# Traynor YCV80,,, Yay or Nay, and why?



## Bobby1note

Is it just too crazy loud? What about the Master?

I heard a Traynor YCV-something-or-other at L&M a few years back, and thought it sounded great. I'd be very interested in your comments.

Seems everybody these days, is into lo-watt compact amps. I'd be interested in hearing about pedal-compatability.


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## Shooter177

I've wanted one for a long time! A guy that came out and jammed with us had a 4/10 version and it was great, I pluged my tele in it and it was big and full sounding, it was pretty loud but I play a 100w yba1 into a 2/12 it wasent that loud! Hehe! I think that if I was looking for one I would get the 40 or 50 w version only because I have the loud thing covered! But if one of these 80s came up I wouldn't shy away


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## bluzfish

I had one about 8 major amps ago and could have saved myself thousands of dollars if I had just realized the grass is not greener on the other side of the hill. I loved that amp but I still thought I was missing something. The guy that bought it from me was ecstatic to find my used one in such perfect shape at a good price. He went to a lot of jams with guys that used them and really wanted it.

I like my set up now but if I could go back in time, I would be very happy with a YCV80 and would look no further. I might try different speakers though... damn, am I never satisfied???


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## Budda

Bobby1note said:


> Is it just too crazy loud? What about the Master?
> 
> I heard a Traynor YCV-something-or-other at L&M a few years back, and thought it sounded great. I'd be very interested in your comments.
> 
> Seems everybody these days, is into lo-watt compact amps. I'd be interested in hearing about pedal-compatability.


I had one for a few years, my 3rd amp and first tube amp. I loved the cleans on it, and for the low to medium gain guys it's probably a great amp. I was trying to get metal tones out of it, and while it did rock alright it couldn't handle anything beyond that IMO. The open-back probably didn't help. I only ever tried to boost it with a zakk wylde OD, and while it did nada to the gain channel it sounded killer with the clean channel. The only thing I've ever missed about that amp was the cleans haha.

Try one out first. They can be had used for $400-$500 I think (I paid $1070 after taxes for mine new).


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## dradlin

It has circuit board mounted tube sockets, so I say "nay".


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## Mooh

Too much amp for me. Great sound though. I use a YCV50 and YCV20 both happily re-speakered. 

If you need the power for big venues, it's a good choice, assuming you can carry it. 

Peace, Mooh.


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## b-nads

Twin tones from a more solidly built amp for half the used price of a Twin. If you need to move that much air, it and the Classic 50 are very good options. For a big amp, I still prefer the sound of the Twin 115 I tried last year, but if my country band gets off the ground and I need a higher wattage back-up to the Maz 18 becomes a necessity, the YCV-80 will be getting serious consideration.


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## Bobby1note

dradlin said:


> It has circuit board mounted tube sockets, so I say "nay".
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free


I wonder if the PCB mounted sockets has been an issue for anyone? I haven't seen any sign of that, but I've just started researching it. As long as the PCB is properly constructed and supported, this should be a non-issue. Yorkie gear is usually quite over-built and bullet-proof,,,,, their P/A's anyway.


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## Bobby1note

b-nads said:


> Twin tones from a more solidly built amp for half the used price of a Twin. If you need to move that much air, it and the Classic 50 are very good options. For a big amp, I still prefer the sound of the Twin 115 I tried last year, but if my country band gets off the ground and I need a higher wattage back-up to the Maz 18 becomes a necessity, the YCV-80 will be getting serious consideration.


Interesting, Brent. I wonder how well the Master volume works? and, how it handles pedals.


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## Budda

Bobby1note said:


> I wonder if the PCB mounted sockets has been an issue for anyone? I haven't seen any sign of that, but I've just started researching it. As long as the PCB is properly constructed and supported, this should be a non-issue. Yorkie gear is usually quite over-built and bullet-proof,,,,, their P/A's anyway.


I wouldn't worry about it.


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## dradlin

Bobby1note said:


> I wonder if the PCB mounted sockets has been an issue for anyone? I haven't seen any sign of that, but I've just started researching it. As long as the PCB is properly constructed and supported, this should be a non-issue. Yorkie gear is usually quite over-built and bullet-proof,,,,, their P/A's anyway.


Between the thermal stress due to repeated heating and cooling, mechanical stress during tube changes, and mechanical stress due to vibrations in a combo amp, it is a legitimate concern. If you think not, it's probably because you've never had to change a tube socket on an amp.


