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Traynor YBA200-2 some observations and comparisons.

GreyBeard

GreyBeard

Sep 5, 2002
10,558
10,596
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BARRACKVILLE WV
#1
A brand new yba200-2 came into the band room today. I've been using some of my own stuff here and decided that I'm gonna take my stuff home or sell it whatever and let the school have it's own stuff. Anyhow, I've been using a F1-X into a EV dynacord 7100 into a Hartke 115XL. My gigging rig is a SVP-Pro -> QSC Plx 1202 -> Whappo Jr. My ears are accustomed to some high quality stuff. I plugged the yba200 into the 115 and let it warm up. I plugged in my trusty old P-bass and played for about an hour. After dialing in the EQ as much as possible I ended up with the mids on full, the treble clear off, and the bass at about 9:00. This setting is still a bit clanky for my ears so I had to dim the tone on the p-bass to get a sound I could work with. I then fired up the F1-X and plugged it into the yba200's AMP-IN. I set the tone controls flat 9:00-full-9:00 and played for a while. At this setting the sound was much more pleasant an maybe even a bit on the bassy side. I turned the bass down a notch and the treble up 2 notches and it was just about perfect. I also seemed to be able to raise the volume a bit higher before the power tubes started to break up. Now comparing the tube power section to the 7100. The Dynacord 7100 is a 1 rack space (no fan) studio power amp. It is rated at 100 watts per channel into 4 ohms. It will bridge into 8 ohms only and is rated 200 watts. When comparing the power of the 7100 to other amps I've played I can only conclude that the 200 watt rating at 8ohms is extremely conservative. Power wise, the yba200 doesn't come close to having the clean head room of the 7100. As for the pre-amp, it needs revoiced with the treble tamed down. I think they need to dump the scoop and go with a 4 band (low, lowmid, highmid, treble) setup. I will probably end up getting a presonus eq and run it in the efx loop to get the tone under control.
 
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#2
I agree whole heartedly. One of the reasons I traded my YBA was that it naturally lacked the punch and low end sock i needed live - but also had an inherently trebly nature to the preamp.

NOW - any modder worth his salt can change the preamp voicing - but at what extent? Why should you have to? I think it's obvious that Traynor is satisfied with the amp - but the head is certainly not plug and play - nor is it an instant classic.

I wish I had the ability to carry around extras as i would have done the same thing with the power amp in. In fact - I wish people would start selling slave tube heads again.
 
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#3
The amp isn't a plug and play thing like some of the solid state amps you guys might be used to. It actually takes some playing with the EQ and spending time with it to find the sound you want. I actually thought mine had too much low end at first. I will agree that a fourth band might be helpful.
 
#4
msquared said:
The amp isn't a plug and play thing like some of the solid state amps you guys might be used to. It actually takes some playing with the EQ and spending time with it to find the sound you want. I actually thought mine had too much low end at first. I will agree that a fourth band might be helpful.
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At this point I'm running the mids full, the bass off and the treb off with the range at about 12:00. It's still too clanky but it's usable. When I plug my guitar straight into the AMP-IN I get the sound I want but without enough gain (of course). Eventually I'll hook up the SVP-Pro which should give me the Ampeg tone with the tube girth. The Amps' head room is what it is. I'd say you need at least an efficient 2x15, or 1x15-2x10, or 6x10 or 8x10 to be usable in a rock gig w/o PA support. A single 15, or 12, or 2x10 just won't cut it for me.
 
#5
I don't find the YBA200-2 to be too clanky at all. I use a P-bass with 1/4 lbs, which have a reputation for having alot of high end. However, instead of using it through a stuper high-end cab like the Whappo, I use an Ampeg SVT 4x10 HLF. Maybe the most "vintage" cab cuts down the super-high that you guys are experiencing? Maybe try out some different cabs, you may be surprised. Cheers.
 
#7
GreyBeard said:
A single 15, or 12, or 2x10 just won't cut it for me.
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Agreed, though it bears mentioning that a lot of people have trouble making these cabs work on a rock gig regardless of the amp they're using. I use mine with an NV610 and have no trouble at all keeping up with a stupid loud rock band.

I'll also say that different preamp tubes will change the behavior of this preamp quite a bit. Look for some earlier threads on this to see what peoples' experiences have been with that path. The stock YBA200 (and presumably the -2) seems to be designed for overdriving easily and I didn't like the amp much because of that. Then I bought one with swapped preamp tubes and have done some further swapping on my own, and that has really made it much more useful.
 
#8
msquared said:
Agreed, though it bears mentioning that a lot of people have trouble making these cabs work on a rock gig regardless of the amp they're using. I use mine with an NV610 and have no trouble at all keeping up with a stupid loud rock band.

