Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

[ThisDyingSoul76]

It's been at the local pawn shop and I mostly ignored it the last few months. After deciding to look into it to make sure the tubes were a type still available or at least could be substituted with commonly available tubes, I decided to go for it.

It's in rough cosmetic shape.. Grill cloth is missing and someone painted the wood panel the clothe would cover a bright blue and the rest of the head looks as you'd expect for a 40+ Year old amp that's seen the road to look. Otherwise works well except that volume is non existent until 2 then rips your head off (but these guys were meant for cranking).

The price was $450 CAN, so I put it on layaway and plan to trade my Epiphone Blues Custom 30 against it.

I've read they are very similar to a plexi or bassman and its common to mod them to these specs. I might leave it as is. It sounds nice and is incredibly loud. I figure if I can't crank it enough for some nice breakup its at a nice pedal platform. I think it's going to sound awesome through my Marshall 2x12.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

Score!!!

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[MetalManiac]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

IMO, thats an amp that should be modded. Just a personel opinion, but to me they don't sound that great bone stock compared to some of my other old amps .They are prime candidates for modding, and are already pretty close to JTM45 specs. Change a couple caps and you are there, not that it'll actually sound like a JTYM45, but there are other mods which make it sound totally badass. I plan on modding mine sometime.

I can't believe the prices these amps are selling for, its almost criminal how low they go for. I saw a very nice one go on ebay recently for around 375.00 US, fopr sure less than 400, and the shipping was only about 40 bucks.

I'm thinking a good TS style pedal would really push this thing nicely.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

It's been at the local pawn shop and I mostly ignored it the last few months. After deciding to look into it to make sure the tubes were a type still available or at least could be substituted with commonly available tubes, I decided to go for it.

It's in rough cosmetic shape.. Grill cloth is missing and someone painted the wood panel the clothe would cover a bright blue and the rest of the head looks as you'd expect for a 40+ Year old amp that's seen the road to look. Otherwise works well except that volume is non existent until 2 then rips your head off (but these guys were meant for cranking).

The price was $450 CAN, so I put it on layaway and plan to trade my Epiphone Blues Custom 30 against it.

I've read they are very similar to a plexi or bassman and its common to mod them to these specs. I might leave it as is. It sounds nice and is incredibly loud. I figure if I can't crank it enough for some nice breakup its at a nice pedal platform. I think it's going to sound awesome through my Marshall 2x12.

A friend of mine used to have one of those, modded with the channels cascaded and a PPIV master. That thing was a fire-breathing beast that actually sounded pretty good at lower volume. Of course it sounded better if you opened it up.

 

[ThisDyingSoul76]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

I'm definitely considering modding it. I'd probably get it to JTM45 specs and also add an effects loop.

I think I'd rather use an attenuator jumper the channels than add a master volume.

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

Nice, YBA-1's are great. Pics

 

[ThisDyingSoul76]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

Soon. It's still on layaway at the pawn shop. Hopefully next week I'll have enough spare sash to spring it. It's really not that impressive to look at, but it sounds incredible.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

Great. Something else to G.A.S. for.
I wouldn't mod it. I'd try one of my gain setups into the clean channel.

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[ThisDyingSoul76]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

Great. Something else to G.A.S. for.
I wouldn't mod it. I'd try one of my gain setups into the clean channel.

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I've considered that too. Basically use it as a clean amp for a pedal platform the way a lot of people use Fender amps. I think I'd still like an effects loop, but if I'm playing it set clean, I guess it won't really matter since the dirt would be supplied by the front of my pedal chain.

 

[newking70]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

sounds like you overpaid......

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

sounds like you overpaid......

How so? Depending on the year he's right on the lower end of the spectrum (which would make up for the cosmetics he's talking about). The cheapest one in my province currently is going for $650, with the highest being $900.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

Nice score. My YBA-1 is the loudest amp I own, louder than my Hiwatt. My Hiwatt when it's dimed I have to be 6 feet away from it. When the Traynor is on 3 I have to be in another room.

 

[ThisDyingSoul76]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

How so? Depending on the year he's right on the lower end of the spectrum (which would make up for the cosmetics he's talking about). The cheapest one in my province currently is going for $650, with the highest being $900.

It's early 70's with the solid state rectifier and the plastic/chrome bumper moulding around the ends. I've seen these selling in the $700 to $800 range, so no, I definitely did not overpay. Cosmetic issues side, this amp works well. That's what's important. I can always restore the grille cloth or just paint the panel a more esthetically pleasing colour (like black).

