Studio 22 reverb not working. Can anyone help?

[bondy1978]

Hi, I've recently bought a. Studio 22 with graphic eq and everything works great on it except the reverb doesn't work at all. If you turn the reverb up the amp develops a slight hiss/background noise but doesn't actually reverb.

The amp hasn't been modded at all, I've had a look at the reverb chamber in the chassis and everything seems attached. I've swapped out V4 for another valve but that didn't fix it either.

Is there anything else I should try or has anyone else encountered this problem in the past before I take it to a tech? Also if the reverb chamber needs replacing, has anyone got any idea where I can get one?

Cheers in advance for your help etc

 

[tonejam]

Can't tell you what's wrong, but I do have a suggestion.

If you take it to a tech, and he has to replace the reverb tank, ask him to replace it with a full-size one, not the standard small one. It fits OK, and you'll be glad you did.
Cheers, Bill.

 

[Mizzle]

Bill, can you elaborate on why? Is it the same dimensions just more springs? What's the difference in sound with full size?

 

[Don]

Does the reverb tank make an audible crashing sound through the speakers if you rock the amp? Replacing the tank usually seems to fix this.

A full size reverb tank will give you a richer reverb sound.

 

[Mizzle]

I have fender blues deluxe and that can be a really saturated reverb. It's almost like I want to find a middle ground. If I can split the difference between my studio 22 and the blues deluxe. You think a full reverb tank will do it?

 

[bondy1978]

Thanks for the advice everyone. There's no reverb crashing noise when the amp is gently bounced etc

 

[MrMarkIII]

The crashing sound is normal. Lack thereof means something is not connected, maybe inside the reverb tank itself.

 

[bondy1978]

Yeah I have other amps with reverb so I'm familiar with the sound of a crashing reverb. Sounds like it could be something as simple as a dry wire or something that needs a new solder joint then. That's good news, I'll have a good look at it tomorrow.

 

[TiPiMods]

a lot of infos on Billms page: http://billmaudio.com/wp/?page_id=46

if the reverb crashes, when the amp is rocked the output coil should be intact, if not, the output could be dead. Best is to measure input and output, if one of them has zero or more often infinite Ohms, the tank is history.
Did you try to change cables? They could be faulty also.
To solder the tiny little wires comin out of the coils is a pain in the a.. I gave up and bought some new tanks.
There are nice and good sounding short tanks too by Ruby, Belton or Mod. I checked them all: Ruby is a looong and dark reverb, Belton is a bit shorter and more mids and treble, Mod is the shortest and brightest.
hope this helps.

 

[tonejam]

From memory, the small reverb tank is 2 spring, the larger is 3, and the tank is longer. Check though, I'm not sure.
The original tank in the 22. gave a short and not very deep reverb even when turned up high. I didn't like it at all.
The larger one made a big difference.

I agree that trying to solder the connections is a pain in the *** (or arse, as we say Down Under). I kept repairing my old one and it just kept breaking over time. Finally got my tech to install a new one, and never looked back.

 

[TiPiMods]

sorry to blame your memory :wink:
the short tanks (typ 8 ) got 3 springs.
The long tanks got either 2 springs (each with 2 different ones soldered together in the middle for more reverb diffusion, so total 4 springs), that is typ 4, used in BF and SF Fender amps.
Or 3 springs (total 6) that is typ 9, used for instance in Boogie Mk II

to put a long tank in the 22. sounds probably great, you only have to watch input and output impedance.
In my 22+ I have a 8AB2A1B tank, I am not sure if this tank is the original one specified for the 22. But it sounds nice in my amp.
(that means type 8 A=10 Ohm input B=2575 Ohm output.) So you have to get a long tank with similar impedance.
http://www.tube-town.net/ttstore/product_info.php/info/p686_Accutronics-Reverb-Tank-8AB2A1B.html
And you have to put in longer reverb cables, as they dont reach to the bottom of the cab.

But as said before: the Ruby and the Belton tanks have a longer and warmer sound (even longer than all Fender reverbs that I heard) so I would try them.

greetings

 

[tonejam]

Thanks Tipimods, for the correction. My amp is actually a 22+, too.