Traynor SB500H

[Gervais Cote]

What's your recommendation between the D350 and the Traynor?

I have an older GK MB500 Fusion which is awesome, but I don't think it's going to last forever. I enjoy a slightly driven sound which I've been getting with a boost pedal and the tube preamp in the GK. But I'd happily put a pedal or two before the new amp.

FYI, I replaced a Mesa D350 with my Traynor SB 500H.

The Mesa was great but the bass notes in the lower register were too boomy for me and the Traynor SB500 is more articulate and clean. The Mesa sounded "generic" to me.

If I was playing soft jazz or using a fancy 5 or 6 string jazz bass, I would have kept the Mesa as it’s more hi-fi but I now play almost exclusively hard rock and blues with a p bass with stainless steel rounds so I wanted a more rough and aggressive tone with bass notes that burp and the Traynor does it well.

 

[nonohmic]

FYI, I replaced a Mesa D350 with my Traynor SB 500H.

The Mesa was great but the bass notes in the lower register were too boomy for me and the Traynor SB500 is more articulate and clean. The Mesa sounded "generic" to me.

If I was playing soft jazz or using a fancy 5 or 6 string jazz bass, I would have kept the Mesa as it’s more hi-fi but I now play almost exclusively hard rock and blues with a p bass with stainless steel rounds so I wanted a more rough and aggressive tone with bass notes that burp and the Traynor does it well.

Awesome that all sounds like the Traynor would be my preference. I was looking at the Aguilar offerings and leaning more towards the clean AG than the tone baked TH. And I didn't really want to pay $1k.

And then the MESA is almost $1k too. Plus 500 over 350 gives me a little more headroom if I want to add other cabs later.

 

[Gervais Cote]

Awesome that all sounds like the Traynor would be my preference. I was looking at the Aguilar offerings and leaning more towards the clean AG than the tone baked TH. And I didn't really want to pay $1k.

And then the MESA is almost $1k too. Plus 500 over 350 gives me a little more headroom if I want to add other cabs later.

You’re right, I forgot about the headroom. The Traynor SB 500 has much more headroom than the Mesa D350, bass notes sound deeper and more powerful and it’s very similar to my Hartke LH500 in fact.

 

[nonohmic]

You’re right, I forgot about the headroom. The Traynor SB 500 has much more headroom than the Mesa D350, bass notes sound deeper and more powerful and it’s very similar to my Hartke LH500 in fact.

Love it. Sold.

 

[LBx]

I'm pretty close to grabbing one of these... Reading thru here I take it it can kind of approximate the grind of the class D Ampeg stuff? Headroom is about the same?

 

[Gervais Cote]

I'm pretty close to grabbing one of these... Reading thru here I take it it can kind of approximate the grind of the class D Ampeg stuff? Headroom is about the same?

Yep, sounds very similar to a class D Ampeg equivalent but still tad more articulate IMO. Perfect for rock music according to me.

In terms of headroom, either at high or low volume, the bass notes are deep and full emphasis in such way my drummer named it "The Little Monster" first time I used it. It’s a "real" 500 watts, not a fake one.

 

[LBx]

Noted!

 

[frankie5string]

Yep, sounds very similar to a class D Ampeg equivalent but still tad more articulate IMO. Perfect for rock music according to me.

In terms of headroom, either at high or low volume, the bass notes are deep and full emphasis in such way my drummer named it "The Little Monster" first time I used it. It’s a "real" 500 watts, not a fake one.

Yeah, pretty much... The SB115 combo can demonstrate that quite well. They did a really good job with the SB heads... Kinda curious about what they might try next. They released that BB115 combo, which sounds great, but they stripped away most of their head and cab selection a few years ago.
There's only a few options left, and they stopped doing the whole "Dynabass" thing where the heads had all sorts of extras like compressors and drives.

 

[LBx]

So... It doesn't quite have the grind I was hoping for but still a great sound and nice air to it with a ported 1x15. Hopefully it takes pedals as well as my tube thing

 

[frankie5string]

So... It doesn't quite have the grind I was hoping for but still a great sound and nice air to it with a ported 1x15. Hopefully it takes pedals as well as my tube thing

Yeah, the SB500 has its own "grind" but I remember having to hit the input and gain pretty hard to make it "speak" like that. It's not really trying to be a tube amp. The combos are similar... They can "grind" but it's a different flavour.

 

[Gervais Cote]

Yeah, the SB500 has its own "grind" but I remember having to hit the input and gain pretty hard to make it "speak" like that. It's not really trying to be a tube amp. The combos are similar... They can "grind" but it's a different flavour.

My SB 500H is nothing like tube sounding IMO.

Nevertheless, it’s transparent enough to get there if someone adds a pedal with a few tubes like a Shushi Box or something similar.

 

[Riff Ranger]

My SB 500H is nothing like tube sounding IMO.

Nevertheless, it’s transparent enough to get there if someone adds a pedal with a few tubes like a Shushi Box or something similar.

That’s more or less what I do with a Night Owl Industries Edison EF86 tube preamp in front of my SB500H. The one tube bass amp I had was such a money pit that I have sworn off them for bass. If the tube ever fails in the pedal, at least I can switch it off and still use the amplifier itself.

 

[Gervais Cote]

That’s more or less what I do with a Night Owl Industries Edison EF86 tube preamp in front of my SB500H. The one tube bass amp I had was such a money pit that I have sworn off them for bass. If the tube ever fails in the pedal, at least I can switch it off and still use the amplifier itself.

Just ordered that Night Owl pedal, I have a good feeling for this one……….……..and the builder inspired me with its hand made stuff.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

[Riff Ranger]

Just ordered that Night Owl pedal, I have a good feeling for this one……….……..and the builder inspired me with its hand made stuff.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I decided to try tubes when I got back into bass in a big way eight years ago, and the Edison ultimately delivered what I wanted. I have acquired five variations of that device and its predecessor (the gorgeous but precarious Oscar) from Seth in that time great guy and great builder with a unique approach.

 

[bebass]

Yeah, pretty much... The SB115 combo can demonstrate that quite well. They did a really good job with the SB heads... Kinda curious about what they might try next. They released that BB115 combo, which sounds great, but they stripped away most of their head and cab selection a few years ago.
There's only a few options left, and they stopped doing the whole "Dynabass" thing where the heads had all sorts of extras like compressors and drives.

“…Kinda curious about what they might try next…”
I wish they would make a head version of the new BM15C combo. Stable at 2 ohms and “Tubey” Drive control, which the SB500 doesn’t have. The 44 lb combo is a bit much weight for old guys like me.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Hey friends,


I've recently started playing bass in a metal band and they had this loaner amp for me to use in the jam space. I was a bit underwhelmed at first when I saw what it was but I must say it really did the job very well.. Pretty decent for what it costs brand new, around 600$ Canadian .. I couple it with an empress compressor and a darkhorse b7k and get a pretty decent metal tone out of it, kinda like the Alex Webster tone.

Anyone else try this Amp head? im curious how your experience was .. ! Traynor seems to be an awesome Canadian brand

The have a lot of fans out there and here on TB. My only experience with a Traynor was very brief and over 50 years ago.

 

[LBx]

re: Grit & Grind

Sniped a tip from another thread: cut the bass, dime the master, and use the gain knob as the master vol... Getting there!