if you had to choose

[agent007]

vox ad100vt
kustom '36 coupe w/1x12"
traynor 40watt 1x12"

what would you choose and why? thanks for the help

 

[agent007]

Re: if you had to choose

sorry, the name is agent007. shogunlegend is dead or something. thanks for your help. any particular reason why you would choose the traynor?

 

[Gr8Scott]

Re: if you had to choose

I'd be torn between the Vox and the Traynor. I'd probably choose the traynor though.

 

[BG00]

Re: if you had to choose

Those kustom coupes really impressed me when I jammed on one for a while. I would go for one of those over the other two. The vox is cool but really doesnt sound like a tube amp in the end. The traynor sounds good but isnt as versatile as the kustom coupe is.

 

[agent007]

Re: if you had to choose

Those kustom coupes really impressed me when I jammed on one for a while. I would go for one of those over the other two. The vox is cool but really doesnt sound like a tube amp in the end. The traynor sounds good but isnt as versatile as the kustom coupe is.

that's interesting because i heard the same thing, and that's the same way i feel about my vox. i tried the traynor, but i didn't notice anything spectacular. of course it sounded good, but there's not a lot of gain. i also had to turn it up real loud to get a good tone. i know that's usually the case with tube amps, but some tube amps (like the kustom) seem to sound good for home practice too.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: if you had to choose

I'd go for the Traynor. But then again... I biased because that's what I DID. Actually, it's the Custom Blue 50. I'm partial to EL-34's. I also recently purchased the Traynor YCS100 head and love it as well. It does the hi-gain new metal thing better than the combo, plus I've been able to dial-in some great Marshall brown sound stuff as well. A friend has a modded Marshall JCM900 50 watt head and we A/B'd my head and his and the brown sounds were pretty much identical. But my head was also able to do the scooped and modern stuff whereas his head wasn't. So I don't think you can go wrong with the Traynor if you find one that you like the sound on. Their warranty is pretty much as good as it gets, and they are made in North America instead of in Asia.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: if you had to choose

I've played both a Kustom '36 coupe and a Wine Red Traynor YCV40. I thought that the Kustom was a decent amp with a very responsive EQ. I ended up buying the Traynor because it just sounded better to me . . . I do have to say however, the regular (black tolex) Traynor that I played was nowhere near as nice as the red tolexed Traynor with the V30 speakers.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: if you had to choose

I've played both a Kustom '36 coupe and a Wine Red Traynor YCV40. I thought that the Kustom was a decent amp with a very responsive EQ. I ended up buying the Traynor because it just sounded better to me . . . I do have to say however, the regular (black tolex) Traynor that I played was nowhere near as nice as the red tolexed Traynor with the V30 speakers.

I second that. If you're going to buy a Traynor combo, get the wine red YCV-40 or the blue YCV-50. The wine red has 6L6's and 40 watts, while the Custom Blue has EL-34's and 50 watts. Both have matching 1X12 extension cabs. And both combos and extension cabs are loaded with Celestion V30's. I tried them both and ended-up with the blue one because I prefer the sound of EL34's, but would have gladly taken home the red one had it been my only option. Both are head and shoulders above the standard black YCV-40 for tone and looks IMO.

 

[agent007]

Re: if you had to choose

the traynor i was looking at is actually a ycv 40wr. apparently, the difference is that it has a vintage speaker. maybe that's why i got such a more vintage sounding tone than i expected. i thought it was the same ast the website except a different color. my question now becomes: is the yvc 40wr still good for metal and instrumental rock?

 

[Red_Label]

Re: if you had to choose

the traynor i was looking at is actually a ycv 40wr. apparently, the difference is that it has a vintage speaker. maybe that's why i got such a more vintage sounding tone than i expected. i thought it was the same ast the website except a different color. my question now becomes: is the yvc 40wr still good for metal and instrumental rock?

I have a friend who runs a music store. He, like me, trades/sells/buys gear a lot because he gets bored and is always looking for that next big thing to inspire him. Anyways... he's done a lot of recording of newer melodic metal type stuff (ala Kamelot, Angra, etc) and his favorite amp is the Traynor YCV Custom Blue 50. In the past year he's had an Engl Fireball, modded Marshall JCM900 50watt head, and an old modded Ampeg tube head. His big regret is getting rid of the Traynor and he's been itching to get mine or my other buddy's Traynor. So what I am saying is that I don't think you'll have any problem getting good metal tones from the Traynor combo. But that decision has to be yours. Is this amp somewhere where you can plug into it and spend some time dialing sounds?

 

[agent007]

Re: if you had to choose

yeah, i'm headed over there right now to spend about 45 min. i'll get back with you guys later. thanks for the help so far.

 

[lex666]

Re: if you had to choose

I'd also choose the Traynor, but only becuase it would be different to what I already have. I'd like to try the 6l6's...

