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I think I may get a Traynor YBA200...

#21
Hey thanks!! No, I don't sing or write, just play bass and help arrange :)

OK, so the guy brought over the YBA3 Custom Special and we realized it is wired for 4 ohm output. Since the Schroeder 1212 is an 8 ohm cab I did not want to try it, since I was afraid of risking damage due to impedance mismatch. The guy graciously allowed me to borrow the Traynor (which is very trusting since I just met this guy tonight) until I can borrow another 8 ohm cab to run with the Schroeder for a combined 4 ohm load. Kind of a PITA but i'm not planning to buy his YBA 3, just get an idea of what the predecessor to the YBA200 was/is like.

Yellow said:
Yea, for sure,

P.S. I checked out your band, very cool. Great melodies and pretty funny lyrics. Do you sing, write?
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#23
Ah well, I'll give it a shot with two 8 ohm cabs and see what I think.

So if an amp is rated to use a 4 ohm cab, it is OK to use a higher resistance 8 ohm cab?

bassboysam said:
I had both at one time and I do not think that the YBA3 is going to give a good example of what the YBA200 will sound like. 2 completely diffrent animals.

BTW I have run my YBA 3 at both 4 and 8 ohms wiht no problems.
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#25
Hey Tim, I hope it works out for you.

To anyone else interested in my yba3 custom special I'm considering getting an Ampeg V4/V4B and selling the amp that I lent to Tim to try out.

as I think Tim mentioned, its not mint by any means but it works well and sounds great.
 
#26
mattq said:
yes, you can always go higher ohms, but NEVER lower. my amp is rated down to 2 ohms and i was using just an 8 ohm cab for years. give it a try with just your schroeder and with an extra cab too
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Not true. This does not apply to tube amps, where you need to match impedances of the cabs to the output(s). Generally, a 100% mismatch will be OK with a tube amp (8 Ohms on a 4 Ohm tap, 4 Ohms on a 2 Ohm tap) but you should never do any more than this, and even a 100% mismatch will shorten tube life and should not be done on some amps.
 
#27
Plain Old Me said:
Not true. This does not apply to tube amps, where you need to match impedances of the cabs to the output(s). Generally, a 100% mismatch will be OK with a tube amp (8 Ohms on a 4 Ohm tap, 4 Ohms on a 2 Ohm tap) but you should never do any more than this, and even a 100% mismatch will shorten tube life and should not be done on some amps.
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i didn't know that. duly noted.
 
#29
I took the Traynor over to my friend Sam's house today and hooked her up to the Schroeder 1212 and Sam's Ampeg 410 (which I actually sold him a year or so ago). At first we didn't have things hooked up quite right so the YBA was only running through the Schroeder and it actually worked and sounded good. We didn't have it set this way very long though so no worry about tube damage. Anyway we then got it hooked up properly and had it running through the Schroder and the Ampeg and it sounded huge. Damn, it sounded huge just through the Schroeder. I was shaking things in his house and that was with the gain and master around 3, never higher than 5. By way of comparison I then tried the same cab configurations with Sam's Ampeg SVT 4 Pro and it sounded really hi fi. Good and crystal clear but almost a bit too nasally and not really fat in any way. I think I am still going to look for a YBA 200 because of the switchable impedance and Speakon compatability but now I have an idea of how Traynor tube heads sounds....freaking awesome! I'd keep that over an Ampeg V4B, but then again as far as Ampeg all tube heads, I've only played an SVT CL so I don't really know what the V4B sounds like.

Thanks Roadness for letting me try her out... and welcome to Talkbass, man!
 
#30
Thanks Tim, and double thanks for hipping me to talkbass, I've already read a handful of threads and look forward to learning more through all the threads. I'm glad you had a good time with it and look forward to checking one of your shows out when you get the yba200.

Thanks for the response in the pms, I will be replying shortly!
 
#31
TimBosby said:
Anyway we then got it hooked up properly and had it running through the Schroder and the Ampeg and it sounded huge. Damn, it sounded huge just through the Schroeder. I was shaking things in his house and that was with the gain and master around 3, never higher than 5. By way of comparison I then tried the same cab configurations with Sam's Ampeg SVT 4 Pro and it sounded really hi fi. Good and crystal clear but almost a bit too nasally and not really fat in any way. I think I am still going to look for a YBA 200 because of the switchable impedance and Speakon compatability but now I have an idea of how Traynor tube heads sounds....freaking awesome! I'd keep that over an Ampeg V4B, but then again as far as Ampeg all tube heads, I've only played an SVT CL so I don't really know what the V4B sounds like.

