Members dudeman1967 Posted January 18, 2008 Members Share Posted January 18, 2008 Purchased a YCS-50 a month ago. Quick one month review. I love it. Very versatile. I'm getting anything from perfect crystal clean to high gain mania(without a distortion pedal). I had the amp for a week before I even tried a pedal of any type. I now sometimes add a little delay, chorus and a touch of compression. Mostly though I go straight to the amp. I like the 15/50watt selectablity. I haven't been in 50 watt mode much as I haven't jammed with a drummer yet. The clean channel is great in the "USA" mode (with and without bright enabled). I think I like the "British" mode of the clean channel for most rhythm playing. It breaks up just right for me with the gain max or near max. I wish the USA/Brit mode was foot switchable. It would make this a pseudo 3 channel amp. I may modify this in the future. I haven't found a use for the "expander" mode on the clean channel though. The distortion channel has every bit of distortion I would need especially with the boost button engaged. Again I haven't used any distortion pedals with this amp--haven't needed them. The distortion channel also has "scoop" and "modern" modes. All combinations work for all the types of distorted sounds I would need. I like the straight distortion without the modern and scoop buttons engaged best. It also a presence and resonance controls. They can be remove completely from the signal path if desired. There is separate gain, volume, eq (low, mid, high), reverb and effects loop control for each channel. There is a balanced direct out. I haven't used it yet. Comes with a Celestion Vintage30 12" speaker. This amp has huge amounts of low end especially for a 1-12" combo. I tend to back off the bass a lot unlike most combos. It was not easy for me to find a store with a unit in stock to demo and had to drive an hour to find one. It was worth the trip. I knew it was the amp for me after 10 minutes in the store. This has got to be the most versatile and best value combo amp out there. I can't imagine a better $700 amp. Sorry it was supposed to be a quick review but I can't seem to say enough good things about this amp. You owe it to yourself to consider this if you are looking for an inexpensive amp that covers most rock tones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rushtallica Posted January 18, 2008 Members Share Posted January 18, 2008 Good to hear. I've never seen a Traynor except for one used one recently but would like to check some of their amps out if I ever get the chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted January 18, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 18, 2008 The clean channel is great in the "USA" mode (with and without bright enabled). I think I like the "British" mode of the clean channel for most rhythm playing. It breaks up just right for me with the gain max or near max. I wish the USA/Brit mode was foot switchable. It would make this a pseudo 3 channel amp. I may modify this in the future. I wrote and suggested that to them. Their reply was that the signal runs through the switch and to make it footswitchable, they'd have to run the signal to the footswitch and back. Would be a cool improvement though. I thought the same thing about the vintage/modern switch on the gain channel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members diddlybo Posted January 18, 2008 Members Share Posted January 18, 2008 My CS50 combo arrived yesterday. I could only play it for a few minutes but it sounded really good. I'm loving the clean channel, on either the American or Brit setting. My main amp for the past few years has been a Carr Slant 6V, which is known for its clean sounds. I won't say the Traynor sounds as good as the Slant but its a lot closer than I would have ever imagined possible, considering the Carr costs over two grand and the Traynor was $650 new in the box. I'll have a chance to crank it up this afternoon and I'll probably use it on a gig later tonight. I'm eager to get it in a band situation to see how I like it as a gigging amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mooktank Posted January 18, 2008 Members Share Posted January 18, 2008 I'm considering a traynor ycs50 myself but I don't know how aggressive these beasts can get. I wants to try one out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rushtallica Posted January 18, 2008 Members Share Posted January 18, 2008 My CS50 combo arrived yesterday. I could only play it for a few minutes but it sounded really good. I'm loving the clean channel, on either the American or Brit setting. My main amp for the past few years has been a Carr Slant 6V, which is known for its clean sounds. I won't say the Traynor sounds as good as the Slant but its a lot closer than I would have ever imagined possible, considering the Carr costs over two grand and the Traynor was $650 new in the box. I'll have a chance to crank it up this afternoon and I'll probably use it on a gig later tonight. I'm eager to get it in a band situation to see how I like it as a gigging amp. Please report back if you get to gig it~! