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TRAYNOR Mono Block B and Mono Block II WDYT?

Doombuggy68

Doombuggy68

Dec 18, 2016
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505
#1
I just purchased a Traynor Mono Block B.
I've wanted one for years being a huge Bruce Thomas fan. Im not sure which model he used. I assume the Block II with the EQ since it was the late 70s model but not sure. It doesn't seem like there much difference in the two models other than the II has a 5 band EQ.
I have several Acoustic Control 370 heads and the Traynor seems similar in build.
Im into old amps so I know what Im getting into. I know its a boat anchor and to someone that likes super clean, modern amps that weigh 4lbs, its old junk.
I'm curious to see what owners and people who have actually used them have to say as far as tone goes.
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#3
I had the Yorkville Mono Bloc 250 bass head. It had a nice chunky sound, kind of like the Thunderfunk, but it also had alot problems.
 
#6
I have a friend that had the B. I have always loved the look of these. That being said, while he liked it I think he felt it was a little nasaly sounding. Lots of mids sort of thing. I'm not sure that's bad, jut what the flavour is. Honestly probably pretty close to the 370 soundwise. I love the ACC370 and they're pretty mid forward as well.
 
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#7
Fantastic, iconic amps, made by an O.G. gear/circuit god Pete Traynor.

The loudest there was until the SVT came out. Had this been a U.S. brand… but it isn't so is relatively unknown.

Tons of room inside that indestructible casing for easy servicing if ever needs, so these can and hopefully will last forever.

Congrats!

There's old threads on these, and a small fan base on here.

The II is not nasally. Master Effects offers the Monorail pedal, which is a clone of the II's preamp and EQ section.

Not sure how close the Monorail gets you, or which model Bruce Thomas used.
 
#10
I ran a Mono Block B for a few years into a JBL 15 and later added a GK 212 - it sounded great for the rock band I was playing in at the time.

I moved on to a more funk based act and didn't feel it was as good a match - but that was a lot of years ago and I'd probably feel differently about it now.

Really good amp - well made and I never had a problem with it.
 
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#11
HELL YEAH!

What a coincidence! I happen to own both a 370 and a 1975 Traynor Mono Block B.

Here's a picture of my gear. I had to take my stuff home, because during COVID lockdowns our rehearsal space was undergoing renovations.

FB.jpg


Since around 2016 it's been my main amp. I can't even say how many gigs I've done with it and it's never let me down. I love it to death; it's built like a tank and will punch through anything, both in terms of the sound and the weight. I prefer it over the 370 because it has Low/High mid-range settings and the Input and Output Volume controls, which gives me more flexibility with my settings during rehearsals and quieter gigs. The 370 just goes like: ...quiet... ...a little louder... ...almost there!... ...TURN THE BASS DOWN!!!!! With the Traynor I feel like I can dial in the grit that I want at lower levels. With my '75 Precision it's a match made in heaven for what I do.

I got mine because of Klaus Flouride of the Dead Kennedys, who switched to it from an Acoustic 150b, right after "Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables". The best bass tone in music history happens to be a '66 Jazz Bass with SD Quarter Pound pups and Rotosound strings, running through a Mono Block B with a 2x15" cab loaded with JBL's. Here's a sample:



Here's a session for Target Video in '81, you can see Klaus' Mono Block B behind him on the floor, next to the cab. It's in plenty of other live videos, too.



Also, if you ever need to fix it, attached you'll find a schematic that I got from Guy Beresford, the Senior Technical Advisor at Yorkville Sound.

Enjoy!!
 

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#12
Long-time user of an Acoustic 370 here. I've also played through a bunch of vintage Traynor tube amps and found them all to be pretty excellent, so I always wanted to try one of these monoblock amps (either version) but have never had the opportunity to try one local to me. Would be very interested to read some more experience-based A/B comparisons between the 370 and Monoblock - pros and cons for each, how similar or different the tones may be, etc.
 
