Express 5:50+ reverb decay

[hydro]

It seems like the reverb decay on my Express 5:50+ is awfully long.

The reverb pot just adjusts the mix level of the verb, but you still get this long trailing reverb sound just at a lower level. I know this is a spring reverb - is there any way to adjust the reverb decay, or is it just the way it sounds?

I have a Princeton reverb and - when the reverb works - man that thing sounds killer.

 

[Newysurfer]

It seems like the reverb decay on my Express 5:50+ is awfully long.

The reverb pot just adjusts the mix level of the verb, but you still get this long trailing reverb sound just at a lower level. I know this is a spring reverb - is there any way to adjust the reverb decay, or is it just the way it sounds?

I have a Princeton reverb and - when the reverb works - man that thing sounds killer.

yeah I love the long reverb trail on Mesa amps - better than Fenders imo :mrgreen:

 

[mixsit]

Prolly' no help, but how did they get 'dwell on the old Fender boxes?

 

[hydro]

Ran across some stuff about mods for the Princeton reverb circuit. Some people swap a tube to make the reverb *less* prominent... kind of funny, as I find the stock Princeton reverb sound to be almost ideal.

To me it's just a taste thing - and maybe my playing style, which has a lot of attack, so for me reverb needs to be short and subtle. Funny enough, I swapped my TA-30 for a 5:50+ (for various reasons). And I really loved the reverb sound on the TA-30 but so far I have not dialed in the sound I want on the 5:50. Yet they have the same reverb tank. ??

I don't use reverb much but now that I can preset it on the clean channel (nice feature btw) I am inclined to use it more. Maybe I just need to mess around with it some more.

 

[Don]

Newer reverb tanks seem to have long decay! I just built a Mojotone clone of a '60s Princeton Reverb and the Mojotone tank, which was pretty much a replica of the proper tank had really long decay. I just replaced it with a 3 spring tank with medium decay. I like it better. I don't know how you'd change it in the amp's circuit.

 

[dmecham]

I discovered with my Fender Deluxe Reverb that by replacing the reverb return tube with a 12au7 or 12ay7 there was a great refinement to the reverb. I tried a 12ay7 in the V5 preamp tube of my Mesa and the reverb was definitely improved. Starts to sound more like a plate reverb.

 

[hydro]

I have a 12AT7 on order along with a retube kit, which is supposed to make the verb a little less gain-y and cleaner sounding.

Also, on another forum someone mentioned:

http://www.accutronicsreverb.com/

These guys make reverb tanks and I think they make one that is the same or is OEM for Mesa. Apparently they offer different decay lengths in the same tank. So I may try them for a replacement tank at some point.

 

[revgsmall]

I'm in agreement that the reverb tail is a bit long, however aside from my original 64 Princeton Reverb I've not been too happy with very many built in reverb circuits. I'll likely use a digital reverb in front of the 5:25 set clean or if I get REAL ambitious I'll run a rack through the "effects loop". If you get somewhere with a different tank and /or please let us know.

 

[hydro]

I retubed this weekend and put a ECC81/12AT7 in V5. It definitely tamed the reverb some, although the tail is still fairly long. I think I like this tube better although I have to crank the reverb knob past noon to really get much of an effect.

The other pre tubes sound good also and maybe a little quieter on the high gain channel (they are JJs from Eurotubes). Overall the amp sounds awesome.

 

[Newysurfer]

It seems like the reverb decay on my Express 5:50+ is awfully long.

The reverb pot just adjusts the mix level of the verb, but you still get this long trailing reverb sound just at a lower level. I know this is a spring reverb - is there any way to adjust the reverb decay, or is it just the way it sounds?

I have a Princeton reverb and - when the reverb works - man that thing sounds killer.

Thinking about this reverb tail thing more seriously what you've described never happened on my 5:50 - with stock Mesa tubes or after I retubed it with Dougs tube mix.

Yes the reverb pot adjusts mix level from zero to strong.
So when the pot is down low the reverb effect is barely audible so the decay tail is very short on my amp - always has been.
It has to be a short tail cos the effect mix is low so it must become inaudible faster - so therefore it must be a shorter length when the mix is low.
Turn it up and the effect is stronger - so the effect lasts longer cos its audible longer.

Isn't that just a normal human ear response.
So how would changing tubes effect the effect tail length.
Please explain.

