Members Benjamin Posted September 19, 2007 Members Share Posted September 19, 2007 Borrowed a new 700RB-II last night to A/B with the ol' Trace AH300. As you'd expect the GK came out the clear winner, I am very impressed with its flexibility and grunt. Surprisingly it is like the Trace only with herbs, spice and a good deal more muscle. The 700RB is on a deal, which puts it at around $1500AUD. I'd be happy laying down the bikkies on this beast now, if it weren't for one question. The same music shop is also a dealer for Traynor. Although they don't have a YBA-200 in stock, I would like to give one a spin. Unfortunately that means a trip to Melbourne (150Km) to try one and lugging all my gear to that test could be difficult for some shops. The Traynor works out to be about the same price. GK vs Traynor is maybe not a straight comparison, but from what HCBF and other places tell me the Traynor is very sharp sounding and is not as wooly as other valve amps. I love the growl and GK sound. I am interested in whether the Traynor would be considerably more dirty and less sharp than the GK. Whether I should jump on the GK or wait and try the Traynor somehow, or just order a Traynor and be done with it. Rock sound is what I am after. Probably more fusion/alternative than straight out rock. Either way the Trace has to go, happily done my time with Trace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thumper Posted September 19, 2007 Members Share Posted September 19, 2007 Apples and oranges. I can't speak for the GK, but I've had my YBA 200 for a year and a half and love it. With 200 watts, you don't have tons of clean headroom. I run mine through 1x15 and 2x10 Avatar Neo cabs, and I'm up against a LOUD drummer, a 50 watt Marshall half-stack, and a 50 watt Fender Blues DeVille, and I have no trouble keeping up. The tone is a bit dark, and not hi-fi at all. I play geezer rock, so it suits me just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Emprov Posted September 19, 2007 Members Share Posted September 19, 2007 Apples and oranges. Yep. As far as I can tell, there are two types of amp sounds for bass: tube and solid state. Once you've chosen between those two, the rest is all about fine tuning your tone IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Markee Posted September 20, 2007 Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 It would need to be weighed as to what type of environment you plan on dragging it thru, maintinance costs you are willing to endure and of course tone. If you pamper your gear and like/prefer old school tone go for the toober. I might also suggest if you go the tube route to arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible by getting Dan Torres amp book for example and logging onto www.firebottle.com's Ampage section so you can learn to work on your amp yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chubrocker Posted September 20, 2007 Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 As already well stated: apples and oranges. Personally, I'd go the G-K route. I can get a tubish tone out of my G-K with my DOD Juice Box or PODxt preamp model. But, I could never get a cutting tone out of my previous tube amps. I'm a G-Ker for life---but that's my tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rpsands Posted September 20, 2007 Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 The EQ on the GK is way, way more powerful. I've ab'd them in a shop, and several things in GK's favor (well, 1001rbII v. Traynor) 1) Can do Hi-Fi type mid poppy sound. 2) About eight thousand times as loud and able to cut at volume3) Not voiced for scoop metal While I enjoyed it a lot, I found that especially with its special cab, the Traynor is kind of voiced for mid-scoop action and sounds boomy at volume. I think if I was going to buy one, I would for sure skip the cab and get something hi-fi like a GB212 Neox or something. If you're just looking to do a scoop metal sound or geezer rock or similar it'll probably do you fine, but its tendency to break up early combined with the voicing make it not so great for a brighter sound, and not cut amazingly well. I'd go GK, and get the 1001RBII - get it delivered in the states from RMCAUDIO.COM and have someone ship it to you, I'd say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rpsands Posted September 20, 2007 Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 What I'd do is ask someone on the forums to post you some sound clips of the Traynor, and then decide if you've got to wait and try it or not actually. I'm sure someone could hook you up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thumper Posted September 20, 2007 Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 It would need to be weighed as to what type of environment you plan on dragging it thru, maintinance costs you are willing to endure and of course tone. If you pamper your gear and like/prefer old school tone go for the toober. I might also suggest if you go the tube route to arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible by getting Dan Torres amp book for example and logging onto www.firebottle.com's Ampage section so you can learn to work on your amp yourself. You don't have to pamper a tube amp. A well-maintained tube amp is just as reliable as a solid state rig. There are tons of vintage Marshall, Fender, Ampeg, Sunn etc tube amps still going strong after decades of use. Tubes and filter caps need periodic replacement. Regular servicing and basic maintenance usually do the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chubrocker Posted September 20, 2007 Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 From my experience, I've had more issues with solid state than tube amps---guitar and bass amps combined. The only real "extra" expense is new tubes. Otherwise, all my tube amps have been more reliable than my SS amps comparatively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Markee Posted September 21, 2007 Members Share Posted September 21, 2007 I have yet to open up a Traynor to see if they have their sockets mounted on the chassis or not. Circuit board mounted sockets are a weak point by adding flex from tube removal and replacement. Tube holders would be paramount in keeping the tubes from wiggling around as well. I would be inclined to think that by (Australian) environment means many things, i.e warmer overall climate, dust, humidity, just to name a few. Tube amps are not "just as reliable" in general. The number of tubes equates to the number of opportunities for Murphy to rear his ugly head. If you go with a tube amp be sure to take extra tubes or a backup amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thumper Posted September 21, 2007 Members Share Posted September 21, 2007 ^ A good tube amp is just as reliable as a good ss amp. I've played mainly tube heads since 1977, including a Sound City 120, Fender Showman Reverb, Sunn 200 and currently a Traynor YBA 200 I bought new in May 2006. I'm not a full-time musician, but I've put lots of hours on tube amps in the last 30 years and never had a failure. As with any amp, following the manual and doing basic maintenance go a long way towards keeping your amp happy. Any amp is more likely to sh*t the bed if abused or misused. As for carrying spare tubes or a spare head, a DI is easier (provided you have a decent PA). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xOriginalNinjax Posted September 21, 2007 Members Share Posted September 21, 2007 Personally, I like SS stuff better...unless it's a tube pre...you can NEVER go wrong if you've got a SS amp with a SS/Tube preamp though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SpaceGhost Posted September 21, 2007 Members Share Posted September 21, 2007 I like both for different applications. If I wanted a vicious slap tone, I'd go solid state. If I wanted a good tone, I'd go tube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NeonVomit Posted September 21, 2007 Members Share Posted September 21, 2007 Very different amps. Basically a SS v.s. Tubes question. I like GK though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members baracuda2004 Posted September 21, 2007 Members Share Posted September 21, 2007 I've got a 400watt all tube monster and a SS 1001RB-II and I prefer the 1001RB-II... cause it matches my preferences perfectly. Just for your info by preferences i'm talking GNR, RHCP, RATM, Avenged Sevenfold, AIC stuff like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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