# Traynor Custom YCV50Blue



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Looking for some reviews on this amp. Have an opportunity at a used one. Have never tried one before. Any feedback?



> The Custom Valve 50blue has been tweaked and tuned to be a much 'darker, Brit-sounding' guitar amplifier. Unlike the rest of the Custom Valve line, the YCV50blue is powered by EL34s in the power stage, giving it a little more 'attitude' than the 5881 (6L6) tubes used in the YCV40s and 80's.
> 
> Three Sovtek 12AX7WA dual triode preamp tubes provide real tube front-end overdrive in the Custom Valve 50blue. The presence control typically seen on other amps in the Custom Valve line has been removed from the YCV50blue and replaced with a new master volume control, giving the player more flexibility with the clean channel, and the ability to drive both lead and clean channels harder at a more livable playing volume.


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## Xanadu (Feb 3, 2006)

I've played a couple at various stores, and they seem like a great amp... I was looking at the YCV40 at L&M, but the guy was telling me that this was a better amp... he was probably just trying to upsell me tho.:rockon:


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I'm using a YCV40. I don't know how similar the amps are, but mine is not bad.

The clean tones are it's strong point. They have a Fenderish vibe but seem a bit fatter.

The oververdrive is not bad at all. The high gain sounds are so so. I'm searching for the right distortion pedal to improve this area.

One thing I would recomend, depending on your tastes is to get the optional closed back extension cabinet (1 X 12).

I personally HATE the ratty sound of open backed combos and the closed back cab really tightens things up.

The loop works fine.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I owned one, and they are a fantastic amp. I only got rid of it because I am not playing live much anymore and I wanted to downsize.

The 50 is completely different sounding then the other YCV amps. Mainly because it's the only one of the series that runs on EL34 power tubes. While the clean channel is quite good, the amps gain channel is it's strong point. It's got a beautiful 'Marshall' type crunch to it. And it can get into pretty high gain territory too.

The amp really only has 2 weak points. The stock Sovtek tubes sound horrible. As soon as you swap them with something like a set of JJ's, both channels warm right up and the gai channel gets much smoother. Second, I don't think a Celestion Vintage 30 is the best speaker choice for this amp. It's a mid/treble heavy speaker in an amp that already has a lot of mid/treble. You might like it, but if I had kept the amp I would have ended up swapping out the speaker.

They are usually a great deal used. I know I took a beating selling mine. For some reason the Traynor amps don't hold their value. It sucks as a seller, but as a buyer you can clean up.

If there is anything else you want to know about the amp, I might be able to help. I owned it for a little over a year.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Thanks for the feedback. It sounds like a nice amp. I seen this one at a shop in the States and I think they had it listed for $499 USF. It looked liked it just came out of the box but they are listing it as used. I think the price new is around $799 USF.

I am debating getting it. But I have to stop blowing money for a bit. Christmas.. I have cruise coming up in January and it looks like no bonus again this year due to the shiite auto industry.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I am willing to bet if you put up a 'wanted to buy ad' on Craigslist and Kijiji, you could find one of them locally for less money (and no shipping hassles). I see them on there frequently. Most people selling them used have already swapped out the stock tubes too which saves even more.

I don't think the fact that they are common used relates to the quality of the amp either. They are a small amp that is very powerful, and I think people buy them then realize they just don't need that much amp.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Interesting, but I am always a bit concerned when people are dumping amps soon after they get them. There must be a reason right? I will check that out though.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

GC, here's one that I've seen a couple of weeks ago here in Ottawa. Heres the ad:

Traynor YCV50BL A1 condition, sounds great. Includes amp cover. $500.00 For photos, visit: Click Here For more info contact Jason at: 613.657.1773 or 
[email protected] 

I am not sure how much it would cost to ship it but at $500 I think its a good deal.

Chito


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

GuitarsCanada said:


> Interesting, but I am always a bit concerned when people are dumping amps soon after they get them. There must be a reason right? I will check that out though.


I had mine for less then a year. I bought it with plans to gig with it, and played one show with it before my band went on break. I decided I wanted a lower wattage, smaller amp for home use so I sold it. It had a year warranty left on it, and was in pristine shape. The guy who bought it got a great deal.

There are a lot of people selling them on Craigslist who put the exact same reason in their ads. The 50blue is a pretty small looking amp. It's decieving. A lot of people buy it for home use and realize it's just too much amp. And a lot of people just go through amps like crazy. I know I have owned at least 20 whil searching for 'my sound'.

With some shopping you can easily find one with warranty still left on it.

