# Traynor amp modification.



## metalryanfmm (Nov 21, 2011)

My gf picked me up a used Traynor cs100h. When i got it... it just seemed not to have the punch and gain that previously played traynor did. I raved about how awesome Traynor was a week before when i rented one when i was out of town. I am fairly new to tube amps, but i was completely blown away by how awesome the rented one sounded. She was walking around the local music store a week later and found the head and bought it as a surprize. Anyway, i am unhappy with the way the amp was preforming. Basically I am either looking for advice on if its the tubes that are killing the amount of gain (i like super saturated) or if this is not the case, is there any guitar amp techs who can modifiy my traynor to be a retarded metal monster of doom.


rock on,

R


----------



## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

GONE


----------



## metalryanfmm (Nov 21, 2011)

it was a mesa cab that i rented... i tried it on my line 6 cab and on a marshall cab... still sounds like crap to me. I didnt use any effects or boosts on the one i rented... I had them to use... but it was plenty saturated without any kind of "help" from pedals of any sort. I have since tried the head again with a zakk wylde overdrive... and still shitty. Attack is dull and makes slightly "fizzy" sound with random moments of "muffled". Some of these sounds are subtle... but they are there... and just not rocking my socks off. Essentially, I am attempting to learn if these typical issues with tubes as they age. Or if there is some underlying problem with that perticular head... that caused the previous owner to sell in the first place. I am bummed because my gf tried to do something really nice for me, but I have to break her heart and say that she should have let me try it before she purchased it. Another issue I have, is with the music store itself. They have screwed me over several times. And basically there were other issues with the amp... ie, the reverb wasnt working due to a broken wire... which I had them fix a day later. The bastards are saying because its used I can only trade in for in store credit... which is ****ed. I have spendt well over 15000 dollars in there store... 9 guitars, several other amps, various repairs and a shit load of effects pedals. I basically feel like they took advantage of my gf, who knows nothing about amps, to unload a shitty head on someone. I think from now on i will drive the 5 hours to edmonton and be treated a little better than the typical fort mac customer service.


----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Just push it with a booster.


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Before you start thinking about taking it back and/or modding it, are you 100% sure you have it dialed in the exact same way you did before? There's a lot of buttons and knobs on that amp and I find some of them make a HUGE difference tonally and with the switch in one setting it sounds good and in the other, it sounds like turds (to my ears).


----------



## Emohawk (Feb 3, 2006)

I had one of these amps (sold it over the summer). It was a nice amp but it did take some experimentation to get it sounding the way I wanted. I was going for a dual-rec kinda feel and got it in the ball park - especially after I swapped the output tubes to 6L6's.

If the amp is working properly here's how I approached getting a heavy saturated tone. This was through a V30 loaded 2x12, BTW.

- I used Channel 2. Channel one sounded a bit too dark/muddy for my taste. Maybe fine for some newer super-saturated metal stuff but not for me.

- Boost always engaged
- Gain at about 3:00, maybe a little less depending on how hot the guitar was. This worked great with my EMG 81/85 loaded Ibanez RG.
- Bass around 2:00, less with my more bottom-heavy Gibsons
- Treb 2-3:00
- mid around noon or a little less
- "Scoop" engaged (very important - sounds less gainy without it)
- "Modern" NOT engaged (also very important, at least for me)
- Pres 2-3:00
- Resonance 1:00 or so (depending on how tight you want it - less is tighter, more is "boomier")
- Channel vol to taste, but higher reacts a little better IMO
- 100w mode - also VERY important. The amp is more mushy/muddy in 30w mode, and it always sounded less gainy to me. Granted it's more of a challenge to get the output tubes cooking at a sane volume, but most of the tone of this amp comes from the pre-amp anyway. It will sound better as you push the master up, but at any volume it sounds much better in 100w mode. Again, IMO.

Referring to my note about the "modern" switch - I never liked that mode, but that's purely personal taste. I feel the same way about Rectos in fact. The modern mode is just too much. Makes a tonal mess IMO.


