# Traynor YBA-1 Tribute Vs Mod1



## Stonehead (Nov 12, 2013)

_Is there anyone out there that has compared these amps side by side? Just curious as they look similar and other than the attenuator I don't see much of a difference.....anyone? _
I have the Mod1 version.


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## TA462 (Oct 30, 2012)

I'm curious too. I recently picked up a YBX212 cab and now I want to get the matching amp for it.


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## blaren (May 6, 2006)

Hmm. Hadnt heard of it.
How much is it? MSRP or street or whatever? Maybe I'll check MF.

It's another kinda weird one I bet. Like the '80s JCM800s...the awesome Canadian ones with vert ins and metal toggles etc... can be had for under $500 (if youre lucky, I've found a couple in the $400-$500 range that were MINT) to around $800 up here in Canada in your local used market.

My wife and I were up in Grand Prairie like 2 years ago while I had an early 2203. I had it listed on kijiji for $850. It was MINT.
My Wife sees a JCM800 2203 RI on the shelf and says..hey..this is like yours!
I'm like..well not really...this one has these fugly black plastic rockers and is a new Reissue. She goes...WOAH!!! 23hundred bucks?? :-O and yours is an original??? How much is it worth?
It's listed for $800.
She just goes...uhhhh WHAT???
Yeah,...
But that was NOTHING...a few minutes later she calls me over and says..check out all these old vintage strats. I say...no my love..those are NEW..theyre Road Worn series see the hangtag here?
Well she literally BURST OUT into FITS of laughter so hard she almost fell down.
All I could do was turn red and pretend I wasn't a guitar player for a minute :embarrassed:

So now the YBA1 Tribute eh? I can see them selling in the USA but up here, REAL YBA1s and 1A MKiis are still pretty much EVERYWHERE.
The Swiss have their military assault rifles and its mandatory for us Canadians to have an old Traynor amp in a closet or basement somewhere.

A real YBA1 can still be easily found up here for under 300 clams.
Granted it doesn't have an attenuator but it probably has about 600 bucks worth of Mullard bottles in it. Sell a couple of it's 12AX7s (the CF and PI that you'll be perfectly fine with running CP valves in those sockets) and get a Hotplate or Weber or Z or Marshall or Ultimate attenuator and have enough change left over to take mama out for lunch.

IDK...I just find it kinda funny (and embarrassing) to see ourselves (I am guilty too) buying $2500 reissues of amps that can be had (originals) for under a grand. In the case of the YBA1s for under $500. For under THREE hundred even.
YMMV


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## Pewtershmit (Jun 13, 2014)

I have the tribute and have played the mod a fair bit. Obviously very similiar tones, however, the mod definitley has more gain and I found it to be a bit hairier, however I was using different cabs.

And to the gentleman above, if you can find me a YBA1 under 300 you'd better buy it and flip it! That may have been the case 20 years ago, but The secrets out on the YBA1's and you very commonly see them well above 500, if you even see them at all. 

I bought my YBA1 tribute to have something reliable and new (as well as a slightly tweaked design and attenuator! This is a tribute, not a reissue). While the old ones where built like tanks, when you play with vintage amps, you better have a good tech! Dried out caps, etc. I'm all for the vintage mojo but I can't rely on the mojo to get me through the night with no problems! It's bad enough I have a thing for vintage guitars!


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## Stonehead (Nov 12, 2013)

Pewtershmit said:


> I have the tribute and have played the mod a fair bit. Obviously very similiar tones, however, the mod definitley has more gain and I found it to be a bit hairier, however I was using different cabs.



Thanks for the response. I was wondering how they compared as i absolutely love the tone of my Mod1 even though it has very little headroom. I was thinking i might get an older YBA-1 but that is probably overkill for my situation and maintaining an older amp is something I'm not interested in. I've seen the tribute heads come up on Kijiji from time to time and was planning on pulling the trigger on one.



TA462 said:


> I'm curious too. I recently picked up a YBX212 cab and now I want to get the matching amp for it.


I have the same cab as well and didn't like it at first but once those V30's broke in it made a huge difference in tone. It's Killer cab & will never leave the stable.


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## Pewtershmit (Jun 13, 2014)

honestly. If you can snag a "tribute". Do it. I absolutely love mine. It has much more clean headroom than the mod. I run mine at 10 Watts and its clean with humbuckers unless I really dig in, and thats playing louder stoner type rock with a band (though I definitley prefer the tone of it full blast). I bought my tribute looking for a clean almost broken up amp for pedals, and was prepared to spend a lot more money on a Dr. Z or something that lines, but the YBA1 Tribute had the tone I was looking for at a pretty insane price point. 

Considering there is only 100 Tributes. If you can find one. BUY IT!! I wouldn't even mind finding another as a backup I like mine so much.


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## blaren (May 6, 2006)

Pewtershmit said:


> I have the tribute and have played the mod a fair bit. Obviously very similiar tones, however, the mod definitley has more gain and I found it to be a bit hairier, however I was using different cabs.
> 
> And to the gentleman above, if you can find me a YBA1 under 300 you'd better buy it and flip it! That may have been the case 20 years ago, but The secrets out on the YBA1's and you very commonly see them well above 500, if you even see them at all.
> 
> I bought my YBA1 tribute to have something reliable and new (as well as a slightly tweaked design and attenuator! This is a tribute, not a reissue). While the old ones where built like tanks, when you play with vintage amps, you better have a good tech! Dried out caps, etc. I'm all for the vintage mojo but I can't rely on the mojo to get me through the night with no problems! It's bad enough I have a thing for vintage guitars!


Hey what's with the name calling? Come ON man...this is a CANADIAN forum!! You cant just go running around calling people GENTLEMAN and stuff rotflmao. Ok FINE! you can call me that but NO ONE else can!!

Anyway...if you check, even on eBay...in completed listings you will see that YBA1s SELL for around $500USD. Some have sold for less and some for more. Some for even less than $400.

Of course if you try to buy a dusty old Canadian one, if the seller has a computer and knows about eBay they will probably ask the eBay prices (<$400-over$700)...but if not...well..
I still don't have much trouble finding YBA1s for $300 or less. I mean they are getting rare but their prices have remained the same...which is about zero to most Canadians who have had that Traynor in the basement or closet for 35 years.

It isn't like I find 2/week or anything but I do find them and I find them cheap and yes...I flip them. That's what I DO. It's kinda my JOB.
I flip and play gear. That's all I do for work.

Hey I'm NOT saying the reissues are no good or overpriced...in fact they aren't. Here is an eBay seller with 4 of them. Well 3 now..one sold and he is asking $649ea for them.
Hey...if the new RIs are only $650 it's kind of a no brainer. I thought they were gonna be like $2K. In THAT case I would avoid them and find old used ones all day but $649 for what is essentially (kinda close to) a plexi....pfffff...you kidding me right now? GET THE TRIBUTE!! Oh wait...that is a MOD1. I don't even know what the tribute IS. Back to the drawing board I guess...but my original point is still valid. You CAN...honestly you can...you CAN still find the old dusty YBA1s in plenty of Canadian closets and ...they are cheap..almost free and sometimes actually free!!!

Carry-on (but please try to refrain from the name calling in the future...lmao)


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