Traynor YBA-1 Bass Master

I really don't know why people rave about these old Traynor amps - they are nothing special at all. They seem to last because they are a very simple and limited layout and have no features. Just a basic layout designed for a moron who would have difficulty operating a lightswitch. One channel - that's it. Big deal you can jumper between inputs. These do not sound good and no matter what you read they do not sound like a Marshall plex. That is just hype dreamed up by people to offload their crap on unsuspecting sheep. Not good for metal or rock without a ton of other effects.

I've played these amps with guitars equipped with humbuckers and single coils and they all sound flat. The amp itself is absolutely lifeless. You will need to rely on outboard processors and stomp boxes for any sort of tone - and what's the point of that? Don't people play tube amps for their inherent tone? These amps have none. Who plays an amp for a clean tone alone? Go play an acoustic guitar if you want a great clean tone. The natural distortion on these amps is absolute garbage even when you crank it.

Well it looks reliable and do you want to know why they last? Because they sound like crap and wind up sitting in someone's closet for 30 years unused. That's why you can find them in good condition and often with their original tubes. People rave that Pete Traynor used to drop these off a building and they would still work. Do yourself a favour. If you find one of these, go and drop it off a building or throw it off another high structure or better yet - run it over with a heavy vehicle. Save yourself and anybody else the waste of time trying to get any usable tone out of this crap equipment.

Warranty - hah! Yeah - you could get service for this boat anchor. I'm sure someone will be happy to take your money to service this garbage. It's so simple that you could fix it yourself. It's just a simple tube amp - don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I've played for 20 years and there is much better equipment out there. Don't waste your time with this old Traynor crap. I've played YBA1's from the late 60's and early 70's and they all suck donkey balls. Save your money and buy something good.
These things are completely tone deficient even when re-tubed. Absolutely lousy tube amps. Don't believe the hype - it's just dreamed up so that second hand shops can get rid of this junk.

I believe its a '68, but i could be wrong. Very simple design, two channels with two inputs a piece, making for four inputs. Channel one seems to be a bit brighter and two seems a bit more subdued. Haven't tried the coupling some have spoken about, but i tend to stay plugged into channel two for the most part. Comes with one volume for each channell, a treb and bass dial, and a range expander which does come in usefull for trimming off excess brightness and/or bass. My only beef with the design is that there is no master, therefore you can't really pump the gain unless you turn it up really loud, and this beast is LOUD!!! i gave it a nine in this rating because although i'd like a bit more control, specifically a master, this is almost a 40 something year old amp so you can't expect to much.

I use a variety of guitars from and Ibanez Jet King with SD's to a Line Six Variax to a Vantage Semi-Hollow, amongst others. This amp sounds great with any guitar i've played on it. It definitely reminds me of the fender bassman more so than the marshall jcm, which i always hear it compared to. The warmth of this amp is just indescribable, and perhaps because i'm playing on a 2 x 12 traynor matching cab that came with the head with the chrome cones, i get a sound that is enormous. I run a very simple g2.1 zoom effects unit into the amp. This way i can use an amp model on the effects unit and control my gain to volume ratio, kind of use it as a master volume, and add effects like delay, trem and of course, reverb. Right off the bat, if you get this amp, invest in a nice effects box or a couple of stomps, cause you'll want it. Comes with no reverb or tremelo, so what you see is what you get. It also has no master, as i said, so a nice OD box is required.
At any rate, i play a shoegazer/post punk style which requires alot of clarity and heavy reverb. with the reverbs on my zoom, i get a sound out of this amp and cab that just blows people's minds. if you are into that wall of sound this amp, and cab, are a beauty. i also play alot of rootsier rock in my spare time, and i can dial in a beautiful keith richards-esque sound just through the amp with a little bit of break-up and some slap echo. the picking nuances are exemplified with this amp. deep, digging picking results in some beautifully harmonic tones and timbres while muted upstrokes and anything percussive you play just comes to life and sounds so rythmic.

Thing is an absolute tank. I bought it used and i think the tubes may still be the originals, if not, they are quite old and this thing screams.