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Emohawk said:


> I had one of these amps (sold it over the summer). It was a nice amp but it did take some experimentation to get it sounding the way I wanted. I was going for a dual-rec kinda feel and got it in the ball park - especially after I swapped the output tubes to 6L6's.
> 
> If the amp is working properly here's how I approached getting a heavy saturated tone. This was through a V30 loaded 2x12, BTW.
> 
> ...


You mean channel 1, right? That's the drive channel (Traynors are backwards like that )

I'll check out these settings when I get home! I've got the YCS50, so it'll be interesting to see how close I get to a Dual Rec sound with these settings on that amp.


----------



## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

yea...the channels are reversed...BUT..theres also three channels on the 100W head...so he's right about channel 2...

the 6L6's definately give it a MESA type vibe...wasn't my thing so i went back to the EL34's

i had thought of a valid point...but now have two...

since the power tubes are interchangable...perhaps your head had the opposite tubes that the one you rented had...it gave me a TOTAL tonal change...

the other is...

different speaker cabs are going to sound different...if you aren't using the same cab...your sound will be different...i had a Marshall 1936 cab for awhile with the G12-75s in it...didn't really like that cab...with a Mesa recto 2x12 with V30s it sounds entirely different, and with the efficiency of the speakers, its louder with the V30's

mess around with the setings, try differnt tubes, differnt cabs/speakers...you'll find what you're looking for


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

ezcomes said:


> yea...the channels are reversed...BUT..*theres also three channels on the 100W head*...so he's right about channel 2...
> 
> the 6L6's definately give it a MESA type vibe...wasn't my thing so i went back to the EL34's
> 
> ...


Oops!! I didn't know that 

I haven't tried EL34s in mine yet. My YCS50 shipped with 6L6s and I'm keen on trying something new in there!


----------



## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

hollowbody said:


> Oops!! I didn't know that
> 
> I haven't tried EL34s in mine yet. My YCS50 shipped with 6L6s and I'm keen on trying something new in there!


haha...no worries...are they 6L6's or 5881's? i know that the combo's come with the 5881 (small difference, yet still different)

i found in my 50H that the EL34's give a much more 'british' sound...marshally...on the clean channel in british mode, i love the tone with the 34's...slightyly less gain than the gain channel without the boost engage...
i thought that the 6L6's were much more american in the sense of clean and dirty...the clean channel was bright with more headroom...i didn't like the 'british' setting with 6L6's, it just seemed stale, didn't sound right...but the dirty channel...wow...great chunk and low end...
i also found that with the 6's it didn't sound 'nice' at low levels, it needed to be louder to sound good...

i play a lot of classic and modern rock sounding stuff...not a lot of metal or chunky stuff...so the 34's are where i'm at...of course i keep a set of 6's around, just so that i CAN play that stuff when i want to!


----------



## Emohawk (Feb 3, 2006)

The CS100 has 3 channels. Channel 1 & 2 are the drive channels and are voiced very similar. Channel 3 is the clean channel.

Oops...didn't see ezcomes response. 

He does make a good pont about the tubes. It's a very different amp with 6L6's vs EL-34's. I also swapped the preamp tubes in mine. the factory ones were a little sterile in that amp. I think it had Sovtek's originally, but I can't recall for sure. Also about the speakers. I felt the same about G12T-75's with the amp. It was much more alive with V30's.


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

ezcomes said:


> haha...no worries...are they 6L6's or 5881's? i know that the combo's come with the 5881 (small difference, yet still different)
> 
> i found in my 50H that the EL34's give a much more 'british' sound...marshally...on the clean channel in british mode, i love the tone with the 34's...slightyly less gain than the gain channel without the boost engage...
> i thought that the 6L6's were much more american in the sense of clean and dirty...the clean channel was bright with more headroom...i didn't like the 'british' setting with 6L6's, it just seemed stale, didn't sound right...but the dirty channel...wow...great chunk and low end...
> ...


