jc, I opened up my Traynor amp like you suggested. It is a YBA-1, dated January 13, 1967. It's pretty cool to find out that it's that old. I was born in 1969, so I'm impressed to have an amp that's older than I am... I got some spray cleaner at a Radio Shack ("Color TV Tuner Cleaner", active ingredients: 1,1,1,2-tetraflouroethane, Cyclomethicone, and mineral oil.) It helped the pot, but didn't fix it entirely. I wish I had thought to test it before bolting the amp back together. I guess I'll treat it again someday when I feel like taking the amp apart again... Anyway, it seems to have helped keep the static from occurring when you *aren't* turning the pot -- that's the important thing. This amp has a terrific tone. I can't wait to use it in a recording session! I doubt it could get loud enough for me to use it onstage, but at low volumes it has an incredible warmth and depth that I haven't heard in any modern amp. (I even think it has better tone than an Ampeg SVT, although the Ampeg would blow it away volume-wise.) I've got two modern amps: a Trace Elliot and a Hartke, but I would never consider using them for recording (I'd run direct instead.) This little amp paired with a hi-fi tube compressor could be the perfect studio rig... I was glad to hear that the META tags I sent you were useful. It's always nice to be able to do some "info-bartering" -- that's what the 'net should be about, I think. Thanks, Ed Butler.
From: Olof.Westman@TP.UmU.SE Date: Mon, 3 Feb 1997 16:46:31 +0100 (MET) To: jc@lynx.bc.ca Subject: Traynor amp
Found that little note, on your web page, which said you were going to set up some schematics of Traynor amps. I figured you had some emotional relation to this brand so I thought should ask you a question:
I have come into possesion of a Mk-III (tremolo, 100W?) which is half dead. It needs to be renovated. Would it be considered blasphemy to redesign it a bit at the same time. Channel-select footswitch, extra gain stage.....?
/Olof WestmanFrom: Olof.Westman@TP.UmU.SE Date: Tue, 4 Feb 1997 17:55:33 +0100 (MET) To: jc@lynx.bc.ca Subject: Re: Traynor amp
He he, exactly the sort of response I was hoping for;-) A small input giving a high output. :-)
>not at all, I think they should*/can/and even ought be modded ... there's great potential in the hardware. The only thing is you have to be a bit Aha, thought so!
>I picked up a mkIII this summer >for $200. It had mint Mullards (third generation black base). No such luck for me. This one's been used.
>the speaker board to a floating baltic birch plywood, that really livens it up - they used the wrong stuff on those amps - in fact I'm thinking of replacing thre cab with a knotty-pine box, something that's got some resonance. >always had a problem with a quartet of EL34 driving a pair of 12"'s (sorta ...) I think the mkIII would to better with 6L6GC's although I'm not sure I don't have the original cab. This one's got a closed cab with 4 10"'s. I was planning to build an amp and so have stocked various material. I have a load of Phillips EL34s from 65. So EL34 is the way to go. Allthough I'm not sure of the quality of the Phillips tubes.
>anyway >there's lots of room to manouver in there and the tranny's are heavy duty. Yepp, lots of "lebensraum".
>Myself I like using relays epoxied to the chassis for switching mods, and Ken Fischer's bias feed dual pot system is the only master volume circuit I recommend, it's the only one that
yupp !
Allthough I was considering putting a couple of diodes in for a fuzz. Since this probably lowers the maximum output from that preamp, I may have to put in a separate volume pot after the other preamp. Or something. I dislike the way some Marshalls behave.
>If you hang on a bit I'll be publishing new Fender-based hybrid circuits based on the older circuits (i.e. Fender and Marshall) it may give you an idea how to keeping reverb and vibrato functions in the amp along with high-gain switching stuff.
>thanx for the inquiry, btw I sent an update of my webpage with a bunch of Traynor schematics to my internet provider but they haven't processed it yet. Keep an eye open, I'm taking all electronics and business out of the page and I'll only concentrate on music and other etheralisms Err..?
So your electronics articles will appear in another forum? I would hate to miss them.
>I have a 600DPI scan of the mk3 schematic if you lack one. That would be very helpfull, thanks!
/Olof WMime-Version: 1.0 Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 13:09:14 -0500 To: jc@lynx.bc.ca (jean-charles maillet) From: paqm01@GEL.USherb.CA (Michel Paquette)
Salut JC,
Merci beaucoup pour le schema du Bassmaster. En fait, je possede l'autre modele mais j'ai fouille sur ta belle page Web et je l'ai trouve la bas. Merci. De toute facon, j'utilise cet ampli pour ma bass electrique. En regardant les lettres sur ta page, on dirais qu'il a ete concu pour pour la guitare et non la bass. Est-ce vrai? Les sugestions pour modifier l'ampli s'appliqueront-elles pour la bass aussi?
MichelDate: Thu, 13 Feb 1997 19:48:49 -0800
From: Lee MacMillan
Thanks for splitting these up into smaller files.Mime-Version: 1.0 Date: Fri, 14 Feb 1997 21:52:18 -0500 To: jc@lynx.bc.ca From: paqm01@GEL.USherb.CA (Michel Paquette) Subject: Schma Traynor
Salut,
Merci pour le schema du Traynor. Dis-moi, qu'est-ce qui est arrive a ta page Web? Il devenu tout fucke par rapport a la semaine passee.
DeafboyFrom: Olof.Westman@TP.UmU.SE Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 00:26:29 +0100 (MET) To: jc@lynx.bc.ca Subject: Re: traynor amps
Hi again,
it has been a while since I received your previous letter with the schemtic. I have only had physical access to the amplifier not legal and I have frantically been trying to reach the owner. (He just moved 2000 miles). Well, now I have finally opened the Traynor and what do I find... a shematic glued to the lid. :-) The schematic is from 72 and differ somewhat, e.g. for the tone controls. They are just typical Marshall-Fender type. Although for some other cases the schematic I got from you were correct and the glued one wrong. Tricky! ;-)
Paid $200 for it. A bargain if the equipment had been working properly and looked less beat up. The cab is a Laney 4 x 12"! (For comparison: a new 100W Marshall stack would be $2000 and second hand $1000 in Sweden. Important to me ;-)
Before I started working on it, it had one major fault: after a minute or so volume dropped to audible but not usable or it just went silent.
My first act on the amp was to remove the tubes and get rid of the dust with a vaccum cleaner and a paint brush. Since then it has been working fine!!
Here comes my modification so far:
1. Channel-select. Swaps the lower of the inputs but leaves the upper unchanged. Used a 6V relay. Rectified the glow- current to get the voltage. Had to move the grounding of the glow- current from the tranformer mid-tap in order to do so.
I believe this did raise the hum a bit.
I taped the relay with carpet tape (rubbery tape with glue on both sides) and placed it in the empty spot below the output transformer. Used screened wires to and from the clean channel.
2. Extra gainstage. Rearranged the "effects" channel by putting in an extra triod. (ECC83, the other is unused). Left the volume and boost-treble between stage 1 and 2. Moved the tone- controlls to after the third stage. Only feed one fifth of the signal to the tone-controlls, otherwise the "reverb-tremolo"-tube clips before the third stage does (Absolutely horrible). The schematic would look very similar to a JCM800 (without the cathode-follower).
First took power from the preamps but that caused motorboating at very high gains. Changed to use the reverb voltage. Physically I placed the new tube to the left of the "effects"-channel original tube right where the grounding point for the reverb-power and phase-splitter was. Turned the "dynamite-stick"-looking cap around and grounded on the preamp grounding instead.
Seems to work well. Haven't tried it on the band yet though.
Future plans:
1. Rectify glow-current for preamp. (loose that hum) 2. Make reverb available for clean channel. 3. Crunch-button. 4. Fuzz-button. (diodes ;-) 5. Power-amp feed-back on-off. 6. Pentode-Triod choice. (Marshall high-low) 7. Have a look at the master volume.
