Reverb for 5E3 build

[markammon1979]

Hi, I am interested in adding reverb to my 5E3 home build amp. Would you recommend an effects pedal or should I be more brave and build a seperate reverb unit? How complex are these to build?

[scole]

i would go with the pedal. those reverb units are like building a complete amp without the speaker. if you want reverb use the money and build any of the ab763 fenders, deluxe, super reverb, twinn etc.

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Hi, I am interested in adding reverb to my 5E3 home build amp. Would you recommend an effects pedal or should I be more brave and build a seperate reverb unit? How complex are these to build?

I use a Line 6, Verbzilla pedal and it is SUPERB... plus it doesn't cost as much as it would to rebuild a 5E3 and go through all the brain damage to make it work without drastically altering the stock tone of a 5E3.

[milocj]

I like the Fender outboard Reverb Units although I find that I use a lot less reverb with my 5E3 build than I do with my blackface Fenders.

I have an original Fender Reverb Unit and I recently built a Weber Revibe which has the same reverb circuit with the addition of tube vibrato. Here is a clip of the Revibe unit run through my 5E3 clone. It starts with reverb and vibrato, then has reverb alone, and ends with the amp by itself.
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6465945

I think that the Reverb Unit alone would be relatively easy to build but the Revibe was a PITA.

[TD_Madden]

Just picked-up a Verbzilla last week to replace a VERY noisy HolyGrail......some interesting tones in it, but still playing with the settings.

[tubeswell]

Hi, I am interested in adding reverb to my 5E3 home build amp. should I be more brave and build a seperate reverb unit?

Well somebody called psychonoodler sent me this a month or so back - food for thought. Not sure how well the one-tube 'verb would work

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Well somebody called psychonoodler sent me this a month or so back - food for thought. Not sure how well the one-tube 'verb would work

One tube will work OK... you'll never get that black face reverb in a 5E3 though...
However, if you look at this mod it actually requires three preamp tubes.

[richon]

i guess the best way is just putting a 6g15 Reverb unit in front of the Deluxe.

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Well somebody called psychonoodler sent me this a month or so back - food for thought. Not sure how well the one-tube 'verb would work

I just looked at that schematic again and the reverb dwell pot is wired wrong.
The first triode of the tank driver tube has no ground reference for the grid so there is no bias.... why? Because the 500pF to 1nF cap is connected to the grid blocking any DC path to ground.
It should be on the top lug of the dwell pot instead.

[Tubenit]

5E3 reverb

While it has a different tone stack, this has some similarities to a 5E3. I acknowledge that there are other features and components which are different also.

I have revised how I insert the reverb and now prefer this method. Using a Princeton Reverb as the standard (set on 2.5) ...... I get a similar (but not as intense) setting this at 4-5 which is all the reverb I prefer. It isn't Dick Dale but does have a warm tone to it, IMO.

http://s28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...urrent=CBS.gif

Bruce is correct! The .001 cap should be on the top (not wiper) of the dwell pot.

With respect, Tubenit

[tubeswell]

I just looked at that schematic again and the reverb dwell pot is wired wrong.
The first triode of the tank driver tube has no ground reference for the grid so there is no bias.... why? Because the 500pF to 1nF cap is connected to the grid blocking any DC path to ground.
It should be on the top lug of the dwell pot instead.

Good spotting :-0 Thanks for that info Bruce