Old Traynor Heads: Please School Me

[donahue]

40w, 90w, mki, mkii etc etc.

I'd like to try one of these but not real sure which model/variation? Probably the higher wattage model?

I see them with different power tubes installed, master volume mods, death cap removal, bias mods etc etc. Not really sure what to make of it all, but almost all of them seem to be modded in some way.

I'm leaning towards the 90w YBA1A MKII, is that a good choice? Is there a better option?

Thanks for any and all input.

 

[solodb]

The Bassmaster Mark 2 ( a.k.a. yba1a ) is a powerful bass amp with great iron. I owned and used one a few years back. Lots of volume. The tone controls didn't do quite enough for me. It ran on 2 x 6ca7 ( el 34 ) tubes . Stock it has no master volume so you get LOUD before any distortion , if any . I don't remember ever achieving any grind out of it.....The amp is a nice size , not too wide and very well built . Reliable as anything you can find . I stepped up to the YBA200 which has more tonal variation and a fantastic overdrive . But if you want loud ,clean and vintage , try the old YBA1A.

 

[donahue]

What is the difference between the YBA1 and the YBA1A? I've searched the web and the little details are kind of hard to come by. One is 40w and one is 90w?

 

[solodb]

Yes , the YBA1 is 45 watts rms and the YBA1A mk ii is 90 watts rms. They both use a pair of el34/6ca7 power tubes, the preamps are identical , the chassis dimensions are equal. The mkii model has a fan to cool the power tubes which are run at a higher voltage to achieve the bump in power. The only other difference you might encounter is the actual head cabinet. Early models had a more pleasant aesthetic IMHO with rounded edges while later models had rubberized bumpers .

 

[solodb]

Oh , and the trannies are stouter in the mkii , massive in fact.

 

[solodb]

So a weight difference of course.

 

[donahue]

I saw one that had KT-77s installed and I think another with 6550's? Is that advisable?

How about the MV mod? Does that make the amp better or worse?

 

[Inara]

The Bassmaster Mark 2 ( a.k.a. yba1a ) is a powerful bass amp with great iron. I owned and used one a few years back. Lots of volume. The tone controls didn't do quite enough for me. It ran on 2 x 6ca7 ( el 34 ) tubes . Stock it has no master volume so you get LOUD before any distortion , if any . I don't remember ever achieving any grind out of it.....The amp is a nice size , not too wide and very well built . Reliable as anything you can find . I stepped up to the YBA200 which has more tonal variation and a fantastic overdrive . But if you want loud ,clean and vintage , try the old YBA1A.

Thanks for that info ... I'm also interested in a smaller tube head one of these days (not yet), and don't like grind or overdrive.

And good luck in your search, OP!

 

[solodb]

KT77 is a variant of EL34 and 6CA7 I think so should be O.K if properly biased ? 6550 draws more heater current and is physically larger so you need more expertise than I have to determine it's eligibility there . What I can tell you is that the mark 2 amp is very loud and clean. No need to tube roll IMHO.

 

[solodb]

Sorry , I can't comment on whether a master volume mod improves the amp or not. If you get it done , make it reversible and consider not changing the amp cosmetically if possible. That way you preserve the vintage value. Also , there are ways to achieve overdrive without modding an amp........

 

[solodb]

Remember the 45 watt version ( Traynor Bassmaster YBA1 ) might break up easier. Guitar players love them for that reason I think. Trying a nice OD pedal , putting in lower amplification factor pre-amp tubes , different less efficient cabinets might get you where you want if you don't need massive clean volume.

 

[donahue]

Thanks. I don't want to do any mods. The reason I'm asking is that almost every one for sale has some degree of mods done to it and I'm trying wade through the good mods and the bad.

I don't ever mod my tube amps but I may have to choose one of these with mods done as the bone stock ones seem scarce and way overpriced.

 

[devnulljp]

I have a load of old Traynors and have had loads more over the years, from the little YGM-1, 2, and 3 guitar combos, I still have a pair of YBA-1s.
The YBA-3 Custom Special is a killer bass amp. Only about 100W, but man does it sound good.
I don't gig with stuff like that any more -- too damn big n heavy.

 

[capnjim]

I tried a couple Bassmasters for bass and there was not any headroom. Great for guitar, not for bass, in my experience. But I was using the stock cabs which suck.
But...I did have YBA-3 custom special with a good quality 2x15 cab and to this day, i have not heard or owned a better sounding amp.
Used it for many years.
It had headroom galore. I actually had the bass pot pretty much on zero or it would knock stuff off of the walls.
We jammed at the drummers house and the girlfriend would complain about the bass.
I sold it as we stopped jamming and I just didn't have space for it.
I think I would buy one again if I ever saw one, but they just don't come up for sale.
It also extremely cool how it has two jewel lamps. red for standby and green for go!

 

[solodb]

Yup, try em all out and see if they sound good to you. Have fun. They are great old amps . Yes , prices are crazy. Used to be dirt cheap and plentiful. Those days are gone.

 

[solodb]

Sealed cabs for the win with those old beasts. There's a Super Custom Special on fleabay. Only 5 grand......

 

[Peteyboy]

I had an unmodified Traynor head 30 years ago. 90 of the loudest watts. Just a workhorse. If I bought one now (stimulus check?) I would take it to my tech and have him get it as close to factory status as is possible. Just as the good lord intended.

 

[Schlyder]

I had one of the Group II solid state amp heads and a 2-15" cabinet. It was my first real amp.

 

[byacey]

Yes , the YBA1 is 45 watts rms and the YBA1A mk ii is 90 watts rms. They both use a pair of el34/6ca7 power tubes, the preamps are identical , the chassis dimensions are equal. The mkii model has a fan to cool the power tubes which are run at a higher voltage to achieve the bump in power. The only other difference you might encounter is the actual head cabinet. Early models had a more pleasant aesthetic IMHO with rounded edges while later models had rubberized bumpers .

I would question that they are actually producing 90W RMS with a pair of 6CA7s, even if they are run past the maximum plate voltage. They would likely need considerably more output transformer core, and elevate the B+ to an additional 50% higher. According to the specs I viewed, they'll handle up to 800V, so the elevated plate voltage is a possibility, but the maximum plate dissipation is only 25W, so I don't think wringing an additional 40 W from a single pair is very realistic.

The older Traynors I worked on may as well have just had a simple toggle switch instead of controls; There was essentially two settings: Mud and Normal.

 

[solodb]

Don't know if the original poster in this thread , donahue , is interested in solid state offerings or only tube amps. But yes Traynor and Yorkville offered some fantastic solid state bass amps as well. The Traynor mono block b , mono block ii , and Yorkville Bassmaster 400 come to mind......