I have to find some really tiny buttons if I am to be able to squeeze them in on the front.
It might be that it is time to change the electrolytic caps. I guess the amp has been around for 20 years. Do you know anything about those "Dynamite-sticks" from Mallory? I would prefere to substitute for a can sticking out of the chassis. That would make room for more changes.
/Olof WestmanFrom: Olof.Westman@TP.UmU.SE Date: Sun, 30 Mar 1997 00:52:15 +0100 (MET) To: jc@lynx.bc.ca Subject: Re: The swede and his Traynor
Hi, I received two *different* letters from you in respons to mine. Thats what I call dedication. ;-) Thanks for all the tips.
>>How about that dual cathode resistor pot solution?
>never thought of that because I can imagine all sorts of problems with that method ... I'm curious if there's any advantage to other methods ... in Marshalls the grid-bias master mod is my favorite.
That got a bit more advanced than intended. I meant dual plate resistor. But I guess you understod. ;-)
>>I am reasonably satisfied with the amp right now. But! It does not feel like a 100W amp. Not even like 50W. More like 30. Strange.
>that's not normal, three things to check: (i) power supply
I haven't tried it with a load. Looks fine otherwise. Output stage voltage is 412 instead of the specified 430 something, but that is within specified variations.
>, (ii) tubes,
RDS tubes, bias-classified by a swedish company. For some reason they don't all have the same class: 4, 4, 3 and 1. (The usual 10 classes I guess). Measured the bias for them as well as six of my Phillips EL34s. In principle I have no problem finding a Phillips substitute for that class 1 RDS, but I am not so sure about mixing different brands. I could probably find a matching quartet in my Phillips tubes.
>(iii) output tranny laminations.
Tranny is beautiful. That cannot be the problem.
>Check that one side of your pahse splitter is not dead or anything like that
No, both sides work and voltages are according to spec. There is however a low amplitude rumble of 2Hz. Could be the tremolo I guess.
>>Another thing is the reverb. Embarasingly crappy. Sounds like playing thru grandma's bed.
>... I have my own circuit which I'm publishing in a book I'm writing right now and it deals with using the spare "normal" channel as a recovery amp
You would loose the normal channel? I have one triode currently unused and so have the possibility of making your suggested change without using the normal channel.
Is the idea that the spring-box is fed too high a signal and that making a better recovery amp allows you to lower the input signal? Or is the original design of the recovery amp really poor?
/Olof WFrom: kraig olmstead
Daddy's Junky Music (http://www.ugbm.com/cbamp.htm):
Traynor Yba-4 Tubebass Gd $229.99 TRA0385
This is as much a test to see who is still around that enjoys Traynors as anything else. I'm putting together a small list of us for no reason in particular other than as a support group.
KO
P.S. Someday I want to get something like that YBA-4, but for the moment I've been on such a spending rampage that I'm going to have to pass.
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 15:03:07 -0500 (EST) From: Brian Kruschel
Hey fellow traynor addicts,
On Mon, 10 Nov 1997, kraig olmstead wrote: >Daddy's Junky Music (http://www.ugbm.com/cbamp.htm): Traynor Yba-4 Tubebass >Gd $229.99 >TRA0385
In the states huh? I spent Sat window shopping all over downtown toronto and hit about 5 music stores, not one single YBA-3 available, lots of smaller combo stuff though, but since I already have 3, (and an acoustic and peavy head/cabinet) I don't need anything more that way.
>This is as much a test to see who is still around that enjoys Traynors as anything else. I'm putting together a small list of us for no reason in particular other than as a support group.
Oh boy, another listserv, does steve (TBL moderator) know about this??
>P.S. Someday I want to get something like that YBA-4, but for the moment I've been on such a spending rampage that I'm going to have to pass.
I can identify, now I'm looking at a di box for demo recording.
..brian..X-Sender: osgood@knudsenengineering.com
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 21:26:26 -0400
To: jc@lynx.bc.ca (jean-charles maillet) From: Eric Knudsen
At 10:45 PM 10/15/97 -0700, you wrote:
>what's a middle point resolution >level for this stuff ?! I know the Mk-III is really hard to read but the others seem ok ...
If you make them higher resolution some people will complain because they take too long to download, on the otherhand, people like me complain about finding component values hard to read even on the originals. I like 300 X 300 pixels per inch - but this results in large files. I will scan them at that resolution and you can take a look at them. If you have suitable software the resolution (and file size) can be reduced to something more convenient - or, if you like, I will resend at lower resolution.
>>I have several Traynor schematics to send if you are interested - Traynor Mark 3, Bassmaster Mark 2, and Traynor Signature.
I will try to scan them and send them on the weekend.
>>I have also included a recent picture of Peter Traynor
>... where did you get it ? ...
The picture was from the Toronto Star - they used to have it posted on their website in the back_issues section:
Unfortunately it has been removed - they only keep a couple of months back issues on line. It had been in the April 9, 1997 issue, along with the attached text. I think it would be a good idea to post it - I can't imagine the Star would complain - especially if their copywrite notice was retained.
I have a bunch of good Canadian tube amps, a Traynor Signature, two Traynor Bassmaster Mark 2s', two Traynor Mark 3s', and a Garnet Rev 2. I am really not a fanatical collector - it is just that they were very cheap - I just find $75 dollar Mark 3s irresistable! They are also very easy to maintain - no printed circuit boards or exotic parts.
Eric
Attachment converted: =:TRAYN.txt (TEXT/ttxt) (0001B131)X-Sender:
osgood@knudsenengineering.com
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 23:01:48 -0400
To: jc@lynx.bc.ca
From: Eric Knudsen
I was delighted to come across your Traynor schematic page. Traynor has historically been ignored - it is nice to see the amps finally getting some attention.
Your schematics were in postscrip format - this is not very convenient for people like me without a postscript printer. I have converted them to gif format and have attached them to this message. perhaps you could post these as well. Is there any chance you could rescan the files at higher resolution? It would make the files much larger - but easier to read. I have several Traynor schematics to send if you are interested - Traynor Mark 3, Bassmaster Mark 2, and Traynor Signature.
I have also included a recent picture of Peter Traynor leaning on a pile of Traynor amplifiers.
Eric
Sender: osgood@knudsenengineering.com Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 02:42:15 -0500 Subject: Re: Found a Traynor Combo for sale
At 01:43 PM 11/10/97 PST, kraig olmstead wrote:
>This is as much a test to see who is still around that enjoys Traynors as anything else. I'm putting together a small list of us for no reason in particular other than as a support group.
Great idea. I spent the Saturday before last checking out my two favourite Ottawa used music stores (Used Sound and Songbird Music) for a Traynor Custom Special (YBA-3) head - I have finally given up hoping to find a really cheap one.
Songbird only had a strange looking Bassmaster (not a Mark 2) for an outrageous $295. It was in a ugly 'modernized' case with very rounded endplates - must have been one of the last ones Yorkville made in the mid seventies.
Used Sound had sold the YBA-3 I had hoped to buy (I think for $275). They had a nice one in for minor repairs - but stated the owner 'loved his amp' and that there was no chance of buying it. They did have a nice Bassmaster from the 60's in a good looking Fender type case for $200. The manager still complains about the salesman who sold me a nice Traynor Mark 3 head for only $75.00 a year ago.
Traynors seem to be getting harder to find and more expensive. Oh well.
EricDate: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 08:45:30 -0500 (EST)
From: Dale Houston
>Traynors seem to be getting harder to find and more expensive. Oh well.
Someone just praised a Traynor guitar amp in the pages of Vintage Guitar.
I don't know much about the YBA-4? For instance, how many watts is it?
I'm the proud owner of a YBA-1. I used to have two but I traded one plus a hundred dollars for an AMP BH-260.
