Fender Bassman 100T vs Traynor YBA-1A

[Nick4496]

Hi all, looking for some opinions. This summer I plan on selling my SS head and moving into the tube world! As the title shows i'm very focused on the Fender Bassman 100T and the Traynor YBA-1A (90 watt version). I'm going to be recording as well as live playing. For cabs I have a Mesa powerhouse 212 and i'm going to be getting a 115 of sorts (any suggestions on those would also be greatly appreciated). So the question is, what kind of volume can i get out of both these rigs and which head is going to do me best. Just looking for some opinions. thanks alot

 

[jastacey]

If it were me, I'd get the Bassman 100, here's the reasoning, the YBA1A, runs those tubes at a very high voltage, and nowadays, most current production tubes, will have issues, at those voltages.
With the newer amps, your getting a design that is based around, current tube availability, and the Fender 100, is a nice amp, I currently have the Super Bassman, like it a lot, I also have several YBA3's, which I don't gig with any more, because the newer stuff has much more to offer .... I MHO, also with a 100 watt bass amp, for the most volume, I'd suggest a 610/810, more speakers, will get you more volume, however, there's many people who regularly gig with 212's/215's, and are quite happy, it all depends on your volume requirements

 

[G-Dog]

If it were me, I'd get the Bassman 100, here's the reasoning, the YBA1A, runs those tubes at a very high voltage, and nowadays, most current production tubes, will have issues, at those voltages.
With the newer amps, your getting a design that is based around, current tube availability, and the Fender 100, is a nice amp, I currently have the Super Bassman, like it a lot, I also have several YBA3's, which I don't gig with any more, because the newer stuff has much more to offer .... I MHO, also with a 100 watt bass amp, for the most volume, I'd suggest a 610/810, more speakers, will get you more volume, however, there's many people who regularly gig with 212's/215's, and are quite happy, it all depends on your volume requirements

Good reasoning, @jastacey, and from a tube standpoint, no less!

I would recommend the Bassman 100T, also, but more from the perspective of flexibility. The Bassman's footswitchable vintage and overdrive channels give you the best of both worlds. Simple straightforward vintage vol., bass, mid, & treble, with deep & bright or the blendable overdrive for anything from "warmth" to "grit" at any volume, with dial-in mid frequency and level, and the other EQs same as the vintage channel. I'm not a tube guy myself, but I love all this flexibility on my Bassman 500.

Oh, and you can switch the Bassman 100T to 25 watt mode for more intimate venues, practice, recording or real tube saturation at lower volumes. It also has a Silent Record mode that doesn't require any speakers to be connected!

For cab(s) I can most heartily recommend the Bassman 115 Neo. I love mine. Lots of bassists run one or two of them with all kinds of heads to great effect. You could run 4 of them with the 100T!!

Or, for maximum SPL from the Bassman 100T, as jastacey says, you want more speaker area. Such as a couple of (yes, two) 4-ohm 610s or 810s, if you've got the vehicles to move them! Or four(!!!!) 8-ohm 410s might be easier to load in and out. That's right, the Bassman 100T can handle a 2-ohm total speaker load. What's not to like?

Your choice.

 

[Nick4496]

Thanks for your opinion guys very helpful!! I think I’ll end up getting the Bassman 100T which was more what I wa leaning to but who doesn’t love old traynors lol. And for speakers I love my 12s much more than 10s so if anything I’d get another 12 and a 15. Also great info on the bassman 115 neo. Is there really that much of a difference between the rumble and the neo? I’ve read the rumble is thinner plywood but aside from that and the neo speaker is it worth it for that much less?

 

[frankzelf]

Try the neo 115, you'll love it! I love mine so much I bought a second one.