Yorkville XS400H Head

I bought this puppy new from L&M in 2006. Everyone has done a good job covering the features so we'll leave that bit out. Biggest bonuses are incredible quality and build considering the price, and the Canadian content. This thing kicks the butt of amps that cost $500+ more. The tube overdrive is great and you can get nice variety by mixing the amount of drive, blend, and scoop features. I play mostly rockish type stuff (classic, hard), pop, funk, etc... all the usual suspects.

Anyways, I find this amp is amenable to pretty much any style: the EQ is very versatile. The footswitch is totally worth getting considering it's only 20 bucks and simplifies dealing with the drive immensely. I find the effects loop kind of redundant since you now have an extra thingy to stomp and knob to twirl besides the pedals themselves...needless complication. On a purely superficial level the bright blue power light is very pretty.

I play with a Warwick Rockbass (the purty Corvette classic 5) through the active input. I'm currently using a Yorky XC210 cabinet and an older Yorky 210 cabinet (B210 or something?...it's got blue fuzz covering). I find this to be a wonderful combination and it is more than loud enough to handle multiple guitars and drums. I would like to get a 15" cabinet to help with the low B definition, although all things considered it still sounds mighty fine.

The distortion sounds really nasty (in a good way) as you increase the drive knob...it can get a little boomy so EQing is sometimes required. I tend to suppress the hi and low mids about midway and have the bass and treble slightly boosted. This setup works well and most tone jiggling is then done on my bass's preamp. I find the compressor becomes a bit much if it's more than 50% or 60% on. The scoop and drive are the two I play with the most. With my bridge pickup soloed and a bit of extra treble from the Warwick this thing cuts like a razor. All the same, you can get ANYTHING out of this amp. I found the EQ settings in the manual to be very helpful.

This amp is super reliable and two years of constant use have not affected it at all. Even if I could afford a backup I wouldn't need one. Unlike my crappy old Carvin combo that overheated and shut down after 10 mins of playing.

Amp is perfect so far. For the record, I bought the XC210 for about $500 from L&M as well. Had some vibration problems (interestingly only when Es were played). So I took it back to L&M and (after they tried a few remedies), they shipped it FOR FREE to T.O. where Yorkville fixed it up right as rain. So Kudos to Yorky and L&M for excellent customer service, especially considering the cabinet was USED when I bought it!

I've been playing for 9 years and this can be considered my first "pro" rig. I have gotten universally +ve comments from all who have heard it. All told I paid about $1500 for the two cabinets (both used) and the amp (new). I defy anybody to find a better setup for this amount. I've heard amps alone that cost more than this and sound mediocre at best. My only quibble is that the dials are impossible to read under stage lighting conditions, but that's just a minor issue. I would buy this again in a second if some idiot stole it, and I highly recommend it. Buy Canadian!

Covered very well by other users, I wish this amp had a tuner out mute switch, so you could have a pedal that muted the amp.

I use a Washburn Usa XB920 ZB, with Active pickups, This amp sounds sick! it's unbelievabe how great the tones out of this amp are, there is a bit of hum but I think it could be from my pickups, both the clean and distortd channel rule. All and all it rules!!!!

i'm pretty sure you could jump on this thing and it would be fine

n/a no support needed for a product that dosn't break

The most amazing amp (except for the xs800) EVER!

The features for this amp have been covered well by previous descriptions

My usual bass is an American Precision which I purchased new in 1975...the type of music then was mainly rock and roll. I still have the original amp a Peavey series 400 the thing is way too heavy and limited in types of sound. I wanted something with better tone and much lighter if possible so here is the result. After pouring over adds and this very website I decided to take a chance on the Yorkville XS400 head and an Avatar neo SB112 cabinet. Thanks to Long and McQuade and Steam boat (Canadian Avatar supplier) I now have an unbelievable sounding bass setup. The tube preamp blending setup is awesome. I did try a SWR tube model but it didnt seem to have the presence. The speaker cabinet is a 4 ohm model and sounds much bigger than it looks...also only weighs 39 pounds!!!
The sound I get from this is exactly what I was looking for!

