The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Bass Amps & Effects => Topic started by: Thornton Davis on January 13, 2011, 05:30:37 PM
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Traynor's new tube bass amp.
http://www.traynoramps.com/products.asp?type=5&cat=40&id=435
Weighs in at 51 lbs and supports 2 & 4 ohms. There's a tap on the output transformer that can be set to support 4 & 8 ohms if needed.
Street price is $1400.00 Cdn. Should be a winner.
TD
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I have to agree looks great! Something else for my G.A.S. list.
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12 - EL34s !!!!!!!!!
Oooops - error corrected! :-[
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34, not 84, unless you have 12 Yellowjackets lying around. My guitar player has talked about doing that to his old Mesa 400+ for years, but I won't buy the Yellowjackets for him. That amp looks cool, and I still have a barely used set of 12 6L6s from when that 400+ was mine... it'd be tempting if I had an income, and about 6 fewer tube amps.
Glad to see it will handle 2 Ohms, I hate seeing a big amp that can't.
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Peavey found out the hard way that EL34's don't do well in bass amps. Vibration shorts caused them loads of warranty repairs on the VB-2. Even though the amp sounds killer, it was discontinued. Unless there's some serious shock isolation, I expect that Traynor won't fare any better. Their track record with the YBA-200's infamous "autobiasing" already shows they're not really using a lot of foresight in making their modern tube bass amps robust.
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What did Dave Reeves' get so right that many have got wrong...?
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What did Dave Reeves' get so right that many have got wrong...?
...not using a less-than-mechanically-robust pentode just because it is cheap. EL34's are fine tubes, but when you put them on modern cabinets pumping out loads of bass vibration and couple them with a user base that knows very little about how to treat tube amps, there will be problems.
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Ta... ;)
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Never had any tube-problems with my 100W EL34 Hiwatt and 50W EL34 Vox AC50. Both sold.
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(apart from when the Hiwatt died shortly after delivery... :o ;))
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ha, that was my new 200W KT88 Hiwatt I still have:D The EL34 100W one was only briefly here.
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Never had any tube-problems with my 100W EL34 Hiwatt and 50W EL34 Vox AC50. Both sold.
Peavey went with the cheapest tube supplier they could find. Needless to say, it didn't work out well.
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Thornton, did you end up buying one of these?
I've just ordered one from Thomann (no VAT for me, flat shipping to Australia only 50 Euro). The price is less than half what I can buy a new SVT for here (even if I import from the US). I'm very happy with my YBA-200, so the extra oomph from the 300 will be nice.
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Mark, I ordered one in and was very impressed with it, but unfortunately the store and I couldn't come to an agreement on the trade-in value of my ShuttleMAX 12.0 so the amp is still at the store. Until I sell my SM12 I won't be taking the YBA300 from them.
I'm trying to negotiate a deal with another store and should know tomorrow if they'll agree.
Will keep you posted.
Mark, you do realize that the YBA300 supports only 2 and 4 ohm loads. I know you have a few different cabinets and this could possibly impact your stage setup. But, there is a tap on the output transformer that can be set to support 4 or 8 ohms.
TD
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How much for a new one?
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TD - yes I'm aware of the impedence options. I'd be mainly using it with my Epifani UL610, which is 5.33 ohms, so the 4 ohm setting will work just fine.
Dave - from Thomann I paid $728 Euros + shipping ($50 flat rate to Australia). That's less than half the price of an SVT-CL, and also 15kg lighter LOL
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Let us know how it works out. The issues Traynor had with its ill-concieved YBA-200's auto biasing gave a bad rep to what should have been a market dominator. Especially since you're less likely to be as forgiving as some just because it's tube, I'm extremely interested in your assessment of the 300. Traynors definitely have their own unique sound.
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Let us know how it works out. The issues Traynor had with its ill-concieved YBA-200's auto biasing gave a bad rep to what should have been a market dominator. Especially since you're less likely to be as forgiving as some just because it's tube, I'm extremely interested in your assessment of the 300. Traynors definitely have their own unique sound.
My YBA-200 hasn't missed a beat in almost 12 months of gigging. The YBA-300 is not self biasing, but the biasing can be done by the user, via a trim pot and LEDs for each pair, on the back panel. That's pretty cool I reckon.
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In theory the YBA-200's auto biasing should have been a good feature, which IMO, was probably designed to keep nosy kids from messing in their amp's guts needlessly and dangerously. It failed because the loads facing modern bass amps and the consistency of output tube quality are decades removed from the published emission standards and output section designs that once had very little variation. Simply put, there was no way to build in a simple robust system that could properly deal with current variations in tube quality and/or speaker loads that skirt (and often greatly exceed) safe ratings (extreme port tunings, homemade folded horns- etc.) The trim pot/LED scheme which Ampeg has used to great effect is barely more than a light show, and certainly NOT a useful diagnostic or performance tweaking tool, but because it gives the user a sense of control, is quite popular.