Thanks Roadness for letting me try her out... and welcome to Talkbass, man!
Click to expand...


Yea Dude, it is a great head, buy it from your buddy before I will.
 
#32
ya, sorry, I have to chalk a minus 1 to the YBA200, I'm more impressed with the custom special.... although the yba200 is great at low volumes and swapped tubes.

The best I've heard my YBA200 sound was through a Bag End Q10-XD..... very clean and warm cab. I wasn't impressed with the YBA through my Ampeg SVT-15E or my Eden D210XLT... sounds like mud really... so not sure how that compares to shroeder cuz I have'nt played one.
 
#33
Last year, after doing a lot of research, I bought a brand new Traynor YBA-200. Almost all reviews I read were glowing and it's weight was a reasonable 41 lbs. Its width was slightly narrower than my Aguilar GS-212 and Epi UL's, which were the cabs I planned to match it with. It was gonna be perfect!

Alas, it didn't work out like I was hoping. There were two problem areas. It just didn't have enough horsepower to keep up with our moderately loud blues trio. No matter how I adjusted things, there was just too much farting on the lowest notes...even with a 4-string. That issue I could have lived with. I was going to use it at home just for 'shedding and very low volume situations.

Here was the dealbreaker. No matter which of my cabinets (all 4 ohm) I paired it with, no matter which bass I used, no matter which room in my house or which rehearsal studio I was in...the note C# jumped out at me. Much louder than any other note. Proximity to walls and corners of rooms did not change things. This occurred with the rig in the middle of a room. Knob twiddling did not help. I thought about doing some tube-rolling but decided it was not worth the financial gamble. This was not a review period of a few days...this went on for 3 months.

I reluctantly sold it. I really wanted it to work out. Besides the fact that it was so cool to see those tubes glowing, no one likes to admit that they have made an incorrect buying decision. I had to admit that for me, it was not the right piece of gear. My bandmates finally asked me to stop bringing it to rehearsals. I was instructed to bring only my WT-400!

On the upside, build quality was good, tone controls were effective (except for the C# issue). Its overall sound could be described as open and airy, if a bit too bright. It painted a large sound picture (larger than my 400). But in a live band situation there was no comparison, to my ears. It just didn't have the commanding presence and ability to be heard in the mix like my 400. Considering all the positive reviews found here, on Harmony Central and BGRA.net, it sounds like my experience is a rare one. One that should be heard, nonetheless. :( :bawl:

M. M.
 
#35
TimBosby said:
I took the Traynor over to my friend Sam's house today and hooked her up to the Schroeder 1212 and Sam's Ampeg 410 (which I actually sold him a year or so ago). At first we didn't have things hooked up quite right so the YBA was only running through the Schroeder and it actually worked and sounded good. We didn't have it set this way very long though so no worry about tube damage. Anyway we then got it hooked up properly and had it running through the Schroder and the Ampeg and it sounded huge. Damn, it sounded huge just through the Schroeder. I was shaking things in his house and that was with the gain and master around 3, never higher than 5. By way of comparison I then tried the same cab configurations with Sam's Ampeg SVT 4 Pro and it sounded really hi fi. Good and crystal clear but almost a bit too nasally and not really fat in any way. I think I am still going to look for a YBA 200 because of the switchable impedance and Speakon compatability but now I have an idea of how Traynor tube heads sounds....freaking awesome! I'd keep that over an Ampeg V4B, but then again as far as Ampeg all tube heads, I've only played an SVT CL so I don't really know what the V4B sounds like.

Thanks Roadness for letting me try her out... and welcome to Talkbass, man!
Click to expand...

I also have the Traynor YBA-3 amp, as you found out, it's just a good sounding amp, the amp is a fixed 8 ohm output, the speaker jacks are wired in series, it's one of the very few amps that are set-up that way, I've run this amp, long and hard into to a 4 ohm cabinet, and had no issues, I've had an Ampeg V4-B for many years and a lot of people like the amp, I don't, the Traynor YBA-3 is a much more vestal amp, once you get comfortable with the tone controls, I've haven't spent much time with the YBA-200, so I really can't comment on that amp ....I'd say get the old Traynor and when you can,have a tech go through it, ( I'd at least change out the power supply caps ) and then enjoy the amp ....
 

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