Members booher Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 So I used to hear about these amps a lot from other people on the net, but not so much around here. Lately though, I feel like I've heard about them more and more here. I heard one guy say that they're just as good as their "marshall" and "fender" counterparts, but I didn't realize that they did marshall type amps as well as fender sounds. I knew about the fender sounds, and I always thought of them as being that kind of sound. What can you tell me about the models out there? Which are the ones to look out for? Ones to pass up on? What kinda prices should I expect on them (it seems that they are very budget friendly from my experience)? Anything else I should know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members smrz Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 Really well built amps. They sound great, probably more fendery usually, but it depends on the specific amp. YGM 2 is a great little amp. Deluxe Reverb killer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TomCTC Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 The YCV50 "Blue" amp is a great one, as well. Loaded with a Vintage 30, does a great Marshall impersonation and isn't too bad to carry around. Plus it looks neat with the blue tolex. My favourite of theirs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members booher Posted March 26, 2008 Author Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 hm, i'm hoping to find a head I think, but that YGM2 sounds interesting. What about the YBA-1 bass amp? Seems like people are saying that they're pretty much better Bassmans (mens?...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Servant Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 Pretty much any of the Traynor tube amps are winners. I especially like the 4-10 combo I played once. I think perhaps it's a YCV80 or some such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cg_25 Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 The truth is, these amps are some of the best. They offer features other companies don't. All of the Traynor amps offer an unlimited 2 year warranty. They are made in Canada by Yorkville, which is huge in sound, and their factory is actually right down the street from me. Right now the best is considered their YCV50 blue, however they have a new line of amps, that I've only seen here in Canada. I tried them and the tone is unbelieveable. I think the model is YSC50 & YCS80, they're brown! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members space cred Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 i don't much care for the new ones, had one around briefly. the old ones on the other hand are unbelievable. I had a ygm-3 (like a deluxe reverb) which was great, just a little quiet for my needs, and now use a '73 ygl mark III along with a bandmaster. they're all fairly fendery but sometimes use el34's so can be described (sort of) as a little marshally ... only at ungodly levels with mine though. the YBA-1 is very bassman/plexi-ish. simply an awesome amp. oh, and the consensus is that they're made as sturdy as an amp can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cdawzrd Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 I got a YCV50blue for $400, and I couldn't be happier. Especially at that price, it's the best amplifier I've ever played out of. The clean channel is sweet like a Fender, not noisy at all. The dirt channel can go from light grit to near-marshall metal tones, especially with the footswitchable boost. The reverb on mine isn't as good as a Fender's reverb, but it's close, and I don't use the amp's reverb that much anyway. It is SOLID. Not too heavy for a tube 1x12 (about 60 pounds) and hasn't given me any trouble at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Instrospection Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 The older amps are gaining in worth, so if you have one, hang onto it! I had an old YGM-4 (4 8" speakers....how rare is that?) which was really good. Plug for another great Canadian amp maker (locally here, Winnipeg based)-- Garnets can still be had for some decent prices. Great old primarily tube amps (they did make a few solid state models, even for Gibson!), what they lacked in features (often no overdrive, quite bare bones), they made up for in build quality and sound quality. Once they were quite looked down on; now they're becoming somewhat of a holy grail. They hold their price well--given that you pay the going rate of what they're worth, on EBay, you're pretty much guaranteed the same resell value, and they're getting more valuable as time passes.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members V Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 I use a YCV50 myself. It's a very nice amp, especially with an overdrive (sounds really great with an OD-3 in the effects loop, actually). I also often use the send to drive my 67 bassman head and the two combined sound really great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fingermush Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 '73 Mark III, 85 watt 2x12" combo. It still has original Mullard 6ca7s & it sounds out of this world, it has a master control, which is good for getting different types of distortion. Side by side with a Dual Showman Reverb combo it has more of a Marshall rasp. and does it love pedals? Yes, yes it does. When I go out to the desert to bring the Sludge Metal painz this is the amp I take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zer0beaT Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 That was my first amp! Got it out of a pawn shop for $80. I used that MKIII for years, even sold the used Mullard tubes on ebay for over $100 and eventually sold the amp for just under $500. It was just way too much amp for me. That is one loud amp and should be owned by a musician doing fairly large gigs, which is not me. I went on to a Garnet Sessionman 2x12 which was awesome, but again too much amp for me. I eventually learned my lesson and use a Fender Deluxe Reverb now. Suits me perfect. But I miss the huge tight bass those other amps had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members booher Posted March 26, 2008 Author Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 so the amps i'm looking at are the YBA-1, which sounds very, very nice for the price most are going for, and the YCS50H, the Custom Special 50 head, which seems reasonably priced and pretty versatile. I don't really mind the price of it, because i can sell the head I've got right now to afford it and still have some change left over (gotta love the resale value of mesa's). But do you guys have any experience with the YCS50H? It looks nice, but someone here just said the newer stuff doesn't quite hold up to the old stuff. How would this stuff compare to Vox stuff? I've also considered buying a Handwired AC30 that I saw for a seemingly decent price on ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tetaJ Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 between a Traynor