# I remember Traynor 25 years ago



## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I have to say now a days I don't know much about Traynor products. Back 25 years ago I played mainly through Peavey amps eventually switching almost exclusively to Fender even until this day. What I remember about Traynor was it was the worst amp you could own. It was a joke among most experienced musicians to even own one. So now I'm seeing alot of talk about Traynor amps and I see them in the music store. Are these now good amps or what?


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

The 60s stuff up into the mid to late 70s were great. 

Traynor never had the "name" players to give them the cool factor. Also, being Canadian it "had" to be inferior, right . . . ? Finally, the speakers left something to be desired but the lack of readily available, quality replacement speakers lead people to blame the amp.

By the 1980s Pete Traynor was long gone and Traynor started pumping out cheap, crappy ss guitar amps (avoid). Coupled with the fact that 70s amps were just old (not vintage or retro), people ignored them OR didn't know about the good old ones. I'm 36 so my first access to Traynor was when they were just crappy solid state amps.

Unfortunately, prices are now rising as the price of old Fender and Marshall are getting insane AND people realize what great amps they are in their own right.

I'm sick of being sick,
TG


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

are they good now? go plug into a YCS100 halfstack and let me know.


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## NB-SK (Jul 28, 2007)

I've only read good things about their old point-to-point and their new circuit board tube amps.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

guitarman2 said:


> I have to say now a days I don't know much about Traynor products. Back 25 years ago I played mainly through Peavey amps eventually switching almost exclusively to Fender even until this day. What I remember about Traynor was it was the worst amp you could own. It was a joke among most experienced musicians to even own one. So now I'm seeing alot of talk about Traynor amps and I see them in the music store. Are these now good amps or what?


I know nothing about their new amps, nor do I care to, but some of the models from the 60's and 70's are killer (Bassmates for ex).


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## Ripper (Jul 1, 2006)

It was the same with Garnets. I used to take alot of flack for using my Garnets instead of my fenders and marshalls. The old traynors and garnets are incredible amps and really have never gotten the dues they deserve


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

As for the new tube amps, every one I've tried has been great. As with any amp, tubes and speakers MAY need some attention (though I haven't heard a need yet in my YCV50), but the essential requirements are there and audible from the get-go. I'm considering another, not to replace my current one, but to augment it.

Many manufacturers go through periods of decline, Traynor/Yorkville's is history.

Peace, Mooh.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Ripper said:


> It was the same with Garnets. I used to take alot of flack for using my Garnets instead of my fenders and marshalls. The old traynors and garnets are incredible amps and really have never gotten the dues they deserve


**sigh** I took my Pro to the dump (around 85') after the local shop told me that it would cost more to retube than it was worth and that solid state was where it's at.

Man but I loved that amp (well, except for the "Stinger" circuit).


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Even being 31, when I was growing up learning to play Traynor amps had a stigma. So it went on for generations after the 60's-70's. No one could ever tell me why though. My first amp when I started playing bass was an old 1968 YBA-1 and I loved it. And when I started playing guitar more seriously, I used it for that. It sounded great, and it was built like a tank. I could never understand why "Traynor sucked".

Peavey is sort of looked on the same way.


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## Gene Machine (Sep 22, 2007)

i've got a new trayynor and love it. i also used to use an old tube head that now needs rebuilding but at the time it was great. 

i love them


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## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

On the west coast part of the Traynor stigma was due to the fact that they were sold by Long & McQuade which had just started up in Vancouver. L&M was seen as a threat to the local stores at the time. Even worse, they were from back east. 

If you were seen with a Traynor, most players thought it had to be a rental since nobody would buy one. In 1970, I ran into a friend just leaving one of the other music stores. He had gotten such a poor trade-in value on his Bassmaster with 2x15 cab at that store that if I had been there five minutes earlier, he would have given the rig to me for free. Durned crappy timing.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I've never tried an old Traynor--but I do have a couple of old Garnet amps-a guitar amp & a bass amp. They actually don't have the Garnet name on them, but that's who made them. They were sold by the music school I attended. I've played old Garnets--that had the name Garnet on them. And they made some good stuff. We put those old amps through a lot. Also my old ones have been through a lot. We also used one of those when I taught guitar--they last. 

