Groups > sci.electronics.design > #452546

Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps?

From	Don Kuenz <g@crcomp.net>
Newsgroups	sci.electronics.design
Subject	Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps?
Date	2017-03-19 05:08 +0000
Organization	A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID	<20170318b@crcomp.net> (permalink)
References	<iiircct4fsop4magi8jumhjsm9fnp6hrhi@4ax.com> <50a79d86-0efd-4aa4-a5ac-2d26f4bedff8@googlegroups.com>

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Phil Allison <pallison49@gmail.com> wrote:
> olds...@tubes.com wrote:
>>
>> The Spring Reverbs inside guitar amps have always fascinated me, and I
>> took them one step further by connecting one to my stereo years ago, and
>> the sound was really cool!
>>
>> So, yea, I know the basic operation. According to one web article, there
>> is a transducer at one end of a spring and a pickup on the other end.
>> This caused the spring to vibrate and create the reverb effect. One
>> group from the 1960s and 70s that really used them was the Ventures. (I
>> have to mention that I love that groups music). Often when they play,
>> you can actually hear them springs.
>>
>> I've taken them inside guitar amps and bnaged them, and they really can
>> make a clatter.
>>
>> But what I am not finding is exactly what or how does this transducer
>> work. Is it similar to a speaker coil? Or what goes on inside there?
>>
>> And the pickup, is that similar to a microphone, or what?
>>
>> There seems to be nothing that actually details the workings inside of
>> them on the web. So, I thought I'd ask on here.
>>
>
> ** The long springs transmit torsional waves, twisting back and
> forward so must be driven the  same way. Tiny tube magnets are made to
> twist by the drive coil assembly while at the far end a near identical
> transducer converts the twisting back to an electrical signal.
>
> The drive assembly is a kind of motor that makes the magnet rotate on
> its axis about +/- 30degrees. A torsional wave travels fairly slowly
> down a spring, making for long reverb times.
>
> A major benefit of this method is that external vibrations do not induce
> torsional waves in the springs but only lateral ones and so are largely
> rejected by the pick up assembly.
>
> AFAIK the idea was patented by Hammond in the late 50s - then made famous
> by Fender in the 60s guitar amps.
>
> BYI  I agree, it is not easy to find the above info on the net since the
> Accutronics site disappeared.

Your followup just now made me aware of that a company named Accutronics
used to exist. There's a couple of spring reverbs in my bone pile. The
metal tanks are stamped with "ACCUTRONICS GENEVA, ILL." The tanks
originally came from PAIA as part of a kit:

    http://www.paia.com/proddetail.asp?prod=6740K
    http://www.paia.com/ProdArticles/hotspuse.htm

This site seems like a good source of information:

https://www.amplifiedparts.com/tech-corner/spring-reverb-tanks-explained-and-compared

Thank you,

--
Don Kuenz KB7RPU

Thread

How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? oldschool@tubes.com - 2017-03-18 19:12 -0500
  Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? rickman <gnuarm@gmail.com> - 2017-03-18 20:47 -0400
    Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? Phil Allison <pallison49@gmail.com> - 2017-03-18 18:11 -0700
  Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? Phil Allison <pallison49@gmail.com> - 2017-03-18 18:08 -0700
    Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? Don Kuenz <g@crcomp.net> - 2017-03-19 05:08 +0000
      Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? Phil Allison <pallison49@gmail.com> - 2017-03-18 22:38 -0700
        Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? jurb6006@gmail.com - 2017-03-19 02:46 -0700
          Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? Phil Allison <pallison49@gmail.com> - 2017-03-19 04:25 -0700
            Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? jurb6006@gmail.com - 2017-03-19 06:01 -0700
            Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? jurb6006@gmail.com - 2017-03-19 07:46 -0700
      Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? "Dave M" <dgminala@mediacombb.net> - 2017-03-19 22:49 -0500
        Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? Phil Allison <pallison49@gmail.com> - 2017-03-19 22:31 -0700
          Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> - 2017-03-23 19:01 -0400
            Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? Phil Allison <pallison49@gmail.com> - 2017-03-23 16:24 -0700
              Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? "dcaster@krl.org" <dcaster@krl.org> - 2017-03-23 16:37 -0700
                Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? Phil Allison <pallison49@gmail.com> - 2017-03-23 17:46 -0700
                Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? "dcaster@krl.org" <dcaster@krl.org> - 2017-03-23 18:05 -0700
                Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> - 2017-03-25 03:18 -0400
              Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> - 2017-03-25 03:16 -0400
          Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? Jasen Betts <jasen@xnet.co.nz> - 2017-03-26 19:36 +0000
        Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? oldschool@tubes.com - 2017-03-20 14:04 -0500
          Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? Don Kuenz <g@crcomp.net> - 2017-03-21 17:22 +0000
        Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? Don Kuenz <g@crcomp.net> - 2017-03-20 19:27 +0000
    Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? George Herold <gherold@teachspin.com> - 2017-03-20 12:24 -0700
      Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? Clifford Heath <no.spam@please.net> - 2017-03-21 09:14 +1100
        Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? George Herold <gherold@teachspin.com> - 2017-03-20 17:04 -0700
          Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? "dcaster@krl.org" <dcaster@krl.org> - 2017-03-20 20:06 -0700
            Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? jurb6006@gmail.com - 2017-03-21 00:18 -0700
            Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? George Herold <gherold@teachspin.com> - 2017-03-21 05:55 -0700
              Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? "dcaster@krl.org" <dcaster@krl.org> - 2017-03-21 06:46 -0700
      Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? Phil Hobbs <pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> - 2017-03-21 03:15 -0400
  Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? bitrex <bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net> - 2017-03-19 22:25 -0400
    Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? Phil Allison <pallison49@gmail.com> - 2017-03-19 19:52 -0700
      Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? bitrex <bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net> - 2017-03-19 23:14 -0400
        Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? bitrex <bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net> - 2017-03-19 23:14 -0400
        Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? Phil Allison <pallison49@gmail.com> - 2017-03-19 20:32 -0700
          Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? bitrex <bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net> - 2017-03-20 00:01 -0400
            Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? Phil Allison <pallison49@gmail.com> - 2017-03-19 22:32 -0700
          Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? jurb6006@gmail.com - 2017-03-20 03:52 -0700
          Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? bitrex <bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net> - 2017-03-20 15:18 -0400
            Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? Tauno Voipio <tauno.voipio@notused.fi.invalid> - 2017-03-20 21:28 +0200
              Re: How do those Spring Reverbs work in guitar amps? bitrex <bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net> - 2017-03-20 16:26 -0400

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