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MGR/Peter Miller « Traynor YCV-80 »
Published on 11/24/03 at 15:00How: I found myself with a decent wad oif cash, and after after dreaming of versatile amplifier for years, I picked this one up.
Where: Fazio's Frets and Friends, St. Louis, MO
Price: $720.00 US
First of all, this is an all-tube amp, and it's a beast! The chassis is solid plywood, and you can tell when you try to pick it up. There is a steel grate in front of the speakers, too, so if you kick it, you stand no chance of damaging the the two Celestion 70/80s, and even if you do break something, or if you get your kicks at chunking Traynor amps out of your car when you're going 80 on the highway, Traynor will pay for the repairs or replace the amp altogther. Who else offers that kind of warranty? Anyway this thing has an amazing sound: at Fazio's, where I purchased the unit, there is an entire room filled with every kind of amp imaginable, from the lowest Crate, to Peaveys and Cornfords, Genz-Benzs, and even completely custom Riveras--the baseline Rivera goes for $2500. In anycase, I nabbed an Amercican Strat, and later a Parker Nightfly M, which I also purchased, and plugged it into every amp in my price range, which was up to $1000, and it came down to a 25th Anniversary Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 212 and this Traynor. With Eminence speakers, the Hot Rod cannot keep up with the Celestions in the Traynor, although the Fender seems to have its own niche more in the realm of blues. The Traynor, however, is much more versatile, or so I found it: the array of sound that you can get from the lead channel alone is unbelievable. The gain can provide as much distortion as I will ever desire, and the scoop button will automatcially pulls out the mids and boosts the bass to give a little more edge and chunk to your solos. Then there is the rhythm channel with brighness and expander switches that just make the amp sound that much better. The treble boosts and deep bottom end (respectfully) that these buttons add to your sound are enough make any electric sound like the best Breedlove or Santa Cruz acoustic guitars around (that might be stretching it, but is sounds pretty awesome). Anyway, you can add brighter attack for acoustics, or to simulate acoustics, and expand the range of frequencies to add additional warmth to the natuarally warm sound of a tube amp. I play mainly acoustics, including a Taylor 410ce, and my acoustics sound simply as good, if not better, through the Traynor as they do through a dedicated acoustic amp such as my SWR Strawberry Blonde. The versatily of this amp is unmatched--my Parker Nightfly gains an unspeakable presence when plugged into this amp. And I love spring reverb, and the reverb on this amp is no exception. (Does anyone else like that clack of the spring when you rock a tube amp?) Few amps in this price range can rival this sound, or at least that is my experience.
But to change gears, this amp is the perfect gig and studio amp: it has a balanced XLR line out and a 1/4 inch line out or headphone jack, as well as a jack for extension speakers units--Traynor makes speaker cabinets that match their amps, including the sweeping rake of the front grate! Now here's the cool part: these amps have a speaker defeat so when you're in the studio and running a direct out from the amp, you don't have to unplug the speakers and take a chance at overloading the tubes: you just click the switch to turn off the speakers and add a fake load to the tubes! How cool is that! In addition the amp features a stero effect loop, and you can even adjust the volume of the natural imput going into the effects loop, as well as the volume coming out of the loop, so you can hear both the natural and "effected" sounds from the guitar and adjust the volumes of both individually--I hope that made sense. In anycase, for $720 US, I haven't found a better deal on any amp. The guy who helped me out even said he doesn't know how Traynor can pack so much into an amp and ask so little money for, and the answer is certainly not in the quality--this amp isn't like something out of China, it's made in good ol' Canada!
My only qualm so far, after four weeks, is that if the amp doesn't receive full power, it has a tendency to get really bassy--not necessarily muddy, but enough to rattle something back there, most likely one of the tubes. I have this amp plugged into a socket that is on the same circuit as my washing machine, so when the laundry is going I prefer to stick with my acoustic amp simply due to the loss of sound. To go along with that, when power is not abundant, every once in a while you'll hear a big pop from the amp, and, because it is so unexpected, it's enough to stop you where you stand. But other that that, I love this amp.
Again, the quality is unquestionably wonderful, and if it's not and something breaks in the next two years, which I highly doubt, Traynor will fix or give me a new one! They must have pretty good faith in their product to offer a warranty like that and I'm coming to agree with them.