I'll also say that different preamp tubes will change the behavior of this preamp quite a bit. Look for some earlier threads on this to see what peoples' experiences have been with that path. The stock YBA200 (and presumably the -2) seems to be designed for overdriving easily and I didn't like the amp much because of that. Then I bought one with swapped preamp tubes and have done some further swapping on my own, and that has really made it much more useful.
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I've read all the posts and I am aware of the 12AT7 substitution for the 12AX7 and I'm OK with that. What I can't understand is why anybody would design a pre-amp that won't pass a flat signal.
 
#9
One other note is that the YBA 200-2 comes with the KT-88's and not the 6550's that everyone was changing out.
I just got a Yba 200-2 a week ago and I find the treeb set on 3 and the mid on 6 With a touch of bass works well Through my NV 215 but it has no horn . There are Pre amp tubes that will tame the highs more than the 12at7 if that is what you are looking for But I don't reacll the number offhand.
 
#10
GreyBeard said:
What I can't understand is why anybody would design a pre-amp that won't pass a flat signal.
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If you want a preamp that'll pass a flat signal, get this: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

But we're bass players. Our instrument isn't just the bass guitar, it's also the amp we play through. The amount of input the amp and cab have on your tone depends on what kind of gear you're getting, but if you're using an all-tube head you probably really want that coloration. Why would you care if it's passing a flat signal or not?
 
#12
msquared said:
If you want a preamp that'll pass a flat signal, get this: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Why would you care if it's passing a flat signal or not?
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Let me say now what I should have in my 1st post. I've been playing bass since 1968. I started with a Challenger PA amp that had a turntable built in and 2 open back Jensons 12's and I've owned or played just about everything that has come along since. The yba200-2 is the best dollar for dollar 200 watt tubeamp for bass guitar going today. As I said earlier, I did try it with my F1-X and the tone was outstanding. A few years back I auditioned a Aguilar db359, KILLER tone but just to rich for my blood. Anyway, the yba200-2 with the F1-X on the frontend sounds everybit as good as the db359. My philosophy of a pre-amp is that it should give you tonal options for your guitar. It should 1st offer a flat signal to the power amp and then let you taylor the sound by adding or subtracting bass - mid- treble as needed. A good example of this is the pre section of the Eden VT300A. I owned one for about a 15 months a few years back. It is a simple 4 band deal that one can easily dial in your tone. However, the folks at Traynor (who have made a great product) have other ideas and are happy with the sales of their amp.
 
#13
GreyBeard said:
My philosophy of a pre-amp is that it should give you tonal options for your guitar. It should 1st offer a flat signal to the power amp and then let you taylor the sound by adding or subtracting bass - mid- treble as needed.
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I'm in total agreement with you on that, and honestly if there was an all-tube amp at the price point of the YBA200 which did this I would own that one instead of the YBA200. I made my comment because it seems like the design goal of the amp as a whole was to try to do a modern take on some of the more vintage tube amp gear, whereas the db359 and the SMX-fronted Trace Elliot stuff (Hexavalve?) are more contemporary styled preamps coupled to a tube section.

I think my amp nirvana at this point would be the Thunderfunk preamp coupled with a 200 or 300w tube amp stage.
 
#14
Even if you're unhappy with how the preamp sounds you can always plug an outboard pre into the FX Return on the YBA to bypass the internal preamp and still utilize the tube power section. Personally I like the distorted character of the YBA200's preamp (I did switch the V1 & V2 positions to EH 12AX7s) and actually run an MXR M80+ into the input to further fatten the overdrive. This mixed with a sealed cab makes for a great rock rig. I know that many people on these boards including myself have had great success with this amp plus a nice big sealed cab like the 810E or NV610 in a rock band situation.
 
#15
i love my yba200, especially now after it's been fixed. i use a swr 6x10 (with the tweeter turned off), max the mid and bass (which is the flat setting, btw), put the treble at 12 o'clock, and the range all the way down. zero scoop and resonance as well. i love my tone. sweet tubey goodness.
 
#16
mattq said:
i love my yba200, especially now after it's been fixed. i use a swr 6x10 (with the tweeter turned off), max the mid and bass (which is the flat setting, btw), put the treble at 12 o'clock, and the range all the way down. zero scoop and resonance as well. i love my tone. sweet tubey goodness.
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When you say (which is the flat setting btw,) Is this what sounds flat to you with what ever has been fixed on your amp or is this what is suppose to be flat on all the yba200's?
 
#18
Nick Kay said:
What he's saying is that the YBA has a passive EQ; theoretically speaking, knobs all the way up should be flat.
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F1-X is passive too but flat is 2-10-2? The way these are setup the bass and treble seem to pass a bunch more signal than the mid. My perception of flat comes from 1st plugging mybass into an Alesis nano comp and then plugging its' output into the Amp In of the yba. I turn the compressor off and just use the gain from the output. This gives me an essential flat signal from the bass with gain. Then I take the comp out of the Amp In and plug the bass into the yba's own pre-amp. I still haven't found a setting that sounds flat. But, I'll keep trying.
 
#20
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