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

sounds like you overpaid......

I gotta agree with the King, not trying to make anyone feel bad, hey we'eve all overpaid for something we wanted at one time or another . Also, condition is everything in terms of actual value. Check completed listings on Teh Bay.
Now although I know old Traynor amps were made in Canada, but I don't know just how many Traynors are for sale now in Canada compared to the US, and I'm not certain about the exchange rate, but for examplelook at this very recent completed listing( I got mine for 300 US many moons ago, and seems they just refuse to go up in value much if at all);

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Traynor-Bas...141065?hash=item41c773fac9:g:g3wAAOSw1~JZPGYd

This is out of the ordinary- someone snagged a killer deal- they do go a fair bit higher into the mid 400-500 range+ shipping, well, if it was as described and it got to the buyers house in one piece..sometimes a bird in the hand...

EDIT- Disregard- 450 Canadian sounds like a ok price if you don't mind the cosmetics and subsequent loss of resale value- for some reason I thought OP said he paid much more than that.

 

[ThisDyingSoul76]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

I gotta agree with the King, not trying to make anyone feel bad, hey we'eve all overpaid for something we wanted at one time or another . Also, condition is everything in terms of actual value. Check completed listings on Teh Bay.
Now although I know old Traynor amps were made in Canada, but I don't know just how many Traynors are for sale now in Canada compared to the US, and I'm not certain about the exchange rate, but for examplelook at this very recent completed listing( I got mine for 300 US many moons ago, and seems they just refuse to go up in value much if at all);

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Traynor-Bas...141065?hash=item41c773fac9:g:g3wAAOSw1~JZPGYd

This is out of the ordinary- someone snagged a killer deal- they do go a fair bit higher into the mid 400-500 range+ shipping, well, if it was as described and it got to the buyers house in one piece..sometimes a bird in the hand...

EDIT- Disregard- 450 Canadian sounds like a ok price if you don't mind the cosmetics and subsequent loss of resale value- for some reason I thought OP said he paid much more than that.

Yup, $450 Canadian is about $325 U.S. (I'm estimating because I'm too lazy to look up the current exchange but it typically hovers between 1 U.S. = .70 - .75 CAN).

And yes, the 70's Traynor amps are especially ugly even in good condition and the are Hammond Transformers. You won't nail the Plexi or Bassman exactly without the transformer changed, but to me part of the charm of these amps is that they are similar but have a character of their own. Hence the reason I'm on the fence about modding it to Plexi specs.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

sounds like a real good score then ! If I were a young cat, I'd run, not walk to get one of these amps- they are a STEAL!. Just with a good pedal, you'[ll come close to nailing the brown sound with a good 4x12 celestion style cabinet.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

Dude, don't worry about what it looks like. Stick a baddass distortion pedal in the front of the clean channel. Turn up the amp and don't look back (or forward, you might not want to see the audience liquified).

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[ThisDyingSoul76]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

Dude, don't worry about what it looks like. Stick a baddass distortion pedal in the front of the clean channel. Turn up the amp and don't look back (or forward, you might not want to see the audience liquified).

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No worries of its looks here. That's a secondary thing that I'd fix if I got around to it but wouldn't turn my nose up at something over. In fact, ugly and beat up looking usually means you can get it at a decent price because all the collectors and image obsessed posers are steering clear. My friends have known me to grab some of the most visually unappealing gear and get sounds that have other guitarists run up to check out my rig.

I have definitely considered leaving this amp as is and using it as a pedal platform. Thing is LOUD. At 45 watts and breakup only starting to occur around the 12 o'clock position, I doubt I'd ever get a situation where I can play it loud enough for coaxing much dirt from it. ...unless I installed a master volume mod, but I honestly don't think it would give the same result as leaving it as a non-master volume amp and turning it up to 10.

I have a 2x12 Marshall 1936 cab and a 1x12 Egnater cab... Maybe I'll see if the smaller cabs allow me to push it harder. The only cab the pawn shop had was a Line 6 4x12. Either way, my pedal collection is extensive enough that I'd find a good pairing with it.

 

[ThisDyingSoul76]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

Picking it up today after work.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Found a Vintage Traynor YBA-1 head

I guess I just don't see why these are called ugly looking amps.