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## zurn

dradlin said:


> Between the thermal stress due to repeated heating and cooling, mechanical stress during tube changes, and mechanical stress due to vibrations in a combo amp, it is a legitimate concern. If you think not, it's probably because you've never had to change a tube socket on an amp.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free


VHT has pcb mounted tube sockets, seems like a non issue if the amp is designed correctly.

http://www.sfdamp.com/support_faqs.html#7




> *7. What are the advantages of printed circuit technology over point to point wiring?*
> For the record, all FRYETTE amplifiers are primarily hand built PCB assemblies. All components such as resistors, capacitors, pots, switches, tube sockets (that's right…Tube Sockets…Pre and Power) and various other items are reliably and confidently PCB mounted. Do not confuse “PCB Mounted” with “Poorly PCB Mounted”. There is a world of difference. We use top quality double-sided glass epoxy boards with heavy copper plating and plated through holes for maximum reliability and signal integrity. PC boards are mounted on heavy-duty tubular aluminum supports attached to the chassis with machine screws. Small tube sockets have large diameter solder pads. Large tube sockets are attached to the board with heavy tubular aluminum supports and chassis mounted with machine screws to form a solid and bulletproof board to chassis assembly.
> There are a lot of misconceptions and misinformation about printed circuit board construction versus point to point assembly. The problem we see is that many times a failure of a PCB amp is often caused by the circuit design itself, not the board design. We will discuss the issues as they relate specifically to the manufacture of our products.
> Since there is plenty of information out there about the origin of point to point wiring and PCB's, we'll skip the history lesson and get right to the pros and cons.


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## ronmac

Love the silk screened "message' in the lower left quadrant of the bottom pcb.


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## OldSoulBluesMan

I have had a YCV-80 for about ten years now and as Budda mentioned, the cleans are very nice. I am not a big fan of the gain channel, but that's just me. I generally just played on the clean channel and used my pedals to run any other tones, which it handled as well as most amps in the same price range.

My biggest drawback was that the reverb didnt sound very good to me, which is the main reason I got a deluxe reverb a few months back. Well, that and the fact that the deluxe is way lighter and easier to lug to gigs.

All in all it is a very well built amp that can take the wear and tear, and has pretty decent tones.


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## dradlin

I'm not against PCB's. The Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue is a good example of a modern PCB build with chassis mounted tube sockets. That hybrid approach is just smart design... best of both worlds.

Fryette has a vested interest in convincing people that PCB is the way to go - so consider the interests of the source. His opinion is not one agreed upon by many (perhaps the majority of) high end builders. In the end I wouldn't buy one of his amps, so I suppose in his words he too can "kiss my lily white ass".

So whatever floats your boat... as for me it's at least chassis mounted tube sockets.


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## bluzfish

Randall Smith also has some extensive experience with using pc board construction and after over 40 years still builds the most solid, reliable, road-worthy amps on the planet. You can read his thoughts about PP compared to PCB construction on the Mesa web site.


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## Bobby1note

ronmac said:


> Love the silk screened "message' in the lower left quadrant of the bottom pcb.


Too funny.:sFun_dancing: :congratulatory:


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## dradlin

bluzfish said:


> Randall Smith also has some extensive experience with using pc board construction and after over 40 years still builds the most solid, reliable, road-worthy amps on the planet. You can read his thoughts about PP compared to PCB construction on the Mesa web site.


Keep in mind fellas that the amp in question is a Traynor... not a Fryette or Mesa. Don't assign the same level design and build quality. Because the old hard wired Traynor were tanks doesn't mean their modern PCB offerings are... they still have to earn that reputation on modern builds.


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## Bobby1note

dradlin said:


> Keep in mind fellas that the amp in question is a Traynor... not a Fryette or Mesa. Don't assign the same level design and build quality. Because the old hard wired Traynor were tanks doesn't mean their modern PCB offerings are... they still have to earn that reputation on modern builds.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free



They've certainly earned that reputation with their P/A gear. I've got 18 Yorkie cabinets, and one of the reasons I went with Yorkie's, was because of that bullet-proof reliability, and solid customer support.


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## dradlin

Bobby1note said:


> They've certainly earned that reputation with their P/A gear. I've got 18 Yorkie cabinets, and one of the reasons I went with Yorkie's, was because of that bullet-proof reliability, and solid customer support.


Yorkville cabinets do not have PCB mounted tube sockets.


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## Bobby1note

dradlin said:


> Yorkville cabinets do not have PCB mounted tube sockets.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free


True, but the pots probably are PCB mounted, and pots get much more frequent use than tubes being changed out.

