Vintage Traynor tube amp: should i keep it?

winterburn69 · #1 10-08-2011, 04:47 PM

I need to tell the whole story. It's awesome.

So about two months ago I was playing bass, then tool the recycling out to the recycling bin outside. A few guys two doors down from my place asked if that was me playing bass, assuming they were gonna complain I'm too loud, I said yes. They said they were moving and asked if I wanted an amp. They said they were just gonna leave it there and didn't want anything for it. Took it home. Plugged it in. It works.

Plugged it in a few days ago while my #1 amp was at my drummers place. Took a few seconds to start up, kinda a warming up noise. Turns out it's a tube amp. Curiosity got the best of me, and I did a good look over, googled it, turns out it's a Traynor Bass Mate YBA-2 tube amp, according to the Yorkville website and the serial number on the amp, it was made between 1965 & 1969. I called Long & McQuade today since they're the exclusive Yorkville dealer and they said they'd need to see the amp to say wether or not they'd take it for trade or cash.

Now I know according to forum rules I can't ask how much it's worth since I'm not a supporting member, so I won't. But if you got it amp for free, would you keep it or sell/trade it for profit?

I'm leaning towards sell/trade.

craig.p · #2 10-08-2011, 05:18 PM

Depends on whether you need a low-powered amp. I'm guessing from the prints it's somewhere around 40 watts. Might be ok for recording or for tiny rooms w/o a drummer, but for anything over & above that I think it'd be out of its league. If it were mine, I'd sell the thing. Another option would be sell it to a guitar player. The screamos and some blues players like to run low-powered tube amps WFO so this might be just what someone with a Les Paul or a Hamer is looking for to use at smaller shows, especially where they mic small amps. Might try the bay, but I'm just not sure of what reserve you'd want to put on it. (75? 100? No idea.) Make sure you advertise it "as found" and "no returns accepted." Hope this helps.

webelo · #3 10-08-2011, 05:39 PM

My two cents is to hold on to it. These amps don't pop up all that often.

I don't know if this helps at all, but I bought a Sovtek Mig-100b (my understanding is that the Sovteks and Traynors are in about the same playing field) a year or so ago from a guy on Craig's List for about $400. I've since put another couple hundred into it (new, upgraded powertubes, circuit checkthru, etc).

Even though they aren't super loud, the tone on these low wattage amps is killer. And, for what it's worth, people on these forums are always saying they wish they never got rid of "that" amp.

You got the thing for free, right? What I would do is bring it to a good amp tech and spend a few bucks having them check it out and replace caps/tubes as needed, then enjoy the thing for what it is. It'll be a great amp for recording or playing with a quiet band or heck, even a great practice amp. Then, down the road, if you're ever really hard up for cash, sell it... then you too can be one of those people that wishes they never got rid of "that" amp.

solodb · #4 10-08-2011, 06:15 PM

Keep it, fix it, play it. Anything tube by Pete Traynor of that amp's vintage is awesome and will appreciate in value.

winterburn69 · #5 10-08-2011, 07:07 PM

Yes indeed it was free. It says 85 and seems alot louder than that. It does have a nice warm tone though.

Thornton Davis · #6 10-08-2011, 08:48 PM

Early YBA-2's were 25 watts housed in a combo cabinet with a single 15" Marsland speaker.

If it works and is in relatively good condition it's worth $500.00

Nice find for a freebie.

TD

PS - Traynor (Yorkville Sound) and Long & McQuade are sister companies. They are owned by the same people.

js1 · #7 10-08-2011, 08:59 PM

They also make great guitar amps.

You will get about one third of the value as a trade in from L&M. One of the things I've learned is that if I get rid of something of value that's old, I regret it.

js

Joebarnes · #8 10-08-2011, 09:08 PM

Its horrible. Since you got it for free, I'll take it off your hands for shipping costs

Actually, Traynor's are darn near bullet-proof. All Canadian made. They have a nice tone to them as well. I currently have an old Traynor 6 channel mixer that still works perfectly and its from the 70's.