Now I own both. My old bass amp is an old Garnet, my new bass amp is a new Traynor. I'm keeping both, and using them for different purposes. My guitar amp isn't as good as the bass amp--but it's not as sturdy.


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## Spikezone (Feb 2, 2006)

When I was in High School in about 1975, my band had an old Traynor PA-4 channels, hiZ inputs, one set of tone controls, and a couple of square 4x12 speaker boxes. It worked for us. We plated old folks' dance type stuff-waltzes, polkas, foxtrots, and our big rock set was ALL 12-bars (same music, different lyrics!). I had a Marshall half-stack, and at one point a HUGE Peavey Musician, our keys player had a big old Fender piggy-back (can't remember the model), and the bassist had a big Kustom amp. The old-folks used to come in and FREAK OUT about our HUGE PILE of gear (HAR HAR HAR!), but then we would win them over with our great sets get 'em dancing all night. We made more money in those days than I ever made in any rock band since then. Maybe it was our low overhead, and getting paid up-front instead of playing for the door, but it was a good way to work ourselves through school.
-Mikey


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## Adicted to Tubes (Mar 5, 2006)

Ok,I'm an old fart,so I know about Traynor amps.The old Traynors were great sounding amps that were built like tanks.They were built to take the rigors of the road so they were often heavier that hell.The early ones that were hand-wired by Pete Traynor were exceptional amps but were limited in their potential by Marseland speakers.Many guys dumped the Marselands and popped in Jensens and were shocked at the quality of the sound.
When Pete got Long and Mcquade involved they needed amps faster so they set him up with facilities and workers to assemble them.The quality went downhill after that.But they still rocked.However they got bad press by going up in smoke on stage sometimes! There were some Marseland speakers that sounded stunningly good and I still recone them for some amps,like the 15" alnico.Wow!
The new Traynor tube amps are good overall,but don't have a quarter of the tone the older ones do.They sound good in comparison to other modern production amps today but are sadly lacking in many ways.Kids these days have nothing to compare them to,so they take the best of the lot and it's good enough.But take an old Traynor amp from Pete's heyday,use good speakers and good tubes and it makes the new ones sound limp and lifeless.
I have played the new Traynors and they sound like a blanket has been thrown over top of the amp.So So harmonics and no real bloom to the notes.The distortion is processed sounding and lacks depth.
I used to have a Guitar mate combo with 4-8" speakers that had that WOW! factor.It had a Baxandal tone stack that made Fender owners cringe when they couldn't get a tone out of it.When you find out how to set a Baxandal,you never look back.The Marseland speakers in that amp made Jensen P8R's sound awful.Then there's the bad repair techs and modders of the eighties that butchered Traynors in search of more grit,that got inside and tried to make them like Marshall's and Fender's.That also added to the negative vibe when someone bought one of those butchered amps and was disallusioned with the bad tone and repair bills to bring it back to it's former glory.
Pete Traynor was a brilliant amp builder who fell by the wayside with business problems caused by bean counters.He took existing designs and improved them and was not appreciated for the genius he brought to the amp world.the price of old Traynors is on the rise and for good reason.Fender is through the roof and Marshall is getting unattainable.If you have a good tech and no fear,a Traynor can be magic.

www.claramps.com


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I've kept the faith by buying another one on Saturday, a YCV20, to go with my YCV50. To my ears they have champagne tone at beer prices. 

Peace, Mooh.


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## Guest (Feb 18, 2008)

I repaired Traynors 25 years ago. The old tube amps were pretty good if you liked a clean amp and nothing fancy. Their solid state stuff was designed on the edge of tolerance as cheap as possible. It has remained so over the years as far as I can see. It works great as long as everything stays in tolerance. The minute parts start drifting look out. You can fix them but they keep coming back over and over unlike other company's goods (Peavey comes to mind) . I just started refusing to service them after a while. Maybe its my crappy skills but I'm not the only one who shuns them. I wouldn't buy any of their products because I just don't trust them after the warranty runs out. They are a nightmare to fix if you don't have the fancy in circuit troubleshooting rig Traynor have. I can still fix Fenders, Marshalls and Peaveys reliably without computers. :rockon:


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Well then, it's good mine isn't for gigging--and I got it cheap.

