DC5 Reverb low?

The Boogie Board

Help Support The Boogie Board:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

edward

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 19, 2007
Messages
1,056
Reaction score
0
Anyone find their DC5's reverb volume on the low-ish side, wishing you had a "12" or even a "13"?

I tried two different 12ax7, and even had a spare reverb tank from an old MK: neither swaps made any volume difference. My verb "sounds" right, but have it cranked to 8-10 at times and I'm wondering was it really always like this, or has it been getting quieter and I just never noticed it? ...and I do play this amp often. BTW, everything else on the amp is totally normal, which is to say sounds excellent.

Thoughts on your DC's reverb volume?

Edward
 
The DC reverb is kind of weak. The following tweaks from http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=58252

Helped my DC3 a ton.


Better Reverb Mod:
1. Dwell or Speed of Reverb...To change the Dwell of the Reverb, experiment with the 1M resistor that ties Pin 2 of V5A to ground (Grid Resistor).
I like 680K or 750K a little better than the 1M. It slows the Reverb repeats down a little bit and makes it a little more Fender like.

2. Different response....There is a .002 cap from Pin 1 of V5A to ground. Move the side of the cap that goes to ground to Pin 3 of V5A.This should make the Reverb a little better sounding and change the feel of it a bit.

3. Stronger Reverb....On page 6 of the drawing, you will see a 22k resistor in series between the B+ voltage and the Red wire of the Reverb Transformer. This is placed here to prolong the life of the transformer.
You can experiment here with different values of resistors. I usually knock it down to a 5K 1 watt resistor. Removing it completely will probably put you into Dick Dale territory.
I always use a 1 watt resistor here. I have had a few 1/2 watt resistors fail.
 
I had a similar issue & the problem was the reverb cable wasn't plugged in securely.
 
Hey bendo,

Interesting ...thanks for that, man! I'm fine with the reverb's character; just a bit more is what I'm shooting for. I will look into the resistor mod.

So is the resistor located on the PCB or on the verb's transformer? ...I'm hoping for an easy-to-get-to mod and don't want to do major surgery :)
When you swapped yours to a 5K, what did you hear, a "bit" more reverb, "lots" more? How would you describe the difference? Thanks a bunch!

Edward
 
The reverb in my DC-3 is strong enough, though I keep the reverb on my Vibrolux Reverb set to about 2-1/4 out of 10! It can't do surf like the VR, though.
Have you cleaned the sockets and jacks?
 
Hi Don,

Yeah, I double checked all connections, no corrosion but I cleaned em up anyway. Not to mention also trying an old tank from a MK that I used to have...same exact reverb tone and output. I use my DC5 all the time...it's my go-to amp for live use, so also sees rehearsal time as well. Rock solid and no changes that I can hear. So that's what got me wondering if it was degrading oh-so subtly over time that it just never caught my ear. The reverb is still definitely there, but it's as if I wish I could turn it to "13" if I had it ;)

Edward
 
Is it weak on both channels? I noticed that my DC3 has way less reverb on the lead channel than the clean channel.
 
Honestly, I did mine so long ago I forgot what I did. I am pretty sure I used a 10K resistor. It just made the reverb more pronounced, and a lot more noticeable.

I also went a bit further with the dwell, and hooked it up to a 500K pot with a 1M resistor in parallel.
 
Hey Don,

I use hardly any verb on the lead, so it's inconsequential to me. But yeah, I checked, and it is signif less on the Lead channel. I'm on channel 1 99% of the time so that's my chief concern. :)

Thanks bendo ...I'll give it a look see :D

Edward
 
I was just playing my DC3 (I think the preamp and reverb are the same) last night and it has WAY more reverb than I can use on the clean channel. I have it set to 3.
 
Don said:
I was just playing my DC3 (I think the preamp and reverb are the same) last night and it has WAY more reverb than I can use on the clean channel. I have it set to 3.

My DC2 is same now - plenty reverb. Dunno bout DC5 but certainly on 2's and 3's V5 tube's gain has a big effect on reverb level and may be a simple fix.

However one thing to watch for is the ground connection on the tank itself. My tank was quite corroded superficially. Only one connector had the earthy side wired and the other relied on continuity through the tank itself. The connectors are riveted to the tank. On the wired connector to tank I got under 1ohm resistance. The other end was a different story - 90 ohms resistance. Quick fix was spray it with switch cleaner. Resistance dropped to 1 ohm and reverb started working well. If it goes again I'll fix it properly by drilling one of the rivets out, cleaning both sides and using a nut and bolt and star washers.

Steve
 

Latest posts

Back
Top