Even the vintage SVT's biasing instructions screened on the chassis were exactly the same thing; old SVT's just required voltage readings using meters instead of using LED indicators (which didn't exist commonly at the consumer level 30-40 years ago). The saving grace for Ampeg then was that the US government paid large subsidies to tube manufacturers to hold very strict QC on ALL their production so that when a JAN run was ordered, the military wouldn't have to wait for an extended QC development cycle. As a result tubes made in the US through the late 70's all had very close tolerances. They were no better in overall quality than what is being made today; they were just picked through VERY thoroughly and the ones that didn't fall into spec were either destroyed or sold overseas. This meant that output biasing could easily be met using a pretty narrow range of pots.
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Perfect, I was waiting on PBG to chime in on this. Now I'm VERY tempted...
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I just finalized the deal today for my YBA300. It's there waiting for me to pick it up, which will be no later than this coming Saturday.
TD
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Good to hear, TD. Mine will arrive here from Germany in a few days.
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Mark, I know you've already seen these, but I thought I would post them for the others to check out.
(http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Thornton_Davis/Rig_pic2.jpg)
(http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Thornton_Davis/YBA300_back.jpg)
TD
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That's just torture. How does she sound?
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Mine looks like it's out for delivery today.
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Well, my Traynor YBA-300 arrived today, after taking 17 days to get to me from Germany, via DHL. Thomann's packing job is officially the worst I've ever seen for an international shipment. No original Traynor box and packing, the amp was just floating in a single layer box, with some foam corners loose in the carton. No "fragile" stickers or "this way up" marking at all, so when I went downstairs after the courier dropped it off at my office the box was upside down.
I'll be taking off the cage tonight and making sure all the tubes are seated properly before I connect a speaker and fire it up. Fingers crossed!
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a57/mdeayton/Bass%20gear/IMG00397-20110818-1353.jpg)
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Yikes!! :o
Hope the tubes are ok and there's no damage.
Let us know.
TD
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eagerly await your review
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I took off the top cover, and made sure all the tubes were seated properly (4 or 5 of them weren't - not surprising after the journey it had) before I switched it on. The bias LED for one pair was indicating slightly high, so a quick tweak of the DIY trim pot and I was ready to give it a test run. All good!
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a57/mdeayton/Bass%20gear/IMG00399-20110818-2011.jpg)
At the living room volume I was able to test it at last night (kids asleep) the tone seemed identical to my YBA-200, which is just what I was hoping, and there are no extraneous knobs like the YBA-200 ("scoop", "resonance"). I wish the YBA-300 still had the DI on the front instead of the back, sound guys really like the ease of access of having the DI on the front of my YBA-200.
I've got a gig tomorrow night so will give it a proper test drive at volume and will report back.
I emailed Thomann yesterday afternoon -
"Hi, my Traynor YBA-300 arrived today after taking 17 days to get to Australia from Germany via DHL. I haven't switched the amp on to test it yet, but will do so when I get home from work later tonight. I am appalled at how poorly this fragile 26kg item was packed, not even using the original factory shipping carton. It came in a very thin single layer carton with a few pieces of foam padding that floated around inside, offering no protection to the product. Here is a photo of what I saw when I opened your package .... http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a57/mdeayton/Bass%20gear/IMG00397-20110818-1353.jpg
If this is how you pack a tube amplifier worth 755 Euro for international shipping, and don't use original factory packaging, I won't be recommending Thomann to any of my acquaintances in the international music industry. Hopefully it has not been damaged, but I will know more tonight after I check it in detail before switching it on. "
To their credit they replied fairly quickly, but their response was pithy -
"Thanks for your mail and the information. We are truly sorry to hear about that.
Please have the unit checked at your earliest convienece and let us know if the unit is working fine.
Apologies for the condition the unit arrived to you.
We will wait for further information from you.
Thanks and with kind regards"
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I can't understand why they would discard the original packaging and send it that way. Maybe it saved a little postage. Whatever the reason, it was foolish.
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I gigged this on Saturday night. It is absolutely awesome. Being able to walk into a venue while carrying a 300 watt all tube head in one hand is way cool. Bravo, Traynor.
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GAS attack :thumbsup:
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last summer my band recorded at the same hourly studio we practice at. i recorded with my '74 Traynor the engineer "Z" loved my amp so much that he went out and bought one. now the new "old school room" has a killer YBA "Custom special" wow that thing kick major butt cheeks! with just a single 18" i must have one! yo, PBG what is the difference between the "Custom special" and the "Super Custom Special"? Traynors are the best thing to ever come from Canada. now if only they would do something about their Beer. yuck!
