Need a new amp quick, what should I look at?
Oh, Jimmy
Posts: 957
I asked awhile back about some amps to check out and I finally have some cash to spend on one. I am lookin to spend between 500 and 700. I have been checkin out ebay and found a new Traynor YCV50 Blue for $659 buy it now. I have heard good things about these amps, and was wondering a few things. How is the distortion channel on them. I love a good tube crunch that really screams. I am not a big fan of OD pedals, so I don't really wanna add one. Does it produce adequate crunch for some heavier rock(ie. TOOL, Rage) and does it clean up well. Also, how is the price. I can take my chances and try bidding, but that may be a hassle. Any advice on this amp is appreciated and taken with high regard, as I know people around here know their stuff. Thanks for replying.
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I have the Traynor YCV40WR (the model that won the award)
Overdrive Channel - is great!! the sound fits any type of sound you want, all depends on the guitar you use. The sound is very smooth but once you get the gain 7 or higher it starts to get into harder rock, its perfect...Personally i cannot turn my amp volume past 1 since i live with neighbors above, next, and underneath me, so i use a Ts9 to boost it, but when i crank it (at jams) i dont need the ts9 at all and the boost feature it has is PERFECT for solos (and yes its true, you get NO hums)
Clean Channel - the GREATEST clean channel i have ever heard, PERIOD....
The amp can be used for ANY genre...punk, metal, alternative, funk, hard rock, etc etc etc
Hint: make sure the "Presence" knob is not past 7 or 8
overall this amp is one of the best amps i have played, its perfect for anything...and for the price? you cant beat the price...i got mine which was 3 months old when i baught it for 450$...
GET IT
The blue is slightly more expensive than the above model probably due to the color change, not that that changes anything really it does look cool though.
The 50 Blue is an EL34 amp whereas the above is 5881. His will have a little more headroom whereas yours will have a little tighter bass response and more wooly british overdrive character. Other than that, very similar.
Great Amp, go for it.
hey Pac my guitar teacher told me there was a garage sale (in the fucking cold weather, lol) and there was an Orange AD30 for only 75$ LOL and he just has to replace the speaker...haha...i actually thought of you when he said that for some reason
nice did he get it? Sucks that even 15 watts is too loud for the new Apt. I'm gonna have to soundproof.
im thinking of getting rid of my deville for one of those
the deville is just to loud its like 80 tube watts or something
go with a lacquered tweed bassman, or the Blues Deluxe instead.
just a quick question......is a 15 watt tube amp (blues jr or ycv20) loud enough to play with a drummer and another quitarist??? I play with a couple buddies and we don't ever plan to gig....but I want a new amp and didn't know if 15 watts would hanlde it.......also in the reviews for the ycv20 they keep saying they need to retube it at least annually if not semi-annually??? is that normal???
or would the ycv40 be a better option? I have a roland jc120 right now and don't turn it past 3 ever......
thanks for any info......
It is a misconception that you need lots of watts to hang with drummers and other band people. 15 tube powered watts is very loud. Many people buy amps that are too loud so much so that they waste the potential of thier amps. Unless you can keep the amp at 5 or above and still boost and whatever you need, it's likely too loud for your purposes. Most people desire to some extent the sound that tube amps provide when the power tubes contribute along with the preamps. If you are a garage band, going over 40 watts is a gross misuse of your needs. 40 watts will almost certainly piss your sound man off at most gigable places. What you need to decide is how much headroom (clean volume before clip) you desire. Because tube amps are rated at nominal power their peak output is around 5 or so on the volume knob, above that in overdrive most tube amps can produce more than their rated RMS power. For instance A 50 watt dual EL34 Marshall DSL might actually be putting out around 98 watts with the amp completely dimed. So essentially worry less about wattage when you are tube shopping and more about how much clean volume you need and how much you like to play in that almost breaking up state at around 5 on the amp, for me it's all the time because I love the harmonics I can get out of my amp when it's cooking. If you feel the need to increase volume or bass response what have you, you can always add an extention cabinet closed or open back depending on your sonic desires, (provided the amp you purchase has an extention cabinet output)
There are some very very nice small amps out there made for working and gigging musicians that don't play arenas. Blues Jr's are all over, (but I prefer better tubes and a speaker swap) The new Crate V15's are outstanding with really nice Tone Tubby speakers and the like, The Traynors above obviously Good, Peavy Delta Blues, Fender Blues Deluxes and even the 40 watt bassman as it is only one of the best amps ever produced for any performance and then it gets more expensive with the Top Hats, and Matchless and Bad Cat and Dr Z's, Savage etc and also Rivera with thier very flexible Chubsters and Pubsters. It just depends on what look you want, how much headroom you want how much breakup or clean or harmonics you want, whether you need tremolo whether you want self contained channel switching or you prefer single channel boosted with outboard stuff etc. But I digress............:D All I can say is don't buy an amp because Mr Famous uses it, buy an amp because it's best for your space and your purposes and you can achieve more of the tones you desire. I tweaked an amp for a friends band the other day, he had purchased a new AC30 Custom Classic, because Billy Corgan was using them and he'd seed David Gilmore use the originals and he was a huge fan. The speakers that came with the amp were stiff and too high wattage for the sound he wanted at the volume he needed, (recording in about an 12x12 room) He had about a grand in the amp and another grand in pedals that were great stuff but too loud for the application given the amp, but hey, I'm not there to tell anyone they are wrong. I just turn down the treble adjust the mids and the amp up to operating level and then tweek the rat and HAO rust driver until the amp sounds like an AC30 should. He says, wow that sounds great but it's too loud. I said, yeah, but that's what you have. Your option at that point is to purchase an attenuator to record. The lesson, go with something you can crank and tweak somewhere near your volume level and you your audience and your soundman will be happiest. In the days of the PA, it dosen't matter how many watts you have anymore, unless you just want to rattle teeth in the next county, which is cool.
