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I'm drowning in all the threads about Traynor amps. I've owned a "reverb master" for a few years without knowing anything about it other than I got it cheap, and by accident. I had been looking for a tremolo pedal for a while and found one I liked for $200. While thinking it over, on one of my scavenging missions, I tested out the Traynor that was sitting buried in the corner of a shop. The tremolo wasn't super flexible, but it was what i was after, and the reverb was nice too. I had been borrowing a Bassman amp from a friend and was regretting giving it back, but the Traynor was a spitting image. So, for that same $200 i would have used for a pedal, I picked up this amp, killing a few birds with one stone.

I've never seen another one in person and until I started lurking here had never heard of anyone speak of them. Who started the gold rush? Does someone in a relatively high profile band use them or is it more the fact that you can still get them fairly cheap?

Mine is a guitar amp but does double duty for bass. It's a little too dark to my ears just playing alone, but when recorded that really helps it from being too obtrusive, leaving room for other stuff in the high end. Not my main amp, but great to have in the arsenal.

Are most Traynor users bassists?

I have used and continue to use Traynor amps for bass, guitar, and baritone. The bassist in my band uses them as well. Our drummer, when in a previous band where he played bass, used a YBA-1A and YBA-3 simultaneously. Our practice space has lovingly been referred to as "The Traynor Museum".

I got a YBA-2B (2 x EL84, 1x15" combo amp) in great condition for $200 in the past couple months.

$200.

There've only been a very small handful of Traynors sold for large money on eBay in the past few years. The single most expensive I've seen was a 1960's YBA-3A (one of the rarest there is) in great shape, modded for individual bias, and even that was only $1500. Marshalls and SVT's sell for prices like that every week. the second most expensive I've seen was a beautifully restored 1960's YBA-1 (old enough to have the tube rectifier IIRC) and that was maybe $850 or so. An amp more or less analogous to the Marshall JTM45, but for a quarter of the price. I think that's part of the appeal.

here's the heart of it. if you want to work on your own amp, vintage Traynor is maybe #1 overall, with others like pre-1973 Marshalls being close and Hiwatts and Sound Citys being just as easy if not easier but only Traynors come cheap. none of those others come cheap, in fact, the exact opposite.

why are they so popular here, aside from "because they sound good" or "cheap and very-well-built"? the easy answer is that lotsa people here like The Jesus Lizard and/or Shellac, both of whom used a specific Traynor amp.

The YBA-1, 1A, and 3 are all excellent for guitar, bass, or baritone. The YBA-2/2A/2B (three variations on the same bass amp) are better for guitar than bass, go figure. I'd say the YBA-2 series cranked up to full-on is really good for "classic rock" kinda distorted guitar sounds, or for bass at a coffeehouse gig.

I love my YBA-3 for bass. Yes, I am a bassist. I like the YBA-3 is half as heavy as an SVT, 3/4 as loud, and it breaks up at a lower volume. A perfect bass amp for me, exactly what I want with 2X15"s

For recording lower volume bass, I use a YBA-1 with a Marshall Powerbrake and get good results.

I play guitar too, but the Traynor's not my favorite guitar amp- my HIWATT is.

That said the YBA-1 is a great guitar amp, somewhere between a good Fender Bassman and a Marshall Plexi, but perhaps a little brighter and more Klangy.

The Guitar Mate (YGM-3) is a good, cheap substitute for a Fender Super Reverb. And it surprisingly handles bass guitar really well at bedroom levels too.

The TS-25 is also great. It's criminally underrated and cheap as hell.

A family friend was moving house after 30 -odd years, and called me up to see if I wanted any of his son's old gear. For the low price of nothing I got a TS-120B head and two matching 1 x 15" cabinets. I've been using this setup with a P-bass for the last year, and I couldn't be happier.

Paid In Full wrote:A family friend was moving house after 30 -odd years, and called me up to see if I wanted any of his son's old gear. For the low price of nothing I got a TS-120B head and two matching 1 x 15" cabinets. I've been using this setup with a P-bass for the last year, and I couldn't be happier.

cock. sucker.

i regret losing my 120b.

i am a bassist. i use a traynor. i'm james.

Paid In Full wrote:A family friend was moving house after 30 -odd years, and called me up to see if I wanted any of his son's old gear. For the low price of nothing I got a TS-120B head and two matching 1 x 15" cabinets. I've been using this setup with a P-bass for the last year, and I couldn't be happier.

I'd like to see what those matching 1x15" cabs look like.

Are they the grey ones with a port at the bottom? That's what came with my TS120. The head and one of those cabs for something like $200 or just a little less than that.

I used to play a YBA-1A mark II. I think it was an early 70's model. played a telecaster through that, with a Marshall jcm800 cab. I loved the sound of it, but the thing was just too much power. I switched down to a bassman, and that seems to suit a little better.

traded a couple broken rhodes for that head, sold it for like $500, so i feel pretty good about it.

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I'd like to see what those matching 1x15" cabs look like.

Missed this request until now.

Paid In Full wrote:

I'd like to see what those matching 1x15" cabs look like.

Missed this request until now.

that. is. kickass.