A Quick Reverb Question

[A.J.]

Hi All;

I know this is a bit off topic and that there are other forums where I should probably ask this but this is the only one I belong to and it's sort of related:

My amp has the worst reverb ever - a Belton tank that just sort of goes "ping" (not broken - it is apparently supposed to sound like that).

The spec from the Belton site says it has 10 ohm input impedance and 4000 ohm output impedance.  They have other models that would fit these specs, but no one seems to sell any of their products except for ones that are direct repalcements for Accutronics tanks.

So - if I want to change out the tank for something with a bit more character, how crucial is matching the output impedance - input is no problem, but I haven't found any other manufacturers that have 4000 ohms at the output - 2250 or 10000 in the accutronics models.....would either of these still work in a reasonable way?

Hoping I don't have to make any changes in the amp to accomodate a different unit.

Never quite understood the finer points of impedance in that way - any insight?

A.J.

[lerxst88]

the reverb in my amp (marshall dsl401) is an accutronics unit and basically it sucks. its not a bad sound just you can barely hear it when its maxxed out. so spend $30 on a new tank or spend $80 on a good pedal. but then again that kinda defeats the whole DIY theme here doesnt it?

[dirk]

I don't think the output impedance is critical, to be sure use the higher impedance.

All spring reverbs sound alike and if you don't like that sound your better of with a secondhand digital unit.

[Mark Hammer]

The qualities of a reverb tank certainly do have a lot to do with the mechanics of the actual springs themselves, but the accompanying electronics also play a role.  If you have the schematic for the amp, it may be possible to identify ways to both a) drive it a little harder so that "ping" turns into "pooooooooonnnnnnnnnng", and b) shape the tone of the resulting output.

Years ago, I had a solid-state Gibson amp that had what I felt was a very poor reverb tone.  Found a schematic for it, identified a specific cap value that was probably too large, and replaced it.  That was just the ticket to give me a pleasingly bright airy reverb.