The quality rivals or beats any other amps in the price range though. Plus they have some cool features like auto-biasing. The amp is also dead quiet which is pretty impressive.


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## JSD's Guitar Shack (Feb 24, 2006)

I have one and I agree, its a good amp. I guess it is overkill for the little "home use" I do with it but I got a good deal on it.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Look what just popped up on Toronto Craigslist.

http://toronto.craigslist.org/msg/245136519.html

$475


No affiliation, just saw the ad.


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## CocoTone (Jan 22, 2006)

No one seems to keep the new Traynors long. Its too bad they share the same name as the real Traynors of yesteryear. Far better amps guys.

CT.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

CocoTone said:


> No one seems to keep the new Traynors long. Its too bad they share the same name as the real Traynors of yesteryear. Far better amps guys.
> 
> CT.


I can't agree with that.


I know old Traynors are en vogue these days, but frankly I never met anyone through the 70s and 80s who would use one live. The new ones sound much better to my ear.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I know 2 people who use the YBA-1's live, and I used a YGM-3 live a few times. They are all great amps.

The new Traynor amps have some great features though, and are a way better value then most amps in the price range.


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## Ripper (Jul 1, 2006)

Milkman said:


> I can't agree with that.
> 
> 
> I know old Traynors are en vogue these days, but frankly I never met anyone through the 70s and 80s who would use one live. The new ones sound much better to my ear.


I've got agree with Milkman on this. In the late 70's and early 80's around here no one played Traynors or Garnets. There were tons around but it was the name game thing and unfortunately those amps were looked down on. It was stupid and alot of people missed out on some really great sounding amps. I own a pile of garnets now and with a little tweaking they are great sounding amps, as are the old traynors I have fixed up for guys.

I can't comment on the new Traynors, but must admit I'd like to give the YVC50Blue a try myself.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I have one of the first 10-15 sold in Canada, back when they were considered a 'special edition' run, of 50 or 100 I forget.

It's a GREAT amp. Basically, to me this thing is a JCM800 combo except with fully channel switching (including independent EQ sections) and a way better clean channel. Nice 'verb on it too. 

The master works great, you can dime it and get a super nice crunch off the clean channel that cleans up nicely with the guitar volume. The gain channel goes from mild OD to fairly hairy distortion, tho certainly not Mesa territory. Yes the amp with the Celestion is middy - my response to that is always 'heck ya, isn't that where the guitar LIVES in the spectrum?' As a 1x12, yer not gonna get a super heavy bottom but it does have an 8 ohm out that still keeps the combo speaker going at the same time. Set it atop a 2x12 cab and feel yer pants blowin in the wind 

It's very very easy to dial in 2 good-to-great sounds on any guitar, I've used strats, teles, P90's and a couple of Les Pauls thru mine. My kids also use it in their (sorta nu-metal but not quite) band.

Construction on the thing is bullet proof, as you would expect from an item with a 2-year 'anything breaks except tubes we fix it' warranty.

Is it all things to everyone? Heck no, but I sure love mine.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

torndownunit said:


> I know 2 people who use the YBA-1's live, and I used a YGM-3 live a few times. They are all great amps.



Yeah but how many guys you know used them when they came out?




I don't doubt they're good amps, but they were considered cheap in their day.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I wasn't alive when they came out  . 

I as just pointing out that they are perfectly good live amps. I am aware that they had a 'stimga' attached to them in there day, but it obviously doesn't relate to their quality or durability. They are great live amps. 

I mean, it's the same thing with Godin guitar nowadays. They are amazingly well built guitars but are hugely underrated. And the resale value on Godin and new Traynor amps is horrible.

It's too bad because none of this reflects the quality of the products in any way. Part of it's because they are Canadian companies (which would have been a worse 'problem' in the 60-70's) and part of it is they just don't have the name recognition or advertising $'s the bigger companies have.

The amp that look really interesting is the new YCV15blue. I'd love to hear one. The only thing that looks 'bad' in the specs is it weighs 46 lbs. That's pretty hefty for a 15 watt amp.


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## bRian (Jul 3, 2006)

That's a pricey little amp, Long and McQuade have it in their flyer for $719.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

It's pretty comparible an amp like the Vox AC15 though spec wise, and I believe the Vox costs even more.