If you find an old Traynor or an old Garnet (the old Bachman-Turner-Overdrive amps out of Winnipeg), they won't let you down.

Rocker47 · #9 10-09-2011, 10:26 AM

KEEP IT!!! It will do nothing but sound great, never break down and gain in value. I have a 70's YBA-1 and a 70's YBA-3. Both sound awesome and are part of my "never sell" collection.

Alex1984 · #10 10-09-2011, 10:53 AM

Traynor is L&M's house brand. The YBA-2 I've seen are normally around $400. It's fairly low powered, but nice and warm. Very rugged and durable construction.

Muzoid · #11 10-09-2011, 11:02 AM

Traynor can take it, that's for sure....as a Toronto boy growing up, and weekend hanger-outer at L&M, Traynor/Yorkville has been a part of my musical vocabulary from day one.

I just acquired a 10" wedge monitor...works great, and very old.

Keep it....!

HT Paul · #12 10-09-2011, 08:33 PM

I have a YBA-4 from the 70's. The cab is particle board though, that go wet at some time in it's rich past, so the bottom was falling apart. So I made a new cab for just the amp, turning it into a head. Running this into a Genz Benz 1x15 is my favorite electric bass sound ever. I also have swaped out the first preamp tube, I think it's a 12AY7 now, changes the flavor.

js1 · #13 10-09-2011, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HT Paul

I have a YBA-4 from the 70's. The cab is particle board though, that go wet at some time in it's rich past, so the bottom was falling apart. So I made a new cab for just the amp, turning it into a head. Running this into a Genz Benz 1x15 is my favorite electric bass sound ever. I also have swaped out the first preamp tube, I think it's a 12AY7 now, changes the flavor.

Was that the original cabinet? AFAIK, Yorkville Sound has never used particle board. I say this as someone who had summer jobs at Yorkville in the 70s (to summer of 76), and spent time working in the wood shop. Never saw anything but plywood.

js

Cirk · #14 10-09-2011, 10:02 PM

+1 to having a tech go through it, and keep that amp! Traynors are great amps. They just run forever and sound good doing it.

newbold · #15 10-10-2011, 11:31 AM

Not bad as a bass amp (especially with highly efficient speakers like Bill Fitzmaurice's designs) but certainly some of the sweetest vintage guitar rigs ever made.

Somewhere between Marshall and Fender tone. If a bassmaster were ballsier that's where the yba-2 would be.

fourfinger · #16 10-10-2011, 08:45 PM

I had one similar. Keep it only if you need a good practice amp or a guitar amp. It is a very good guitar amp, but only good for bass at low volume. Due to its value as a guitar amp you are likely to do better by selling it and then buying a higher-power bass rig.

Calaverasgrande · #17 10-10-2011, 11:17 PM

It would make a very snazzy recording amp. Those particular models are not known for deep bass or being very loud. Unlike the YBA1 and YBAIII models which are too loud most of the time!

iiipopes · #18 10-10-2011, 11:44 PM

Keep it! it is a great personal practice amp; personal monitor for DI gigs; recording; jazz combo; dirty blues when pushed just the right amount so the volume knob of your bass functions more as a clean-warm-dirty control -- you now have a most versatile small amp. When I was young and foolish (now, I'm just not quite so young) I didn't appreciate the tonal aspects that a good amp like that can do. And because a good tube amp "soft clips" so you can push it harder, 40 "tube watts" amounts to much more in a practical sense than a lot higher ratings of a transistor clip-without-warning, or even a good MOS-FET amplifier.

Sartori · #19 10-11-2011, 12:35 AM

I'd say keep it. You now have a really cool practice amp that can also be used for recording or small gigs.

Lonesomedave · #20 10-11-2011, 12:54 AM

definitely keep it!

it has 3 potential uses, all of them good.

it will make a great practice amp.

it will be a good amp for small venues.

it will be a good amp for big concerts if you have a board to mike it into... and this includes recording, because you'll always have a way to eq it and get it onto disc.

at our household, our philosophy is: we don't sell gear (including basses); we only buy it.