Probably 5881s - Sovteks or something. I didn't look too hard. I just know they're not 5881s. I'm gonna try 34s in there as soon as the good people at thetubestore.com can ship me some. 

I have my first gig tonight with this amp and I'm looking fwd to it, but yeah, I could use a little _something_ in the clean channel. I don't really use a clean sound so I have the channel gain cranked full tilt for a hairy sound when strummed hard and a cleaner sound with less pick attach. I like the drive channel so far, but again, something is a little off. I've been messing with the EQ, but haven't really dialed it in right. It'll be interesting to see how the amp sounds at the gig with a full band. That should give me an idea of where to go from here.


----------



## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

cool...let us know...i run the resonance and presence controls, don't like them disengaged...

pics too!


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

ezcomes said:


> cool...let us know...i run the resonance and presence controls, don't like them disengaged...
> 
> pics too!


Ditto, I have my presence up around 1 or 2 oclock and I run the resonance all the clockwise because I like the "vintage" sound that gives me. I have to try out some more settings though!


----------



## Gunny (Feb 21, 2006)

does that head have an EXT speaker out jack...if so, are you connecting the cab to the proper amp output (not the EXT)? That happens frequently with the older Traynor amps. I'm not familiar with the CS100


----------



## parkhead (Aug 14, 2009)

find out the serial number of the one you rented ... write down the serial number of the one you bought 
send an e-mail to Yorkville asking if there were any REVISIONS to the amp between serial numbers 

if your new amp is used consider checking all the tubes to make sure they are good ones also don't forget to check you basics 
ie patch cable and so on 

p


----------



## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

parkhead said:


> find out the serial number of the one you rented ...


 Great point parkhead. They will have a record of the serial number in the customer file. They can also run that serial through the service records and maybe find out whether it has EL34 or 6L6, if not the rental dept. should be able to find out.


----------



## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

i've now found...after switching bands...that now i'm getting lost in the mix...the Modern sound makes it really dark, and lost in the bass...vintage gain is a little better...i tried the scooped switch...it cuts me through...not sure that i like it though...i tried messing with the settings...not to much avail...

the clean channel sounds great and cuts thru...but the gain channel, i'm having the issue with...

it *may* need to be re-biased, maybe its fallen a bit...i'm thinking about trying 6L6's again...to see what happens...

funny thing is...everything i've found online says that this is a bright amp...so i'm not quite sure why the gain channel won't cut thru...


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

ezcomes said:


> i've now found...after switching bands...that now i'm getting lost in the mix...the Modern sound makes it really dark, and lost in the bass...vintage gain is a little better...i tried the scooped switch...it cuts me through...not sure that i like it though...i tried messing with the settings...not to much avail...
> 
> the clean channel sounds great and cuts thru...but the gain channel, i'm having the issue with...
> 
> ...


Isn't this a cathode-biased amp? If it is, you can't bias it so much as mod it to change how hot or cool the bias is.


----------



## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

no...it needs to be set...the tubes have seen decent use...and are probably 2 yrs old...maybe a little older...maybe they are dying?


----------



## Emohawk (Feb 3, 2006)

I question the ears of anyone who thinks the CS100 is a "bright" amp. It's nothing of the sort. It's a dark, gainy, heavy sounding amp. That would explain why it doesn't "cut through the mix" for you. I would think it would be better with EL34's for that, especially with the master volume pumped up.

People have the same complaint about Mesa Rectos not cutting, especially in a band with a Marshall or Laney. There's no less power...it's just a matter of how it is used.

With that said, what speakers do you have in your cab? The matching Traynor cab ships with G12-75T's for a reason. Those are VERY bright & edgy, which makes them just plain terrible with brighter amps...but with a dark amp (like this one) maybe it would work. Just a thought.

Oh - one more item to consider...my amp was biased rather cold from the factory. It sounded a lot better when I adjusted it.


----------

