I am currently using a Traynor YVM-1 as my bass head (through a Traynor 2X10" 1X15" mixed cabinet). I am wondering what I can do to give myself more headroom before my signal distorts? I am on a very tight budget, going back to school and working a crappy job so I don't have a lot of money to work with. It was fine when I was playing in a Descendents styled punk band, but I am now playing in a wilco-esque band now and I would like some more cleans. Any advice is appreciated.
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Need Help with Traynor Rig.
- Thread starter ChadVanGaalen
- Start date
That's a very low-powered platform and there won't be much you can do with it, even with fresh tubes and a re-bias (if the amp isn't self-biasing, and I don't know if it is). And that effort would cost you $$ you could be saving toward a higher-powered used amp such as an old high-powered Peavey. I say save your money over the next few months, and until then, try to use as much boundary reinforcement as you can when your band's playing live. You may have to rearrange your positions on stage for that. In some rooms it won't be possible. Also try for a less bassy and more midrangey tone, which will put less of a demand on the amp. And remember your playing style and where you play on the instrument can reduce the load on the amp. Stay back toward the bridge and don't beat on the strings. Lots of players waste lots of watts because they play like fricking gorillas. I'm not saying you do, just mentioning it as one more item on the checklist.
I think a new head, or at least the power section will be inevitable for you. To get more volume, I would recommend higher sensitivity speakers, or more speaker area. Or, another thing you could do to get more punch, would be to dial down the volume on your bass and get a compressor to smooth out your signal a bit, but this is a trade off at the expense of some of your dynamics. Playing with EQs could help too!
T
tifftunes
Guest
Velvet Black, and other sites can link you to mods for your Traynor that will improve it slightly. The Voice Master is 40 or 60 watts, and doesn't provide a lot of power anyway. The 90 watt Bassmaster (YBA1A Mk II) is the way to go. I used the MkII for over 20 years total, with few complaints! Traynors are still the best deal going for guitar and bass amps!
Welcome to TB Chad!
The Traynor YVM-1 sounds good for guitar.
Perhaps you could trade it for a higher-powered transistor bass head. There may be someone on a guitar forum who has a MONO Block B or MONO Block II they'd like to swap.
If you ever do wind up with one of these amps please test your speaker cables before each use. The MONO's have no short circuit protection at their speaker outputs. Otherwise they're nearly indestructible and can be smooth & punchy or gritty & loud.