YCV wr 40 and a Fender Blues Deluxe, which one would you take and why? Are Traynors really reliable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wolfboy1 Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 I have one and have gigged with it many times in bars, a Traynor YCV40WR. Good looking amp, super solid in build (been knocked over 2x and not a problem), great warranty and price. Takes pedals well but can also get a lot of tonal variation without pedals. I love it, plenty of volume and a bit on the bright side. Does very nice cleans and very nice classic rock crunch. Not a high gain rectifier sound. I think it holds up to a fender in tone very nicely but I wouldn't compare it to a Marshall. Problems with this model....no master volume, the effects loop is not switchable, bright switch works on gain channel only, and reverb seems to not be noticable until knob fairly far off zero. Kudos for price, tone, self-biasing tubes, effects loop, and an overall quality product (Guitar Player award winner for good reason) Probably a good bit more versatile than a Fender Blues but again It would be tough to compare to a Marshall. The new models have some added features (like a master volume) and don't look as nice as the 40WR or 50 Blue IMHO but I have no idea how they sound. I have been playing out alot these days and would like to try the 50 Blue or the YCV 80 with 4x10's. just out of curiosity. I have had several contacts with customer service and they have all been pleasant and helpful. Nothing wrong with the amp but when I bought from MF it came in an extremely damaged carton and had the last buyers invoice still in the box (I got some one else's return) and I wanted to make sure everything was still working. The rep I talked to also gave me pedal suggestions and playing tips plus we exchanged emails about amps and amp construction for awhile. All in all one of my best music purchases:thu: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members squareking Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 Traynors are awesome amps, new and vintage. The YBA-1(A)s are super loud. I mean LOUD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members booher Posted March 26, 2008 Author Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 Traynors are awesome amps, new and vintage. The YBA-1(A)s are super loud. I mean LOUD. Isn't that the same thing as the Bassman, too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members goldenboy8167 Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 After hearing about the YBA-1 for years I finally had the opportunity to try one in a local music shop. It was killer. Especially with the channels jumped. Total hard rock. The only reason I didn't buy it is that it was way to loud for our practice or the gigs we play. I would never have been able to turn it up that loud to get that incredible sound. I still watch them on ebay now and then and think about getting one. I ended up getting a 68 Bandmaster (that also sound great when turned up) because it was only 40 watts instead of 50. Duh, that has proven to be way to loud too. The YGA mentioned above sounds interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cg_25 Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 read on the company history it's very interesting: http://www.traynoramps.com/default.asp?p1=6&p2=0&p_id=36 The original maker of the amps tested their ruggedness by dropping them them off the second story of their store. If they survived the drop and still worked properly, it meant the product was rugged enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sonic_tooth Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 I love my YBA-1. PTP construction. Sounds great, easy to work on. Killer amp. 6l6s for fender like tones, el34 for plexi like tones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members squareking Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 Isn't that the same thing as the Bassman, too? The earlier YBA-1s are very "inspired" by the Bassman design, but after a few years (early/mid 60s) they changed the power tubes to EL34s (or whatever the equivs are). The YBA-1A incorporates the same tube layout and etc, but with 90w of output from the same dual EL34 layout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 between a Traynor YCV wr 40 and a Fender Blues Deluxe, which one would you take and why?Are Traynors really reliable? Neither. Neither has a good drive channel. YCS-50 is their best combo, followed by the YCV-50. Yes. There are a lot of Traynor threads in the amp forum. Everything you need to know can be found there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members IRG Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 I have a YCV50Blue and am mostly happy with it. I compared them against the Blues Deluxe and other Fender amps in the price range, but Traynor is definitely a better made product. The clean channel is close to being Fendery, but maybe not quite there, enough for me though. The drive channel turned me off at first. But I've experiemented, and really like it now. Got rid of my Crunchbox because with a Bad Monkey as a booster only into my drive channel, I could get the same sound. It does take pedals well, and the master volume is great for home playing. I found to make everything sound better, I turned up all of the tone controls first, and then dialed back alittle bit on the midrange, a small amount on the treble. Made the sound much fuller and warmer. I paid $600 new from an authorized dealer, just couldn't find a better amp with it's features for the money. Looked at the Vox AC15, but I think the Traynor is a better amp, certainly better made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sonic_tooth Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 The earlier YBA-1s are very "inspired" by the Bassman design, but after a few years (early/mid 60s) they changed the power tubes to EL34s (or whatever the equivs are). The YBA-1A incorporates the same tube layout and etc, but with 90w of output from the same dual EL34 layout. That is impossible. Static dissipation of a good quality EL 34s biased right up to the nuts is about 20 watts. 20 + 20 = 40. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members squareking Posted March 26, 2008 Members Share Posted March 26, 2008 That is impossible. Static dissipation of a good quality EL 34s biased right up to the nuts is about 20 watts. 20 + 20 = 40. http://www.tone-lizard.com/Traynor_Amplifiers.htm "The 'best' Marshall clone was the Traynor Mark II (YBA-1A). This 2XEL34 amplifier put out 90 watts with its high voltage power supply. Tube problems? No sir, thanks in part to the careful design of the output stage. Why Marshall didn't use these ideas, presented by Mullard themselves in 1953, baffles me. Today, these amplifiers don't command nearly the price that an equivalent Marshall will, and that's fine by me." The schem inside my YBA-1A verified this, as did the tech who recapped it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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