Amp upgrade review – Old Yorkville Bloc80 to New Line 6 Lowdown 110

MakoMan · #1 12-09-2011, 06:43 PM

I’ll start off this review by noting that I am a beginning bassist who has only been playing for 2 months and know very little about bass amps. Funds were a bit tight when I started and I really could not afford much of an amp so I picked up an old Yorkville Bloc80 for 50 bucks off Kijiji. It seemed OK, but having never played through another amp, I really had nothing to compare it too.
As I have since discovered I love playing bass and this might actually last, I’ve been looking around to see if there might be something better out there. Right now I want something I can practice through, portable and can maybe handle the odd acoustic gig or rock jam. I don’t want a giant cab or 300 watt combo amp at this point (maybe someday LOL!).
My local music store owner highly recommended the little Line 6 Studio 110 and offered me a great deal on one. They seemed pretty sure it would blow away the Bloc80. It sounded great in the store, and online reviews on were very good, but without putting it side by side with my current amp I just wasn’t ready to pull the trigger. So I rented one for the week. I bring it back Monday. I’ve been playing through both amps with my Squire Jaguar SS. Here’s a bit of info on the two amps and my thoughts so far after playing both amps back and forth for the past 3 days:

Yorkville Bloc 80 – I got this used online for $50. It was built in 1987. It’s rated at 80 watts through a 4 ohm 15” speaker. Other than that I don’t know much about it. I don’t have manual, but it’s pretty easy to figure out… I think. For a 15” speaker and 80 watts it’s pretty small. Controls are pretty basic… volume, bass, treble and mid. It has two inputs.

Line 6 Lowdown Studio 110 – Everyone probably knows the story on this amp, as it is a current model. This is a very small, easily portable unit. Line 6 rates it at 75 watts and it has a 10” speaker. It has a bunch of features I’m not entirely sure what to do with, including compressor and synth functions. It also has 5 different tone styles… Clean, R&B, Rock, Grind and a ‘secret’ one called Brit. They actually work and there’s a notable difference between each tone. I printed off the manual online. One input.

Size – It doesn’t get much more portable at this power than the Line 6. It’s 12”x12”x12” and 24 lbs. The Yorkville is bigger, but not as much as you would think, considering the 15” speaker. It’s the same depth as the Line 6, 4” taller and 5” wider. It weighs 33 lbs.

Tone – Honestly, if I set them up as close as possible, with the same volume - and I play well - it’s pretty hard to tell which amp I’m playing through without looking down. If you pay attention, the Line 6 thumps pretty good, but the Bloc80 definitely has a deeper tone. Where the Line 6 does stand out is that it is pretty forgiving. I have the stock roundwound, somewhat rattley strings on the Jag SS and I still have to work at muting the strings I am not playing and not sliding my fingers down the strings as I move around the fretboard. I have to work harder to play cleanly on the Bloc 80 because it literally picks up every mistake, whereas they don’t seem as noticeable on the Line 6. If I slide down a string on the Bloc80 you’ll hear every winding, not so much at all with the Line 6. I’m not sure if that is a filtering feature of the newer amps or if the Bloc80 picking up everything is actually a good thing. In any case if I am playing well they both sound great and if I’m a struggling a bit you’ll notice it more on the Bloc 80. I hope that makes sense.

Features – OK, there really aren’t any on the Bloc80. You can get a lot of different tones out of it but it requires some button twisting. The different one-button tone settings on the Line 6 are a lot of fun. I like the Brit, Rock and Clean settings on the Line 6. The R&B is OK too. Perhaps someone would have a use for the Grind setting, but to me it is a waste of a button and sounds like a cat whose tail is caught in a blender. I’ve played with the compressor a bit and I think it has potential. No time for the synth yet. Not sure it is something I would use but it’s cool to have.

Volume – There’s a big difference here and I was actually quite surprised. The Line 6 really rocks the walls if you turn the volume up over 5. At 6 I was shaking the bookcase in my music room. And it sounds great at that volume. But by comparison, the Bloc 80 achieves that same volume at only 1/8 up the dial. If I turn the Bloc 80 to half volume, I’m worried the bookcase will fall over. Until doing this comparison, I’d never turned it up that high. The Line 6 would have to go to 11 to match the Bloc80 at half volume.

The Bottom Line – If you’ve been following along you’re probably already figured out I just saved 300 bucks. I’m keeping the Bloc 80 and bringing back the Line 6. I can live with the extra string noise and my mistakes standing out more… it might even help me become a better bass player.
The Line 6 is a great amp, has some great features and if I didn’t have the old Yorkville already, I would probably buy it. But the truth is the Yorkville is notably louder, almost as portable and has more ‘thump’. I’m not saying it’s a great amp, but I’ve now realized that for my 50 bucks I actually got a pretty good amp for my current needs.

Final Thoughts – In retrospect, perhaps it is not fair to compare an amp with a 15” speaker to one with a 10”, but I honestly thought a new 10” in a new amp would be at least as good as a 25 year old 15”. In the store I did compare the Line 6 to an Ampeg BA112 and a BA115. I liked the Line 6 better than the 112 and in the store they seemed very close in volume. The 112 was also a lot bigger. The BA115 was louder than either but it was the size of a small apartment building compared to the Line 6 and was $100 more. I just didn’t want something that big right now. I’d have to get them side by side to be sure, but after comparing it to the Studio 110 and having compared the 110 in the store to the BA115, I’m pretty sure my Bloc80 is as loud or louder than the Ampeg.

