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Traynor/Yorkville bass amp question

B

Beatlefreek

Nov 6, 2010
18
0
#1
Okay, so I'm a "dabbling" bassist, mostly playing bass on my own recordings, although I have played bass live occasionally but always with a borrowed amp.

I want to set up a "drop-in" kind of practice room in my garage for my musician friends and/or for auditionees, as well as for myself, and I want to get a bass amp for these multiple purposes. I also want to have an amp that I could use for playing live if I ever decide to make the switch to bass a more permanent thing, but that would be a somewhat secondary concern.

I am really quite interested in obtaining a Traynor/Yorkville amp, but I'm not really sure what I should be looking for.

I like the idea of an older tube Traynor head, but from what I've gathered, the relatively low wattage might be a concern. The guys I play with and the kind of music we play (mostly classic rock-type stuff) is not terribly loud, but loud enough, I guess.

However, I do understand — having a few tube guitar amps — that the volume that a tube amp can put out is much greater than a solid state. So maybe something like a 50 watt all tube head might be perfectly fine for my situation. For comparison purposes, I normally use (for guitar) a 15 watt Fender Blues Junior for practices and have never been drowned out. When gigging with it, I mic the amp and run it through the PA. But my understanding is that in order to properly push those bass frequencies, you simply need more power.

One of the bass amps I've borrowed in the past has been a Yorkville 400 watt-er combo (I can't remember the exact model), and I was very impressed with it. I believe these amps are a tube/solid state hybrid. If I had no other choice, this would probably be a good amp for what I'm looking for. Btw, I've never tried a separate head/cabinet configuration.

So where I'm confused, is if I am looking for an all tube Traynor (which would mean it would be a vintage model by definition) what models or wattage should I be looking for? :help:

I have also come to understand that there is a difference between the late 60's/earlier 70's Traynor models and those that were produced from the mid-70's onward. How much a qualitative difference there is (and whether or not it's important given my situation) is where I kind of get lost.

So ... any suggestions, words of advice — for either vintage Traynors or modern Yorkvilles — would be much appreciated.

Thanks. :bassist:
 
#2
I don't find low wattage to be of any particular concern with my Traynor tube amps.


traynorstackspeakers_2.jpg
 
#3
I had a Traynor YBA-200 for a while and it served me well. It is a new model tube amp and you can usually find them for around $500. If you got that amp and a decent used cabinet you'd have a great bass rig. I'd be worried about getting an old Traynor combo tube amp (YBA-4 I think) because it just won't be enough power and speaker to compete with a drummer and guitarist.

Conversely you could get one of the YBA 1 or 2 series and match it with a really efficient speaker such as one of the fearful designs and probably compete with a drummer and guitarist just fine. The key is to get an efficient speaker design. There are a few guys on talkbass who gig with Ampeg B15s and those things are only 20-30 watts, I think. The only trouble with this is you're spending $400-$500 on the vintage Traynor and then another $600 or $700 on the fearful. It's hard to justify for that kind of coin.

I'd seriously consider if you really need the tube amp. It sounds like for your needs, a Yorkville combo amp would do just fine. As long as the amp is a few hundred watts and has a DI out, you should be fine live. Many bars around these parts use Yorkville and Traynor combo amps as their house backline.
 
#4
Edword: What is the model of those heads you have (they look identical) and what is their wattage? And could just one of those heads drive just one of those cabinets?

Muckaluck: Yeah, probably the more "sensible thing will be to get a Yorkville combo, either a 400 watt or even a 200 watt. I believe the "XS" series are the better ones, yes?

And do either of you gentlemen know if there is a qualitative difference between early 70's and late 70's Traynor tube bass heads?
 
#5
Those are YBA3s - rated at 130 watts. Mine supposedly metered at 170 after a conversion to 6550s. But they sound great with EL34s too.

Yes you can run it with one cab. Edword is a serious Traynor man methinks.

But a used one goes for around 600 and will need another 2-300 to bring recap and retube.

I have a YBA1 50 watter too but I use it for guitar. The YBA4 is a 1x15 combo version of this head.

THe old ones are built like tanks

The modern YBA200 and 300 get rave reviews but I have never played one.

Lookie here.

Invalid Link Removed
 
#8
Beatlefreek said:
Edword: What is the model of those heads you have (they look identical) and what is their wattage? And could just one of those heads drive just one of those cabinets?

And do either of you gentlemen know if there is a qualitative difference between early 70's and late 70's Traynor tube bass heads?
Click to expand...


The top head is a YBA-3 Custom Special, ~100W, 8 Ohms. The one on the bottom is a YBA-3A Super Custom Special, ~200W+, 2-4 Ohms. The cabs are YC-810 Big Bs, ~200W, 4 Ohms.

The operating instructions say that the CS can be used with either one or two Big B cabs, while the SCS is recommended to be used with two Big Bs. I have personally used the CS with both speaker combinations, and having two connected is better IMO. I've never dared to use the SCS with only one Big B.

As to differences between early and late '70s versions of my amps, the later ones have Master Volume controls.
 
#9
Edword said:
The top head is a YBA-3 Custom Special, ~100W, 8 Ohms. The one on the bottom is a YBA-3A Super Custom Special, ~200W+, 2-4 Ohms. The cabs are YC-810 Big Bs, ~200W, 4 Ohms.

The operating instructions say that the CS can be used with either one or two Big B cabs, while the SCS is recommended to be used with two Big Bs. I have personally used the CS with both speaker combinations, and having two connected is better IMO. I've never dared to use the SCS with only one Big B.

As to differences between early and late '70s versions of my amps, the later ones have Master Volume controls.
Click to expand...

Great rigs!
Now there's another reason I wished Traynor were about here in greater numbers back then & today.
 
#10
Excuse me Edword !

A Super Custom Special ! Wow never seen nor heard one in real life ! That is a very cool stack of Traynor. 3 Big B's and the older version of the head cab plus the Super Custom Special.

One might guess there is more and that you and Traynor go back a bit, eh ?
 
#11
#15
If you can find a yorkville 400 (solid state) you'll have a great well powered bass amp that you can use for keys in a pinch when you're plugged into a minty all tube amp - and can tide you over until you find that one.
 

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