Absolute Unit | '64 Fender Reverb Unit Pt 1 | Inspection and Diagnosis
Вставка
- Опубліковано 3 кві 2024
- A rare gem comes in for some love.
In this first video I'm going through it and seeing what's needed so I can get a parts list together.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
These are things I get asked about a lot :
Amp Tech Gear Used :
Hakko FX-951 soldering station
Weller SPG 80L soldering iron (chassis work)
Rigol DS1054Z digital oscilloscope
Thsinde 18B+ digital multimeters
Kester 60/40 solder
Techspray #4 No-Clean Desoldering Braid
Below are things that make this channel possible that people don’t usually think about. If any of these companies want to send me new and wonderful toys, I’m open to that. I can’t take free stuff when it comes to the amps I review, etc, but for the stuff below, bribe away!
Microphones/Audio Equipment :
Guitar Amps : Royer R-10 Hot Rod and/or Shure SM57 (noted in videos)
Voiceover Bench : sE Audio sE8 (small diaphragm condenser)
Voiceover Streaming : Shure SM57 with shockmount and windscreen
Voiceover Mic Arms : Elgato Wave Mic arms
Guitar Mic Stand : Gator Frameworks short weighted base stand with boom
Mic Cables and Guitar Cables : Mogami/Neutrik
Mic pre : MOTU M2
DAW : Logic Pro X on MacBook Pro 16 running Sonoma 14
Plugins : No effects other than level matching/normalization unless a recording
specifically has reverb etc added in post (rare, various Waves plugins)
Monitors : Yamaha HS7s
Monitor Stands : Gator Frameworks Desktop Clamp-On Stands
Monitor Isolation Mounts : IsoAcoustics Iso-Puck Minis
Headphones : Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (main)
Headphones : Sony MDR-7506 (alternate)
Video Equipment :
Camera : Sony ZVE-10 with SmallRig Cage (main)
Lens : Sigma f2.8 18-50mm (main)
Lens : Sony ZVE10 kit lens (rarely used)
B Camera : Apple iPhone 13 Pro (rarely used)
Tripod : SmallRig 71” with SmallRig Fluid Video Head
Streaming Mount : Elgato Master Mount S with SmallRig Ballhead
Bench Light : SmallRig RC 120D
Bench Light Diffusor : SmallRig Lantern Softbox
Bench C-Stands (light and overhead camera) : Neewer Pro SS Heavy Duty
Streaming Light : SmallRig RC 120B
Streaming Diffusor : SmallRig Parabolic Softbox
Streaming Light Mount : SmallRig 148CM Wall Mount Boom with Triangle Base
Various Other Lights : Neewer LED Panels with Neewer Softboxes
Video Software :
Davinci Resolve 18
Paul Leeming LUTs
Adobe Illustrator 28
Adobe Photoshop 25
Ecamm Live (streaming software)
I bought a '63 6G15 (reverb unit) in 1970 for $20.00 and I still use it. I played night clubs 5-6 nights a week for decades using it with a 1958 Bassman (I still use it too). Recently it was sounding too bright, I thought it was maybe just my old ears (they're pretty used up). So I tried some different tone caps, even different values, but it was still not too bright. I decided to change to rectifer diodes, just because they were the originals and just to do it anyway (when you see that black paint on the connections you know they're the originals). And I can't explain why but now it sounds like it used to, no more ice pick highs. I don't get it, but I'm not going to complain. It's got 1,000's of hours on it with all it's original caps (yellow Astrons don't always go bad), I have changed a few resistors that were way out of spec. And of course I've kept up with changing out electrolytic caps I don't like pushing them beyond 8 years (I know they can go farther but why wait for a problem?) These units compress the guitar signal slightly, some players don't like that but I'm used to it, I even use it with amps that have reverb. I'm a blues guitarist from L.A., these were the thing (and still are for some of us) for the West Coast blues sound going back to the late 60's. The reissues sound good too, but need a little tweaking just like all the reissues. The release lever has a bent piece of spring steel under it and you can adjust the tension by the screw that holds it on, so you can release it slowly. There's also a foam pad glued to the board and it should be replaced, they rot away after 20 years and bits get into the springs causing problems. Great video as always.
Thanks Lyle, I'm going to be following this closely. I have a kit of this unit that's been sitting on top of my book shelves for the last 3 yrs (since we were asked to take custody of a new born grandson) 64 and chasing a near 3 yr old has kept me a tad busy. I have started re-watching your old videos on classic fenders and taking notes.
The customer must think very highly of you to trust you with his babies. Must be cool to have all of this music-history passing through your shop on a regular basis.
Definitely a treat. Looking forward to the rest of these videos. Reverb has always fascinated me.
That clamp for retaining the reverb springs in transit is a surprise and really cool! 😎
Ooh nice! Ive got the same 64 unit. Looking forward to watching this series
Built to last… forever!
One of my best pieces of kit!! Love the tank into the 59 ltd with a Jag. Chef's kiss
Outstanding as always!
Salivating 😃👍👍
Poetic that you’re possibly the first to lift the hood on this little beauty!
What a lovely unit!
Brb...craving cupcakes all of a sudden. ; )
Looking forward to it.
I hope to hear the Princeton with your Telecaster , Will it sparkle? We shall see.
Good to know about the spring thingy in case I ever meet one of these in real life. How often do you see a completely virgin Fender anything? I think a moment of repose is in order.