Anyway, that’s my review. Again, I’m a beginner so take it for what it’s worth LOL!

Holliwood · #2 12-09-2011, 07:38 PM

hard to beat Yorkie/Traynor on value for dollar at any age.

MakoMan · #3 12-10-2011, 05:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holliwood

hard to beat Yorkie/Traynor on value for dollar at any age.

Yeah, I'm thinking for what I paid for it, I might as well keep this old BLOC80 amp forever. It will still be great for practice and jams even if I eventually upgrade to a big unit.

GodinFan · #4 12-10-2011, 06:37 AM

You can get a GK MB112 for the same price as the Line6. Weighs four pounds more, but you get 200 watts and 12" speaker. Great sounding little amp!

MakoMan · #5 12-10-2011, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GodinFan

You can get a GK MB112 for the same price as the Line6. Weighs four pounds more, but you get 200 watts and 12" speaker. Great sounding little amp!

Certainly a viable option and I have read great things about it. Unfortunately the place I deal with does not carry it. They've treated me great over the years, so if I'm purchasing new I try to stick with what they sell... Ampeg, Line 6 and Fender amps for the most part. I will see if I can find a MB112 to check out though, just out of curiousity and for comparison's sake.
I was very pleased with the Studio 110. It just wasn't enough of an upgrade over my current amp.

Holliwood · #6 12-10-2011, 09:17 AM

Traynor Amps: Bass Combos

Check this out
I have a slightly older version of this.

Great rig. Easily keeps up with 2 Marshall 1/2s and a drummer.
Got mine used for $300.

christw · #7 12-10-2011, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MakoMan

Certainly a viable option and I have read great things about it. Unfortunately the place I deal with does not carry it. They've treated me great over the years, so if I'm purchasing new I try to stick with what they sell... Ampeg, Line 6 and Fender amps for the most part. I will see if I can find a MB112 to check out though, just out of curiousity and for comparison's sake.
I was very pleased with the Studio 110. It just wasn't enough of an upgrade over my current amp.

Loyalty to a store doesn't mean you should restrict yourself! Whenever you want Fender, Line 6, or Ampeg go to your store. For anything else, go to someone who carries it! Don't just give up! I couldn't buy nearly anything I own around here new or in-store used, especially with my old stores selections.

MakoMan · #8 12-10-2011, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by christw

Loyalty to a store doesn't mean you should restrict yourself! Whenever you want Fender, Line 6, or Ampeg go to your store. For anything else, go to someone who carries it! Don't just give up! I couldn't buy nearly anything I own around here new or in-store used, especially with my old stores selections.

I do occasionally buy elsewhere. I bought a Dean EAB recently from another store because I wasn't wild about the Fender acoustics. But seriously, after trying a few other amps in store and the 110 at home I have new appreciation for my old Yorkville. It should keep me going for quite a while.

christw · #9 12-10-2011, 02:57 PM

Congrats on realizing you've got a decent amp going. Always a good feeling!

MakoMan · #10 12-10-2011, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holliwood

Traynor Amps: Bass Combos

Check this out
I have a slightly older version of this.

Great rig. Easily keeps up with 2 Marshall 1/2s and a drummer.
Got mine used for $300.

That's a beauty. I hope to someday be good enough to have a need for something like that

Holliwood · #11 12-10-2011, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MakoMan

That's a beauty. I hope to someday be good enough to have a need for something like that

LMFAO!!!!!

I'm not so **** hot. I just got an eye for a deal and a couple $$ to spend.

GENTLY USED is the key to affordable great sound.

MakoMan · #12 12-11-2011, 05:59 AM

"LMFAO!!!!!
I'm not so **** hot. I just got an eye for a deal and a couple $$ to spend."

LOL! Well at least you must have someone to jam with to have that rig. I'm going to hold off an amp upgrade until I find myself with a situation where mine won't do the job. Right now I don't even know any guitarists etc. with whom I could jam. Or more correctly, who would want to jam with me

Febs · #13 12-11-2011, 06:08 AM

I used a Bloc80b in high school in 1986-87 or so. It replaced a Yamaha monstrosity that was about 5x the size of the Yorkville and sounded maybe half as good.

I remember that the font on the amp made the "oc" look like "ue," so the guys in the band used to call the amp "Blue Bob."

"Hey, where's Blue Bob?"

"I think he's still in the van ..."

autodidact · #14 12-11-2011, 06:28 AM

Im not really that helpful but I was just surprised to see you play a Mako LPB-1, I've never found anyone else on here that plays one. I liked mine a lot but I traded it away to get a better bass to sell for money towards MY SS Jag

MakoMan · #15 12-11-2011, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by autodidact

Im not really that helpful but I was just surprised to see you play a Mako LPB-1, I've never found anyone else on here that plays one. I liked mine a lot but I traded it away to get a better bass to sell for money towards MY SS Jag

Well what a coincidence LOL! I just started playing bass a couple of months ago and bought a Mako LPB-1 to start. I had it about a month and then sold it when I bought a new Squier SS Jag... which I love. The Mako was fun though and got me started. I'm just more comfortable on a 30" scale.