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Topic: Who uses Traynor amps for pedal steel? |
Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
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Posted 22 Jul 2019 1:58 pm |
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Looking at an early to mid 70's YRM-1 50 watt Reverb Master head powered by 2 EL84's.....
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Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2019 3:01 am
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I owned and used several over the years Dave.. I always went back to Fender. The Traynors are very well built, very reliable, bulletproof amps. Believe in or not, the main issue I always had with them, is that they were TOO clean.
Almost sterile.
I wanted to like Traynors but the big wattage ones, over 50 watts sounded more like a good solid state amp than a tube amp. Powerful and clean, but lacking any real character. I felt the exact same way about Music man amps. Great amps, but lacking in warmth, harmonics, none of the "tubey goodness" that fender amps have in spades.
I always felt that the EL 34 tubes used in most Traynors and MM amps was the reason I never liked them.. They simply aren't as warm sounding to me as the 6L6 output stage on Fender amps.
I also had a couple of the smaller 22 watt Traynor tube combos- these used EL84 output tubes, and had either 1 x12 or 4 x8's!. I had both. Cool amps, but again not the sound I was looking for with a pedal steel.. They had a more Marshall/Vox sound, and not much like a Fender DR which was a nicer sound for steel..
Over the decades I have had 6 vintage Traynor amps through here, gigged them hard, but was never happy with their sound...
I suppose that Fender set the standard tone wise, and to me these amps just could not meet that criteria, same as MM amps for me.. You may have a very different opinion, just beware if you are expecting a warm Fender type sound that these amps just don't have that, at least for me they didn't..
oh yeah, they are LOUD!!. Clean headroom, NEVER a problem with a traynor!.... bob
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I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2019 3:08 am Re: Who uses Traynor amps for pedal steel?
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| Dave Zirbel wrote: |
| Looking at an early to mid 70's YRM-1 50 watt Reverb Master head powered by 2 EL84's..... |
dave are you sure the YRM-1 you looked at has EL 84's?.. That amp had 2 EL34 tubes... I thought I read somewhere that some early ones did have EL84 output, but 50 watts would require 4 of them.. The lower watt traynors from the mid 70's did have 2 EL84's, but not the 50-100 watt ones, unless you are looking at a very early one.... bob
here's some good info on your amp-
http://www.in2guitar.com/traynor.html
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I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2019 4:45 am
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Thanks Bob. I’m actually not sure if it’s the one I looked at....just glanced at it at the local music store and the price seemed right.
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Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2019 11:33 am
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| Dave Zirbel wrote: |
| Thanks Bob. I’m actually not sure if it’s the one I looked at....just glanced at it at the local music store and the price seemed right. |
If you are considering the amp, might be a good plan to bring a steel you are well acquainted with and playing it a while ..If possible..
They are good amps, but they are readily available at reasonable prices and yet no one plays steel through them, despite them being very powerful and clean.. I was going to change all that, being the only vintage traynor user in NY... it never worked for me tonally, and I always ran back to Fender amps.. Tried a BUNCH of times..
Honestly, I even prefer certain SS amps to the old traynors for pedal steel... bob
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I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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Joseph Carlson
From:
Grass Valley, California, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2019 12:45 pm
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| There was a Traynor amp at the rehearsal space of a band I used to play with. I could never get a decent sound out of it for pedal steel, ended up having to haul a twin every time I practiced with those guys. |
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Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2019 2:12 pm
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Good to know...Thanks Joseph and Bob!
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Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps |
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Len Amaral
From:
Rehoboth,MA 02769
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Posted 23 Jul 2019 4:34 pm
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I don’t know the model Traynor I have but I will find out. It has a pair of 6L6 power tubes and three or four 12ax7 preamp tubes. Definitely hangs out in Fender territory. I believe it’s 40 watts with a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker.
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I survived the sixties! |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 24 Jul 2019 3:22 am
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Len.. A Traynor with 6L6 tubes?.. Not an old one is it?.. If an original traynor has 6L6 tubes, it been modded/rebiased to accept them. I don't think Traynor made anything years ago with 6L6 tubes except possibly their tube PA head,,,
New Traynor amps DO come with 6L6 tubes, and I have heard they are a more "Fendery" sounding amp than the originals.. I do believe they are PC amps, not hand wired.
