DIY (Do It Yourself)

[dinosr.]

I got my old crate cr-212 (I know, I know it sucks to most on here). it has a spring reverb but the reverb turnned to ten is about where i'd start a reverb. Is there anyway I can up the mix of the reverb internally?

[tedmich]

Very old amp without a schematic that I can find...can you? You could get a different tank, as long as the input and output impedances are similar, with bigger multi spring tanks giving the longer delay and stronger reverb. without a schematic we can't figure how to strengthen the send return, likely through an op amp circuit and voltage divider.

[dinosr.]

Well it has three little springs. Sounds like its more trouble then its worth on such a cheap old amp. I'll just have to get a new amp or reverb unit.

[The_Pin]

Well it has three little springs. Sounds like its more trouble then its worth on such a cheap old amp. I'll just have to get a new amp or reverb unit.

I'd just grab a cheap verb pedal in your case. Unless you're the DIY type, you'd be better off puttin the $$$ towards a new amp imo.

[WRGKMC]

Get yourself a reverb pedal.
The new digital 24 bit reverb pedals sound stellar.

This boss clone sounds as good as any of my built in reverbs,
You can get them for about $25 on ebay http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/DR600.aspx

[fatusstratus]

If you like the "sproinnnnggg" of a spring reverb ( funny because it's kind of a crappy artifact of springs that people used to try to minimize back in the day when they were trying to simulate rooms. Now it's kind of it's own signature sound...like for surf, etc) :

One thing you can do with the suggestion the guys mentioned about getting an external reverb unit (like a pedal) is to MIX in your spring reverb to get that initial attack of the spring, then have more tail come from the outboard unit.

"more" with reverb is kind of a strange balancing act..on string reverb it's usually just mix, but with the fully electronic units you usually have Mix and length ( aka decay, RT60, etc) and various tone options which can make reverb seem "more" or "less" in the mix

[Belva]

Doesn't Danelectro still make a stand alone spring reverb pedal? http://www.amazon.com/Danelectro-DSR-1-Spring-Effects-Pedal/dp/B0002D0JR4 Yup. I've heard these before and they are quite convincing. Too spendy for my blood. I have a Zoom G1X which has great 'verbs and more. It's the one piece of gear I won't part with till it's broken.

[tedmich]

here is the Crate CR 112 schematic http://www.shedradios.com/images/crate_cr-112_04.jpg which I hope is close this guy swapped his Crate reverb pan (same part #) for a long Accutronics pan (9BB3C1A) http://www.tdpri.com/forum/amp-owners-clubs/166068-crate-amplifier-owners-club-4.html may not make you Duane Eddy but should increase the springy! with some research into op amp gain you could boost the signal on the pan return side.

[dinosr.]

Yeah I was thinking more mix then length. I love the spring sound. Im definetly into the surf sound and like black keys and whitestripes. Any srping reverb pedals that have the actual spring artifact?

[Belva]

Yeah I was thinking more mix then length. I love the spring sound. Im definetly into the surf sound and like black keys and whitestripes. Any srping reverb pedals that have the actual spring artifact?

The Danelectro. It even sounds like a spring 'verb when you bump it.

[tedmich]

people love their Mr. Springy pedals, which contain a Belton digital unit inside.

[Mr.Grumpy]

.... with some research into op amp gain you could boost the signal on the pan return side.

Assuming the schematic is correct, there's a couple of parts swaps you could try to increase the reverb level. No guarantees this'll work, any amp mods are done at your own risk... :cop:

Mod #1:
Increase the gain of the reverb's "return amp" by changing R21 from 220K ohms to a higher value like 330K ohms or 470K ohms.

Mod #2:
Increase "wet" level of reverb output. Replace R23, 68K ohms, with a smaller value like 47K ohms or 33 K ohms. Might affect the reverb tone, or it might not.


Before you tear into your amp, make sure your reverb pan is good. I had one fail, one of the springs broke and consequently the reverb was much weaker than I like. It really wasn't possible to fix the broken spring, but a new reverb pan fixed and it wasn't that expensive, less than $30 I think. Also check that the reverb pan's "input" and "output" are connected correctly, on most pans the input/outputs are not interchangeable.