Best Driver for spring reverb

Hello,

I am looking to build a driver with line level input and output for a Accutronics Type 4 spring reverb pulled from a hammond organ. What do you guys recommend. I found some simple circuits on the Accutronics website.

The overall sound I am looking for is a Fender '63 type reverb surfy sound. Can I get this without a tube circuit?

The Paia driver are supposed to be pretty good. But how about a valve driven amp, Like Theo Argiriadis's Springreverb? Sounds like a fun project, but you might end up with a noisier box, and you would probably need to put the springs in a separate tank.  Some good filtering is important, (especially high-pass filtering) both before and after the springs. How about adding one of the DIY EQ projects around here - after the springs for fine-tuning?  And you need to check the which impedance your springs have. Accutronics have many different types of impedance- choices.   I'm currently building a 4U spring-reverb my-selves, with seperate eq and filtering, plus mixer between different spring-setups. But I'm still experimenting, and have little to show at this time.

search "spring reverb". lots of discussion here, and read this:

http://sound.westhost.com/articles/reverb.htm

EDIT: I missed the "Fender '63" in the request. The ESP article is about getting the best fidelity out of a spring tank, not the best recreation of the classic sound, so probably irrelevant in this discussion.

The original 63 is a fairly simple circuit -

http://www.schematicheaven.com/fenderamps/reverb_6g15_schem.pdf

I just finished one of these for guitar.  You can sub in a 6V6 for the output.  You don't have to do the power supply exactly as shown - a tube rectifier or simple full wave diode will do.  The choke isn't necessary either - any sensible value resistor will work in it's place.

For line level use you could put a 10K:10-40Kish interstage on the input.  Edcor and Hammond make these at reasonable cost.  The driver iron is basically a Champ OT.  Hammond and Weber(Ted) carry these for ~16.00.

As for tone shaping, the stock circuit is a passable brightness control that works fine for general use.  If it were me I would employ a separate EQ in front of and/or behind for critical work.  

You will also have a good deal of convenient flexibility with altering the front end gain of this circuit - 12ax7 to AT7 to AY7 to AU7.

It will probably require an extra buffer stage after the mixer to lower the output impedance.

I'm not sure if this will go with your tank, but late 60's SS Vox's with verb are the *surfiest* I ever met, by far.  Not like a Fender at all, puts it to shame if surf is your bag.  Wish I could remember the model for you.  Buckinham or Yorkshire or something like that.

> Fender '63 type reverb surfy sound. Can I get this without a tube circuit?

Nobody ever has.

Though to most ears today, the $69 digital-boxes give "a reverb effect" with a LOT less hassle; be sure it is worth the work.

+10 on using 6G15 plan. That IS where the sound comes from. The later on-board reverbs (Twin Reverb etc) were "nearly as good", but why bother?

You may hack-up a Epiphone Valve Junior Head for the main frame and iron. It has the 6V and 300VDC. The OT is maybe too good, but not excessively good. I would not use the EL84, because Epi must use quite cheap 12AX7 and EL84 bottles to hit their price, but also because 6K6/6F6/6V6/6AQ5 are mellower bottles. You will have to add a socket for a second 12AX7, or re-design the recovery and mix stages for a chip (which could be better than the tube, but there are SO many bad examples of chip recovery stages to lead you astray).

Use the FENDER spring. Surf-guitar is different from Organ. Springs are not expensive. There may be music in the organ spring, but it aint D.Dale.

Fender Type? I thought Fender and Hammond both used the same type 4 accutronics spring?

Does anyone know what input and output impedance is the 6g15 schematic setup for?