Traynor YCS100

This is an 08 I believe, by the way its the ycs100H2. Only difference Im told in the H1 and H2 is the H2 doesnt have the self biasing feature because they had some small problems with it.

Im a working musician playing long weekends at Resorts, Bars and private events from company functions ro wedding receptions and beyond. We play everything from Van Morrison to Van Halen from Aerosmith to Dwight Yokum. 3 channels and you gotta love the solo boost feature as well because its adjustable and works with whatever channel your playing, all from the footswitch. 4 EL34's and 4 12ax7's.

Was shopping for a tube power amp to get better sound out of my processor when I started looking at tube heads again. I used a Carvin X100B though out the 80's and early 90's and the Traynor is far superior in every department.

I play a 79 lespaul and an 86 san dimas Jackson with a floyd, and sometimes a mid level Dean Cadillac. This amp gets a great clean sound and the bright switch helps get you into fender territory, its not vintage fender if your extremly picky but pretty close for what I need and more than sparkles for that kind of sound. @ different distortion channels each has a boost for even more distortion. You can get old ACDC to Some pretty grindy chunky stuff to old priest to pretty much anything and this amp also has an excellent rolloff from your guitar volume knob. The distortion on this thing stock is as decent as most any expensive tube amp on the market but if you set the bias just slightly up you go into kick *** and take names mode. If your gonna have a race car you got to keep it in race mode, if you are worried about better gas milage on the tubes you will sacrifice some balls just like a street legal car vs a dragster. You can go either way but this amp was Born to Be a race car in my opinion. Effects loop and the amp in amp out are like have 2 effects loops, one with adjustable volumes for each channel even and seperate EQ on each channel as well also has a 1/4 inch and xlr out for recording or live stuff and built in speaker compensation as well with adjustable volume control, and yes it works and sounds like it is supposed to sound.

Ive had this a year now, it stays on from 9 pm till about 1:15 am when Im playing, its on standby for 3 15 minute breaks and about a half hour before the first set and it has never failed me yet. In fact as the night goes on it just seems to get meaner.

Its been in and out of my car trunk, numerous rehersals, taken home to practice to gigs and is built like a tank. so far so good for the amp, only problems I have had were caused by me!

I cant say enough about the service, I started going tube crazy researching everything from biasing to old tubes, new tubes, nos tubes, brands of tubes and everything in between the last few months. Bought a new quad of the new tung sols and they sounded great but when checking the bias it seems 2 of the tubes were unstable and way off and they ruined 2 screen grid resistors, but the amp kept playing on and on and sounded great anyway. I only discovered this from checking things with a multimeter since I had become so interested in tubes and what they do. I shipped to Trayner and they not only fixed it and paid to ship it back to me, the guy who worked on it sat on the phone with me a few times and did his best to explain all the electronic mumbo jumbo about watts, amps milliamps milliwats millvolts tubes in the 50's and every other crazy question I could come up with, I mean it was a serious education and like talking to your cousin or something. I now know when you get new tubes to check them right away because tubes are not made anywhere as quality or consistant as they were years ago. The only reason I replaced the power tubes was because of all the hype I had been reading in advertisements. The EH EL34's that came stock in the amp were working fine to begin with just so you know! They have a 2 year warranty even if you break it, and in my case I did break it with the help of some unstable tubes.

If stolen I would get another because it does everything and has the tone if your willing to mess around and dial it in as you want, its heavy, about or close to 50 lbs is the only drawback, I played through a Rivera the other day for the first time and my traynor sounds more like a guitar amp should sound in my opinion, I would never pay for big fancy names when I have this.

Mine was probably made in '08 or '09 - not sure. I was a actually looking for a simpler, less powerful amp but seeing the features on this one i just had to try it out.
It's an all tube, 3-channel 100W head but you can switch it to 30W Class A Mode. I'm not gonna write much about channel layout or type of tubes used as this has been done by others here. The amount of features and their quality is mind-boggling if you look at the price tag.
The DI-Out with speaker sim sounds amazing if you ever need it. Separate FX and reverb loops for all channels are a great idea. What I miss is a possibility to remote-control the modes of the channels (scoop, modern etc.) but maybe that's too much to ask and the floorboard would be huge. I love the seperate DIN cord for the floorboard.