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Krishna Posted January 18, 2008 Members Share Posted January 18, 2008 i want to try one out but dunno where to find one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members diddlybo Posted January 18, 2008 Members Share Posted January 18, 2008 Please report back if you get to gig it~! Will do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members diddlybo Posted January 18, 2008 Members Share Posted January 18, 2008 i want to try one out but dunno where to find one Go to their website and call their dealers. I probably called 10 Traynor dealers before I found one with the CS50 in stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dudeman1967 Posted January 18, 2008 Members Share Posted January 18, 2008 Forgot to mention it has a 2 year unlimited warranty I have some Yorkville (parent co.) PA equipment that is old (read well used) and rock solid. Never an issue with quality. Yorkville has a good reputation for quality and value. Also Made in North America for those who don't like sending their money to China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dudeman1967 Posted January 18, 2008 Members Share Posted January 18, 2008 I wrote and suggested that to them. Their reply was that the signal runs through the switch and to make it footswitchable, they'd have to run the signal to the footswitch and back. Would be a cool improvement though. I thought the same thing about the vintage/modern switch on the gain channel. I wonder if this can be designed around with proper shielded cable etc.. Though I would hate to add any noise to what is otherwise a very quiet amp. I don't know very much about electronics but I'm going to ask a few of the electronics and instrumentation jockeys here at work for any ideas. Aren't there a few amp modifiers on this site? I wonder if they could come up with something. The ability to switch between USA and Brit mode on the clean channel and vintage and modern on the distortion channel would make this my perfect amp. It's already pretty damn close now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members antareus Posted January 18, 2008 Members Share Posted January 18, 2008 Woah, this looks like exactly what I have been looking for! Versatile, warm-sounding tube rock amp! Anyone tried it with EL34's? How are the stock tubes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Songman68 Posted January 18, 2008 Members Share Posted January 18, 2008 That is a nice sounding amp, just has to much power for me. If they come out with a 15 watt version I will be all over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 17 Tubes Posted January 18, 2008 Members Share Posted January 18, 2008 Forgot to mention it has a 2 year unlimited warrantyI have some Yorkville (parent co.) PA equipment that is old (read well used) and rock solid. Never an issue with quality. Yorkville has a good reputation for quality and value. Also Made in North America for those who don't like sending their money to China. It's a good warranty. If you drop it off stage/down the stairs/back of truck on the street....it's replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted January 18, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 18, 2008 That is a nice sounding amp, just has to much power for me. If they come out with a 15 watt version I will be all over it. I assume we're still talking about the YCS-50. It's switchable between 50 and 15 watts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EdMan57 Posted January 19, 2008 Members Share Posted January 19, 2008 Woah, this looks like exactly what I have been looking for! Versatile, warm-sounding tube rock amp! Anyone tried it with EL34's? How are the stock tubes? Go back and see post #50 of this thread by overdriven1...he really likes his YCS-50 with EL34's. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members funkymonks16 Posted January 26, 2008 Members Share Posted January 26, 2008 Is anyone else experiencing very very bright tones? I feel that to get a thick tone on the overdrive channel you almost have to drop the treble and add all bass. I mean, I like the amp, but its hard to dial in a overdrive tone that isnt brittle sounding. Any tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rushtallica Posted January 26, 2008 Members Share Posted January 26, 2008 Is anyone else experiencing very very bright tones? I feel that to get a thick tone on the overdrive channel you almost have to drop the treble and add all bass. I mean, I like the amp, but its hard to dial in a overdrive tone that isnt brittle sounding. Any tips? I don't have the amp, myself, but would say that if you're using el34's, you might try 6L6's instead -- or a graphic eq pedal in the loop. Admittedly that's more $ for a