Who can beat Yorkvilles warranty?

Both Long and Mcquade and Steamboat said I could try it for quite a lengthy period and if I didnt like it send back for a refund! Cant beat that!

The music I play now is mostly for a church praise team...I do wish that the amp and speaker were a combo unit but I guess what I have will have to do. I will end by saying both companies Yorkville and Avatar have produced some excellent products at a very reasonable cost!

this year.... play classic /hard rock and also old school metal.... by now u should know all the features ... wish the footswitch would of came with it for the price it was to buy...... i use it everywhere our band plays

a gothic epiphone thunderbird IV bass ... suits every style i play... its very quiet......can make any tone u can imagine....only had it at 3 at the loudess on stage and it rocks great with the rest of the band ...... tube distortion is awsome !!!

very dependable i would use it without a backup .... running great.....

got good response out of yorkville when asking about footswitch......

been playing guitar and bass for about 30yrs......epiphone gothic IV bass, xc410 cabnet would buy it again..... compares equil or better than amps in same class....i love everything about this amp........ this am ROCKS with the BEST out there !!!! and its canadian !!))))))))

Using with P bass special and Rickenbacker 4003.

Quiet amp. Very sterile tone, despite the tube preamp. Compressor pumps at more than very moderate settings. When tube sound is mixed with clean and compressor is engaged there is a strange sub harmonic that appears, not pleasant.

N/A

Received the amp and after working with it for a time realized it was not the tone I was looking for. Maybe I've spent too many years with all tube amps to be satisfied with a hybrid. Power tubes make such a big difference with the response and coloration of the amp.

I think the features of this bass amp head have been covered well in the other reviews, so I won't repeat those, but I will mention my favorite features: footswitchable tube drive, parametric mid, selectable pre- or post-EQ DI out, and tube/clean channel blend control.

I play a G&L JB-2 and G&L SB-2 through this head, both of which are passive instruments. I play mainly power pop, rock, and blues - I'm able to get the sounds I need ou of this head. You can get a wide variety of usful sounds out this head. It did take me some tweaking of the EQ section to get the sounds I was looking for, but I'm not the best knob twister. The tube drive will put out some nice tube distortion. I've been extremely pleased with the sound quality of this head. I've previously played SWR, Ampeg, and Eden Nemesis I can definitely say that this head holds its own, and in some cases, depending on the specific model its compared to, sounds better.

I've only owned this head for 3 weeks, so I can't comment on its reliability. But I will say that it appears to be exremely well-built and is very solid. My only quibble here would be the knobs, which don't seem to be quite as solid as the rest of the head.

I've contacted customer service twice; once to inquire about the footswitch and once with questions about placing the head in 2 unit rack and the potential for overheating. In both cases, I got prompt, curteous responses. In one of the cases, they saw my work phone number in the email and called me at work about 30 minutes after I sent the email.

I've been playing for 7 years, and this head is definitely the best I've owned. I've owned a SWR Workingman 4004, Ampeg SVP-Pro preamp with a QSC power amp, SWR SM500, and an Eden Nemesis 320. Of those amps, its my opinion that the XS400H head is better than all of them except for SM500, but the XS400H compares well with the SM500 and costs half the price. The Yorkville name is unfortunately not very well known in the US. In the few times that I had heard or read the Yorkville name prior to owning this head, I discounted it as a cheap low quality brand name because I had never read any review of the head, didn't see local bassists play it, and didn't see it being sold in the 'boutique' shops. Man, was I wrong. In searching on the web for a new bass head, I noticed the XS400H, started reading about the features, read reviews here and on one other website, and then decided to take a chance on it, knowing I could always return it if I didn't like it. I'm definitely glad I made the decision to get this head - so much so that I'm planning on purchasing an XS800H head sometime within the next couple of months. As other reviewers have said, you won't be able to find a better bass head at this price, and many heads costing much more don't even compare.

