Standell Reverbalux Oil Can Delay

[CJ]

looky here>

 

[CJ]

someone took a can of oil and stuck a motor on it, then somebody sold it at the guitar show for 50 smackers, now some jokers are selling the same box for 1300 on evilbay go figure.

 

[CJ]

sometimes 12ax7's, sometimes 12au7's depending on who you ask,

was missing the drive pulley so we drilled out an aluminum guitar strap button for 3/16", then used the edge of a flat file and used the motor as a lathe after freeing up the motor with deoxit and tri-flow. you can see the aluminum dust i guess we should clean that up, cut the belt as it was sloppy loose like mom, then super glued it back together. don't know how long that will last so we ordered a new belt,

 

[CJ]

look at that, fender style 60's blue molded caps,

half wave pwr supply just like the Fender stand-alone reverb box,

 

[CJ]

orig schematic, rumored to have errors, tracing it to the actual circuit in the box will sort that out,

 

[CJ]

somebody says their mods made it sound better>

 

[CJ]

supposedly only one type of oil will work, made by Dow Chemical, somebody broke down and bought a 50 gallon drum and sells it on evilbay

https://www.ebay.com/itm/323933792327

 

[CJ]

going to try a PRB FR8.8 belt, will lett you know how it fits,
original belt is 3/16" wide, 1/16" thick and who knows how long it was originally. a piesce of solder stretched over the belt path cam out at about 8 and 7/8" inches long.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255115459683

 

[CJ]

here is a PRB belt catalog>

 

[CJ]

here is a forum dedicated to these weird contraptions.

they made a similar device , the DeArmond Bo Diddly Vibrato unit, supposedly that was the first stomp box,



https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/telrayoilcanaddicts/

 

[the groke]

going to try a PRB FR8.8 belt, will lett you know how it fits,
original belt is 3/16" wide, 1/16" thick and who knows how long it was originally. a piesce of solder stretched over the belt path cam out at about 8 and 7/8" inches long.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255115459683

Thanks for this link. Maybe they have something that will fit on my Fender oil can reverb...

 

[soapfoot]

I've revived a couple of these (well not the Standel, but some of its alternatively--branded brethren).

You may not need my tips, but someone else reading might, so I'll pass along a few things I learned.

• The UCON LB65 is an industrial lubricant and is most likely not especially-toxic. But the original oil may or may not have contained large quantities of carcinogenic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Internet wisdom goes back-and-forth over that, but I have a colleague who did a test and found evidence of PCBs in an old Tel-Ray oil can echo, so proceed with caution. The stuff is purportedly like an evil ghost that will invisibly go right through a nitrile glove, so be careful.
• You've got to get the right amount of LB65 in the can for optimal operation. Too little and it obviously won't work, but too much and the echoes will likewise be weak. There's very much a sweet spot you're trying to hit... just a teaspoon or two of oil in the bottom of the can; just barely enough that the spinning electrostatic disc can pick up a touch of oil. You don't want it bathing in the stuff.
• The can is just a regular old paint can; I've had great success prying the lid open and carefully adding a few drops of LB65 with a disposable pipette. It's frustratingly trial-and-error (my Morley EVO-1 probably has a touch too much oil in it right now).
• A good test for appropriate oil amount... if you turn the whole unit upside down and shake it as if to coat the entire inside of the can with oil and the echo gets stronger (as the oil is distributed) before weakening (as the oil settles to the bottom of the can), you've got a hair too much oil. It's frustrating, but glove up (2x gloves if you can) and crack that can open again.

Good luck! There is nothing like these things. One of my favorite applications is to get two of them, set them to different subdivisions, and hard-pan them on a stereo return (fed by a single send, impedance-transformed using a couple of Radial EXT-C or similar devices).

On something like a vocal, the dark repeats tend to not really register as "echo," but they add space in this wonderful way that I've not been able to exactly duplicate with anything else.

 

[CJ]

complete rundown right here>

 

[NOON]

Uncle Doug has some good resto videos on oil can delays on youtube.

 

[Tubetec]

Sounds like Link Wray 's oil can needed an overhaul , great tune though .

What about a modern re-incarnation ?

Heres a guy with a Morley oil can vibe , really adds a nice swirl to the Radiohead tune .

 

[Valveamp 101]

Uncle Doug has some good resto videos on oil can delays on youtube.

YES!! His video is very informative and interesting if you dig these.

 

[CJ]

can:

Adineko
Model No: 631A
Code: 29-03
Brush: 2
Speed: 370
Ser #: 1602
Tel-Ray Electronics
8114 Avalon Blvd.
Los Angeles

 

[tommia]

I have a morley waiting for years to get repaired. All this is inspiring. Getting the oil in Europe is quit expencive. Keep up the good work!

 

[heatwalk]

Just had a Tel Ray Super Organ Tone come through, pretty neat unique lil effect. Cool to see the differences in units. Needed new belts, cleaning and some of the UCON oil but sounded great when all said and done. With the motor gunked up there was clicking artifacts until it was cleaned, similar vein to fender vibrato noise