Blues Custom - reverb tank ??

[dlwix 0]

Hey Hey ... I received an EPI BC30 this afternoon, via the U P S gods,

however, (and I knew this in advance) it has NO reverb tank, or manual.

So wasting no time at all - - here I am, looking for help..........

BC30 owner for the last 3.6 hours

and a member here for about 6 minutes...................Any help /specs/

suggested places to look - {to acquire reverb tank} - would greatly be appreciated...

 

I did spend the last 2 hours with the amp and I think we are going to get along just fine.

Thanks

(I hope I placed this in the correct location)

[Andyroid 2]

Hi, I too would like a new reverb tank. I have emailed Gibson about the required impedance several times over the past few months and I'm still waiting for an answer. So far they've merely sent me several emails saying they're trying to find out for me. Fingers crossed...

[wiggy 138]

PM me with your email address and I'll send you a PDF of the manual

 

Check out here for reverb replacement info

 

Oh and BTW welcome to the forum

[Andyroid 2]

Cheers wiggy, you're a legend! Can't believe I didn't find that thread!

[Andyroid 2]

Just had a thought, driving a reverb tank may be a little like driving a speaker. It does use a transformer... If I were you dlwix, I'd pull out the reverb valves (V3 and V5) just to be on the safe side. As far as I can tell, the reverb driver is kinda the same principle as a power amp but on a smaller scale. And bare in mind, running a power amp with no speaker will kill the valves and transformer very quickly. Maybe someone else can shed some real light here!

[wiggy 138]

Is it just me or does anyone else get ticked off when someone posts a question and then doesn't bother to reply when someone gives them the answer?

[brianh 395]

Is it just me or does anyone else get ticked off when someone posts a question and then doesn't bother to reply when someone gives them the answer?

It's not just you.

 

But the rest of us got it, so... thanks....

[dlwix 0]

O. K. O. K., I'm back... (other stuff to do also) Anyway I DID order the REVERB from Antique Electronic Supply,

and I parked the BC30 in the meantime........... I DO appreciate the helpful INFO. and am looking forward to the

outcome. SO thanks MUCH for the instant response. Will rate the final result

at a future date. ( So if the manual copy is still available let me know) at your convenience.........

D_W_

[Jamie1281734176 0]

Have there been any mods done to get a more Fender-esque reverb out of it? I love the amp but the reverb isn't that great for sixties songs. Plus mine seems to get noisy when I play hard too. It's even driven me to go back to pawnshops and ebay to see if I can find a cheap fender to run in stereo or something.

[Andyroid 2]

There has been a mod for the Valve Senior reverb that fixes the mush. From the stock reverb clips I've heard, the BC30 sounds exactly the same only the BC30 uses two entire ECC83s whereas the Senior uses just the one. I bet the necessary mod is pretty much the same. Over the next week I'll start tinkering. Fingers crossed!

[Jamie1281734176 0]

That good to hear! Sounds promising. I was looking at those Danelectro Spring Kings but hopefully this will save me. :-

[Jamie1281734176 0]

Gotta bump it. I'm looking at amps and reverb units again.

[Andyroid 2]

Good news, there is a VERY simple mod that does work. So far I've replace R26 (1M) with 220k to shunt more signal to ground before the driver. This has reduced saturation/compression in the reverb so it is more dynamic, instead of that long droning mush we're used to. The driver gain may still be a bit high though, when I get my amp back from the pub I'm going to try 150K to see if things get even better. I'll record some before/after clips for my website. Should be up in the next couple of days...

[dlwix 0]

So anyway . . . I did follow the lead mentioned above, got the tank from Antique Electronic Supply,

Put in in the BC30 - - (and) - Not so impressed, but it does complete the system - - - so for now just O. K.

nothing special - - - ( I'm late gettin back here, wedding in the house. . . and lots to do .) ~ ~ ~ ~ I will continue to monitor for further great E P I ideas, ~~ thanks

D_W_

[jefrs 0]

The stock reverb tank is some sort of Korean Accutronics clone, it ain't bad. It is rather wet.

 

It has a reference number on it and it can be looked up, they produce more tanks than Accutronics!

 

www.belton.co.kr

 

Belton Part Number BL2AB1C1D.

 

BL2 = long type "2" spring

AB = i/p 8ohm o/p 2250ohm

I = 'short' delay (1.2 to 2.0 sec)

C = i/p insulated o/p ground

I = no-lock (transport)

D = on-end o/p up (orientation) (???? it is mounted flat on the floor)

 

For an equivalent Accutronics it would be

8ohm input (driven by valve transformer)

Long tank, 4-spring jobbie (2-pair joined end-to-end) ,

2250ohm output, (valve input = not too fussy)

short/medium delay (1.2 to 2.0 seconds)

input isolated,

output (outer sleeve) grounded,

mounted flat on the floor in the baggie.

[Guitarnut 1]

Good news, there is a VERY simple mod that does work. So far I've replace R26 (1M) with 220k to shunt more signal to ground before the driver. This has reduced saturation/compression in the reverb so it is more dynamic, instead of that long droning mush we're used to. The driver gain may still be a bit high though, when I get my amp back from the pub I'm going to try 150K to see if things get even better. I'll record some before/after clips for my website. Should be up in the next couple of days...

 

Thanks for the info. I have a BC30 on the way, so I haven't played it yet, and I'm curious if you have tried the 150K yet and what the results are...I would really like to hear the A-B comparison you offered to record.

 

Peace,

Mark

[skankasax 0]

Hi, sorry for my poor english... i'm french...

 

I've found a good mod for the reverb stage:

 

- C20 replaced with 4.7nF/1kV

- add 47uF/35V cap parallel to C22

- C23 replaced with 10nF/400V

 

Now, the reverb sounds better!

 

Bye!