I'm playing a Fender American Strat and a Duesenberg Starplayer. Mostly some sort of indie rock. I use the 30 Watt mode almost exclusivly. The differences are small, the 30W mode is somewhat tighter and already loud as hell of course.
This amp is quiet. The little humming I get with gain set in the "are you nuts" area, I blame it on the neon light right above it.

The clean channel is beautiful but can be also aggressive. Depends on you playing like with any decent amp. I like my clean sound on the verge of breaking, so I turn the volume all up and the gain to about 6/7 and it's perfect for me.

The crunch channel does that sparkling, edgy sound I was looking for - not heavy but aggressive. Great response to picking dynamics. There's easily enough gain potential for most situations, save really brutal metal sounds. Channel volume on 10, like in all channels, does the trick.

The lead channel is similar to the crunch channel except that there's a bit more bottom and more gain. I hardly use it, but it does sound good. I can't tell how the amount of gain compares to say a Mesa but it's already way more than I'll ever need. And it's tight.

The chassis looks tough and will probably shrug off a few bumps now and then. I never use backup because when i gig, there's usually at least one other band who'd help me out, as well as I'd help out. So far I've been treating it carefully and haven't had a problem.

Never had to deal with the gentlemen.

I just hardly find anything to complain about this amp. One thing maybe, it takes time and patience to find the perfect sound on it. Finding the perfect balance between volume and gain on the clean channel cost me some nerves. The speaker-outs' impedance isn't perfect for the cab i'm using so I had to find a workaround - would have been nice to have an 8-Ohm output in 30W mode.

Still, I've had this amp for 6 months now and I'm still waiting for the initial enthusiasm to wear off. It just doesnt't happen.
I'd buy it again if I lost it.

traynor ycs100 made in i think 08, 3 channel clean a marshall sort of sound, and a mesa sort of sound, spring reverb, solo boost, 4 button footswitch, if you buy an additional 2 button footswitch, you can control the reverb and effects loop through footswich as well as the included 3 channels and solo footswitch, this thing is packed with features and any sort of tone you could want, i mostly just mess around in my basement and the 30 watt mode is more than enough power in fact im pretty sure that would be enough power for most situations

I own a washburn x50 pro emg 81/85 a schecter blackjack floyd rose with seymour duncan jb/jazz set a stock epi les paul custom,stock fender american standard strat which i have played all through this amp, and all sound great in many different styles of music. I play alot of stuff but lately its been mostly of the metal persuasion, and man this thing is a beast ive had it for like 4 months now, im really picky about my gear i wanted something versitile and moderatly priced. Took me like 2 or 3 months of shopping around, reading reviews, listening to demos on youtube and stuff, finally i narrowed it down to between this and a carvin v3 i went with this one because all the reviews i read were sterling, the carvin on the other hand was a little mixed, when i got it i ripped it out of the box and hooked it up to the cab i also purchased which is loaded with celestion vintage 30s, and to be honest i was a little dissapointed to begin with, it didnt feel like enough gain, but i gotta tell you i was wrong, this thing has about all the gain youll ever need, i think what helped was turning up the volume on the channels pretty high and then using the master volume to bring it back down, its my first tube amp but i think this drives it hard enough to get the tubes warmed up. Ive been running the gain at about 2 o clock and using an overdrive to push it over the top for solos and sweeps and stuff, if your looking for really high gain just throw an overdrive in front of this thing, man what a massive wall of sound though, the distortion sounds huge with out being fizzy sounding like alot of high gain stuff, plus an excellent clean channel and everything in between this thing can sound really vintage or really modern whichever way you want to go, also unless your using an overdrive this thing is as quiet as a mouse even on the highest gain settings at high volume using high gain pickups like emgs if your standing right in front of your speaker cab, its pretty crazy, its alot harder to get feedback than all the other amps ive ever played, pretty much every time i turn this thing on i find something else i like, unlike most gear i come across which is the total opposite, like i said im pretty picky about gear

ive had it for 4 months or so and id use it without a backup as i said i mostly play in my basement but i crank it the hell up and play for several hours at a time and i have no trouble. traynors are said to be pretty tough, i guess time will tell on that one but so far so good, and they have a pretty good warrenty so that helps

havent yet

ive played guitar for 15 years, i havent stepped in to any boutique gear so i cant really compare it to that but id say its a step in that direction, this thing really does sound great and at 635$ you wont touch anything that comes close to it in versitility and tone ive played marshalls and had several peaveys and though i like peavey they dont sound this good to me. I picked this one up as a b stock on ebay and if your interested check into it, these things are really under rated, all the shopping i did and it was a while before i came across it i think ill make a youtube vid to really show people how this thing sounds,all of the vids i saw did this thing no justice, anyway good amp for the money for sure.

