Subway Blues rattle fixed - reverb tank locating pins?

[Zoner]

I have a Subway Blues that I have been trying to dial in for some time and wanted to share my experience with my fellow BB members in case anyone else has had the same issue with theirs or other models using the same reverb pan setup and noise issues.

I was getting all kinds of metallic rattling at volume and had traced it to the reverb pan but was unable to get to the bottom of the source until I removed the pan entirely and took a good look (O.K., I shook it and beat it a bit with a small hammer :lol: ). I should have taken some pics but anyone looking at this item will know what I'm talking about quite easily. The pan has 2 pins about 1" long pressed into the top (as you look into the amp from behind with the pan in place) that center on 2 rubber-ringed circles that I imagine are there to limit the lateral travel of the springs or something like that. The pins in mine had both come loose from their mounting points but had not fallen off and were acting just like a sizzler cymbal any time there was vibration present, creating the metallic rattle/sizzle mentioned. I scratched my head, briefly considered dropping some kind of epoxy or adhesive in to re-secure them, then just grabbed some pliers and pulled them out like bad teeth. No more rattle!

I am wondering if anyone knows exactly why these are there and if there is any reason to fashion a replacement pin by running a bolt down into the pan and securing it with a nut inside the pan. The amp works fine, has no issues with rattle or with the reverb (which is quite nice by Boogie standards) and I'm O.K. just leaving it alone unless there is a critical reason they are there. Any thoughts? Thanks. Z

 

[SixVeeSix]

Interesting. I recently scored a complete Mesa reverb tank assembly on ebay including the tank, cables and the coveted padded bag. I needed the tank and cables for my Maverick, something went south in there somewhere. Fixed now. I went ahead and put the foam weatherstripping on the top of the tank and used the plywood bottom Mesa makes and slid the whole assembly into the bag. Strapped it down on it's weatherstripped feet just like Mesa. Almost looks factory and provides a much higher level of shock resistance. FWIW, my Blues also has a front mounted Peavey Scorpion speaker which improved the bass and eliminated the fizzyness of the stock speaker. I also put some great old American tubes in it, including a pair of Mesa made in USA 6bq5s. The amp is very responsive to the gain available in V1, currently a 5751 which cleans it up a bit more than I like. Will try some favorite 7025s next I suppose. Great little amp, I always think I will sell it but the size/weight - power - TONE ratio is so nice.