I gotta be honest, I never originally set out to buy a Yorkville. I had always played a name brand amp (SWR, Eden, Ampeg etc..) Yorkville has completely changed my mind and has made me a believer,

Tube pre-amp
Tube overdrive
Dry/Wet overdrive blend
compressor
limiter
5 band EQ
Scoop control
Tuner mute
Effects loop
400 watts
The best warranty in the business
Made in North America (Toronto, Canada-- no cheap pacific rim labor used here)

You should be able to find these for about half the price of an ampeg--I got mine for only $540 (2005). I would have to pay double that if I were to get a comparable amp from one of the big names.

My only gripes are that the lettering on the front of the amp is hard to see under stage lighting conditiions (grey & white), and that the footswitch is not included with the amp.

Let me give you some backgound, I compared this thing against an SWR working pro 400, an Ampeg B2RE, an Ampeg SVT III, a GK700 RBII, and an ashdown MAG 600. The Yorkie crushed them all. I was blown away by the tone; you can get a gritty 70's era tone (perfect for those Led Zep and Black Sabbath covers) with the tube circuit, or you can back it off to get a glassy clean tone. This thing sounds like the Ampeg SVT III (for about half the price). Also, this is no one trick pony; I've been able to effectively use the Yorkie for Metallica tunes or for more subtle blues jams--it's all in there.

The overdrive is great, you can get some real juicy fuzz if you crank it--just don't expect to get buzzsaw distortion, you'll still need a pedal for the hardcore crunch if that's your thing.

Volume wise, this thing can bring it. Although it's not exactly going to give you crushing volume like an SVT II or Mesa 400, it is more than adequate to keep up with a drummer and a marshall half-stack. I'm running this through an SWR 8X8 cab and I am able to handle just about every gig/rehersal.

Yorkie has the best warranty in the business. I've never had a problem. The only reason why I rated this an "8" is because there aren't too many Yorkie dealers around, which means if your gear breaks, you'll have to make a road-trip (that's one advantage to buying Ampeg, they have dealers everywhere so you don't have to sweat too much in case of a break down).

They return their e-mails promptly and are very friendly. Again, no one can beat the Yorkie warranty.

Been playing for 14 years and handle metal, rock, blues, bluegrass, and jazz duties with a variety of bands. I can honestly say that the Yorkie is a one of a kind steal. Don't be scared off by the lack of brand name recognition; this thing is just as good as anything made by the top companies. Not only that, but I doubt you are going to find a North American made amp with this many features for the same price. Give it a try.

This amp was built in 2004, and it's a real peice of work. I play mainly rock and contemporary (and upbeat) worship music, which tends to rip off different styles such as jazz and country. This amp has all I need to sound good whatever I play. It is a single channel amp w/ footswitchable tube overdrive and FX loop, 5 bands of active EQ including a parametric mid, tuner out, mute witch, and more. See the above reviews for a more comprehensive list. I think the only feature it doesn't have is a headphone jack, which I don't need anyway. I don't use the FX loop and I don't have the footswitch. I also don't use the scoop function. I prefer to regulate my mids and highs with the eq. I leave it off. I play mostly in church settings, and we usually don't have my rig plugged into the sound system. It's plenty loud for that, and goes much louder! I have an ampeg BXT210M that matches this head's power specs (400 watts @ 4 ohms), so I can get all the amp's power if I need it at any time, and it's not a back breaker to haul out of the house. I got a sweet deal on this head.

I play an Ibanez SR485. I haven't modified it yet, although I plan on it. I also use an ART Levelar tube compressor. My Yorkville/Ampeg/ART rig matched with my bass does hiss, but it's the guitar mostly. Like I said, the tube is awesome. I've been stuck playing solid state for a long time, and I like the ability to switch back and forth. My favorite sound relys on the tube overdrive that I set at a subtle level to add warmth and a tinge of "hair" to my clean sound. I don't use lots of overdrive much although I'm glad to be able to have it if I need it. I bought this head because I'm into versatility. If I ever need a certain clean or overdrived sound, I'm sure I can get it. Of course, you can't get effect sounds with out the effects, but I don't have any effects, unless you call compression an effect. speaking of which, this amp also has an onboard compressor, which I don't really like. I prefer my tube comp. The onboard compressor has "pumped" on me at certain extreme settings that I don't normally play at. I figure that if the amp can go extreme, the compressor should be able to handle it. that's my only gripe with the amp. Otherwise, the sounds are great!

