Hey folks, got a question for yas.
I'm looking for a coffeehouse/small club amp - with tubes - that I can play at home w/o getting too loud, for ~$400 to ~$700.
I'd consider a valvetronix but a) don't need amp models and b) have heard a lot of horror stories about reliability.
Will the traynor sound good at low volumes?
Jonesin for a Traynor
Moderator: jingle_jangle
Jonesin for a Traynor
"The only worthwhile conquests are those wrested from ignorance"
-Napoleon
-Napoleon
John: The YCV 40WR sounds terrific at low volumes and is within your price range.
Life, as with music, often requires one to let go of the melody and listen to the rhythm
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John: Check out the horror stories on Harmony-Central about how hard it is to get a Valvetronix repaired, then swear you'll never go there.
The YCV series will "model" lots of amps if you twiddle the knobs right and get the right speaker installed for the style you play. Peter can fill you in on the Vintage 30. In spite of the name, it's for modern rock tones and for using with effects units. My Vintage 8 is clean and tight, suits the clean channel well, and I would suspect the Vintage 30 to be similar in a 12" way. Would be better for Ricky Jingle Jangle than the G12H. I have the G12H80 and it's for "classic 70's screaming Marshall" tones. Just throw away the effects units. For Blues you get a Greenback speaker, etc. Maybe a Classic Lead or Jensen for country. www.watfordvalves.com has suggestions on what works best for the style in question, I've ordered from them, and they have great service for UK buyers. Their review of the G12H was right on the mark.
You might consider the YCV20 for playing at lower volumes because I can't play my YCV40 past 1 on the high gain channel in a house without requests to turn it down. The G12H80 increased the volume significantly. The YCV20 can also use the expensive low powered alnico speakers and the new G12H30 without blowing them up like the YCV40 can. It also retubes for about half the cost and is more compact and lighter. Low powered speakers are generally considered more dynamic and responsive because of the lighter voice coils. The G12H80, Classic Lead, Vintage 30 and such are basically made for high powered combos. So it is wiser to base your amp choice on the speaker you intend to use. If you decide you like a 15-20W alnico speaker the best, then you blew it in advance if you buy the YCV40 first. If you decide you like the G12H80 or Vintage 30 the best, then the YCV20 can't really drive it as intended and may never make it overdrive right. Most people buy an amp first and worry about the speaker later, but it doesn't make much sense. With the stock Seventy 80 speaker you will think the YCV series is a good amp, but with the correct speaker for your style you will know it's a truly great amp.
It also helps immensely to upgrade the power tubes. The YCV40 rocks with genuine 5881 output tubes. NOS Tung-Sol brand if you can afford them, and Harma from Watford Valves if you can't. Watford also has suggestions on EL84 tubes as used in the YCV20. I hear the Ei EL84 is really nice for a cheap tube. I tried several different brands of preamp tubes and never heard anywhere near the difference that I did with output tubes in my YCV40. The stock Sovtek output tubes also tested considerably weaker in my tube tester. You will probably get much cheaper prices on Tung-Sol 5881 tubes from Ham radio operators than from audio oriented sellers. You can pick up singles on eBay in the $25 dollar range rather than the $100-$150 per matched pair range you see at tube dealers. The YCV40 does NOT require matched pairs because the amp auto biases the tubes. As long as they test electrically good in a tube tester they should work.
The YCV series will "model" lots of amps if you twiddle the knobs right and get the right speaker installed for the style you play. Peter can fill you in on the Vintage 30. In spite of the name, it's for modern rock tones and for using with effects units. My Vintage 8 is clean and tight, suits the clean channel well, and I would suspect the Vintage 30 to be similar in a 12" way. Would be better for Ricky Jingle Jangle than the G12H. I have the G12H80 and it's for "classic 70's screaming Marshall" tones. Just throw away the effects units. For Blues you get a Greenback speaker, etc. Maybe a Classic Lead or Jensen for country. www.watfordvalves.com has suggestions on what works best for the style in question, I've ordered from them, and they have great service for UK buyers. Their review of the G12H was right on the mark.
You might consider the YCV20 for playing at lower volumes because I can't play my YCV40 past 1 on the high gain channel in a house without requests to turn it down. The G12H80 increased the volume significantly. The YCV20 can also use the expensive low powered alnico speakers and the new G12H30 without blowing them up like the YCV40 can. It also retubes for about half the cost and is more compact and lighter. Low powered speakers are generally considered more dynamic and responsive because of the lighter voice coils. The G12H80, Classic Lead, Vintage 30 and such are basically made for high powered combos. So it is wiser to base your amp choice on the speaker you intend to use. If you decide you like a 15-20W alnico speaker the best, then you blew it in advance if you buy the YCV40 first. If you decide you like the G12H80 or Vintage 30 the best, then the YCV20 can't really drive it as intended and may never make it overdrive right. Most people buy an amp first and worry about the speaker later, but it doesn't make much sense. With the stock Seventy 80 speaker you will think the YCV series is a good amp, but with the correct speaker for your style you will know it's a truly great amp.
It also helps immensely to upgrade the power tubes. The YCV40 rocks with genuine 5881 output tubes. NOS Tung-Sol brand if you can afford them, and Harma from Watford Valves if you can't. Watford also has suggestions on EL84 tubes as used in the YCV20. I hear the Ei EL84 is really nice for a cheap tube. I tried several different brands of preamp tubes and never heard anywhere near the difference that I did with output tubes in my YCV40. The stock Sovtek output tubes also tested considerably weaker in my tube tester. You will probably get much cheaper prices on Tung-Sol 5881 tubes from Ham radio operators than from audio oriented sellers. You can pick up singles on eBay in the $25 dollar range rather than the $100-$150 per matched pair range you see at tube dealers. The YCV40 does NOT require matched pairs because the amp auto biases the tubes. As long as they test electrically good in a tube tester they should work.
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loendmaestro
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I just want to vouch for Yorkville (Traynor). I just bought the Bassmaster XS400H (tube) head & the matching XC115 cabinet for well under a grand & couldn't be happier. This is my 2nd Yorkie - I had a BM200 combo a few years back. Quality craftsmanship & tone at an affordable price.
To me Yorkville/Traynor are one of the best kept secrets in the world of amplification!
To me Yorkville/Traynor are one of the best kept secrets in the world of amplification!
The Traynor birch plywood cabinets are way tougher than the pine cabinets used by other makers like Fender and some of the boutique companies. My Marshall is made from particle board and there's no way it could survive the amount of abuse the Traynor could take. There is also no comparison between the Traynor steel-backed speaker grille and most others that only use grille cloth. There are very few amps cheaper than Traynors that are worth having, and there are very few amps more expensive than Traynors that are worth paying the asking price where my money is concerned. I'm talking what they have been building lately, as there was a middle period when quality went downhill. That hurt their reputation and they will have to overcome it.
I will really be interested in your comments Richard.
Life, as with music, often requires one to let go of the melody and listen to the rhythm
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