As always it's important to consider the use it's going to be getting.


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## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

I still regret not stocking up on late 60's - early 70s Bassmasters when guys were having trouble selling them for $75 each.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

konasexone said:


> I repaired Traynors 25 years ago. The old tube amps were pretty good if you liked a clean amp and nothing fancy.


Gotta disagree with this. The old tube amps just ooze creamy distortion when you crank them up: my guitarmate and bassmate just sing. As far as nothing fancy, the tremolo on my guitarmate is gorgeous and while the reverb is nothing great in stock form, I think it can be modded into something great (the YGM-1 uses a transformer driven reverb). Other than that, the features are tone, tone, tone!

TG


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

konasexone...That's an interesting observation, thanks. I haven't had any trouble with my recent YCV50, should I be concerned? How about the new YCV20? How do their new tube amps stack up, specifically, in your opinion?

Peace, Mooh.


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## Mr Yerp (Feb 24, 2006)

I've been using two guitarmates on stage for years. They take pedals really well, and have a healthy, warm crunch when dimed. 
Loud enough? Yup.
One has a Celestion Lead 80, the other a Jensen. Both sound great!
We sure looked down our noses at them in those early days unfortunately. I guess we were dazzled by the Marshall and Fender backlines that all the stars seemed to be using.


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## Seakayak (Nov 24, 2007)

These days I'm a "bedroom" player, so please, take my opinions and my whining with a grain of salt. I know there are people here with so much more experience than me.

I have to agree with what Addicted to Tubes said about new Traynors, even though I only have used one model, the YCV20WR. I bought one last year, without auditioning it (my fault, but its kinda hard to audition amps where I live)
OK, so the following comments are for the YCV20WR only. I wish I had tried other YCV models, but...

Up until 1990 I had a '72 Marshall Super Bass with a 2X12 cabinet. It was a fantastic amp, to say the least, modded by someone so that one volume control was the "preamp", the other master. Incredible distortion even at low volume, and excellent clean tones. Pinch harmonics? Bloom? In spades. I bet the old Traynor tube amps were like that too.

I know it may be extreme to compare the old Marshall with the YCV20WR, but can't they design this "tube amp" it so it has a bit more touch-sensitivity? It does sound like a thick blanket is covering it, even after various tube changes and installing a Weber Blue Dog Alnico speaker. Channel 1 is a joke, listen to the clips on the website. Thats distortion? Its comical. What were they thinking? 

*Speculation* here:
I'm sure Traynor can make much better, more responsive sounding tube amps, (with Real Tube Tone) How much more would they cost? I have no idea, and maybe thats the issue. Cost. But why sell a two channel amp with one channel that is not musical, not useful? I have read this same complaint about channel one many, many times. 
I can't comment on the new YCS (?) series, maybe these are a vast improvement? 

I felt like a sucker after buying the YCV20WR. Piss me off.

Rant complete.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Seakayak...Willing to sell it cheap then? I like my YCV20 (and YCV50) and wouldn't mind another like it. Seriously, if you don't like it, are you willing to part with it?

Peace, Mooh.


