Anyone have experience with Traynor?

[BrentDomann]

I'm a college student, and I have a half stack that is sitting at home right now because it is: 1) too large and heavy to lug around for practical purposes, and 2) more than I need or expect to ever need in terms of size and power.

I have given some serious consideration to selling it and using the cash to aid in picking up a smaller but higer-end amp. I think if I am wise with my money then around $1000 is a good limit for me.

I have two amps in mind:

Mesa/Boogie F-50
Fender Twin-Amp

I have heard some good things about Traynor, and even a larger 2X12" or 4X10" combo from them would save me $300. I am curious if there are also bad things to be said for them. How do they compare to the above named amps in quality, tone, and general flexibility?

I realize some of my options as listed vary widely (that is, it may not be easy to compare a Fender Twin to a Mesa because of the different "personalities" of the two), but I play all kinds of music, and the things I seek most from an amp are warmth in both clean and gain channels, volume (not loudness, but fullness), and flexibility.

Any thoughts?

 

[Scottgman]

I'd be curious to hear comments about Traynor amps. I believe Traynor is owned by Yorkville and I really like my Yorkville monitors.

My advice would be to get an all tube amp, regardless of what brand. The best thing you could do is take your guitar to Guitar Center or some other music store and try out the amps in your price range. Let your ears decide for you.

 

[Tadpui]

I have a Traynor YCV80, an 80 watt 2x12 combo. I can't say enough good things about it and the company itself. It's very loud, it has a good crunch to it, and a very nice sounding clean channel.

I can't say much for comparison's sake, since I replaced a Fender Princeton Chorus with it...it's just apples and oranges between the two.

I think that the warranty really is the strong point for Traynor. 2 years coverage, even if you break it. Plus 10 years on the chassis (which I take means the cabinet itself).

I've never played thru a tube Marshall at full tilt, or a tube Fender at full tilt, but this amp can get really nasty if you crank it up. The distortion is a little grainy, but that could be as much due to the tubes as the amp itself.

The EQ is the only weird thing with my amp...the treble knob is really more of a "presence" knob, and the mid knob is more of a treble knob. Kinda weird, and I hated the way that my amp distortion sounded until I turned the treble almost all the way down. and there it was: a nice smooth tube distortion!

 

[BrentDomann]

Thanks a lot. I have a few replies for each of you.

Scott: I appreciate the advice. That is how I came to like the F-50. I went to a Guitar Center and played with it. I have always liked Fender amps (tube or not, new and old), even thought they can sound a little thin at times. But you are right. Tube amps are the way to go (that was part of the assumption in my getting a new amp to begin with), and I ought to let my ears decide. There is a Traynor dealer close to home, and sometime in May I'll get a chance to scoot over there to check these amps out. I realize now that even if I want one, I'll need my ears to pick the 4X10" or the 2x12".

Tad: I also appreciate your input. The warranty certainly is a bonus, though I think when they say "chassis" they intend to mean just the chrome housing that holds the circuitboards, pots, etc. and everything inside of it. But regardless, I'd be hard pressed to name a better warranty from another company. And about the distortion being "nasty", could you elaborate? I have found that, for example, the Peavey Classic series amp I have actually cleans up at full blast, and I have heard the same about Marshalls. You get the power amp tube-soak wonderfulness, but with less pre-amp crap fuzz. How does that compare to the Traynor?

Again, thanks guys (or gals, or whatever).

 

[Tadpui]

I guess that by "nasty" I mean that the tubes break up very well. Its not a derogatory term. It's not bad, it's Micheal Jackson "Bad". wait, that doesn't help any.

Just like you say, at lower volumes, it's all preamp tube distortion, but at higher volume levels it gets nice and sensitive without that gritty preamp distortion. But there is still a bit of high-end "grit", for lack of a better word, to it. this is where I wish that I had heard a Marshall, Fender, or Mesa cranked way up to see if its just the nature of the tubes or if its the amp itself.

There are 3 different gain stages for the distortion: gain, volume, and master volume. I keep the gain at around 3, volume at 8, and master volume anywhere from 2 (practicing at night) to 7 or 8 (recording or performing). with the master turned up, and the boost enabled, nasty and snarling would be the best way I could describe the distortion. Without the boost enabled, its a great classic crunch.

If you play on these amps at the shop, try to find one of the models with the "scoop" switch. Personally, I don't really like the heavy metal scooped sound, but if you engage the scoop and compensate for it by upping the mids in the EQ, it actually sounds very nice and full.

I've actually listened to my amp next to a Peavey classic (I think...is that the tweed-faced beige colored Peavey tube amp?). I have different tastes in distortion than my friend who was playing the Peavey, but I liked my amp's distortion better. we both like low gain settings, but I just liked the warmth of the Traynor better.m Of course that was the first time that I'd been able to turn it up, and it could have just been the "that my boy!" factor.

Hope my ramblings are actually contributing here...I just like talking about my amp hehe

 

[Scottgman]

Hehe... I can totally relate to enjoying talking about your amp. I could go on for hours about how much I love my Budda Superdrive 2x12. But it's way above his price range so I didn't want to rub it in... hehe At least your ramblings are relevant to the topic at hand.