Or a Deluxe Reverb. I got my Blues Deluxe for $350 years ago from a poor college student and i got my 65 DRRI for $500 used.
I also have an 18watt homemade amp and to answer your question if it is loud enough, if it is pure class A they are more than loud enough for use with a drummer! I am not sure if the Traynor amp is PURE class A and i doubt it.
i agree. I can conservatively say 90% of guitarists have too much amp than they need. If you are looking for a good bedroom amp that breaks up nicely even a pure Class A 5W amp is too loud for most.
Traynors are Class AB push pull (we should probably say neither is particularly better it's just how the amp works and reacts) Single ended class A amps are generally lower powered (EL84, (6BQ5) 6V6 etc. and usually higher powered amps are AB and use large octal tubes like EL34's or 6L6's. But you can use the large tubes in a single ended configuration too it just depends on the sound and feel you're looking for. The marshall thing is pretty much an AB configuration. The Orange AD's I believe are Class A. I haven't read up on classes in a while though. Another you see a lot lately is Class D digital, the very small amps that produce a ton of power used a lot in small electronic devices, home theatre, and auto applications.
I like the DRRI's too. I was really considering a vibrolux or super reverb before I bought my Orange, conceding I wanted to be able to carry it around easily and I didn't need 40 watts. Hell, I have to use an an attenuator with the 15-18 that I have now....stupid apartment.
Yeah, i love EL 34 amps too even though they are generally AB, look at the Bogner Shiva (drooooooool).
I was just saying that my class A 18 Watt is MUCH louder than my old P.O.S. Marshall Valvestate 100watt amp. Wattages are decieving and when you make your first jump from valvestate to tubes it is a huge shock at how much louder they are at lower watts.
What Orange do you have? I would like a Rocker.
I think for the most part I would like to push the tubes, I don't think I need a lot of headroom.....so I assume I should look at 30 watts or less? I really like the look of the Traynor WR series.....but the reviews say the tubes need to be replaced alot.....would that be the same with any small amp that is being pushed all the time??? realistictly I only play 1-2 times a week for a couple hours each time.
also...I use a few pedals, I have an ts9, ds1 and a big muff that I made, would this help push the tubes w/o getting increadably loud if I had a 40 watt amp? or would the volume just kill me.......
thanks again for your help.....
I have the discontinued AD15/12. I want to try out a Rocker but the only place in Atlanta that sells them is rarely open when anyone who isn't a full time musician or lives in the neighborhood can actually shop.
You'll be ok with that rig. If you play less frequently at maybe 1-2 hours a week the tubes may last a lot longer. In general, most people say change the tubes yearly for best performance. There are tell tale signs of tubes going. You'll be ok anywhere from 50 watts on down but 30 or less will allow you to really let the amp breath without killing people. Tube replacement is just an unfortunate part of the maintence of a tube amp, however using the standby and letting them warm up can lengthen life some say use stand by when you finish as well.. It's mainly just the Power tubes that need replacement, Preamp tubes can last much longer. If you like the look and sound of the traynor, go with it, it will make you happy, and if it's too loud, there are ways to pad it down.
Can' say too much about it right now as I've only played a few minutes at home. Seems like a good amp for the bucks.
yes he did get it actually
and yeah im thinking of soundproofing my room, so i can play a little louder since im in an apartment as well
what exactly do you do? and how much does it cost?
Yes, it should be essentially half the AC30CC that's out currently. It is a tube amp I'm not sure if they added anything to the original design or not. The upcharge for the vintage blue speaker is probably well worth it.