I've got mine in the living room, so I can play and watch TV at the same time.
dale
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 08:58:26 -0600
From: Harry Nuttall
FWIW, I was doing some "web shopping" last summer before I found my two Yorkvilles and ran across a site for a shop in Michigan that had two Traynor or Yorkville combos (by now I forget which) illustrated on their web page; nice looking amps. As I recall, asking prices were $295 and $395. The shop was not Elderly. I keep Elderly bookmarked, and this wasn't them.
DragonFrom: kraig olmstead
Perhaps Eric will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the YBA-4 is a combo that is basicly a Bassmaster (YBA-1) head with a 12" speaker.
I've also got a Traynor (early Bassmaster) in the living room. The wife's gone for another week - I need to get downstairs and crank up the Custom Special (YBA-3) while I still can.
KO
---------- From: Dale Houston[SMTP:dhouston@bach.bio.ri.ccf.org] Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 1997 8:45 AM Subject: Re: Found a Traynor Combo for sale
>Traynors seem to be getting harder to find and more expensive. Oh well.
Someone just praised a Traynor guitar amp in the pages of Vintage Guitar.
I don't know much about the YBA-4? For instance, how many watts is it?
I'm the proud owner of a YBA-1. I used to have two but I traded one plus a hundred dollars for an AMP BH-260.
I've got mine in the living room, so I can play and watch TV at the same time.
dale
X-Sender: osgood@knudsenengineering.com
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 00:33:54 -0500
From: Eric Knudsen
At 08:39 AM 11/11/97 -0600, Levy, Michael E wrote: >Eric,
>Your're going to hate me, but... ;-)
>I'm the guy who bought the YBA-3 from Used Sound.
Oh well, I kept stalling buying it, hoping the price would fall (plus the fact that I don't actually have a rational need for it!)
>Let me see if I can make it up to you... during my calling, I found a YBA-3 with matching cabinet(9x8"? 8x10"?) at the following location:
>Guitar Clinic >16 McKinstry >Hamilton, Ontario >(905) 522-1582
>Was described as clean condition, some(all?) speakers in cab had been replaced with cheap car speakers. but head was in good condition(so the salesman said). Price was $650 Cdn, the rig is on consignment. I had to pass on this one because of shipping costs(although I was temped to drive!!!). I have minimal reference points on price, but for about $450 US(helluva deal!!), you've in essence got a mid power SVT rig! You could probably negotiate a better deal, this was about 7-8 days ago...
I will probably haunt Used Sound in the future, and snap up the next one they get.
>PS: on re-reading your message, I get the impression you've seen(played?) the head I bought. Could you give me a little detail on condition, did you play it, anything would be great!
>Thanks,
>Mike
I haven't tested a YBA-3 at Used Sound recently, but the one I tried a year ago (looked the same, so it may have been the same amp - they have a slow turnover) sounded great. I tried it with a refinished Gibson bass they were selling cheap (can't remember the model number, but it looked like an SG) through a 2-15 cabinet. Great solid 60's type sound (YBA-3s can sound more modern through a 4-10 cabinet and driven by newer pickups) - I annoyed everyone in the store with the volume! I should have bought both the Traynor and the Gibson then - the bass weighed about half what my current bass does.
The YBA-3 I saw recently at Used Sound was one of the later ones - the cabinet had endplates and a removable top. I like the look of the earlier ones, with the Fender style case, but they are a pain to service. Also, the very earliest models use 7027 tubes, which are practically unobtainable. I have an early Traynor Signature which uses a pair of 7027s. A contact has been physically removed from the tube socket - presumably to stop repairmen used to 6L6s from using it as a tie point - there is an internal connection on the 7027 so is not neccessary to use that contact (on a 6L6 the pin for that contact isn't connected). The problem with this is that you can't put in the 6CA7/EL34s used on later Traynors without replacing the tube sockets (they do not have same internal connection, and need that contact to make the connection externally). For a Signature this is not a problem, because you can substitute 6L6/5881 tubes, which are very similar electrically to a 7027 (but with lower maximum voltage ratings). However, you can't do that on a YBA-3, because of the much higher voltages involved (unless you are vey brave and like fireworks). I don't know how common the practice of removing a contact was.
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 1997 13:21:13 -0600
From: "Kevin M. Barry"
Just wanted to say thanks for puting the Traynor stuf up on the net. I have a early YBA-3 that I love, and like to collect any info I can on Traynor amps.
One suggestion though, the YBA3 Custom Special schematic you have is way large (2000 x 3000 pixels!) It takes an awful long time to load, and would probably trash some systems. If you can, could you resize it to around 1200x700 to help it load quickly and fit into a normal screen?
Thanks and thanks again for the Traynor stuff.
- Kevin BarryX-Sender: kbarry@mail.sitaaps.org
Mime-Version: 1.0
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 09:05:13 -0600
To: jc@lynx.bc.ca (jean-charles maillet) From: "Kevin M. Barry"
jc,
Most browsers will automatically display .JPG files with no problem. Next time your bouncing around the net, try a right mouse click on a graphic. Most browsers will give you the file name, and the option to download the image. You'll see a lot of .JPG images out there.
I was going to do the scan last night, but my 5 year old has a bad cold, so I spent the night dealing with that. I'll try again tonight.
>cool, I didn't know that ... is the command the same in html ? Yeah, you can place the image in HTML same as .bmp and .gif files. Just use the complete filename of the image.
- Kevin
................................................................... Kevin M. Barry (v) 516-244-4345 (FAX) 516-563-3918 Peripheral Product Engineer NYCPJXS SITA Airport Services 55 Orville Drive. Bohemia, NY 11716 USA
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 07:41:40 -0500 (EST) From: Dale Houston
>I included some mod ideas for the BassMaster although they're meant to be considered as "potential" ... stock BassMasters sound great though myself I wouldn't flinch at modding them ... anyway, no need for ethics here; they're great amps and they can be enhanced just like any other amp.
FYI,
This month's "Vintage Guitar" has a mod to the BassMaster for adding a Gain type control.
daleX-Sender: kbarry@mail.sitaaps.org
Mime-Version: 1.0
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 09:28:14 -0600
To: jc@lynx.bc.ca (jean-charles maillet) From: "Kevin M. Barry"
jc,
Thanks for the reply. I do some scanning at home and have the schematic for the YBA3 (from Yorkville). I'll scan it for you at a resolution that will keep the omage size small, yet be reasonably readable. I was trying to look at the schematic that you have because the one I got from Yorkville is a much later circuit than the one I have. Several differences. I was hoping that the one on your page was the older one. I'l try to send you the scan sometime this week. If I get a good scan, I'll send you the parameters so you can try it at home.
ps - the .JPG image file format always yields much smaller file sizes than .BMP or .GIF images. This may help (at least the load time), and the .JPG format is supported by most browsers and imaging packages.
- Kevin Barry
>I believe (though not with absolute certainty) that this is a standard situation with all GIF files and browsers ... I did it this way because I was told that my past scans didn't have enough resolution ...
>the trick is to use something like photoshop to resize it to print size ... all the files have been given a height of 10 inches at which point the resolution reaches 300dpi which is even hardly good enough for much of these schematics ...
>I ain't no expert at this, so if what I'm saying ain't right please let me know ... thanx
>jc
>http://www.lynx.bc.ca/~jc/ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
>Vacuum tube modeling - Traynor amp schematics
...................................................................
Kevin M. Barry (v) 516-244-4345 (FAX) 516-563-3918 Peripheral Product Engineer NYCPJXS SITA Airport Services 55 Orville Drive. Bohemia, NY 11716 USA
From: "Levy, Michael E"
JC,
I've got some schematics for the YBA-1A(Mark II) Bassmaster, YBA- 4 Combo, and the mysterious YBA-5(never seen one, what is it???) However, all are paper copies and I have no way of converting to files to send to the archive...Could you use these? I can always use the(gulp!) postal service!