I love this thing. I paid only $150 for the head and the cab (deal of a lifetime). I originally thought i'd buy it and turn it over for a fat profit and get something a little more modern. At any rate i fell in love with this amp and will never part with it. I would certainly buy it again, at any price.
All in all this is just a classic example of well crafted, hand made workmanship. The only problem i have ever had with mine is that i often have to let it warm up for 20 minutes or more. When i first started playing on it i'd let it warm up for maybe 5, 10 minutes, and it would just crap out during a song or what have you. As it went i eventually started turning it on well in advance of playing it and i have not problems. this is a bit of a pain in the *** only because when an idea or moment hits and you want to play, you have to wait for it to warm up. this is also probably a simple fix if i tech'd it, but i'm not interested in taking it anywhere until i have to.
I have owned quite a few amps. Some tubes, some soid states, and for the average prices these are going for i would highly recommend you check one out. Its a cool, vintage, original amp to have. I can't tell you how many people ask what kind of amp i use. I suppose because they are canandian and most americans are fender or marshall snobs, no one has ever checked these bad boys out. They are very original in appearance as well, and truly a one of a kind amp. A lot of the cats that have seen or played mine have a laugh, refer to it as the partridge family amp, but once they hear it or feel it they are sold.

all tube point to point, hand soldered!!
made in mid 60's late 70's
very versitile for amplification
2 channels non switching but can be jumped
no effect loop no headphone jack no reverb no tremolo
nothing but pure tone awesome sounding amp
this amp as I say is versitile for all music
I am happy with the features as an {amp}
I know it is a bass amp but it rises as a guitar amp
the yba-1a mark 11 is a great bass amp double the power as the yba-1

mainly fender strat and gibson lp it is a great amp for classic rock blues r&b funk as it is!! like I said ,it is to me one of the best warm sounding amps ive played through for blues it is sweet!! great tones throughout the highs to bottoms great classic sound
no here is where it shines and why I say it is versitile it love pedals and gizmos it will sing with chorus hammer out the metal and throw the sound out there so put the pedal of your style in front and walla it will amaze you this is why I like this amp it was built as a bass amp but truly shines above as a guitar amp

built like a tank one of the toughest

n/a

playing 25 years own 2 marshalls 1 fender
would replace for sure getting hard to find and prices a increasing
I love it as an amp to get the sound out with pure clean tone and it will drive out naturally. like I mentioned it is a great amp as it is for (blues espesially} and rock as it is!! it wiil gladly take pedals or rack gear to get any style you like and it will push it out at only 45 watts of pure tube tone that sounds like 100w it is awesome!!!

Simple 2 High and 2 Low inputs, Classic volume and tone 6 control layout. The volume controls are somewhat interactive even when not jumpered, like tweed fenders. 8 ohm, 45 watts, 2 el34 and 3 12ax7 tubes.

It is a bass amp only by name. It absolutely excells as a guitar amp. People compare it to a plexi, the design is close. I will describe the tone the best I can;
Clean, Blackface tone till 4. Past that power tube overdrive starts. Unlike a Plexi, most of the amps distortion comes from the power tubes. I would say about 90%, as a good plexi seems to be about 50 pre -50% power tubes. So it really doesn't have the buzz or sizzle of the plexi but it does get thick like one. Much thicker mid and bass overtones than a cranked blackface. It is a great amp for pedals or pre-amps, it's always easy to add a little sizzle with pedals, the amp will supply much added thickness with super tight bass for great palm muting overtones. A jmp-1 preamp with the YBA-1 running about 6 is the best for big cranked tone at a reasonable volume, very loud but not ripping anybodys face off.

Probably the toughest tube amp ever built. I honestly can't think of any tougher. Traynor's changes to the classic circuit all seem to be made in the intrest of durability. He must have been consumed with it on this amp. Tubes last forever, are cheap to replace and run relatively cool (a very efficient circuit). Many I've seen still run on the original set.

Great value, for the price of a new blues junior you can have a real amp. I do think it requires a good OD pedal to unlock the best this amp has to offer.