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#14
Doombuggy68 said:
I just purchased a Traynor Mono Block B.
I've wanted one for years being a huge Bruce Thomas fan. Im not sure which model he used. I assume the Block II with the EQ since it was the late 70s model but not sure. It doesn't seem like there much difference in the two models other than the II has a 5 band EQ.
I have several Acoustic Control 370 heads and the Traynor seems similar in build.
Im into old amps so I know what Im getting into. I know its a boat anchor and to someone that likes super clean, modern amps that weigh 4lbs, its old junk.
I'm curious to see what owners and people who have actually used them have to say as far as tone goes.
View attachment 5289497

View attachment 5289498
Click to expand...
Not familiar with that head. Traynor makes some really good stuff. I have the new YBA100 and very happy with it. That's cool that you like the old stuff.
 
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#15
It's interesting how many have ACC 370 heads with the Mono Blocks.
Thanks for the schematic. @Panek I wasn't aware the Dead Kennedys bass player used one either.
An AB vid between the 370 and Mono block would be nice. There's not much info on the web or YouTube vids on the mono blocks.
 
#16
Doombuggy68 said:
Thanks for the schematic. @Panek I wasn't aware the Dead Kennedys bass player used one either.
Click to expand...

Glad to help! I think this is the first time this schematic has ever been posted online. Most of the info you can find online on these amps is the model II.

What I'd definitely be interested in is A/Bing the first model versus the second one! I wonder if they made any modifications to the circuit besides the EQ.

Randy Rampage from DOA used one, too. In fact, a second model Mono Block is pictured twice on the back cover of their seminal, legendary album Hardcore '81!

CPplaysBASS said:
Follow up ... definitely the "B"!View attachment 5290150
Click to expand...

Makes you think, since they were an English band, does that mean there's a European version of the Mono Block? I know you can modify an amp, but I just use a external transformer with mine so it would be cool to have a original made for this market.

Darrell Vachon said:
Cool, a lot of Canadians on this thread. Love Traynor! Pete tested his amps by dropping them out of windows
Click to expand...

Ouch... that sucks. Seems like unnecessary brutality. I bet the people that kept fixing the potholes made in the pavement by Traynor amps hated him.
 
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#19
Panek said:
Makes you think, since they were an English band, does that mean there's a European version of the Mono Block? I know you can modify an amp, but I just use a external transformer with mine so it would be cool to have a original made for this market.
Click to expand...

I'd be surprised if Traynor made a European version, but I found a couple of articles that mention Traynor. This quote is very specific about saying "in Britain" (Sound International, June 1978 - The Elvis Costello Wiki):
"Bruce in particular is able to articulate precisely his approach to sound, which he has arrived at through years of experience. He plays a 1964 pre-CBS Fender Precision bass, preferring the wider fingerboard to the current model. In Britain he uses a 400-watt Traynor Monoblock amp. He designed his own pair of speaker cabinets which contain two 18in Vega speakers and four 12in ATC long-throw speakers."

And apparently Bruce regularly checked into a forum on his website to answer questions. This was his answer to someone who asked about his late 70's tone. Seems the Boss Graphic EQ played an important role (That post-punk P-bass sound...):
"My P bass had the pick ups rewound, wrongly as it happens but it turned out to be a happy accident and gave the bass a different sound.

I never used Ampeg SVT equipement until later on — and only live. On the albums you referenced I used a Traynor monoblock head with a custom speaker rig containing 2×12″ speakers and 1×18″. obviously it was the 12″ speaker that was miked up — but I also mixed in the miked sound with a DI feed.

A vital part of the sound was a small Boss graphic EQ pedal which I used to roll out low bass and the honky mid tones (around 600 I think). The only other modification was a bit of compression.

Having said all of that, most of the punch you talk about comes from the way you pluck the strings. The only way to describe it is to say that if you try snapping your finger and thumb together to make that snapping sound, it's a bit like that. Also important is releasing the string with your left hand, so you get a more staccato stabbing effect.

Try getting that kind of punchy sound just playing the bass acoustically without plugging it in to anything and you're half way there. On some of the clips I put on youtube I turned the amp right down, so you might be able to hear what I mean."
 
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