Haven't owned it long enough to have an issue. When it came out of the box, I thought it didn't work the way it was supposed to. the EQ didn't seem that powerful and the overdrive didn't seem to really distort a lot, but then I backed off the onboard compressor and it works just fine. I still think my eq isn't as powerful as other amps (i tried a Mesa M-pulse 600 once. Woah baby, that's a powerful eq!) but for the price, I can absolutely live with my yorkville. It's not like it doens't work or anything. I like the warranty that comes with it too.

Haven't had to get it fixed yet, so I have no idea.

I've been playing for about 7 years. I have owned an older Carvin pro bass 300 and still have a peavey basic 112 combo. For the price of this unit, I'd definitely buy it again, or maybe the 800 watt version that just came out. I love the tube sounds and the versatile eq. This rig works very well for me and I'm glad to have it. I rememver when I first saw this head in a 1 15 combo version, thinking, "wow! Yorkville has really stepped up!" I suppose my dream head is the m-pulse 600 wich has a studio grade comp and swtichable alternate eq, but that one costs well over twice of what I paid for this head. I don't hate the yorkville's onboard comp, but like I said, i prefer my levelar. All I need is a stompbox eq and a volume pedal and I sould have everything i wanted from the m-pulse anyhow! I defenitely recomend this yorkville head for the price, options and tone.

2004 Yorkville Bassmaster XS400H tube head.

I'm writing this review because when I was doing my research on this amp I found precious little info on the internet about it. If you're reading this you have probably found that out already. Hope it helps...

I am primarily a "rock" bassist, but also do other stuff - from pretty heavy to singer-songwriter material. I've played solid state for so long & this has the much desired tube warmth. Very versatile. Very helpful manual with pre-sets for many different styles of music.

Features:
Tube powered input and overdrive (12AX7A preamp tube)

Footswitchable Tube Overdrive and Effects Loop

Innovative Wet/Dry blend on Tube Overdrive

Wet/Dry blend on the effects loop return

Five band EQ featuring a semi-parametric sweepable mid

Unique "Variable Contour" scoop function

Pre/Post EQ selectable XLR balanced Tube DI output

Speakon? and 1/4" extension cabinet outputs

Front panel mute switch for silent tuning with 1/4" tuner out jack

Switchable Limiter at the output stage


I use this amp primarily for recording purposes. It's running through a new matching Yorkville XC115 cab & an old Fender BXR 4x10 cab.

PLENTY O' POWER. I haven't had it past '3' yet & I've played with two guitarists with Marshalls & a double bass mad drummer.

I am a fairly aggressive bass player. My basses include a Rickenbacker 4003, Rickenbacker 4001, Rickenbacker 3001, Gibson Thunderbird, & a Fender Jazz Bass. All with a pick & various effects.

Suits my style perfectly. I really like a punchy tone (think Geddy Lee or Roger Glover) & this amp projects nicely. It also has a THUNDEROUS low end to it as well. The amp through the Yorkie 15" cab is unreal.

No noisier than any other amp. The T-bird hums through it, but that bass hums through any amp. Ironic, since that's the only bass I own with humbuckers.

I feel that there is a huge variety of sounds to be had. Many presets in the manual for different styles of music. One word of warning - only use the presets as a starting point. I achieved the best tone by simply putting all of the knobs at straight up 12 o'clock & going from there. The "classic rock" preset that I used initially had almost TOO MUCH low end.
Also, I suggest some 10" speakers if you like a real punchy bass tone. The Yorkville XC115 does have a built in tweeter, but some extension 10"s really make it come alive.

Honestly I haven't been able to turn this amp up loud enough to see if the clean channel distorts. This thing is so powerful I fear for the foundation of our rehearsal space!

I like the built in tube distortion. You can tweak the Tube Gain & Tube Drive to your taste. Much warmer than pedal distortion. You can go from gentle overdrive to flat out meltdown. Go ahead & pop for the Traynor/Yorkville 2 channel footswitch. You can control the distortion & effects loop with it.

Haven't really had it long enough to give a true dependability rating, but Yorkville has a legendary 2 year warranty (even if you break it). Also, they apparently had an old ad campaign where they would push an amp out of a 3 story window & it would still work.

I feel confident enough in this amp to use it w/o a backup.

I've dealt with the company on a couple of occasions simply by emailing them from their website. Very professional & helpful.

I don't know about any local authorized Yorkville service centers, but BAKOS AMP WORKS in Atlanta, Georgia is all you'll ever need.

Unlimited, transferable 2 year warranty. They are a Canadian company with a long & proud history. Unfortunately they aren't that well known in the USA...especially here in the deep south. This amp is made in Canada, which to me is as good as made in the USA. No pacific rim labor here...

I have been playing for almost 20 years now. I actually traded in my beloved Fender BXR 400 head for this amp. I also own a couple of mid-70's Stage solid state guitar & bass combo amps, a Peavey TNT 115 bass amp, & several pedals & mics.

This is actually my 2nd Yorkie. I had an older Bassmaster 200 combo that I foolishly sold. If something happened to this amp I'd march my ass right back down to Earthshaking Music in Atlanta GA & plunk down the bread for another.

I love the tone, the looks, the versatility, value & the proud Canadian heritage of this amp. The tube warmth is great w/o the overwhelming weight of an all tube head. The tuner out (with mute) & effects loop are fantastic. I no longer have to choke my signal with pedals. All controllable with a footswitch. Very nice.

I compared this to a Genz Benz GBE 600. Nice amp, but it's made in China & expensive. I got the Yorkie head AND cabinet for what the Genz Benz head alone would have cost me.
Very affordable with no compromise on tone or quality.

This amp seems to have everything I need. People remark about the sound & looks. I feel that Yorkville/Traynor are one of the best kept secrets in the world of amplification.
They use birch plywood cabinets that are way tougher than the pine cabinets used by other makers like Fender and some of the boutique companies. There is also the steel speaker grille whereas most others only use grille cloth.

A wise man once told me: "There are very few amps cheaper than Traynors(Yorkville) that are worth having, and there are very few amps more expensive than Traynors (Yorkville) that are worth paying the asking price where my money is concerned."

I bought this amp oct 2003,it's the latest yorkville 400 watt bass amp with a tube preamp and a selectable overdrive.It has a five band eq with a parametric mid.A seperate gain control for the overdrive and a master. A compressor in the front end and a blend control for the clean and the overdrive. A foot switch for the overdrive and the efx return (wow).A mute switch the kills the line out, power. A selectable switch for pre (DI)and post eq.I think I got it all..all this for under $700 cnd. There is every thing that you need.

This unit sounds great,I use the xc115 with a xc210,definitely sound big and fat and I love the wormth that comes from the tube . I can adjust the various controls to get some great sounding stuff from the overdrive. I mostly use it in the clean mode with lots of scoop, I find the paramatric mid control very usefull.There are the times that we feel like playing some heavy rock and I got tell you the overdrive is fantastic and it is loud. It reminds me a lot of SWR for half the price. However I find the overdrive is little harsh with the tweeters turned up.

Well, its a yorki what can I say..Mack truck.

I have been playing with the band for about five years, and this is the first big amp for me, I have tried other amps like Fender,Peavy,Trace they just didn't sound good and the ones I liked such as Swr and Amped cost too much and then there is xs400 it just blew me away with the wormth of the tube, great bottom end and every bell and whistle that you would need for under $700 cnd.I can play just about any kind of tunes with this amp with plenty of power. If it gets stolen I would definatly buy another.