changeover if that's what you're running, so consider this a bump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dudeman1967 Posted January 26, 2008 Members Share Posted January 26, 2008 Is anyone else experiencing very very bright tones? I feel that to get a thick tone on the overdrive channel you almost have to drop the treble and add all bass. I mean, I like the amp, but its hard to dial in a overdrive tone that isnt brittle sounding. Any tips? I don't experience that at all. I didn't think it was particularly over bright amp in most settings. Also I can't imagine turning the bass all the way up. I don't think I ever turn the bass past 12:00 on either channel. Have you tried bypassing the presence function? It certainly get pretty bright on the last 15-30 deg of that control. Did you disabling the "bright" switch on USA/brit channel? Are you trying to get an overdrive tone through a pedal or just through the amp? Give me some more details of your setup and settings and I will try them in the morning and see if I can reproduce what you are hearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members funkymonks16 Posted January 28, 2008 Members Share Posted January 28, 2008 well the preamp tubes poke out at a different angles, so maybe I got a bum amp? 1 / /2 | |3 And Im using 6l6s. Originally I had tried by passing the presence controls, but that only seemed to make it worse. And the cleans sound alright, its the overdrive that sounds very buzzy and thin. I use a strat, so I guess its expected not to be very crunchy, but still, its not nearly what I was expecting. On my old hot rod, i usually kept the bass around 12, but now i gotta haul it at like 3-4 to keep it from getting grossly thin. Is it just my amp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted January 28, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 28, 2008 Is anyone else experiencing very very bright tones? I feel that to get a thick tone on the overdrive channel you almost have to drop the treble and add all bass. I mean, I like the amp, but its hard to dial in a overdrive tone that isnt brittle sounding. Any tips? It is a bright amp. I keep the treble down, but not all the way. Bass and mids are in the middle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members obgust Posted January 28, 2008 Members Share Posted January 28, 2008 Is anyone else experiencing very very bright tones? I feel that to get a thick tone on the overdrive channel you almost have to drop the treble and add all bass. I mean, I like the amp, but its hard to dial in a overdrive tone that isnt brittle sounding. Any tips? In my small rehearsal space and practice room, where there is alot of reflection of sound, I find myself lowering the treble down to 2-4. At the gigs though, where the rooms are larger with alot of people there to absorb the sound, I'm always raising the treble to about 4-6. This has been my experience with other amps as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members funkymonks16 Posted January 29, 2008 Members Share Posted January 29, 2008 I used it with my friends les paul and the overdrive sounded amazing, but when I went back to my strat...it was a depressing difference. Also, it doesnt really seem to take pedals well. My ts-9 sounds like a transistor/ss distortion, as does my big muff. Is my amp faulty or does anyone else find this too? I tried lowering the treble and that seemed to help a bit. Its still very shrill however. Does anyone suggest replacing the 6l6s with el34s or kt77s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members obgust Posted January 29, 2008 Members Share Posted January 29, 2008 I use a tele with that amp and it sounds great! I have no use for distortion pedals with this particular amp. I loop a nanoverb, use a wha, but thats it. I always prefer to have the resonance/prescence circuit engaged with the prescence turned down alot. I also run it at 15 watts with the master pretty much wide open. Maybe there is something wrong with your amp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted January 29, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 29, 2008 I used it with my friends les paul and the overdrive sounded amazing, but when I went back to my strat...it was a depressing difference. Also, it doesnt really seem to take pedals well. My ts-9 sounds like a transistor/ss distortion, as does my big muff. Is my amp faulty or does anyone else find this too?I tried lowering the treble and that seemed to help a bit. Its still very shrill however. Does anyone suggest replacing the 6l6s with el34s or kt77s? I use a Visual Sound Route 66, which is another TS variant. In the clean channel, it sounds fantastic. I don't really use it in the distortion channel because there's plenty of natural distortion there already. Sounds great to me with every guitar I've put in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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