Thank you
I built a 6G15 from scratch. Got the chassis from Mojotone but used my own P-P wiring board. Uses a 6K6 also. Works fine but have a little hum so maybe grounding issues...hum not objectionable but I would like to have a "clean' unit. I feed it into a 5F2A which is also home made. Very little hum in the unit but t hat could be the issue . . . have not used it in sometime and hope to learn something here 😎👍
I wish I bought on of the reissue reverb unit.
I always thought it was insane to have a 6K6 or 6V6 driving that tiny little coil in a reverb tank! But I suppose it's better than beating a 12AT7 to death.
Perfect timing, I’m building the Mojotone version as I write this.. I do have a question, what is advantage of full wave bridge rectification (if any)over the half wave as shown on the schematic? Thanks! Learned a lot from your channel!
Thanks Kris. In the case of this circuit, they looked at what power transformers were on the market that were suitable at the size/cost they needed and found one that would work with this simpler half wave circuit. The trade off is higher ripple, so they used 40uF filter caps.
If you used the same transformer with a full wave rectifier you’d have more parts with less ripple but a much higher B+ voltage.
To get the same desired B+ with a full wave rectifier you’d have to use a different transformer.
I think their decision came down to what was available that would work at the target cost per unit.
PS you can’t use this PT with a two phase full wave rectifier as it lacks a center tap. You could use a bridge but there’s no need to reinvent this old wheel.
I have a 63 black face deluxe, I’m looking for vintage reverb unit
It’s amazing how expensive they are
What's good to clean off the zinc oxide ?
I really want to see how you go about adding a grounded line cord without introducing a massive loop in these things. Most people just install a polarized line cord and pray every outlet you use is right with these units.
Same! Still struggle with mine.
Loops should be broken in the audio connectors, not in the safety grounds. I’ll probably be making a special cable for the client to use between this and his other amps.
I tried that, telescoped the ground on the cable between the tank and amp but it didn't improve the noise on mine. It's been a minute since I tested it, but iirc it was actually noisier with that vs a regular cable. Both ways significantly noisier than the reissue tank with the changed ground scheme in the same signal chain.@@PsionicAudio
I’ll address all that soonish.
Maybe install a little transformer in them to lift the audio ground?
So interesting! I know absolutely nothing about amps. I’m curious as to why you call it a unit?
It’s not exactly an amp- Lyle is just differentiating.
I love it when the "old folks" use the young kids terminology. "Absolute unit" 😂
Hey! I ain’t old yet!
@@PsionicAudio Haha! Either way, I appreciate your knowledge you have gathered, whether its been many years or a few years. Thank you for recommending the Friedman runt 20 in your under $1000 video. Its served me VERY well!!
" When the pots are this clean, Chef's Kiss." Shouldn't he be thanking the dishwasher, or am on the wrong channel ? ?
I have a Supro stand alone reverb . 60's vintage ??
Supro, National and Gretsch amps were built by Valco, who went out of business around 1969 IIRC. Gretsch had at least two standalone/add-on reverb units, one of which took input signal from the speaker output of your main amp (a wire with alligator clips that clipped onto your amp's speaker terminals) and had a built-in speaker for the "wet" signal; and another which did include a guitar-level preamp-input circuit and could be used as a standalone amp, but if did this the reverb didn't function through the unit's built-in speaker. Not sure how your Supro reverb unit works but it might be similar to one of the Gretsch units.....
Cant fuckin wait 😂 fenderholics
What do you mean it’s not an amp? Oh is it because the only tubes are the ones shown. Like a combo sort of? I would assume analog. There’s also completely tubeless amps that are analog or digital right? I’ve done some reading. I have a tone master deluxe reverb that i just bought by doing some research without really understanding what I’m buying exactly. 🙄🤘
It’s a standalone reverb unit. Think of it as a big “pedal” - it’s one of the first effects units ever made.
Poetic that you’re possibly the first to lift the hood!
late 62 reverb tank , my unit is
they say put it out in the universe ......Last week I commented on your pod cast / live ...No answer ....62 I believe , anyway , did a cap job years ago , from all org parts .replaced with nos parts , bout 10 years or so ago . I am aspiring luthier / 40 plus years , and amp builder for about 45 years , I have a fender collection to die for ,,,In my late 60 , player , since 6 .and have every piece of equip and guitars , just cant get rid of lol .
Anyway , My question . tank worked until I noticed lately , hardly hear it , noise comes from the pan when touched , all controls , feel rather thin , and weak ,,,have an arsenal of vintage tubes , changed , all several times , cleaned , sockets , pots , interior , is pristine , will ck values on resistors . ,,,,I am self taught , but can read schematic . Any Ideas ....thank YOU .
Peet, there are usually questions I just can’t get to in those chats due to time. I try to answer as many as possible in the order they come in, but some are just too late. Sorry, wasn’t trying to ignore you.
There are a lot of things that could cause your symptoms, but the first things I would check on an amp with those symptoms are the bare wires from the board to the chassis and that the horizontally mounted resistor from the PI to ground hasn’t pulled out of the solder joint (very common, can even look like it’s connected but it’s loose in the old joint).
Diagnosing from a distance without seeing your amp, so just a hail mary solution. But both are common “it was working last week” solutions.
I have a brown and wheat 62 unit with a really interesting lineage . It was under the test bench in the old Micro Frets guitar factory in Frederick Maryland.y best friends father was one of the partners in Micro Frets. I first saw this in the factory in the late sixties when I was about 15 years old. My friend had it on his attic for years and now it's on "loan " to me. A nice piece of guitar history.
@@PsionicAudio thank you very much for your time ...greatly appreciated . Will definitely apply , will let you know what went wrong when I find out , Cheers .