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what is the difference between the "Custom special" and the "Super Custom Special"?
They're competely different animals. The YBA-3A Super Custom Special (http://www.0rigami.com/vb/models.html#supercustomspecialyba-3a) uses a quartet of 6KG6 top-capped tubes for 240 watts and has a deeper voicing the the YBA-3 Custom Special (http://www.0rigami.com/vb/models.html#customspecialyba-3) which uses a quartet of EL34's. Traynors are basically Marshall circuits built with better parts.
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I have the original Phillips 6CA7's in my 1973 YBA-3 Custom Special. I also have a spare new quartet of 6CA7-EH's for it if and when any of the Phillips decides to give up the ghost. In my neck of the woods (Traynor's home town), most YBA-3's were left stock and not switched over to EL34's. That seems to be more of an American thing to do which is cool if that's what you're looking for.
TD
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6CA7's ARE for all intents and purposes, EL34's electrically, though true 6CA7's are better tubes for most bass amps. Matter of fact, the Philips (many of which are actually Mullards) "6CA7's" that shipped with Traynors aren't even true 6CA7's; they're all just relabelled EL34's. The difference between an EL34 and 6CA7's is that a 6CA7 is a beam tetrode with a higher peak current capability, while the EL34 is a true pentode with an extra emission control grid.
Early YBA-3's (And YBA-1's and host of other Traynors) were initally equipped with 7027's, which are just 6L6GC's with an extra grid connection on the base; those require much less bias voltage and don't put out as much power and the two types CANNNOT be swapped without bias circuit modification.
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Traynors are the best thing to ever come from Canada. now if only they would do something about their Beer. yuck!
You gotta be kiddin' dude.
TD
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don't get me wrong most American beer sucks too. but the best beer is free beer.
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don't get me wrong most American beer sucks too. but the best beer is free beer.
Free beer is better than no beer at all!
But for those of us who live in Fort Collins, the north end of the Napa Valley of beer, fine beers are ubiquitous!
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2013275333_trcoloradobeer31.html?syndication=rss
(Somehow they missed Odell's, Coopersmith's and CB& Potts, and we've added more micro-breweries since this article was written.)
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Beer here is the same as what you guys are alluding to. The multinat owned breweries produce the swill and the smaller privately owned companies are the ones that make the good stuff.
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Detailed review here, with sound samples ....
http://www.bonedo.de/artikel/einzelansicht/traynor-yba300.html
Audio samples are on the "praxis" tab
Google translate -
The first look at an angle from the top of the YBA 300 is admittedly a bit scary: rage behind a removable grille fewer than twelve of the type 6L6 tubes and provide for 300-watt power amp. Three 12AX7 preamp tubes and one 12AU7 Driver complement the lush tube equipment of the 300th YBA That's all kinds of smells, and from afar, after much effort service, the Traynor met but with a user-friendly system for handwritten bias adjustment of the tube pairs. Then I will discuss in detail later. The case itself is compared to the YBA 200 grew only very slightly, and the weight about 23kg with higher minimal.
The YBA 300 is a tube amp in this power class that is still very easy to transport. Here, the construction is rock solid, the 19mm plywood panels are covered with durable Tolex, protected the corners with metal caps and thick rubber feet, both well below and to the left before slipping back up the amp. Is a folding handle for transporting it to any page that can be 23 kg but also relatively easy to carry with one hand, at least over shorter distances. The front has been compared to YBA200 done a lot: the "grille" with the silver "Trayor badge" is now sitting up and the control panel with the knobs and connectors has been thinned out thoroughly what the YBA 300 in total a much more classic look gives, in my opinion.
Two jack inputs (0 dB and-6dB) for the connection of passive and active basses with mostly higher output level, sit still on the left, flanked by three switches labeled "Deep", "Bright" and "Resonance", the the little brother YBA 200 not exist. The Deep and Bright functions most likely to be known bassists from other amplifiers, they are hidden behind EQ presets that make the sound in the bass either thick (deep) or just the highs and upper mids (Bright) stress. Resonance with the switch of the damping factor of the low frequencies is reduced, the membranes of the speakers vibrate and therefore produce a slightly more open and perhaps even a little "sluggish" sound. Other way, the sound activate Resonance switch due to a higher damping factor will be "tighter and more compact. At YBA 200, the resonance feature was continuously adjust with a knob, the Traynor YBA 300, has probably decided in favor of ease of use for a fixed value. In the center of things, there are six pots in vintage-look: gain for the input signal, a passive 3-band EQ with bass, mid, including frequency selection knob (200 to 3.0 kHz) and heights. To the right of the master page provided for adjusting the final volume. Stay for the front, only the Power and Standby switches to mention, including the operating lamp.
