Traynor DG30R

This is a solid-state combo amplifier with digital effects, and I bought it in December 2008. It's got a very easy-to-use control layout even though it needs you to get familiar with. I mean it's logically leyd-out. One of my friends said "there's alot of volume controls, and yes, there are! But you have to understand that this is a two-channel amp, so the overdrive channel has its drive and Volume control, the Clean channel has its volume control(which interestingly displays a bit of overdrive when set to max)and then finally, there is a MASTER VOLUME, so you can vary the overall volume of the amplifier without having to mess around with your channel levels. I am quite certain any high-class MESA or Soldano head will have a similar laoyout. The output stage uses Bipolar transistors, as opposed to the DG65 which has MOSFETs in the output stage, and to my ears sounds wonderful. And I auditionned this next to a few tube Fender amplifiers. So yeah, I'd say it sounds good. Except that the tone controls behave a bit "oddly".
It produces almost 35W , although I havent' checked it on my oscilloscope but It's way loud enough for a 20x 20 (feet) room with people in it. Although you'll have to set master to near 8.

I used my strat and my Epiphone, and the amp brings out the quality of each guitar respectfully. Listen I'm not a tone guru, I don'T care if you have super duper pickups and use such an such strings or cables, I'm writing this review to attest to the Quality and overall performance of this amplifier. Oh yeah,iT's got a Celestion 12 inch speaker. Like the previous reviewer said, the disortion channel is dark, almost muddy, but I noticed that you have to put the treble control to the MAX, and keep the Bass down and the Mid at least half way up, for any classic rock type sound. It is not very noisy, then again I'm using my Strat with you guessed it, single coils most of the time, so it generates its own noise.
Now, hear me people. I do not like digital effects. but if there's one thing that digital can do well, if properly designed, is Reverb. And the reverb in this amp AMAZING. Yes, I was completely blown away by the reverb when I tried it out, if you set it half way you can get a real, "guitarist playing a strat in a empty big hall" type sound. It's Great.

hu hu ha!, I just read the last "pointer" comment : how brutal is the distortion6 Listen I play Creedence and Deep Purple and allman Brothers, mainly, so "brutall distortion" is of no importance to me. However, for the heck of it, I did plus in my Epiphone Les Paul with a Jeff Beck humbucker, set the distortion to the MAX (okay 9) and this thing tears! I mean, take out the mids, and you got a respectable Metal tone. Way better than the Marshall 10 inch combo that I auditionned just before.

Back to the digital effects. they are accessible through a rotary control, no display people, beware, so it retains a fairly classic look (looks like an old Marshall 18watt, sort of, except black). Anyway, there's vibrato (volume modulation), Flanger, Chorus and "special" which I still haven't figured out what it is, but sounds to me like a combination of Vibrato and chorus. there are four settings for each effect, but they vary in diferent ways. One setting on the Flanger effect makes the reverb suddenly more apparent, so it's weird, but the effects stilll do what they are supposed to. So I give it an 8 because it does what I want it to do: be simpe and sound good! Also, not very heavy (27 pounds).

welll so far so Good, and that's counting extreme temperature changes (I live in CANADA) it's in the trunk of my car at -25 and then tenminutes later it's in the room at +20, take that speaker! And it's holding up very well. Especially since it's NOT made in Canada, as opposed to Traynor's other expensive models. but hey, aren't we here to care about how it sounds, no matter where or how it's made? Right. It has a two year unlimited warranty, so even if you break it, they will replace/repair it. I am a fervent supporter of Repair because I believe once you have owned somethign it's "yours".

Don't know yet, I hope I'll never have to deal with any support, because I don't want my stuff to break. I just read in the Warranty card (people, keep those) that they will not repair if the unit has been subject to weather damage or natural disaster. So lighting strikes your amp, don't think Traynor's gonna repair it... Makes sense lighting has a funny way of really damaging stuff made with atoms. Which is basically everything!

I give it a 9 because the tone controls are very "interactive. the design is Llike the classic Fender Marshall tonestack, so the Bass control affects Treble and Midrange, and midrange affects treble. It's not like peavey's stuff which works more like a Graphic EQ. But anyway, I like it a whole lot, so I give it a 9!

This amp was purchased new in December 2006. I'd originally had my eye on the DG15R as a practice amp, but decided to raise the bar a bit. I'm glad I did. This is a two channel, 30 watt solid state combo with digital effects and a 12 inch Celestion. I have used this amp in jobs ranging from quiet jazz to 50's R&R theatre pit band, and it keeps up nicely. It is right on the fence between practice amp and small gigging amp. Digital effects are on a rotary dial and a little confusing, and their effect is a little understated.

This thing sounds great for what I like to play. (Old rock, classic rock, jazz) The distortion is ok, but a little muddy. The distortion on the DG15R is much more focussed, perhaps because of the 10 inch speaker? The clean sound on the DG30 is brilliant and very versatile. It is super quiet and it's been used in a theatre situation with no complaints from the sound guy about noise. I have used it with my Les Paul Standard, Peavey T60, and OS Delta King with satisfactory results on all.

Reliable? Come on, it's a Traynor. Never broken down and not likely to. I use the DG30 for guitars and a Yorkville (same company) K100 for keyboards. Totally reliable.

Never dealt with them directly but always good results with Long and McQuade, their main retailer here in the Great White North. Their rep has always been good.

Been playing 40 years. Spent many years in the business as a trumpet/keyboard player with guitar being a distant third, but is now a mid life obsession. This amp is not for shredding two chords and trying to keep up with a heavy handed drummer but for practice/small gig or anything with good PA support its great. Just big enough, reliable, and versatile. At around 200 bucks, you can't beat it.