Thanks,
Mike
E-Mail: michael.e.levy@boeing.com Phone: (205)461-3609
X-Sender: osgood@knudsenengineering.com
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 21:52:10 -0500
From: Eric Knudsen
There are some interesting comments on Traynor amps in Harmony Central's Amp database at:
The reviews of te Custom Special are particularly informative. There
is a good circuit diagram of this amp at
Here is a quote from a review of a Mark 3
I love the sounds it makes, I love how you can beat the crap out of it,
but it's REALLY heavy. It can be a pain in the behind to lug up and
down stairs. If it was ever lost or stolen, I don't know what I'd do...
Traynors are pretty hard to find. Oh, BTW, this is the make of amp
that launched a thousand Canadian rock bands in the Seventies.
Submitted by: Donnie
<<<<
Models Reviewed:
Traynor
Bassmate YBA-2B - user comments
Mark II Head - user comments
Mark III (100W, 2x12 Tube combo) - user comments Mark V (2x12
Combo) - user comments
Reverb Master (50 Watt Tube Head) - user comments YRM-1 Reverb
Master - user comments
YBA-3 Custom Special (160W Tube bass amp) - user comments YSR-
1 Custom Reverb (200W (Tube head) - user comments
From: kraig olmstead
I tracked down a copy of the Bassmaster mod that Dale Houston
informed us of yesterday. Send me your snail mail address if you
want me to send you a second gen photocopy of it to you. I've got a
"reflector" logo Bassmaster that's probably going to get the mod.
Unless I misread the article, all four input jacks remain intact (from a
users standpoint), but the channel one volume becomes one volume
(pre or post gain? I'm not sure, I'll have to reread) and the channel
two volume becomes the other.
The appearance of the amp remains the same.
The wording of the article implies that Dan Torres is going to run a
series on Traynor mods. This would probably be a good time for
some of us to subscribe. I'm going to. Here's the URL to the Vintage
Guitar website:
http://www.vguitar.com/vguitar.htm
KODate: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 07:40:48 -0800 (PST) X-Sender:
flagg@pop3.usnews.com
MIME-Version: 1.0
From: Tony Flagg
Beware: Some of this is bassist rant and stated as such. I don't say
this to dissuade anyone from modding their Traynor, but rather help
you question why you are modding the amp. If you mod to add
capacity to the power supply to increase bass response, or to reduce
hum or instability or facilitate servicing, I think that's of interest (at
least to me). If you mod to make your amp sound dirtier, please
consider the following.
My experience has been that adding "gain" or "master" controls tends
to produce a lot of distortion; not the best thing for bass use. Also,
since a major component of that distortion is even harmonic
overtones, its not really the "mojo" that guitarists want from bass
amps either. This is why some of Torres' mods get trashed on the
alt.guitar.amp newsgroup. (BTW, I read his book and thought it was a
good intro to many concepts).
Most gearheads I know have come to the realization that tube amps
sound good when maximum stress is placed on the output stage,
while the preamp stages have enought headroom to behave in fairly
linear fashion. Of course they don't put it this way. They usually say
"Just put the control on 7-8". The idea that you can simulate or
enhance that effect within the preamp by creating a stage with
reduced headroom disregards many factors, most significantly the
roles of the power supply, output transformer, feedback circuit and
speakers. What happens when all these are uniformly placed under
stress is complex.
We've all heard it in action. There seems to be no getting around the
dilemma that tube amps sound their best within a narrow range of
environments (room sizes, room resonances, bandstand levels, etc).
In the wrong environment, a beloved tube amp will make the player
miserable. This is why I can't argue with most bass player's choice of
solid state amps.
Have you ever been in a tiny rehearsal room with a properly
operated classic Hiwatt or AC30? It hurts; its not the pleasing tone
you hear on records.
Thanks for the offer to send the mod, but I really think my reflector
YBA-1 is fine as is. Took it out on the road this last weekend and got
yet more compliments on it. Its great for small clubs or gigs with big
reinforcement. If I need more power onstage, I take one of my Sound
City heads.
Having said all that, if you mod a master volume or gain control onto
your amp and you love the result, then hey, thats good. Consider also:
you may now think that a Traynor is a good project amp. Of course
that what people thought of Danelectro guitars back in the 70's too.
Oh, and mods to change the color of the power lamp filter or project a
subliminal message through it are always ok.
so....
"Are you a Mod, or a Rocker"?
"I'm a mocker"
- from the film "A Hard Day's Night"
-Tony
At 08:31 AM 11/19/97 -0500, you wrote:
>I tracked down a copy of the Bassmaster mod that Dale Houston
informed us of yesterday. Send me your snail mail address if you
want me to send you a second gen photocopy of it to you. I've got a
"reflector" logo Bassmaster that's probably going to get the mod.
Unless I misread the article, all four input jacks remain intact (from a
users standpoint), but the channel one volume becomes one volume
(pre or post gain? I'm not sure, I'll have to reread) and the channel
two volume becomes the other.
>The appearance of the amp remains the same.
>The wording of the article implies that Dan Torres is going to run a
series on Traynor mods. This would probably be a good time for
some of us to subscribe. I'm going to. Here's the URL to the Vintage
Guitar website:
>http://www.vguitar.com/vguitar.htm
>KO
From: "Levy, Michael E"
It finally showed up Monday afternoon at the house. The guys at
Used Music in Ottawa really did me right. The amp is in xlnt
condition cosmetically, with no obvious blemishes at all. The fan is
mounted in a circular cutout on the side of the cabinet, different
from the only other one I've seen, which had the fan mounted near
the xformers inside. (Im guessing this must be an early 70's model)
Also, only one volume control, no master volume.
Got my first chance last night to actually plug and play. As I
expected, it can get LOUD! I ran it thru my 410 cab and was
impressed with the different sounds I could get, especially with the
boost switches and treble/bass expanders. Definitely more versatile
than the Bass Masters. It definitely has the tube girth I was looking
for, in general, though, it's not quite as "tight" as my SVT/V4B heads
at mid volumes. I'm thinking maybe worn power tubes(Sovtek
EL34Gs, dont know how old). this weekend I'm going to visit Dixie
Sound Works and let John there give it a going over, re-bias, etc. I
suspect that a little TLC is all it needs. Over the next couple weeks I'll
be working with it more, possibly gigging, I'll fill in more details
later...
Thx to all who have helped me in the search for this amp. I truly like
the idea of this Traynor group, lets keep it going!
Thanks,
Mike
E-Mail: michael.e.levy@boeing.com
>----------
>From: Brian Kruschel[SMTP:kruschb@gov.on.ca]
>Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 1997 9:40 AM
>To: kraig olmstead
>Cc: Aaron Turner; 'Dale Houston'; 'dragon'; Eric Knudsen; 'Jean
Charles?'; 'Jeff Smith'; Levy, Michael E; Tony Flagg Subject: Re:
Michael Levy's Custom Special
>Hi Mike,
>Did you finally find a YBA-3?????
>I was nosing around all the music stores in downtown toronto, and
found a
>mk-3, but no YBA-3s, lots of other traynor stuff was around, but not
that
>amp.
>>Well Michael, We haven't heard a word on how you like your YBA-
3.
>>Mine's going to band practice tomorrow night for the first time...
>Funny thing, mine sits in the rehearsal area in my basement, where
it sounds great for mini-recording and jam sessions. I seldom take it
out
>anymore, that's for the yorkville 100 watt combo to do.
>..brian...
From: kraig olmstead
http://207.243.69.56/viewclassifieds.asp?Category=Amps+-+For+Sale
The guy wants a trade, it seems:
Traynor bass head, vintage, 4-EL34s, homeade cabinet that houses
head...lots of EQ'ing knobs...has a master volume...let's trade..let me
know what you have - howyu@aol.com - 11/25/97 12:34:41 PM <<
There are also two Bassmasters at Songbird in Ottawa and two
Bassmasters at Daddy's Junk Music (Used Gear By Mail). All are
overpriced/should be haggled.
KOX-Sender: osgood@knudsenengineering.com
Date: Sun, 07 Dec 1997 20:41:03 -0500
Subject: Re: Traynor re-issue issue
I suspect that Yorkville floated the idea of a reissue with some of
their dealers to check out the interest - thus the rumour Kraig heard.
I suspect the problem is that the parts costs would be greater than,
say, a Marshall because of the superior transformers, and a small
production run would mean no significant volume price breaks, plus
Canadian labour costs are higher than English rates, especially if they
retained the traditional point to point wiring. I am not sure the
public is ready for a Traynor that costs almost as much as the
boutique amps, and more than an otherwise equivalent Marshall or
Fender.
>FIY I just got faxed three more schematics from Paul Markwalter
who's on the list now (soflo@earthlink.net) thanx !!
Has anyone tried the Svetlana 6L6GC's in a Custom Special as a
substitute for the almost unobtainable 7027's? I read recently of
someone running a high voltage Ampeg with Svetlana 6L6GC's
instead of 7027's despite the fact that this is wildly in excess of the
tube ratings. This has the advantage that you don't need to do the
circuit changes required for 6CA7/EL34's. Fortunately the only
Traynor I have with 7027's is a humble Signature, which runs on low
(about
420) voltage - and therefore the substitution is not scary.
From: kraig olmstead
So, how many of us wrote into TBL to correct the assertion that
Traynor was following Ampeg with the 8x10? I had no idea that
Traynor also introduced the (first?) 4x10 cab way back then.
Thanks for posting the owner's manual, Eric. I actually learned a
couple of things from it: 1) That the upper inputs for each channel
were padded and that the lower input was higher gain 2) I had
never thought to screw around with the other input volume than the
channel I was using.
KOFrom: kraig olmstead
At the moment the EL-34's in my Custom Special (the original
Phillips tubes) are fine, but I was thinking of getting an extra set of
tubes, since all of my Traynors are EL-34 based. I e-mailed Angela
instruments (www.angela.com) and was told that they have nothing
was appropriate to the higher plate voltages that both the Custom
Special and the Mark II send out. The guy at Angela is a tube junky
so I somewhat defer to him.
Does anyone have a recommendation for the next course of action?
He recommended KT-88's (chinese)
BTW, for future reference, what are we talking about for plate
voltages on the Custom Special and Mark II? 700 volts?
Sir,
The 'Siemans' EL34 would not be a good choice for your amp, unless
you modified the plate circuit and lowered the plate voltage
somehow. You might want to consult with a good repair critter in
your area for help with this project. I don't currently have any EL34
I would recommend for your amp. If you were willing to modify the
bias circuit slightly you could run our relatively cheap Tesla KT88 or
even E.I. KT90. Since these tubes have an 'in the ballpark' similarity
to EL34, as far as primary impedance of the output transformer, etc.
that would be my choice for a a cost effective solution.
Steve
Melkisethian/Angela Instruments
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 1997 08:07:14 -0800 (PST) X-Sender:
flagg@pop3.usnews.com
From: Tony Flagg
Thanks to Eric, who went to the trouble of rekeying the YBA-1
manual for us. Now I want to go home and try that stuff out.
On the subject of reissue: Traynors orignal objective was to build
rugged amps that beat the price of the imports. That's probably an
impossible goal today. And although we tend to think of certain old
products as having some special quality, my feeling is their creators
just thought of them as filling a certain need. The need that drives
re-issues is the desire by some to have amps built the expensive
way.
I'm always watching out for the contemporary who builds amps the
Traynor way. Anyone checked out the New Sensor/ Sovtek Mig60?
For us$300.oo, its a really fine guitar amp. The Sovteks have DC
powered filaments, with a dramatic reduction in hum. Nice Presence
control too.
-TonyFrom: "Levy, Michael E"
On the issue of tubes;
I just got my amp back from Dixie sound Works down here in
Alabama, (Nothing wrong...phew!). While there, I had a discussion
with John, the owner/Tech on the topic of tubes. Here, in a nutshell,
was his recommendations:
Svetlana EL-34
Sovtek EL-34WXT
Tesla EL-34L
Now of course these are all new production European mfgr. tubes.
Granted, NOS tubes would be the way to go, but the cost of a quartet
of NOS Phillips(or heaven forbid, Mullards or Seimens), would stard
at $100 and go up, up, up! (a quick search of a couple tube dealers on
the web while typing this indicated Phillips UK NOS tubes were $60-
100.....EACH!!!).
The Svets and the Sovteks can be found for $50/quartet, matched
and shipped to your door. Teslas are more expensive, maybe
$70/quartet.
I currently run Svets in my YBA-1A and the Teslas(by way of Groove
Tubes) in my YBA-1. My -3A has a set of Sovtek EL-34Gs in it the
tech said they are running about 72% power. I think I might try the
Sovtek WXTs as a reference point. I 've read that all three tubes, esp.
the Svetlanas, were designed to replicate the Mullard/Seimens tube.
By the way, for all you Traynor-holics with 7027As, there was a
recent blurb in TBL about a new production 7027A from Tesla. I
pursued this, as I also have an old V4-B, and found out that they
appear to be a respectable tube, can handle the voltage, and are
about $100/matched Quad. Also, I've been told that the Sovtek
5881WXT can be used as a (possible!!) drop in substitute for the the
7027A. Check with Triode Electronics online, they have a good FAQ
called "Help!! my Ampeg has 7027As! " These 5881WXTs are in the
same price range as the EL-34s above. Try Antique Electronics online
for a very thorough listing of reasonably priced tubes.
Questions? Corrections? Better Info? Please let me know!!! (I'm no
tech, it's only info I've gathered online, but I've found it to be
useful!)
Thanks,
Mike
E-Mail: michael.e.levy@boeing.com
Why, Soitainly!!
>----------
>From: kraig olmstead[SMTP:kraigo@netcommcorp.com]
>Sent: Monday, December 08, 1997 11:39 AM
>To: tladd; aaron; kruschb; dhouston; hnuttall; Jeff.Smith; tflagg;
power; Levy, Michael E; soflo; jc; Eric Knudsen Subject: RE: Traynor
re-issue issue
>At the moment the EL-34's in my Custom Special (the original
Phillips
>tubes) are fine, but I was thinking of getting an extra set of tubes,
>since all of my Traynors are EL-34 based. I e-mailed Angela
instruments
>(www.angela.com) and was told that they have nothing was
appropriate to
>the higher plate voltages that both the Custom Special and the Mark
II
>send out. The guy at Angela is a tube junky so I somewhat defer to
him.
>Does anyone have a recommendation for the next course of action?
He
>recommended KT-88's (chinese)
>BTW, for future reference, what are we talking about for plate
voltages
>on the Custom Special and Mark II? 700 volts?
>Sir,
>The 'Siemans' EL34 would not be a good choice for your amp, unless
you modified the plate circuit and lowered the plate voltage
somehow. You might want to consult with a good repair critter in
your area for help with this project. I don't currently have any EL34
I would recommend for
>your amp. If you were willing to modify the bias circuit slightly you
could run our relatively cheap Tesla KT88 or even E.I. KT90. Since
these
>tubes have an 'in the ballpark' similarity to EL34, as far as primary
impedance of the output transformer, etc. that would be my choice
for a
>a cost effective solution.
>Steve
>Melkisethian/Angela Instruments
Mike,
I appreciate the lead as regards Triode Electronics. I have already
converted my Custom Special from 7027As to 6550s. Sounds great to
me!
I head to Chicago tomorrow for a few days and will look these people
up. Thanks again.
Terry (mtl)Date: Tue, 09 Dec 1997 21:46:21 -0800
From: Paul Markwalter
Hi, Thought I'd put a little bio info up about me; I live in Ft
Lauderdale Fl and service, buy and sell TUBE vintage guitar amps. I
also build a line of dead on knockoffs of the Fender late model
Tweeds, and am starting to build original circuit amps in pure class A
with enough power for stage level volume. My URL is
www.soflotubeamps.com , feel free to hit even though it's not done
yet. I have owned and serviced a number of Traynors and they are
one of my favorite production amps ever, from a player and a
service tech point of view. So whats going on ? I send in a couple
schems. and now it looks like I'm on a E-mail network, true? Who are
you guys and where are you? Regards, Paul
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 1997 09:27:38 -0800
From: Paul Markwalter
jc wrote:
>>What models are they?
>YGL-3 MK-3 (not sure on year yet (Paul?!), very slightly different
than mine)
'68,'69, '70 or so ?. Copied schem from amp and don't have any more.
Paul
>YGL-3/3A 76 (same as mine)
>* YGM-3 & 4 '73 (never seen this one)
>Also called "Guitar Mate"
>>That sounds exciting - I would love to work for a guitar maker
rather than be chained to high tech - I'm probably to set in my ways
to change though.
>>Has anyone tried the Svetlana 6L6GC's in a Custom Special as a
substitute for the almost unobtainable 7027's? I read recently of
someone running a high voltage Ampeg with Svetlana 6L6GC's
instead of 7027's despite the fact that this is wildly in excess of the
tube ratings.
>that's very possible especially since the russian tubes are not exact
replicas of the original tubes ... the early russian 5881's (then falsely
branded 6L6GC's) had a tube rating around 700 volts ... so it makes
great sense that the russian 6L6GC's would have similar overating
capabilities ...
>jc
From: kraig olmstead
Does anyone have any idea where I can pick up a Traynor reflector
logo plate for the front of my Custom Special? It didn't have one
when I got it and I could take the one off of my Bassmaster, but I'd
prefer to get a new one.
For those who don't know what I mean: The plate is made of plastic
with black and the centers of the letters are similar to the reflectors
on a bicycle (whitish).
Thanks in advance for any replies.
KO
P.S. are there any definitive dates for the years that Traynor amps
were made? When various crossovers were made to different
stylings (i.e. the slide out chasis vs. the flip top, the shiny grill cloth
vs. the "mirror" mylar, when the Custom Special got a master volume,
when Traynor/Yorkville came out with the 4x10 and 8x10, etc.). This
information would be of interest to at least me...
Date: Thu, 11 Dec 1997 12:15:49 -0600
From: Mark Knapp
Excellent! My first amp was (is) a YBA1. The Schematic is dated
1967, but the circuit is like the '72 model you have posted. The thing
never really worked very well, but I had some mods done a couple
of years ago, and then I replaced the filter caps this year. Since the
repairs have been done, it sounds fantastic and I would not trade it
for the world. I just wish I could get another one, just in case. They
are pretty rare in Texas (I got mine in Detroit when I was much
younger). Thanks for the work on the page, and I hope you come up
with some more stuff.
Mark Knapp
Raytheon TI Systems
From: Eric Knudsen
At 07:07 PM 12/11/97 -0800, jc wrote:
>Eric Knudsen got everybody together after he noticed Traynor
schematics on my website
Actually, Kraig Olmstead is the guy who organized things. Kraig and I
had been trading information for some time.
At 10:05 AM 12/11/97 -0800, Kraig Olmstead wrote:
>Does anyone have any idea where I can pick up a Traynor reflector
logo plate for the front of my Custom Special? It didn't have one
when I got it and I could take the one off of my Bassmaster, but
I'd prefer to get a new one. For those who don't know what I
mean: The plate is made of plastic
with
>black and the centers of the letters are similar to the reflectors on
a bicycle (whitish).
Have you asked Yorkville? I tried them when I thought I needed a
new Accutronics reverb spring unit for a Mark 3 (Traynor uses a
high impedance spring unit driven directly by an EL84, rather than
the more common low impedance spring unit driven though an
impedance matching transformer like Fender and many others).
Yorkville had one in stock - I didn't actually buy it because the
problem turned out to be only a corroded connector. I don;t know if
they have much old Traynor stuff in stock. I need a couple of
nameplates myself.
>Does anyone have a recommendation for the next course of action?
He [Steve, of Angela Instruments]
>recommended KT-88's (chinese)
>BTW, for future reference, what are we talking about for plate
voltages on the Custom Special and Mark II? 700 volts?
The Custom Special and Mark 2 have about 540 volts on the plates.
This is higher than you are supposed to use on 6L6s, but well within
the ratings of 7027As and EL34s. I like to keep the same tube type
where possible - so I just
use EL34s in my later Mark 2s. All the early (as far as I know)
Traynors used 7027s whether they were high voltage or not. 6L6s
are good substitutes in the low voltage amps like the early ordinary
Bassmaster and Signature - they run on
less than 450 volts. No circuit mods are required. I read somewhere
that the
Chinese KT 88s were actually 6550s - they made both and the only
real difference was the labelling. I don't know if this is true or not. I
bought a pair of Eico HF-20s from Angela Instruments - nice amps. .
>P.S. are there any definitive dates for the years that Traynor amps
were made? When various crossovers were made to different
stylings (i.e. the slide out chasis vs. the flip top, the shiny grill
cloth vs. the "mirror" mylar, when the Custom Special got a master
volume, when Traynor/Yorkville came out with the 4x10 and
8x10, etc.). This information would be of interest to at least me...
It would be tempting to see if we can persuade Yorkville to cough up
some interesting archival material to be posted on a website. I would
love to know some production dates and numbers. I think it would
be in Yorkville's interest
to remind people that they have been around since the early 60's.
There is only
a handful of amplifier manufacturers who have been around for 35
yeats.From: Ritzman
Dear JC:
I am the proud owner of a Super Custom and was wondering if you
might know what the original matching cabinet might have been for
this beast of a head? Any assistance would be appreciated! Thank
you in advance and Happy Holidays!
SteveX-Sender: osgood@knudsenengineering.com (Unverified) Date:
Thu, 18 Dec 1997 01:24:53 -0500
Subject: Traynor YBA-2 Bassmate Review
Mime-Version: 1.0
Just a few odd things I found on the web:
I found a nicely drawn schematic of a Traynor Model YGM-4 Studio
Mate at:
<
An interesting change from the photocopied Yorkville schematics.
This review was just posted on Harmony Central:
>Traynor YBA-2 Bassmate
>Submitted at: 0:44, 12/16/97
>Price Paid: free used
>Features: 9
>Volume and tone controls only. It has two inputs, seems to be high
and low, no major difference. My repairman told me it was between
12.3 and 15 Watts. All tube pre-amp and power-amp,would not
expect anything else from
Traynor.My
>amp is a combo, with a 15 inch speaker ( the speaker even has a
small
tear in
>it but I don't want to replace it , cause it seems to sound so good)
Hard to give this amp a rating but personaly I love the fact that
there is no choice in the matter.
>Sound Quality: 8
>This amp sounds great, With the volume control from 1 to 3, there is
little difference in tone, but gives a nice clean sound from my stock
89 American strat.Turn it up past 3 and the power tubes start to
overload as you
increase
>the vol. With my guitar vol. on 10 and the amp all the way up you
get the most beautiful natural distortion for lead. By backing off on
the vol.
pot it
>cleans it up just enough for chords. The Tone control seems to add
more top end from 1 to 4, but from there on there is no major
difference, but with both on full lookout, cause Clapton may knock on
your door and wonder if Stevie Ray did pass away, or is just hiding
out in your closet. Reliability: 8
>The amp was built in the early seventies, and its still kicking,
especially when you consider that the amp is almost always driven
on max. I had a few problems in the begining ( tubes, hum), but
everything is o:k now. Hand wiring, and you can imagine how basic
the circuit is. Very easy to fix. Customer Support: N/A
>Traynor has long since folded, and is now Yorkville sound. But I
doughtthey would care to help any.