Try one, check 'em out, play one againt all the amps you can get your hands on. It won't sound as good as a Rivera, I understand, but any Rivera will cost you an arm and a leg! The Traynor will give you all that you need, and probably more. You will be happily surprised by this amp, just as I was, and I thought I was settled on a Hot Rod Deluxe! After several visits to guitar stores, and after a bit of shopping around, I made my decision, and I am thankful for it everyday.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
Where: Fazio's Frets and Friends, St. Louis, MO
Price: $720.00 US
First of all, this is an all-tube amp, and it's a beast! The chassis is solid plywood, and you can tell when you try to pick it up. There is a steel grate in front of the speakers, too, so if you kick it, you stand no chance of damaging the the two Celestion 70/80s, and even if you do break something, or if you get your kicks at chunking Traynor amps out of your car when you're going 80 on the highway, Traynor will pay for the repairs or replace the amp altogther. Who else offers that kind of warranty? Anyway this thing has an amazing sound: at Fazio's, where I purchased the unit, there is an entire room filled with every kind of amp imaginable, from the lowest Crate, to Peaveys and Cornfords, Genz-Benzs, and even completely custom Riveras--the baseline Rivera goes for $2500. In anycase, I nabbed an Amercican Strat, and later a Parker Nightfly M, which I also purchased, and plugged it into every amp in my price range, which was up to $1000, and it came down to a 25th Anniversary Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 212 and this Traynor. With Eminence speakers, the Hot Rod cannot keep up with the Celestions in the Traynor, although the Fender seems to have its own niche more in the realm of blues. The Traynor, however, is much more versatile, or so I found it: the array of sound that you can get from the lead channel alone is unbelievable. The gain can provide as much distortion as I will ever desire, and the scoop button will automatcially pulls out the mids and boosts the bass to give a little more edge and chunk to your solos. Then there is the rhythm channel with brighness and expander switches that just make the amp sound that much better. The treble boosts and deep bottom end (respectfully) that these buttons add to your sound are enough make any electric sound like the best Breedlove or Santa Cruz acoustic guitars around (that might be stretching it, but is sounds pretty awesome). Anyway, you can add brighter attack for acoustics, or to simulate acoustics, and expand the range of frequencies to add additional warmth to the natuarally warm sound of a tube amp. I play mainly acoustics, including a Taylor 410ce, and my acoustics sound simply as good, if not better, through the Traynor as they do through a dedicated acoustic amp such as my SWR Strawberry Blonde. The versatily of this amp is unmatched--my Parker Nightfly gains an unspeakable presence when plugged into this amp. And I love spring reverb, and the reverb on this amp is no exception. (Does anyone else like that clack of the spring when you rock a tube amp?) Few amps in this price range can rival this sound, or at least that is my experience.
But to change gears, this amp is the perfect gig and studio amp: it has a balanced XLR line out and a 1/4 inch line out or headphone jack, as well as a jack for extension speakers units--Traynor makes speaker cabinets that match their amps, including the sweeping rake of the front grate! Now here's the cool part: these amps have a speaker defeat so when you're in the studio and running a direct out from the amp, you don't have to unplug the speakers and take a chance at overloading the tubes: you just click the switch to turn off the speakers and add a fake load to the tubes! How cool is that! In addition the amp features a stero effect loop, and you can even adjust the volume of the natural imput going into the effects loop, as well as the volume coming out of the loop, so you can hear both the natural and "effected" sounds from the guitar and adjust the volumes of both individually--I hope that made sense. In anycase, for $720 US, I haven't found a better deal on any amp. The guy who helped me out even said he doesn't know how Traynor can pack so much into an amp and ask so little money for, and the answer is certainly not in the quality--this amp isn't like something out of China, it's made in good ol' Canada!
My only qualm so far, after four weeks, is that if the amp doesn't receive full power, it has a tendency to get really bassy--not necessarily muddy, but enough to rattle something back there, most likely one of the tubes. I have this amp plugged into a socket that is on the same circuit as my washing machine, so when the laundry is going I prefer to stick with my acoustic amp simply due to the loss of sound. To go along with that, when power is not abundant, every once in a while you'll hear a big pop from the amp, and, because it is so unexpected, it's enough to stop you where you stand. But other that that, I love this amp.
Again, the quality is unquestionably wonderful, and if it's not and something breaks in the next two years, which I highly doubt, Traynor will fix or give me a new one! They must have pretty good faith in their product to offer a warranty like that and I'm coming to agree with them.
Try one, check 'em out, play one againt all the amps you can get your hands on. It won't sound as good as a Rivera, I understand, but any Rivera will cost you an arm and a leg! The Traynor will give you all that you need, and probably more. You will be happily surprised by this amp, just as I was, and I thought I was settled on a Hot Rod Deluxe! After several visits to guitar stores, and after a bit of shopping around, I made my decision, and I am thankful for it everyday.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com