A different tube can reduce the reverb effect strength overall so it becomes inaudible faster.
But the only thing the new tube has changed is to reduce strength of the reverb effect > leading to a faster decay as it becomes inaudible faster.
And you can achieve the same result by just turning back the pot dial !!

The same thing occurs with delay pedals.
Reduce the mix level and you get a shorter decay tail

 

[hydro]

It seems like the reverb decay on my Express 5:50+ is awfully long.

The reverb pot just adjusts the mix level of the verb, but you still get this long trailing reverb sound just at a lower level. I know this is a spring reverb - is there any way to adjust the reverb decay, or is it just the way it sounds?

I have a Princeton reverb and - when the reverb works - man that thing sounds killer.

Thinking about this reverb tail thing more seriously what you've described never happened on my 5:50 - with stock Mesa tubes or after I retubed it with Dougs tube mix.

Yes the reverb pot adjusts mix level from zero to strong.
So when the pot is down low the reverb effect is barely audible so the decay tail is very short on my amp - always has been.
It has to be a short tail cos the effect mix is low so it must become inaudible faster - so therefore it must be a shorter length when the mix is low.
Turn it up and the effect is stronger - so the effect lasts longer cos its audible longer.

Isn't that just a normal human ear response.
So how would changing tubes effect the effect tail length.
Please explain.

A different tube can reduce the reverb effect strength overall so it becomes inaudible faster.
But the only thing the new tube has changed is to reduce strength of the reverb effect > leading to a faster decay as it becomes inaudible faster.
And you can achieve the same result by just turning back the pot dial !!

The same thing occurs with delay pedals.
Reduce the mix level and you get a shorter decay tail

Yes, I see your point and I had tried to turn the reverb down lower -- but I felt that even with the reverb effect turned almost all the way down, it was still too much. Tonally it is now different too; it is cleaner sounding and has less midrange in the reverb tone. Overall the effect of the reverb channel is much more subtle than before, and the reverb pot is scaled differently; that's some of what I wanted. The tail is still there of course, but it's quieter overall and not as fizzy and up-front.

I should also mention that I moved this amp into a head configuration from a combo configuration. When I did that, I re-tubed but I also got a new spring reverb in the head chassis. While I have no reason to believe that the spec for the 5:50+ combo reverb differs from the 5:50+ head reverb unit, I mention it for full disclosure.

 

[Exacto]

Since this is a reverb topic I thought I should ask here instead of just posting a new one.

Is spring rattle normal when You move or bump Your amp slightly when it's turned off? I notice the springs rattling whenever I move the amp, it is not present while the amp is playing. I would like to make sure, and sorry for this noobish question. Thank You!

 

[8d2studios]

It seems like the reverb decay on my Express 5:50+ is awfully long.

The reverb pot just adjusts the mix level of the verb, but you still get this long trailing reverb sound just at a lower level. I know this is a spring reverb - is there any way to adjust the reverb decay, or is it just the way it sounds?

I have a Princeton reverb and - when the reverb works - man that thing sounds killer.

Use two cotton balls and stick one to each end of the inside of the springs and try it out, if its too short use smaller balls, if its still too long for you double the cotton balls.

 

[MrMarkIII]

Go here:
http://www.accutronicsreverb.com/
Everything you always wanted to know about reverb tanks...

Depending on which tank you have, replacing it with a tank with fewer and/or shorter springs can give you a faster decay.

Changing the tube can help spread out the effect of the reverb knob, but usually doesn't effect the actual sound, just how much you need to turn it up.

For example, the reverb on my Deluxe Reverb Reissue sounds good at 1.5, but at 2, it's too much. Replacing a 12AX7 (100% gain) with a 12AU7 (20% gain, 80% LESS than the 12AX7) means I can get more "spread" on the control, and the reverb doesn't get surfy until 5 or 6 now.

Decay is not affected, though. And the caveat is that, like any other knob, the more you turn it up, the more noise you are possibly going to get. Life is a series of trade-offs. YMMV.

 

[SineB]

Since this is a reverb topic I thought I should ask here instead of just posting a new one.

Is spring rattle normal when You move or bump Your amp slightly when it's turned off? I notice the springs rattling whenever I move the amp, it is not present while the amp is playing. I would like to make sure, and sorry for this noobish question. Thank You!

Yes, it is normal, don't worry! :wink: