Yorkville 400B

bought in the mid nineties brand new, used the amp for funken slap mostly, a very straight forward but powerful unit,
i ran it into a 2-12 swr box and the result was fine.....
with contour button in always....linked with my musicman 4str..
happy band!

minimal noise from this unit,clean and almost to hard,
ran for years with chorus pedal for colour,
and compressor (boss half rack)to get my sound.

always in a road case, reminding me of peavey type brickshithouse build

no repairs needed ever

amp section rates highly, plenty of power,
may lose to others in pre amp areas.
compressor-enhancer tube & di- xlr would be nice.
reliability-headroom gets this one over the line for me.
player for 20+years.

Purchased in 1993. When I played actively with it, I played it like a lead instrument. This amp is no background bass amp, its PRESENT. The onboard EQ, limiter, and contour help shape the tone EXTREMELY WELL. It has an effects loop. Active and/or passive inputs. Has the 15" speaker, and an extra line out for an external speaker cabinet. I once used this amp outdoors at a Volkswagen car show. It couldn't be contained onstage, so we put it underneath, and it still shook the stage. 400 watts is PLENTY of power. Unfortunately this amp got more use with my current bands bass player, and I made the mistake of lending it to a psuedo-friend, who mornically hooked a cabinet of the wrong ohm rating to this. Drained. He actually had someone look at it to get it fixed, but they had no idea what they were doing, and in the process caused more damage then he originally had caused. @$$. I'm in the process of getting it fixed. Yorkville was very helpful in the obtainment of specifications, and what is need to get the new transformer installed. They also gave me the number of a local company that will be able to fix my amp. I have yet to visit him.

I'm using an Ibanez Soundgear 885, with active stock pickups. Not the best, but there is much worse. This amp suits my playing extremely well. Accented highs, pulsing lows. I have an awesome pre-amp on my bass though, it is very key in my tone. It is LOUD. I generally keep my volume at just above 6. (It definately goes to 11). On the EQ, I have my lows accented, scooped mids, and boosted highs. Limiter and Contour are always ON.

This amp is extremely dependable. Unlike the "friend" who borrowed it. It broke down as a result of incorrect ohm connection on an external speaker cabinet. (Honestly, he didn't need an extra cab hooked up anyways. Jerk.) He says it's "It was an old amp. Old things break." I say he's full of crap. It was going strong. I even bought it used during 2002. He drained the power in it late 2004.

Extremely helpful. Sent me all schematics, transformer detail, and what to do to adjust the chassis for the new transformer, as the one originally installed has since been discontinued. The people they referred me to, seem helpful. I have to make a long drive to get it to them, but I'm sure they'll be helpful.

I've been playing for upwards of 7 years now. (That's for bass) I'm primarily a pianist. Playing upwards of 13 years now. I own my Ibanez SDGR 885, a left handed Squier P-bass, and an Epiphone Vintage G-400. (Fretboard related). A late 1800's upright grand piano, among various synths..... If lost, I'd replace. It broke (not my, or the amps fault). I'm getting it fixed.

I have bought the 400B head from a pawnshop, I tried it into a Fender Bassman 300w cab and it sounded weak... I mean, it drives 400 watts at 4 ohms, so it means you reach 300w or so in 8ohms... this is bad to my opinion. I wish it had a XLR output and a built in compressor. I am now looking for a cab powerful enough to allow me to use the full capacity of the amp. My drummer plays a 23 pieces kit and the guitar player uses some chunky 5150 head into a Marshall cab ! They are loud. We play a blend of many styles in one genre, mostly metal oriented and I fear not finding a good cab for my head. Any suggestions ?

I am using a Soundgear SR-885 with a vari-mid 3 band EQ with a really in-your-face sound, active pickups... Every 400B users told me they could make the ceiling crumble with their rig turned on... I am still doubtful about it.

It looks really sturdy, and I find it to be heavy to carry, I guess it's going to last a good while.

I am been playing for 16 years, used several amps such as Peavey TKO 115, a Trace-Elliot head into a Hartke cab, Acoustic cab with a some old Peavey head... Right now I am using a TK0-115 (really old with two unworking EQ frequencies) which I use for my high end and a TNT 115 for my low end, both are linked together and crossed over. I just wish I will get the sound I am craving for : equals mids-highs and shaking lows. Some guy told me to buy a Behringer 4X10 speaker cab to get satisfied with all the power of that " beast " as he says... I'll take it from there.

This amp is great, dual fx loops, line outs, dual speaker cab outs, 10 band eq, limiter, and contour for that fat Korn sound. Comes in a small fairly lightweight (comparitively) box with carpet. The head is a 14" rack mount head that they stuck in the top of the box to make it a combo.

This is the weakest aspect of this amp, and that's only because they made this thing to be portable, if they would have made the internal dimmensions 70-100% larger, this thing would have no problems with the low notes. Playing on a four string Fender P-Bass deluxe i had no complaints, it was only when i switched to the five string that i noticed it doesn't handle the low B so well. This can easily be fixed by attaching an external cab and compressor. I prefer playing with the mid-scoop "contour" on, it loses some articulation, but sounds very punchy with active pickups.

This is a solid state amp designed to be abused. My drummer is an INCREDIBLY loud metal drummer, so i run the preamp stage at 9 - 9.5, and post amp stage also in the same area. I have no tonal breakups, the limiter does a faboulous job in protecting both the amp and speaker (even when i bust out the synth pedals, which are exceptionally hard on drivers). It comes with a two year fully transferrable waranty, and the company is owned by Long & McQuade, which as far as i've found has the BEST customer service standards around.

I haven't had to take this amp in for servicing because it's pretty much indestructable, so this rating is more for the music store that i bought it through, which is Long & McQuade. Anyone who has ever shopped there has no complaints about customer service. These guys are fabulous and wouldn't give me any hassles at all. (They even loan you an amp if your's goes in for repair!).

I've been playing for about a decade, if lost or stolen, i would replace it with the same amp, both for price and functionality. Of course there are better rigs out there, but they are quite overpriced in my opinion, this amp has the capacity to be nice and neutral which is good for effects, and with an external cab the sound is awesome. Overall, a very good product, just wish it was tube driven (sigh...).

2000 or 2001 400 Watt, 4 Ohms, 1 x 15" Combo bass amp. Removable rack mounted head with passive and active (-6db) inputs, gain, 10 band EQ, EQ level, master volume, EQ on/off switch, Limiter on/off switch, contour on/off switch, 1/4" jacks on front for footswitch (EQ, Contour), effects loop, balanced line out, effects loop. 1/4 " jacks on back for two speakers, effects loop, balanced line out. One 15" 300 watt 8ohm speaker & one small (almost inaudible) tweeter. The crossover serves only to cut the lows from the tweeter. I tried an L-pad in an attempt to reduce annoying highs and it made almost no difference.
Because of the switcheable EQ and Contour, there are four separate sounds or channels available & two of these are tweakable to an almost unlimited degree thanks to the 10 band EQ. You can set up an EQ curve and level it out with the unaffected sound and switch back and forth between them or use one as a boost. When you use the contour switch you get a very fat smooth sound with some high end bite, sounds good for slap. Oh ya and all of these sounds are foot switcheable, so you can select any of them on the fly.

I play in a R&B band with some modern rock, no country, no grunge, no metal. I play some slap, but mostly fingerstyle and I like to hear all the percussive ghost notes etc. I like a low but punchy sound. I use this amp for our basement band practices & gigs which are mostly in pubs with 100-350 people. It definitely has enough power, but I have had a lot of trouble convincing my guitar player that it is not too much, as he only has 40watts. I think 40 tube-watts for guitar, 400 watts for bass and a live drummer are a good volume match. No one is pushing their equipment to extremes, and there is lots of clear headroom.
One thing I would like to clear up is the power rating of this amp. If you read the small print in your manual you will find that the amp is rated 400 watts at the minimum impedance of 4 ohms. So because the internal speaker is rated 8 ohms, the amp is only pushing about 260 watts. If you want 400 watts, hook up one more 8 ohm speaker. Don't be alarmed though, you didn't get ripped off! Other manufacturers do the same thing. One reviewer commented that it was a 400w amp into a 300w speaker, well now he can rest easy knowing it is a good match.
There is no headphone jack, I have a small practice amp, and a headphone amp for practice so I don't miss it. I wish it had an XLR out, tuner out and a mute switch, but none of these are critical. I don't use the effects loops, because I use a Boss stomp box tuner and a Boss Limiter/Enhancer (Great pedals by the way), and both of these should be in line before the pre-amp.

I have made some major (and I mean major) modifications to get the sound I want with this amp. First of all I use the Boss Limiter/Enhancer which is essential w/this amp. It allows you to push the amp much harder by keeping aggressive dynamics under control. You can get some frapping distortion when you pluck hard or pluck lower notes, so you have to be smart & listen. The Boss has completely illuminated all frapping problems. Secondly, I added an Eden D210T to the set up to get the full use of the 400 watts and to add some more punch and volume. Thirdly, I completely disassembled this combo and mounted the 15" speaker in a self made box approximately double the interior volume of the original box. This has made a HUGE difference and I highly recommend you do this. It is not as difficult as you might think, and overall the box is not that much bigger or heavier than the original combo amp. Email me if you would like plans for the box because it must be built and vented to exact specifications to match the speaker.

I made my cabinet out of MDF as I wasn't sure it would make a big enough difference and I was being cheap. I recommend using 5/8" or 3/4" plywood which costs about double or more than what MDF costs, but it may survive 4 times as many drops to the floor, and bumps into walls.
As a warning to all amp shoppers, beware of manufacturers that try to make a small easy to carry speaker with supposedly great sound and volume. They MUST compromise something. If you want good sound, you have to live with the weight and size. It goes with the bass playing territory.

I use this amp with a Warwick Streamer LX5 string, and I really had a lot of trouble with this amp, until I made my modifications (see above). It was really honky sounding. I didn't take a lot of time making a decision about this purchase (unlike my Warwick). I traded in the smaller Yorkville 200w, 2x10 for this one because I wanted more power and I should have tried other amps, but now that I have seen many other amps I don't regret this purchase. Sure I long for a cool SWR, GK, or Eden, but for the money and features I didn't go wrong. Not to mention the warranty!
This amp is completely quiet, there is no fan, just a big bank of Air Cooling fans across the back.
With the major modifications I have made it finally sounds good. It was so honky sounding, it drove me crazy, but now it sounds full and punchy and I can finally hear that Warwick growl. My guitar player commented that now it seems to fill a part of the sonic spectrum that was not being filled before, and that it doesn't seem to compete with the vocals & guitar like it used to.

I feel like I can depend on this amp, Yorkville's "you break it we fix it" warranty speaks volumes about their product. The amp has never broken down and I gig without a backup. Maybe if I had roadies I would carry another rig.

I tried to get the specs for the internal speaker from Yorkville and they didn't co-operate, that kinda ticked me off, so they get a 7. However they are associated with Long & McQuade in Calgary so I'll give em' one back.

Overall I give this combo an 8, because I think the speaker cabinet sucks, but the amp is really a good deal and compares favorably to other more notable amps with double the price tag. I have been playing bass for about a year and a half, but grew up playing drums, and have played guitar for about 10 to 15 years. I am still too inexperienced to really define the tone I want, but I do like the Warwick growl, and through this experience can tell you a few things I don't like. If the head were lost or stolen, I would probably try to get my hands on a SWR 4004 Workingman just for sex appeal and because it has pretty much the same specs as the Yorkville. But it is also double the price, so I might be inclined to just replace the Yorkville. I love the sound I am getting now. I like the quality notch feeling in the gain and master. I hate the dinky little EQ buttons. I love that I could take the head out of the combo. I love the EQ master volume because I can balance the volume of the EQ'd and un-EQ'd settings, or I can use it as a boost. I love the option of the contour, I love the fact that it is all foot switcheable.
I have since compared it to SWR, Eden, Gallien Krueger, and Fender and they all have different features, but they are not live or die features. I would choose this again.

Feel free to contact me for specs on the cabinet or info about anything else I mentioned above.

This is a combo unit with a 15" speaker and a horn. It accomodates a great variety of sound with its EQ features. I don't use the pre-set contour option much 'cause I find it kind of thick sounding. I prefer a powerful clean crisp sound for the punchy sound I use in jazz as well as the up-tempo country festival band I play in. Plenty of power and head room, especially when I use it with a Peavy Black Widow with its 15" and two 8".

I'm using an Ibanez soundgear SR-485 five string with great EQ. I can get a wonderfully full resonance from the low B string and a good clear resonating nose bleed all the way up the neck. Extremely quiet and clean. compared to the Crate B-150 I was using with the Black Widow this is a difference of night and day. The band was visibly shocked when they first heard this amp. They all commented (even our 3 female singers) that it was incredibly clean and made the whole band sound much more crisp and professional.

Very tough cabinet and quality components that take the abuse of gigging very well.

No experience with service at this point.

I've been playing over 30 years and am exceptionally impressed with the quality of the sound as well as the construction. I'd buy it again in an instant. I told my supplier that I'd be glad to become a formal endorser of the product. The best amp I've had since my old Acoustic 360 in 1969.

A basic head. No XLR out (big mistake!). I also use a compressor, but it gets noisy in some clubs, plus it's a pain to lug around and set up. My next head will have both an xlr out and built in compression! A Tuner out would be nice too! Has 8 band graphic EG, and a countour switch (also a limiter which I leave on). Also has active and passive imputs, but I plug my active bass (Carvin electronics) into the passive imput for more power: works fine!

Dead quite, unless I try to use effects. With countour on (the way I use It) it loses punch, but without countour, it sounds like a tin can, even with tweaking the heck out of the eq. I've used several basses, and cabs with it, results are pretty much the same. Currently running a GK stack. Basically, a poor choice.

I guess being simple has it's advantages (my wife says it works for me!). But Yorkville does have a good rep for reliability. Been working it straight for 3 years without a problem.

I bought this amp because I was working in a small music store, got a good deal, and we had very limited selection. I don't want to diss it too baddly, because its earned its keep without a problem, but I can't wait to get something else!

Single channel (high and low imputs), pre and post gain, 10-band EQ, limiter, countour circuit, effects loop, line out, two speaker outs (one for the internal speaker and an extra for driving another cab). The EQ, limiter, and contour circuit are defeatable via front pannel switch or footswitch (not included--I use a generic one). The EQ is great. It allows quite a bit of cut or boost on each frequency, and the pre/post gain knobs let you dial in some gain (you can even overdrive it a bit). The limiter protects the speaker; that's its only real function (I always leave it on). The contour circuit produces a very bassey scooped mid sound. Metal guys might like it for that. I never use it. The only feature I really wish it had is a direct out (so I wouldn't have to pack a direct box), but very few amps have that feature. It's a 400 watt head, though you'd need an external cab in addition to the internal speaker to get all of that power out of it (I think the internal speaker handles 200+ watts).

I play a P+J Fender for most of my work. I've always found the sound of the Yorkville very useful for rock and funk. You can get a lot of volume out of it when you need it (without sacrificing quality), and it is capable of quite a bit of tonal variety. Live, I run it with the pre gain on 2 or 3 and the post gain on 6. I can always hear myself. People are often impressed with its volume and tone. It's not as warm as some amps (e.g. ampeg tube amps), but it faithfully reproduces the sound of your bass, gives you quite a bit of tonal shaping ability, and can project your sound over loud drums and guitars.

I've had my 400B for five years and it has never let me down once. I loaned it to an ex-friend who blew the speaker because he was driving it as loud as it will go with the limiter off! But I relplaced the speaker and it has been a real workhorse.

I've never had to deal with manufacturer. The warranty that it came with covered everything, no questions asked, for a year or two.

I've been playing for 14 years. I've played through a variety of amps (peavey, crate, ampeg, SWR, fender). This one compares very favorably to other amps both within and a few hundred dollars above its price range. I like it. There are better amps, but this is a fine amp for the cash.

This amp has many different sounds but most are not useful. It comes with a 15" speaker that is only 300 watts for a 400 watt amp. It has a fx loop wicth I don't use, a 9 band eq that you can turn right of if you want, a limiter that appears to do nothing.

I use a Fender Jazz Base with Emg Select pickups. I can get a some what punchey tone if I turn the gain up but the amp overdrives easy. It has many different tones some useable some not, but I can't find the right one for me. I play in a metal band and most of the time it's sound does not seem to fit in.

It is very reliable. Buit like a tank. I have had it for one year and every time I plug it in it works the way it supposed to. It haas been banged around and dropped a few times and is always okay.

I have never dealt with with the company and I doubt I will ever have to. Very little info comes with the amp but it is very straight forward to use.

It's got the most bang for the buck that I seen. It's built very well but lacks in tone and that's what's Important. I think I did okay buying it as my first amp.

MAN! The power of this thing is nuts! It comes with a 15" Eminance spk. and the amp itself is a two space rack mount. It can run comfortably at 4 ohms. Two FX loops are provided,The one in the front panel with the send-return on two seperate jacks. The back has a TRS FX loop and two spk. outputs. A balanced line out is provided in the front, again, TRS. Low and high gain inputs are provided for those of you who have active and passive basses, this is very usefull. Next to the inputs, we have the signal gain, next to this, the 10 band E.Q..and finaly, the master output. A dual foot switch enables you to turn the E.Q. on and off and turn the preset contour on and off. The contour gives you a real fat sound lots of lows and highs. But I mostly dont use it .

Well, it sounds like a 400 hundred watt monster. Incredible head room. The speaker that is provided is a 200 watt eminance, not bad. But the amp realy shines when pluged in to a big cab. I use it with a Trace-Elliot 1x15 1x10 300+100 cabinet with earth moving results. As far as the speaker in the combo version is concerned, it is quite adequate.

Though as nails.

Yorkville is a small canadian company. They offer a two year, unlimited, transferable garantie. NO questions asked. I've had my amp for 4 years now, I bought mine from the 2nd run they made. It broke in the 2nd year, they changed the inside of the head to the curent amp that they where manufacturing at the time ( yes, a new amp!) All of this free of charge and my amp was back in 4 days!!!