All other ports, such as the tuner or line-out jack, which had yet to find the YBA200 the front, when YBA300 walked to the rear.
Some of the users will surely find something impractical, others will appreciate the simple and cleaned up acting front - a matter of taste. On the connectivity latched changed very little: two jacks (send / return) allow the addition of an effects device, one more is to connect a tuner provided and with the balanced XLR output, the signal can be routed to a console. This output also has a Pre / Post EQ switch and ground lift switch to eliminate ground loops. At YBA 200 could connect the speakers via phone only, the Traynor YBA 300 has donated an additional and more reliable now standard belonging Speakon jack. The impedance of the YBA switch 300 allows a choice between 2 or 4 ohms, the previous one could not decide between 4 or 8 ohms. Due to the increased power output, I think this change for quite reasonable, experience has shown that most bassists use several smaller 8-ohm speakers or just great examples 4-ohm and no more big-box 8-ohms.
Finally we see the rear "grille" all lights and controls, which allow the user to the above matching all six pairs of tube. For each tube pair are three LED's are labeled "Protect", "Low" and "High" and a recessed knob with Phillips for individual bias adjustment available.
Immediately after pressing the power switch and then you get to enjoy the full light organ, as in the standby mode, the power tubes "be attracted" and all the red, blue and yellow lights are impressive. It gets really exciting when one switches from standby to normal operation mode, namely, should, ideally, all LEDs go out, which means that all 12 tubes work properly and correct the bias of the tube pair. In my Testamp the bias has been on two pairs of tube too high and at too deep and I could direct me to start my testing with the familiar balancing system. And what shall I say, it would Traynor also easier for the beginner can do little. The blue LED, the bias is too low and the wheel must be rotated for adjustment with a Phillips screwdriver to the right, the yellow lamp is the bias too high and the perfect setting with a rotation reaches the left when everything is right , all LEDs - finished!
The red LED labeled "Protect" indicate a defect or malfunction of a tube. As a consequence, the pair in question is automatically removed from the game and the amp runs on "10 cylinders," continues with a little less power tube. Pretty clever system, it really is to operate from any layman. One can only hope that it works technically flawless.
Once in my test-tube amp now all work properly, I am finally able to enjoy the powerful tube sounds. Even without a direct comparison is immediately clear that the new Traynor has significantly more power than the YBA 200 and can be really loud. He has much more headroom and is very long, "clean". Only when he starts to gain full wide open easy to crunch. Although I overdrive sounds like the YBA 200, I find that he had a bit too fast in the Zerre is too small and can provide a range of clean sounds. At YBA 300, it is the other way around, right overdrive sounds are not there, but he stays clean even at high volumes and provides an immensely powerful and warm sound. With a relatively neutral recommended by Yorkville "Flat" setting (if something with a tube amp even exists), with bass and treble on 5 and the middle knob at 1.0kHz to 3 or 4, the YBA 300 music sounds as expected, less aggressive than the YBA 200th This is not least because the centers be somewhat milder. You can hear the audio clip in the "flat". I used to clip the same bass with the identical setting as the YBA 200 test and also played a similar groove, so you can compare.
Except for the somewhat milder Mittenvoicing the YBA 300, which may of course be due to a different mode of action of the EQ, the basic sound is different but not significantly different from that of the smaller brother YBA 200th The bass is very solid and sounds relatively open, not as compressed as in some other tube amps. The highs are clear and the upper mids are not too intrusive, but still have enough for a transparent and balanced sound.
A pronounced difference between the two amps is audible only at much gain cranked. You can also refer to the audio clip "Full Gain" with the appropriate file from the YBA Compare 200th In both I have again used the same bass with identical settings on the amps and only slightly boosted the mids.
Traynor YBA of the 300 is actually a very successful development of the YBA Vollröhrentops 200th The bass player is not at least because its a tube amp, and its compact size, low weight, yet very popular, many bassists but wanted a bit more power and headroom. They are getting now with the YBA 300 - without which the basic data have changed great. Traynor has some additional features such as Resonance - Scoop simplified or the department, or new, like the very user-friendly bias means or the more reliable Speakon Speaker Jack added. The new "12-cylinder" Traynor is typical for excellent workmanship and will remain affordable, with a street price under thousands of brand. Highly recommended for tube fans!
Pros
Sound
Headroom / Performance
processing
portability
Price / Performance
Cons
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I picked up a 4 month old TC-810 cabinet earlier this week to pair up with my YBA300 for those gigs where bringing two 410 cabs is inconvenient. Got it for less than half the retail price from a private seller (no tax).
(http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Thornton_Davis/Small_TC810.jpg)
This thing's a friggin' monster!
TD