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## Eric Pykala (Jul 1, 2006)

Sold my YCV50 Blue to fund a YCV15; I'll never look back. It's as loud as the 50, but the tone is WAY more complex. My guitars have singles/90s/hums, and they all sound wonderful through this little beast. Ignore pricetags and nametags; you have two ears, listen with both of them.-Eric


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

tube types are a personal preference though. The YCV15blue is an EL84 amp. I prefer that tone as well. The 50blue uses EL34's, and some people prefer that. Especially those going for a loud, Marshall type tone.


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

Eric Pykala said:


> Sold my YCV50 Blue to fund a YCV15; I'll never look back. It's as loud as the 50, but the tone is WAY more complex. My guitars have singles/90s/hums, and they all sound wonderful through this little beast. Ignore pricetags and nametags; you have two ears, listen with both of them.-Eric


...sounds like i should go that route, as well. do you still get ample clean headroom, especially on the bass frequencies?

-dh


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Maybe I should reconsider, go for the 15 instead.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

My main concern with a 15 watt combo would indeed be clean headroom in a gig setting.

I must admit I'm amazed at how loud my YCV40 is so I wouldn't say 15 watts is out of the question, but to me clean is CLEAN, not an overdriven tone with the volume backed off on the guitar. Think Tele through a roland JC120 as a point of reference.

I can't see a 15 watt amp staying that clean at club volumes.


For what it's worth, I just ordered the closed back 1 X 12 cab for my amp, not for extra volume or coverage, but to tighten up the bottom. I may even disconnect the speaker in the combo and just run the cab.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I own 4 low wattage tube amps (12-15 watts) which are each completely different. Almost everything I play has a little 'grit' to it though, so they suit me perfectly. I don't think any of these amps, which all run different tube configurations, could get a totally clean sound over top of a moderately loud band. The only way I can see that happening is if the amp was miked, and put through the PA monitors. That is the only way I could get clean headroom, AND hear myself on stage over the rest of the band. 15 watts is plenty of power for SOME live applications.

The YCV50blue and the 15Blue are actually the exact same dimensions and weight. So if clean headroom is an issue at all, I would definitely recommend giving the 50blue a try. It's one seriously loud amp and and clean headroom is not an issue with it.


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## buckaroobanzai (Feb 2, 2006)

Hey Milkman - from your gig pix in the other thread, you have the Traynor mic'd at gigs anyways, right? So, why is gig volume an issue?

Not tryin' to start a rumble, just curious....

BTW, I run a Tele/OD-3/JC-60 for gigs - I can't get the JC-60 over "5" without the drummer throwing sticks at me. And he wears plugs and plays hard...The only SS amp I've ever tried that was louder was the JC-120.

Oh, wait, there was a guy who showed up with a Tele, a Boss Heavy Metal and a Peavey Ultra Chorus...He had all the frequencies between 8000hz and 8001hz covered.....


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

buckaroobanzai said:


> Hey Milkman - from your gig pix in the other thread, you have the Traynor mic'd at gigs anyways, right? So, why is gig volume an issue?
> 
> Not tryin' to start a rumble, just curious....
> 
> ...


Yes we mic everything. Volume is not an issue. Clean headroom could be. A 15 watt amp is pretty easy to push into overdrive and to distort the power section. 

I need my cleans to be clean (no hair).


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Milkman said:


> Yes we mic everything. Volume is not an issue. Clean headroom could be. A 15 watt amp is pretty easy to push into overdrive and to distort the power section.
> 
> I need my cleans to be clean (no hair).



Ya exactly. I LOVE small, lower wattage tube amps. But they do have limitations. 

Out of the various tube configurations in my combos, I find the EL84's break up sooner, and that is what the YCV15blue is. It's an amazing sound if that is what you are going for. But not great for clean headroom.

You can do a lot with different preamp tubes, and even just using the volume knob on your guitar, but every 15 watt amp I have played has 'grit' at high volumes.

Both amps are the same price I believe, and both sound great. So does the YCV40. If you can' you should just try out all 3. Most Long and Mcquades carry the whole line.


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## buckaroobanzai (Feb 2, 2006)

When you had the ToneLab-thru-PA setup, wasn't that about 8000 watts of "clean" ?

I'm just wondering why you went back to an on-stage amp. You sounded pretty good thru the ToneLab when I saw you in Simcoe.

Hopefully I can hear the new setup in Dover if I can get down there...


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

buckaroobanzai said:


> When you had the ToneLab-thru-PA setup, wasn't that about 8000 watts of "clean" ?
> 
> I'm just wondering why you went back to an on-stage amp. You sounded pretty good thru the ToneLab when I saw you in Simcoe.
> 
> Hopefully I can hear the new setup in Dover if I can get down there...