The new 6L6 powered Traynor amps are rated at 40 watts, and come with celestion 12 inch speakers.. Sounds like thats what you have there. bob
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I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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Earnest Bovine
From:
Los Angeles CA USA
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Posted 24 Jul 2019 7:39 am
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| I used a Traynor amp for the Casio Digital horn on the Jon Wayne Texas tour, and it sounded really really good on all 4 notes. |
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Allan Haley
From:
British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 24 Jul 2019 9:23 am
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| I've had a bunch. YGM3 was the best for steel. Nothing like a Twin though. Someone once said that Traynor has all the tones but the right one. |
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Michael Brebes
From:
Northridge CA
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Posted 24 Jul 2019 5:41 pm
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I tend to disagree, at lest with my experience with my YGL-3 from 1973, which is the equivalent of a Twin Reverb. I have used it for both guitar and pedal steel and have been very pleased with the tone. It came with 6CA7 tubes, not EL34's, which sound very similar to 6L6's. The amp sounded much better than the Silverface Twins that were available at the time I bought it. It has a Fender preamp section, with a power amp section that seems to be somewhere between a Fender and Marshall power amp. Because of the 25K Mid pot, it can actually sound much warmer than a Twin, if you want it. That's my two cents.
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Michael Brebes
Instrument/amp/ pickup repair
MSA D10 Classic/Rickenbacher B6/
Dickerson MOTS/Dobro D32 Hawaiian/
Goldtone Paul Beard Reso
Mesa Boogie Studio Pre/Hafler 3000
RP1/MPX100 |
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Allan Haley
From:
British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 24 Jul 2019 5:58 pm
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| I wonder how different the YGM3s and YGL3s sound. |
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Will Slack
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 25 Jul 2019 8:17 am
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I love Traynor amps--I've had a number of them and still have three. Most people will tell you that if the original speaker is still in one, you have to swap it for something decent. Here's a rundown of a few models as i recall the details...
YGL-3 mark iii - 4 el34's- this is the Twin reverb style amp. came as a head or 2 12 combo. has a fairly useful master volume. I think it sounds the most fenderish of all that I've tried.
YRM-1 Reverb Master - 2 el34s - master volume - usually a head, but I think there was a 4-10 version. clean and very punchy. On this amp, I agree with Bob, almost too sterile. I was using it for 6 string though and can see it being good for steel.
YSR-1 custom reverb - 2 el34's - i think this is the predecessor to the YRM. I like the YSR much better- more character, though not too fender blackface sounding. This amp has treble and bass only, and it a strange bandaxall type of tonestack. takes some getting used to but I love it. Has great reverb and bias vary trem that I love. I think there's a combo version with the same name that's not at all the same amp--its solid state.
YGM-3 guitar mate (1-12) YGM-4 (4- 8s) - 2 el84
Both the same amp. Same EQ, reverb and trem feel as the YSR-1, but lower wattage (maybe 20 watts?). My favorite or them all.
Last edited by Will Slack on 25 Jul 2019 11:45 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Paul Sutherland
From:
Placerville, California
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Posted 25 Jul 2019 10:24 am
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Aaron Shively (forum member from greater Sacto region) used to use some sort of Traynor combo amp for Tele and PSG. Last I heard he switched to a Fender Pro Reverb. Maybe he could provide another opinion on this subject.
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It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. |
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Josh Yenne
From:
Sonoma California
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Posted 26 Jul 2019 11:49 pm
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Zirb.. ah... so funny... we are often on the same wave...
I JUST got a Traynor... like TODAY it arrived. I bought it site unseen cause I 've had my eye out for one for probably 2 years.. for some reason I wanted this weird model... a STUDIO MATE.
Basically a guitar mate but with four 8 inch speakers....
Closed back.... i played it a bit today with guitar.. gotta admit it didnt sound great but I'm going to take it to Skip... didnt play with steel... I think they used some pretty crappy speakers so I'll problaby have to get some 8's...
