Topic: spring reverb

Hi all,
i have recently salvaged 2 spring tanks from some old peavy mixers. i would like to build my own spring reverb machine but am not quite sure where to start... i tried looking online for tips but all i could find were very elaborate, diagram full, pages long descriptions of various technical options...
does anyone know a simple easy tip that could get me started with these?
i know amplification is required but am not sure how or where to apply it.

would appreciate any information or reference to information on the matter!

thanks a million.

Re: spring reverb

I’ve had decent results using a strip board LM386 amp on the input stage of the tank , and then going ¼”out to an amp or interface.

Input (¼” or whatever you want to use) -> LM386 -> tank  ->  ¼” out -> interface, amp , etc.

You can also add another LM386 on the output side to heat things up and still get away with using a single 9 volt.
This circuit will take between 4 to 15 volts, so no issues powering two of them. When going this route, I ended up adding a trimpot to the output amp to keep things in check. It's fairly loud without it.

LM386 schematic I used:
http://i39.tinypic.com/6pclev.jpg
mind the cuts or breaks in the stripboard (red squares w/circles)

I haven’t experimented with this yet, but adding a tone control would be nice. It’s simple enough to build, and no power needed. You could actually just build this on a pot, eliminating the need for another board.
http://i39.tinypic.com/120gmyd.jpg

Keep in mind, the LM386 is almost a utility type amp. A lot of hardcore audiophile types might thumb their nose at it. It doesn’t sound bad or anything, but there are better ones. It’s just simple enough to get one's head around, all the parts are completely off the shelf, and it sounds decent. In my case, there was no matching of impedance or anything. A little caveman-ish but it’s still effective.

I’ve heard good things about FET amps, but haven’t built any. They look simple enough though.

http://www.till.com/articles/GuitarPreamp/

Re: spring reverb

hey,
thank you so much. i will give it a go. doesnt seem to be too complicated...
will submit results here!

4 (edited by Orbweaver 2011-12-09 19:30:50)

Re: spring reverb

Probably ought to correct myself here, because I did this maybe a year or so ago and kinda forgot how I set it up...

I had the trimmer on the input side amp and then had a volume pot on the output. I don't remember the values, but they were common (might have to play around with those).

Also, that tone control supposedly creates some volume drop, so that may eliminate that trimmer altogether. Never tried that but that's what I'm thinking...