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## Seakayak (Nov 24, 2007)

Hi Mooh,
I'm not willing to sell it at this time, and take a big loss, because the only other amp I have is a Marshall Lead 12. I want to replace the YCV20 as soon as I sell it, and right now I can't afford to spend X number of dollars (on top of whatever I get for the YCV20) to get another good tube amp.
My apologies for derailing this thread : |


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## Adicted to Tubes (Mar 5, 2006)

When I tried the YCV20 i was very disappointed.It had no decent tones in it at all.Sure it was acceptable if you are used to playing solid state crap,but as a tube amp it is lifeless.I wanted a cheap practice amp and the YCV looked like it would fit the bill.It looks good and is compact and even has a decent speaker.The cabinet is well made too.
I recently tried a new one to make sure my rants weren't colored by a new model glitch.Nope.No real tone at all.I built a Blackface champ a few years back and it has better cleans and distortion than the YCV.It sounds more open and has harmonics,something the Traynor struggles to get.
Given the Traynor is cheap and relatively well built,as far as new amps go,it sells to young guys who don't know any different.I can drop by any L&M with one of my amps under my arm and blow the Traynor all to hell.
I'm not talking about some fire breathing channel switching monster here,just a champ or a Deluxe.
If Traynor made an effort to regain the glory days of tube amps they would be greeted by serious players again.As it is,the best they can hope to achieve is 'practice amp' status.

www.claramps.com


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

My first amp was a late 70's/early 80's SS 2x12 combo. It was heavy and solid...Still in use today, but not by me. Never had any problems with it, just some scratchy pots. Not a lot of "tone" to it, but I used it during the 80's hair metal days, so "tone" was derived with lots of gain and effects.
It was ugly, had no street cred, but was affordable (from L&M) and did the job. I have no feelings for it either way.
Cant remember the model #, but here's a pic. edit: looks like it was a TS140.


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## µ¿ z3®ø™ (Apr 29, 2006)

geez, i've had my bassmaster, that i bought used, since '69. i had no idea it sucked so bad. i guess my two komets, ODS, JMJ30. germino classic 45, standel 25L15, Dr. Zed SRZ65LE and orange retro 50 must also suck pretty bad too, because the old scrip logo bassmaster sounds about the same quality as the rest of those amps.

what am i to do? i have all these amps that i thought were cool. should i have a fire sale and sell them for pennies on the dollar?

if the old traynors are no good, what should i get for a 'good' amp?


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

yes you should!


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## pattste (Dec 30, 2007)

µ¿ z3®ø™ said:


> what am i to do? i have all these amps that i thought were cool. should i have a fire sale and sell them for pennies on the dollar?


Yes.



µ¿ z3®ø™ said:


> if the old traynors are no good, what should i get for a 'good' amp?


Try a Gorilla amp. You won't believe your ears.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Dear Ann Landers...My friends all made fun of me for using Traynor amps, so I took the Traynor badges off of them and replaced them with boutique logos. Now my friends think I'm an idiot and won't play with me. What should I do?

Signed, Trayning Wheels.

Dear Trayning Wheels...There, there now, we know grade 4 was the longest 3 years of your life. Maybe you should stick to air guitar, and getting coffee for your rock star friends. Maybe Tim Horton's is hiring.


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## Wild Bill (May 3, 2006)

Interesting thread! I haven't had a YCV20 or one of its close cousins in for repair yet so I took a look at the schematic to see if there's a technical reason or two for all the grumbling about the clean tone.

Yep! Big time! Without getting too techy I see that the power supply is regulated tighter than most hifi amps, which you'd think would make for better clean. Unfortunately, "clean" means something different to a hifi amp than one for guitar. With a guitar that Blackface tone does indeed have some distortion. It's just the right amount and the right kind to sound clean and pure to a MUSICAL ear instead of an oscilloscope! I think this approach might not be the best for a guitar amp, but that's JMHO.

It does let you use a little "girly man" pushbutton for a standby switch, which is kinda cute!

The other thing that jumped out at me is the very low plate voltages hitting the 12AX7's in the preamp stages. This seems like going the other way for "clean". Running these kinds of voltages is one of the tricks for a harp amp! Great for a greasy James Cotton/Richard Newell harmonica tone but kinda thick and muddy for guitar. Has anyone tried this amp for harp? Might be a killer!

So we've got conflicting factors but one things for sure, the circuit is a LONG way from classic Blackface!

Still, it's all personal taste. Traynor may be shooting for modern crunch players more than classic "geezer" tones! :smile:

:food-smiley-004:


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