But Traynors RULE... there used to be a ton that would come through Tall Toad but now we NEVER see them! |
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Michael Brebes
From:
Northridge CA
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Posted 27 Jul 2019 6:45 am
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Just looked at the schematic of the YRM-1. The front end is identical to the YGL-3 except that it only has the one channel. Power amp section is identical except for the fact that it only has two 6CA7 tubes, not four. Those two amps should sound pretty close to each other.
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Michael Brebes
Instrument/amp/ pickup repair
MSA D10 Classic/Rickenbacher B6/
Dickerson MOTS/Dobro D32 Hawaiian/
Goldtone Paul Beard Reso
Mesa Boogie Studio Pre/Hafler 3000
RP1/MPX100 |
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Rich Upright
From:
Florida, USA
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Posted 27 Jul 2019 11:09 am
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Traynor was really popular with rockers in my area (NYC) back in the day; only problem I ever had with them was on 3 they were at full volume; nothing after that except more distortion.
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A couple D-10s,some vintage guitars & amps, & lotsa junk in the gig bag. |
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John Limbach
From:
Billings, Montana, USA
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Posted 28 Jul 2019 4:29 am
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I have a YRM-1 and YBA-1 heads that I like a lot. Don't play pedal, only lap, through them, but I would guess that the oversized xformers that can be pushed hard and would give lots of headroom for pedal.
I modified both of mine to Fender component values in the preamp and tone stack stages and also added individual bias circuits for each of the output tubes. Matching is simply a matter of adjusting the bias pots for the same plate dissipation on each tube.
The are dead simple to work on. Remove the four bolts holding the top on, loosen slightly the four horizontal bolts holding the chassis, pull the top off straight up and there's the underside of the chassis staring you in the face.
I don't play them at high volumes but I'm sure that they would make your ears bleed if cranked up in a normal sized room. |
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Michael Brebes
From:
Northridge CA
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Posted 28 Jul 2019 7:54 pm
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I LOVE the fact that I can undo 4 screws and pop the lid to work on the amp. Probably the best design ever from a repair aspect. Why didn't anyone else figure that one out.
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Michael Brebes
Instrument/amp/ pickup repair
MSA D10 Classic/Rickenbacher B6/
Dickerson MOTS/Dobro D32 Hawaiian/
Goldtone Paul Beard Reso
Mesa Boogie Studio Pre/Hafler 3000
RP1/MPX100 |
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Dave Campbell
From:
Nova Scotia, Canada
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Posted 3 Aug 2019 8:00 am
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i used the ygl III for a while. it sounded just terrible for steel with the stock marsland speakers. these speakers are the weak link in all traynor designs in my opinion. it sounded a lot better through my altec 418b.
the ygl is bullet proof and loud, but it didn't have the shimmer i wanted, and like many others i went to a fender twin.
the models with the el84 tubes sound cool, but don't have much clean headroom. |
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Michael Brebes
From:
Northridge CA
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Posted 3 Aug 2019 8:24 am
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If you want shimmer out of the amp, with a thicker pickup, you need to pull the Mids down. On the Traynor, to get the Mid range of a Fender you run from about 5 on down. So 5 is 10, 3 is 6, 2 is 4, etc.
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Michael Brebes
Instrument/amp/ pickup repair
MSA D10 Classic/Rickenbacher B6/
Dickerson MOTS/Dobro D32 Hawaiian/
Goldtone Paul Beard Reso
Mesa Boogie Studio Pre/Hafler 3000
RP1/MPX100 |
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MIchael Bean
From:
North Of Boston
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Posted 4 Aug 2019 6:18 am
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| I have a 1969 YSR-1 Custom Reverb amp. It's basically a Marshall Plexi. Jumping the two inputs together, I can make it as clean or dirty as I want. It's got a great beautiful mid-range tone when it just starts to bark. |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 4 Aug 2019 7:18 pm
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| MIchael Bean wrote: |
| I have a 1969 YSR-1 Custom Reverb amp. It's basically a Marshall Plexi. Jumping the two inputs together, I can make it as clean or dirty as I want. It's got a great beautiful mid-range tone when it just starts to bark. |
They are certainly top quality amps.. just not my idea of a great amp for pedal steel...
_________________
I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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