 

[agent007]

Re: if you had to choose

i just compared the two side by side for about 1 hr. the kustom has a good sound and more distortion. the traynor had a real good sound, but i'm not sure it's the kind of sound i need. on the other hand, the traynor had good clarity for solos while the kustom sounded a little muddy. i say this, but i didn't really have a chance to play with the settings that much. i also didn't bring one of my guitars to get a good feel for what kind of sound i would get out of it. they're both good, and the traynor is only about $75 more. i just don't know about that vintage speaker though. how would that affect my tone for metal?

 

[Red_Label]

Re: if you had to choose

i just compared the two side by side for about 1 hr. the kustom has a good sound and more distortion. the traynor had a real good sound, but i'm not sure it's the kind of sound i need. on the other hand, the traynor had good clarity for solos while the kustom sounded a little muddy. i say this, but i didn't really have a chance to play with the settings that much. i also didn't bring one of my guitars to get a good feel for what kind of sound i would get out of it. they're both good, and the traynor is only about $75 more. i just don't know about that vintage speaker though. how would that affect my tone for metal?

The speaker you are talking about is the Celestion Vintage 30 and it's THE speaker for metal. There are others, but Marshall cabs loaded with V30's are the speakers that built metal as far as I'm concerned. So I don't think you are going to have an issue with that. If you want a more metal tone though, the way to go is to plug the 1X12 combo into a 2X12 sealed back cab, or even a 4X12. That gives you a lot more punch and bass response. That's what's required for metal to give you that big sound live. No open-back 1X12 combo really does justice to metal live IMO. But it's a good start and you just add the cab later.

 

[agent007]

Re: if you had to choose

The speaker you are talking about is the Celestion Vintage 30 and it's THE speaker for metal. There are others, but Marshall cabs loaded with V30's are the speakers that built metal as far as I'm concerned. So I don't think you are going to have an issue with that. If you want a more metal tone though, the way to go is to plug the 1X12 combo into a 2X12 sealed back cab, or even a 4X12. That gives you a lot more punch and bass response. That's what's required for metal to give you that big sound live. No open-back 1X12 combo really does justice to metal live IMO. But it's a good start and you just add the cab later.

thanks man, and i think you're right. i'm going to buy the ycv 40wr. i really like the tone a lot. it's almost exactly what i'm looking for and i haven't even tried my effects processor. i liked the kustom too, but it just seemed a little muddy to me. i'll do a quick comparison tonight before i buy, but i'm probably going to stick with traynor. thanks for all the help everyone.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: if you had to choose

thanks man, and i think you're right. i'm going to buy the ycv 40wr. i really like the tone a lot. it's almost exactly what i'm looking for and i haven't even tried my effects processor. i liked the kustom too, but it just seemed a little muddy to me. i'll do a quick comparison tonight before i buy, but i'm probably going to stick with traynor. thanks for all the help everyone.

Kewl. The Traynor combos with the boost engaged get a little muddy for my taste, because it's the usual pre-amp "boost". The head uses a power-amp boost that just ups the overall volume. I'd recommend using a pedal to drive the combo from its overdrive mode to metal territory. But it's overdrive mode goes to Marshall JCM800/900 territory with the gain on "10" and it's just a matter of some EQ adjustments and a distortion pedal to take it from there. Or, run the amp cleaner and use a good pedal to go from clean to metal. I do like my YCV-50's overdrive very much though (and the clean channel is very nice as well).

 

[Rushfan2112]

Re: if you had to choose

Make sure before you buy it you bring your guitars and effects to play through it!

 

[agent007]

Re: if you had to choose

i'm definitely taking one of my guitars and effects processor. i did notice the traynor had much more sensetive eq than my vox. adding b/m/t on my vox seemed to only increase volume a little and counterbalance each other. raising the bass and then the treble only balanced it out. it seemed to me like the traynor was more responsive to eq changes, so the eq works well at different settings. i don't know if this is the case with all tube amps. this will be my first all tube amp. i've always used solid states or hybrids, so i'm hoping i'll be in for a pleasant suprise.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: if you had to choose

this will be my first all tube amp. i've always used solid states or hybrids, so i'm hoping i'll be in for a pleasant suprise.

Where you REALLY notice the difference between solid-state/digital-modelers and tube amps are as you play louder and the longer the tubes warm-up. At bedroom volumes most tube amps don't shine. My H&K Triamp 100 watt head sounded muddy and worse than my Line 6 Duoverb and Behringer Vampires at room volume. But you put that thing in a gig situation or a recording session and WOW... NO comparison. Tubes are "alive" and dynamic and have rich, complex overtones as they are warmed-up and driven. Good SS/modelers try to simulate that and do an admirable job, but no dice. I've gigged digital tube modeling amps like the Yamaha DG-80 and Line 6 Duoverb for hundreds of gigs over the years. They worked pretty well. But every time I decided to go back to tube amps after using them I was more than satisfied about my choice. The last time was several years ago and I'll likely never go back to non-tube amps for gigs and recording final tracks because tubes just sound better... period. Where computer chips are non-reactive, tubes seem to come alive and react to your music. They are MUSICAL and add to your music. They are like another member of your band! lol Chips just sit there doing their job, the same way every time like a machine.