Installing a Reverb unit into a Suitcase?

[Ben Bove]

I primarily play on suitcase pianos, and therefore haven't used the twin reverb much with a stage piano.

I do like the sound of the reverb on the twin.  I have tried patching through a digital reverb unit through my suitcase effects loop, but the digital effects unit sounds terrible.  I'd like to have that vintage spring reverb sound.

Is there a way to install a vintage reverb unit from the twin, mounted inside the cabinet, patched into the suitcase circuit?

[hageir]

IIRC the Twin reverb is spring, right?
the spring itself is really large AND when you kick the old amps (or home-organs that have a spring-reverb) the reverb makes a crazy sound (famous in the 60's)
so I'd guess the tines/hammers would interfere with it (make noises)

the springs are usually like this, quite big too:

[hageir]

ps. I've got the EHX Holy Grail Plus pedal, it's very nice (haven't tried it with the Rhodes yet -I'm not back home)
but it's a pretty good and sweet reverb (kinda dark)

[Ben Bove]

I was thinking this would be mounted into the suitcase bottom and patched in before the speaker output.

Any idea where that should go on a Peterson 4pin?

[Mark II]

hi.
usually springs need a certain level@impedance. A tube with a transformator bringing it down impedance wise and after the spring an amplifier to bring level and impedance up again.
I have no idea how to connect that with a peterson amp.

good luck

Mark II

[The Real MC]

Tank reverb integrated into a Rhodes?

Bad idea.

Anybody who has ever bumped an amp with tank reverb knows what happens BRRRAWWWWNNNNNGGGG

Put one in a Rhodes?  You couldn't play a Rhodes gently enough to avoid banging the tank reverb, and I don't think you could isolate it enough.

[Ben Bove]

If it's mounted into the suitcase bottom there shouldn't be any ambient contact that would knock the spring around.  I do a fair job of making my B3's reverb unit ping around when I bash my knees on the organ, but unless you really jam on the sustain pedal, it shouldn't "brawwng."

Thanks for the tip though MarkII, didn't know there was an impedance issue.  That's probably beyond my scope

[Mark II]

check the accutronics website, they have some information in case you have an accutronics reverb spring.

http://www.accutronicsreverb.com/rvbapps.htm

Mark II

[axg20202]

There is another way to get real spring reverb if you know how to solder and can fabricate a small PCB (it's easy if you don't). I built one for one of my tube amp heads. The reverb pan and driver sits in the speaker cabinet. The amp head has an effects loop, in which I insert the reverb.  The reverb driver circuit and controls (level, drive and dwell IIRC) are mounted in a small cast aluminium box (the kind with a flanged lid for easy mounting inside my cab)

The circuit is called the Stage Center reverb, and is available to download free (with transfer to make the PCB) from General Guitar Gadgets. I believe they also sell the premade PCB quite cheaply, you'd just need to add the components.

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=43&Itemid=26

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=108&category_id=24&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=45&phpMyAdmin=4a28f86a515b7883e7bc35a68d4e7b6d

Obviously you will need to add a suitable reverb tank and a 9V power supply for the circuit. As for the reverb placement in the signal chain, I would have thought you could run it in your piano's effects loop.

[ElBeeba]

Has anyone ever tried permanently installing this in a suitcase?  Any issues?

[Ben Bove]

My thought on this topic after it was discussed that it's just better to run this through the effects loop, it is an effect regardless.

[garagebandking41]

Not sure if you've abandoned this idea already, but I took a spring reverb unit out of an old Ultra Chorus amp and patched it directly between the harp output and the power amp.

At first there was no sound, but after turning the amp up all the way (25watt bassman) the sound was there fully reverbed albeit weak.

If you wanted to do a little project, I figure you would just have to build a preamp to boost the signal (and/or the impedance as well) to the needed level and another control to allow control of how much reverb you wanted. Not sure how it's done in an amp but I assume you could do it by just adding or subtracting reverbed signal to the original sound. If you built the pre-amp strong enough this could be done trial and error even.

Some cheep headphone amps might work too. Especially if they have built in EQ. Might be too much to do, but if you have a spare headphone amp lying around I'd def try it just for fun. You could DIY the amount control pretty easily too.

[Ben Bove]

The reason this originally came up was because I had a TrekII installed in my B3 and it was a world of a difference in live play.

Maybe The TrekII reverb unit would have all that worked out already?  Just don't know if it would mesh with the line signal of Rhodes

[gunnar]

I bought an old spring reverb unit that was built as an external effect a while back but it was cleary built for the range of a guitar. It couldn't deal with the heavy bass comming from my rhodes, so I had to turn the input volume down so much that the output became a hissy blurry mess. Maybe that's als something to keep in mind when you choose your reverb unit.

[Tim Hodges]

So now that reverb units in Rhodes suitcases have become popular, how are they installed and hooked up? I'm curious to know.

[pnoboy]

Ben,  have you tried a range of digital reverb pedals?  It's hard for me to believe that there's not at least one out there that would sound good with a Rhodes.  Actually, I have not found reverb to add much to the Rhodes sound anyway.  Reverb sounds great with guitar,  because guitars have quite a short sustain, and as the note decays you can hear the "air" that the reverb adds.  However, a Rhodes has such a long sustain that you hardly hear the reverb--at least that's been my experience.

[Ben Bove]

Haha wow, an almost decade-old post!  As for me, I've gone the pedal route for a touch of basic reverb when needed.

Here's a much better approach with VV and a well-integrated unit:
https://www.vintagevibe.com/blogs/news/1971-fender-rhodes-suitcase-with-stereo-spring-reverb

[VintageVibe]

Here's a much better approach with VV and a well-integrated unit:
https://www.vintagevibe.com/blogs/news/1971-fender-rhodes-suitcase-with-stereo-spring-reverb

Thanks for the link, Ben!

Here's another blog with a '72 Suitcase and that Stereo Spring Reverb
https://www.vintagevibe.com/blogs/news/fender-rhodes-suitcase-with-built-in-true-spring-reverb

We've had so many customers inquire about installing reverb into their Rhodes that we just might turn it into a kit

[The Real MC]

Since then I have acquired a Fender tube spring reverb unit (reissue) that I was using on guitars.  I should try it on the sparkletop.