>Overall Rating: 9
>I've looked in every pawnshop I've come across and haven't found
one yet
that
>only has a vol. and tone control. If I could find one I would buy it.
This is
>the best practise amp you could ever want. Classic distortion at
HOME(bedroom) volume. I feel sorry for the beginner guitarists who
have to settle for some cheesy little practice amp that has no
relevance for existance, besides turning every new guitarist into a
solid state distortion junkie, never realizing , and thats if they ever
do, that distortion is not harsh but rather warm, cozy and natural.
Maybe if some of the salesmen out ther would give some advice, and
pass on some musical knowledge, instead of smiling for every sale of
recyclable junk.
Submitted by: brent romanuk
From: kraig olmstead
I'm not sure, but I there are at least two, possibly more. The original
used 7027 power tubes. Michael Levy has an earlier model than
mine, but I'm not sure what tubes he's got. His has no master volume
and he says it's largely set up like a Bassmaster. His fan is mounted
in the side of the cabinet and is one of the slide out (Bassman-style)
cabinets. Mine has a master volume and a flip-top cab. The fan is
mounted like my Mark II's fan, just blowing across the power tubes.
I'll e-mail Michael and see if he has the schem. I've never looked, by
I assume that my schem is under the lid like most flip-top Traynors
are.
Brian Kruschel also has a Custom Special. He's going to take some
pictures of his. I'll probably do the same and I'll see if Michael will,
too.
KO
----------
From: jc[SMTP:jc@lynx.bc.ca]
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 1997 6:46 PM To: kraig olmstead
Subject: Re: The Traynor page
>I think you have the YBA-3 schematic labelled wrong. The
schematic is labelled 1967, but the schematic shows 1970
modification dates in the lower right hand corner. Also the schematic
has a master volume, which was not there on the earlier models.
>KO
thanx, I'll have a look ... btw, how many different versions of the
amp are
there ?
jc
Date: Thu, 18 Dec 97 15:36:00 -0500
From: NIGEL STANLEY
Kraig asked for more info on my new Traynor.
It's a bass mate model YBA-2B serial number 7023685
The front panel has high and normal inputs, volume, treble and bass
controls with a 1 amp fuse and an on'off switch.
The rear panel has an 8ohm speaker socket and tells the world that
it has 4 tubes - 2* 6BQ5 and 2* 12AX7.
It has a 15" speaker but it is not obviously easy to get into to see
who made it, and I haven't done this yet.
There doesn't seem to be a schematic for this on the Traynor web
site. Does anyone know anything more about this - such as its year of
production though I guess 1970 from the serial number.
I'm still pleased with it, and it has now been used at a gig, though as
a guitar amp at which it has to be said it excels.
Nigel
ps This is my work email and Friday will be my last day until Jan
5th.
Subject: Congrats on the Traynor
Author: KRAIGO@SMTP (Kraig Olmstead) {kraigo@netcommcorp.com}
at MHS Date: 25/11/97 07:46
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 97 16:13:00 -0500
From: NIGEL STANLEY
Thanks to TBL and Alex Clater I'm now the proud owner of a Traynor
Bassmate combo.
Everything said here on TBL is true. It's a great amp, looks
wonderfully retro and appeals to my sense of the deeply obscure.
Nigel Stanley
London
UK
<<
Here's the URL for a Traynor web page:
http://www.lynx.bc.ca/~jc/
There is a small list of us who keep a private correspondence going
on Traynor stuff. Join in if you're interested.
Tell me about the Bassmate. What size is the speaker, what are the
controls, what are the tubes?
The standard Bassmaster has three 12AX7 tubes and two EL-34's
(AKA 6AC7's). The controls are channel one volume, channel two
volume, bass, bass expander, treble and treble expander. Is this the
layout of the Bassmate? What is the model number on the back of
the amp? YBA-4?
Welcome to the club.
KO
From: "Levy, Michael E"
FYI, all...
I've got the following schematics that are not at the Traynor web
site. These are all paper copies, I've got no way to get them to the
site except to fax/snail mail. If anyone can help me out I'll fax them
to you and you can scan/electronically transmit to JC.
YBA-1A
YBA-2
YBA-3A(How can they get 250W from 4 power tubes!?!?) YBA-4
YBA-5(called the "Arm Stretcher" by a guy I talked to at
Yorkville...its a YBA-4 Combo with a Cerwin Vega 15" and the -1A
80W amp)
Mike
>From: NIGEL STANLEY[SMTP:nstanley@tuc.org.uk]
>Sent: Thursday, December 18, 1997 2:36 PM
>Subject: About my Traynor
>Kraig asked for more info on my new Traynor.
>It's a bass mate model YBA-2B serial number 7023685
>The front panel has high and normal inputs, volume, treble and bass
>controls with a 1 amp fuse and an on'off switch.
>The rear panel has an 8ohm speaker socket and tells the world that
it
>has 4 tubes - 2* 6BQ5 and 2* 12AX7.
>It has a 15" speaker but it is not obviously easy to get into to see
>who made it, and I haven't done this yet.
>There doesn't seem to be a schematic for this on the Traynor web
site.
>Does anyone know anything more about this - such as its year of
production though I guess 1970 from the serial number.
>I'm still pleased with it, and it has now been used at a gig, though
>as a guitar amp at which it has to be said it excels.
>Nigel
>ps This is my work email and Friday will be my last day until Jan
5th.
>Subject: Congrats on the Traynor
>Author: KRAIGO@SMTP (Kraig Olmstead) {kraigo@netcommcorp.com}
at MHS Date: 25/11/97 07:46
>Date: Mon, 24 Nov 97 16:13:00 -0500
>From: NIGEL STANLEY
>Thanks to TBL and Alex Clater I'm now the proud owner of a
Traynor Bassmate combo.
>Everything said here on TBL is true. It's a great amp, looks
wonderfully retro and appeals to my sense of the deeply obscure.
>Nigel Stanley
>London
>UK
><<
>Here's the URL for a Traynor web page:
>http://www.lynx.bc.ca/~jc/
>There is a small list of us who keep a private correspondence going
on
>Traynor stuff. Join in if you're interested.
>Tell me about the Bassmate. What size is the speaker, what are the
controls, what are the tubes?
>The standard Bassmaster has three 12AX7 tubes and two EL-34's
(AKA 6AC7's). The controls are channel one volume, channel two
volume, bass,
>bass expander, treble and treble expander. Is this the layout of the
Bassmate? What is the model number on the back of the amp? YBA-
4?
>Welcome to the club.
>KO
From: kraig olmstead
Dragon (Harry Nuttall - hnuttall@jsucc.jsu.edu) has offered to
photocopy the articles in Vintage Guitar by Dan Torres that feature
Bassmaster mods and send them to whomever requests them. So far
there are two of them.
The first was to put a master volume on the Bassmaster, I don't
know what the second article covers.
Boy, I sure hope there aren't any English teachers here to grade that
first run-on sentence...
KO
From: kraig olmstead Pretty sure the fans on the Mark II and my Custom Special are
standard issue. Both are flip tops. AC fans.
----------
From: jc[SMTP:jc@lynx.bc.ca]
Sent: Friday, December 19, 1997 6:37 PM
To: kraig olmstead
Subject: RE: The Traynor page
>I'm not sure, but I there are at least two, possibly more. The original
used 7027 power tubes. Michael Levy has an earlier model than
mine, but I'm not sure what tubes he's got. His has no master volume
and he says it's largely set up like a Bassmaster. His fan is mounted
in the side
of
>the cabinet and is one of the slide out (Bassman-style) cabinets.
Mine has a master volume and a flip-top cab. The fan is mounted like
my Mark II's fan, just blowing across the power tubes. I'll e-mail
Michael and see if he has the schem. I've never looked, by I assume
that my schem
is
>under the lid like most flip-top Traynors are.