Well thanks. I just found the Tonelab a bit wanting in the high gain area.


Yes the Lab was clean alright. I'm not much different than most guitarists I guess. I get bored and change my rig every so often. I'm definitely still tweaking this one but I just added a couple of key elements so I'm optimistic that I'll be closer to what I want.


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

torndownunit said:


> ...every 15 watt amp I have played has 'grit' at high volume.



...a little grit i can handle. its when the low end totally farts out that i lose patience, as with my fender blues junior, which i sold in disgust after five years of trying to make it work for me.

-dh


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## Wild Bill (May 3, 2006)

*Hindsight...*



david henman said:


> ...a little grit i can handle. its when the low end totally farts out that i lose patience, as with my fender blues junior, which i sold in disgust after five years of trying to make it work for me.
> 
> -dh



Ah David, I wish I had have known you back then.

The mods are easy! Once done, that's one of the greatest little amps going.

See if you can buy it back, cheaply of course!


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

Wild Bill said:


> Ah David, I wish I had have known you back then.
> The mods are easy! Once done, that's one of the greatest little amps going.
> See if you can buy it back, cheaply of course!



..actually, the infamous buzzy in scarborough did quite a lot of work on it. i grew to dislike its sound, however. i think i would prefer the peavey classic 
30, which also has an fx loop. and i am definitely planning to own a pro junior one day.

-dh


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I think the Peavey Classic 30 is a fantastic amp. One of the most under-rated, and one of the best deals out there.

I own a Classic 20 (discontinued), and tone wise I'd take it over a Blues Jr or Pro Jr any day.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

After all the discussion here about the YCV50, I saw this one for sale here in Ottawa yesterday and decided I'd get it right away before someone gets it ahead of me. It took one phone call and he even delivered it straight to where my car was parked at work. And Tuesday being my rehearsal night, I was even able to use it during rehearsal. I'm pleased with it so far. Here's my YCV50:


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## rippinglickfest (Jan 1, 2006)

Chito said:


> After all the discussion here about the YCV50, I saw this one for sale here in Ottawa yesterday and decided I'd get it right away before someone gets it ahead of me. It took one phone call and he even delivered it straight to where my car was parked at work. And Tuesday being my rehearsal night, I was even able to use it during rehearsal. I'm pleased with it so far. Here's my YCV50:


So you've had it for a little while now........whats your take on the YCV 50??
I have owned the 6l6 powered YCV40 and was sorry i had to sell it..........but I'm contemplating the 50.........


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

I'm very pleased with the amp. The Gain channel is very good, I would say very JCM800 like specially with the ext cab. I've never been one to use the gain channel and have always gone through the clean channel and used pedals with my Twin. The reason mainly is I've never been impressed with the gain channel of the twin. But this one rocks, not modern high gain sounding but you can definitely get a creamy overdrive sound. Works best with nothing in between the guitar and the amp. One thing is, it also gets noisy with it's own boost, like most who have it say, I wish you can control the amount of boost. So instead I've been using my BBE Boosta Grande to boost it and I could say that I can gig with just this amp and that boost pedal. I've also used an SD1 to add more gain and it worked really well with it. 

The clean channel of the YCV50 is not fender like but good enough to use. 

I'm happy with it to the point that it has made me rethink my GAS approach.   I'm thinking of getting rid of my Classic 30, PRII and the Twin, then getting a "high-end" amp, either a combo or head/cab configuration. Using the YCV50 as my main gigging amp.

BTW, the original owner replaced the speaker in the cab with a celestion 70/80 which I wasn't impressed with but instead of replacing it with the original V30, I decided to put in an Eminence Governor. Big difference, the lows were tighter and the amp just opened up.

I haven't had the chance to play a YCV40 but from what I understand, the YCV40 sound leans more toward the Fender sound as opposed to the British sound. Must have something to do with the power valves, the YCV40's 6L6s as opposed to the YCV50's EL34s.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

> BTW, the original owner replaced the speaker in the cab with a celestion 70/80 which I wasn't impressed with but instead of replacing it with the original V30, I decided to put in an Eminence Governor. Big difference, the lows were tighter and the amp just opened up.


Good choice. I think Traynor is putting Eminence speakers in some of the current line now. The Celestion speakers just didn't suit the YCV series IMO. Especially not the 70/80 or the V30. The YCV50 has a fair amount of mids to to it, and the V30 just sounded too harsh and thin.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

I still have my eye on one of these over in the States. Maybe drop in there Wed and see if it's still there. Was like brand new. Need to talk the guy down a little


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