I'm no tube-mount expert, but I do know that Yorkville over-builds pretty well anything they put out. I just can't fathom the idea of Yorkville using cheap, thin, improperly supported PCB's. Their 2-year "even if YOU break it" warranty, is legendary in pro-sound circles. You drop it off a truck,,, or down a flight of stairs, and you're covered. They'd probably survive the drop anyway. Just sayin'.


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## allthumbs56

dradlin said:


> Yorkville cabinets do not have PCB mounted tube sockets.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free


I'm pretty sure the preamp tubes on the YCV50 I owned were.................. I suppose I could be wrong.


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## dradlin

allthumbs56 said:


> I'm pretty sure the preamp tubes on the YCV50 I owned were.................. I suppose I could be wrong.


That's a guitar amp, not a PA speaker... my point is comparing Yorkville PA speakers to a Traynor guitar combo amp are worlds apart.

I'm not singling out Traynor, I'm not a fan of PCB mounted tube sockets from any builder. You are all welcome to your opinions.


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## dradlin

Bobby1note said:


> True, but the pots probably are PCB mounted, and pots get much more frequent use than tubes being changed out.


The thermal and mechanical stresses imparted to a PCB mounted tube socket far exceed any combined stresses on a PCB mounted pot.

Repeated heating and cooling cycles are one of the greatest stresses on any electronic component/system.


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## gtrchris

I traded into a YCV80 2x12 a few years ago...even though I'm using low wattage amps these days I still have it around for the occasional barn gigs were you really have to crank it. Tons of clean headroom on Channel 1, and it responds really well to OD's-I've used it with a Skreddy Screw driver, Zendrive, Okki Diablo and it sounds great.I like the verb..but i use just a splash..I have a HOF for more variety. I don't really use the OD channel as it's a little too hairy for my tastes..it can do rock and beyond as well.
I did swap out the speakers on mine..currently I have a Cannabis Rex and an old Marsland speaker in there.
The only problem I've had was the standby switch crapped out...but it was fixed by my tech.
I did have a few mods done as it biased quite cool from the factory-a tech added a switch for using 6l6's and el34's to achieve optimum biasing for both tube types-this one can run on either two or four power tubes...I also found the amp sound really great with 2 KT66's-BIG cleans and nice natural compression.
Lots of features on this amp as well(can't remember them all)-fx loop, channel changing pedal, direct out, speaker defeat. With the current used prices it's well worth snapping one up IMO.
Chris


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## ronmac

dradlin said:


> The thermal and mechanical stresses imparted to a PCB mounted tube socket far exceed any combined stresses on a PCB mounted pot.
> 
> Repeated heating and cooling cycles are one of the greatest stresses on any electronic component/system.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free


Certainly true, but proper design and construction can overcome these challenges. Unfortunately, many manufactures design more to a price point, with a focus on "features" (what we used to call KPD, knobs per dollar), rather than put the emphasis on durability. Considering that the majority of guitar amps are purchased by hobbyists, that is often "good enough". 

A well designed wood building will last longer than a poorly designed steel girder one, in most cases.


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## allthumbs56

dradlin said:


> That's a guitar amp, not a PA speaker... my point is comparing Yorkville PA speakers to a Traynor guitar combo amp are worlds apart.
> 
> I'm not singling out Traynor, I'm not a fan of PCB mounted tube sockets from any builder. You are all welcome to your opinions.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free


Huh? When did P/A speakers get tubes? And I thought we were talking about the YCV series - which is a guitar combo.


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## dradlin

ronmac said:


> Certainly true, but proper design and construction can overcome these challenges. Unfortunately, many manufactures design more to a price point, with a focus on "features" (what we used to call KPD, knobs per dollar), rather than put the emphasis on durability. Considering that the majority of guitar amps are purchased by hobbyists, that is often "good enough".
> 
> A well designed wood building will last longer than a poorly designed steel girder one, in most cases.


I'll go for the building that uses wood where its properties excel, and steel were its properties excel... 


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## deadear

Brian Griffith played one for years in the clubs around Hamilton. Really sound good with a Les Paul.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQnqQRvX29I


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## 5732

There's a used YCV80Q (410) in the Dartmouth long and mcquade for $450. I didn't dare try it.


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## Shooter177

There is a 4/10 in Oshawa l&m for 385$ it's killing me!


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## deadear

Shooter177 said:


> There is a 4/10 in Oshawa l&m for 385$ it's killing me!


JUst do it ,that is not a whole lot of money and you are a long time dead.


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