the dwell way up & you get the "poink" pick sound heard on some early Ventures records that I used to love as a kid. There is also a tone control that only affects the reverb signal and a mix that lets you blend the wet signal with the dry to taste. The 3 spring tank adds extra deepness & longer sustain & is well worth it in my book.
They are indeed rugged enough to gig with & even have a lock for fastening the reverb tank while in transit. This keeps the tank, which is suspended in mid air by 4 springs, from slapping the sides of the case while in transport. I did score a small road case on ebay for cheap, which I lined with foam & fits my unit perfectly & keeps it looking Blonde.
I hope this helps you with your decision

tonewoods · Post by **tonewoods** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 3:42 pm

I've got an original ('64?), and I think it's an indispensable piece of gear...

There's no way to get "that" sound with a pedal or on-board amp reverb...

Just love these things...

chovie d · Post by **chovie d** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 4:17 pm

^dayum! thats a beautful sight.

djimbe · Post by **djimbe** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 6:53 pm

Recycled_Brains wrote: Do you ever use yours for things other than guitars? I've been eyeing one of these for a bit, to use as a spring verb for my recording rig (and for guitar).

Curious how one would sound on vocals.

Like the grooviest butter you can buy. I used to use an original '65 in mix all the time, and I loved it in back of a vocal. Sometimes only on the delay return of a vocal. Love it. The owner took the one I had access to back. I miss it dearly, and I have other very fun old mechanical 'verbs.

These want an instrument level signal, and output an instrument level signal. Once you know that, you can shoot all sorts of things through one and do stuffs with the result.

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Fender Reverb Unit

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