Traynor YBA200-2

[dustinfennessey]

Anyone have experience with the YBA200-2? I'm currently using an Ashdown Little Bastard 30w that I love, but am looking for a good/light/cost effective tube amp with more volume. Any advice would rule

Thanks,
Dustin

[Alex1984]

The YBA-200 is a solid amp. I prefer its tone to the similarly priced Peavey VB-2. It's softer volume-wise though and people feel it dirties up too early. As a result, many people opt to put in lower-gain preamp tubes, but they sound great to my ears and they love getting pushed hard.

[dustinfennessey]

By dirty up do you mean start the natural tube distortion? I'm not a fan of clean tone so like it as dirty sounding as it can get so it might be right up my alley

[Alex1984]

It sounds great when getting pushed. It should be great for you. I tend to have my gain at around 6~7 and my mids around 8~9.

[dustinfennessey]

you running 410s?

[Muckaluck]

Its natural sound is rather grindy, so if you're a fan of the grind you will be happy. I never had trouble regarding volume with mine and I played it very clean.

[VanillaThundah]

Originally Posted by Alex1984

The YBA-200 is a solid amp. I prefer its tone to the similarly priced Peavey VB-2. It's softer volume-wise though and people feel it dirties up too early.

+1

The 6550s in the power section make a difference on the YBA200-2. A little more pricey, but the difference in tone is pretty apparent to me.

[Hellbastard]

I have it and love it. It does have a grindy character to it, but that's why you buy tube amps, right?
It has a really nice tone that helps you cut through. an 810 or 412 is advisable if you want to compete with Marshall half stacks and a lous drummer.

[Baird6869]

Originally Posted by Muckaluck

Its natural sound is rather grindy, so if you're a fan of the grind you will be happy.

I have to agree with anyone that lives in the same town as I do (Whitby, Ont). :-p

Having agreed about the sound, I really didn't like the available headroom on the YBA-200-II I owned. I did a gig with a Sadowsky SA410 cab and the amp was almost cranked. I bought the head used, but had a similiar issue with another YBA that our band used as part of a backline.

It seems to be tough to get a real clean sound out of this amp at very high volumes. The gain really affects the volume IME (more than most other amps I have owned).

Note: I tend to play hard and the gigs I used the Traynor for were funk gigs with lots of slapping, so I kept the gain down to avoid clipping.

P.S. The new 300W Traynor sounds beastly!

[BassmanPaul]

Originally Posted by Baird6869

I have to agree with anyone that lives in the same town as I do (Whitby, Ont). :-p

You guys are simply out of town!

Hey the more GTA guys here the better! I'm in Scarborough.

[Baird6869]

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

You guys are simply out of town!

Hey the more GTA guys here the better! I'm in Scarborough.

Sorry, I don't talk to people in Scarborough. ;-) Kidding, I actually grew up there. I play gigs near the Pickering/Scarberia border every once in a while (The Harp and Crown).

Small world.... might be time for a Toronto East GTG one of these days!

P.S. sorry about the thread derail!

[BassmanPaul]

Originally Posted by Baird6869

I play gigs near the Pickering/Scarberia border every once in a while (The Harp and Crown).

Small world.... might be time for a Toronto East GTG one of these days!

P.S. sorry about the thread derail!

Done a few there too but it used to be so much better in days past.

It would be good to have a GTA GTG I must admit!

P.S. Me too but sometimes threads do morph.

[murphy]

Yarp!

[rodl2005]

its a great amp. Yes it'll do grindy well, & really will go pretty bl**dy loud -especially into a decent cab.
But, if U need more power- then the YBA300 is cool too- so I've heard.
The YBA200/-2 works really well for a pretty darn light all tube amp.
I didn't need the 12AU7 -lower gain- mod either, tho I tried it. I found it had plenty of volume & Snarl & bass etc...