I've never seen Traynors with fans ... are these you're talking about
standard or add-on ?
>Brian Kruschel also has a Custom Special. He's going to take some
pictures of his. I'll probably do the same and I'll see if Michael
will,
>too.
cool ...
jc
Vacuum tube modeling - Traynor amp schematicsDate: Mon, 22 Dec
1997 22:05:12 -0800
From: Terry Ladd
Jean Charles,
Work with me on this one! I respect you too much to bring this issue
to our open forum.
You have the YBA-3 listed as 1967 when the schematic crealy states
that this model incorporates changes as late as Oct. 5, 1972. The same
goes for the YSR-I which incorporates changes as late as I believe
June 22, 1972. My best guess is that these are both 1972 models or
possibly 1973s.
I know that it is a small point but it matters when the YBA-3 was
using 7027As in 1967 and the schematic is difficult to work from if
that's the model you have. The changes are always written on the
original schematic in pen and numbered accordingly.
You are performing an incredible service. Bravo and hats off to
you!!!!
Terry Ladd
tladd@istar.caFrom: kraig olmstead
I think he may be incorrect on some of his stuff about the stylings. I
have a Mark II that has "Chrome" mylar (plastic) where the silver
cloth would be on most Traynors (and it never had a logo plate that I
can tell
- I think Yorkville was phasing out the Traynor name at that point).
The picture of Peter Traynor on the home page has several amps that
have the same stuff. I think this is near the end of Traynor
production.
you [Me - Kraig] wrote:
>Does anyone have any idea where I can pick up a Traynor reflector
logo
>plate for the front of my Custom Special? It didn't have one when I
got
>it and I could take the one off of my Bassmaster, but I'd prefer to
get
a
>new one.
>For those who don't know what I mean: The plate is made of plastic
with
>black and the centers of the letters are similar to the reflectors on a
>bicycle (whitish).
>Thanks in advance for any replies.
>KO
>P.S. are there any definitive dates for the years that Traynor amps
were
>made? When various crossovers were made to different stylings (i.e.
the
>slide out chasis vs. the flip top, the shiny grill cloth vs. the
"mirror"
>mylar, when the Custom Special got a master volume, when
Traynor/Yorkville came out with the 4x10 and 8x10, etc.). This
information would be of interest to at least me...
Hi
We didn't keep a lot of information such as you are asking for. THe
grille
cloth we used was a silvery grey which was used up until the mid
70's We then used all black which we used until the early
80's after that we used black metal grills. The Custom Special had the
Master Volume added in 1969 and the 410 and 810
were designed in the Mid 60's. As far as the logo plate you are asking
about unfortunately we do not have any more parts for the Traynor
amps
...........................
Dan Lear
orders@yorkville.com
Yorkville Sound
Toronto, Ontario
<
I would be happy to sent a copy of the bassmate [ underated 6bq5
amp ] email Greg Boboski gkb@pangea.ca
From: kraig olmstead
Subject: Looking for YBA-1*
Date: Tue, 30 Dec 97 14:23:00 PST
I'm in the market for one or more Bassmasters or Mark II's. If I'm
paying shipping, the price should be between US $100 - $130 and
they should be in reasonable working condition - I'm assuming
shipping would cost US $30. They make a great stocking stuffer...
KO
From: aaron@minster.cs.york.ac.uk
Subject: Couple of traynor musings...
Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 15:17:18 +0000 (GMT)
I still haven't found someone to service my YBA-1A yet (due to not
talking to the local music shop and not having transport to take the
thing out of York easily), so these questions are a little academic at
the moment.
Has anyone tried splitting the signal from the bass into both input
channels, and using a pedal to boost one path to overdrive the valve?
A lot of overdrive pedals allow you to balance the overdrive and
clean signal and I wondered if this would work driving two inputs at
the same time.
Can you use the inputs to create a loop for effects? I understand that
you can plug into one channel, and then use the other input from
that channel as an output. Would it work if that output was then put
into an FX pedal/rack, and then back in via the input of the other
channel? I think Eric Knudsen mentioned something about chaining
channels and resistors....
Happy New Year
Aaron Turner
From: "Levy, Michael E"
When searching for schematics, discussions with techs at yorkville
indicated that the YBA-3 performed best with a 4 ohm load. Also, a
shop I frequent has a Traynor 2x15" bass cabinet, with a design very
reminiscent of the tube heads-same piping on the end plates, grill
cloth, etc. The data plate on the back indicate a 4 ohm rating. FWIW...
>----------
From: kraig olmstead[SMTP:kraigo@netcommcorp.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 1997 10:44 AM
Subject: Impedance loads
>I know that the Traynors were built with an eight ohm load in mind.
Eric
>Knudsen has also said that over the years the Traynor user that he
has
>known have hooked all sort of loads to them (i.e. four ohm loads).
Add
>to that the fact that there _IS_ an extension cabinet jack on the back
(I
>presume it's parallel) and the question arises:
>How bad is it to hook up a four ohm load to the amps?
>I'm thinking of picking up a 2x15, which I assume is four ohm,
and running it with my Mark II...
>KO
Date: Sun, 04 Jan 1998 16:27:13 -0500
From: John Templeton
Hello stranger,
I really like your web site and was wondering if you wanted more
Traynor schematics. Yorkville sound sent me all the drawings for the
YGM guitar mate series. Mine isn't any of them! It would seem that
the old Tranynor amps often strayed from the published docs. I'm
converting mine from a close backed single 12 combo to an open
backed single 15 combo. A poor man's blackface Vibroverb. I can
scan the scematics and email them. If interested of course.
Regards,
John Templeton
Hamilton Ontario
Date: Fri, 09 Jan 1998 21:57:31 -0600
From: edde
Hey! Good to find you all out there! I've been a Traynor player for
several years now ('68 BassMaster and '72 BassMate, guitar played
through both) and couldn't agree more that they're incredible amps!
I'm also an amp tech & can attest to the high quality of the parts and
construction. The tone and signal caps are the exact kind used by
Marshall in the late '60-'70's, and the trannies are (mostly) superb
iron. The EXTREMELY simple BassMate (YBA-2A head, YBA-2B
closed-back combo with 15" speaker) gets a very Vox-ey grind when
pushed, and the old version BassMate is as close to a small-box 50w
Marshall as I've ever heard. For the money, I'll take 'em any day.
Date: Sat, 10 Jan 1998 00:13:27 -0500
From: John Templeton
jc wrote:
>Hi there,
>your offer is quite welcome, the more the louder ... if you can scan
them at 300dpi and convert them to GIF that would be choice ... i'm
pretty sure I can accomodate other formats too if that's a problem
>regards, jc
I'll scan them per your instructions and send them along as email
attachments. It will take a couple of days as I'm real busy right now.
Do you want the 240 volt English export prints as well? I have a
couple of those.
Regards,
JohnDate: Sun, 18 Jan 1998 22:11:40 -0800
From: Joel Blumin
Hi,
I'd like to be added to the Traynor e-mail list. I own a Traynor MkIII
with a "Texas Boogie" modified circuit by Dan Torres in San Rafael,
CA. I've had the amp for about six years now and love it.
I just discovered your Traynor web page and think its pretty cool.
Thanks,
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 15:37:20 -0800
From: John Agapetus
If you look at Pete's picture, under his right arm, second amp head
down. That is my amp head. A Traynor Mono-Block b. If you come
across the schematic for this power house, will you please let me
know. I bought mine new in '73. It was the display model at an amp
show in NYC. Also aquired two YCV 2-15 cabinets as well. This amp
still works flawlessly even after all these years. I would like to have
the schematic as a "just in case" mode.
Thanks,
John Agapetus
Bassist
Designer/Developer of the "SSS" and "SSS2" bass guitars Principal
Electronics Design Engineer
@ vivaAnalog
jc@lynx.bc.ca