This amp is packed with features, including a headphone out and solo boost. I find it very user friendly for all types of music.

This amp has a tone all its own. That is the best way to describe it. I have been playing for 30 years and I have owned Peavey, Mesa, Marshall, Crate, Carvin and a long list of rack gear. I think this amp is pretty unique sounding. As for previous reviews I do agree that you must use good speakers with it but I think that goes with any amp. I found it great with vintage 30's, G12H30's, and a G-Flex Cab also. This amp has alot of bottom and the distortion is pretty huge. With the gain boost disengaged the classic rock tones flow nicely. The amp has a few modes on each distortion channel and that is what makes it so versatile. Plus it is very quiet on higher gain settings, more so than my other amps.

I really haven't had this amp all that long but I can say the day it arrived I took it to a gig with my 80's Hair band and cranked it for 4 hours straight right out of the box without a hic-cup.

I Love the "Even if you break it" warranty.

I would say this is the most versatile amp I have owned. That is comparing it to a Carvin V3, Mesa Dual rec, and Marshall anything. As far as tone goes it is unique and If this doesnt have enough gain for you than You Are Doing Something Wrong.

This is a 2007 made YCS100 head. It is extremely versatile and covers a lot of sonic territory with its three channels.I haven't used the effects loop as I am pretty much old school when it comes to those things. I don't use many pedals and I place the ones that I do use between the guitar and the amp. The headphone jack and direct out are nice touches and very usable. They are active while the amp is in standby, which allows silent practice, if you have the need at your house late at night when the family is in bed. I use this amp to play in three different bands and it covers everything that I need from gorgeous cleans to metal distortion and everything in between. I am a huge fan of all tube amps, having used them for years, and this one is amazing. I had never heard this head before and bought it because of the reviews that I read on the internet. It has turned out to be a fantastic deal and I will purchase another one when I find another good deal like this one.

I have 6 guitars that I play through this head to give me the tones that I need. I have a Gibson Flying v, a Gibson SG, a Gibson Double Cutaway Les Paul with P90's, a Fender Strat with the EMG David Gilmour pickup system on it, a Fender Tele with a P90 in the neck, and a PRS Corvette with Seymour Duncan Blackouts on it. All of these guitars sound incredible through this head. It does all styles very well. With the Strat and Tele, the clean channel is amazing. The distortion channel number two covers the Marshall classic rock sound with my Gibsons, and the PRS with distortion channel number 1 covers a high gain sound that allowed me to get rid of my Mesa Single Rectifier.

I have used this amp on many gigs without a backup. It is dependable as it can be. I do take extra tubes along, just in case, but I always do that with my tube amps. This amp has not so much as hiccuped at a live performance or at practice. It still has the original tubes in it and they still have plenty of life in them.

I have emailed Traynor twice with questions regarding this amp and they have always responded within one business day. I always get a response from a player and not someone who doesn't know anything. The response is always spot on and answers my question. They are great to deal with.

I have been playing 40 years this year. I picked up my first guitar in 1968 and have played them all (amps and guitars both) over the years. I have played in professional bands, semi-pro bands, amateur bands, worked in recording studios, and currently have a solo career. It is really nice to find an amp that covers this much tonal territory so well. I have let my pro friends play this amp and they were amazed at how they could get what they wanted out of it with just a few minor tweaks. Traynor has outdone themselves on this piece of equipment and have managed to do so at a price point that is almost unbelievable.

This is a 2007 made YCS100 head. It is extremely versatile and covers a lot of sonic territory with its three channels.I haven't used the effects loop as I am pretty much old school when it comes to those things. I don't use many pedals and I place the ones that I do use between the guitar and the amp. The headphone jack and direct out are nice touches and very usable. They are active while the amp is in standby, which allows silent practice, if you have the need at your house late at night when the family is in bed. I use this amp to play in three different bands and it covers everything that I need from gorgeous cleans to metal distortion and everything in between. I am a huge fan of all tube amps, having used them for years, and this one is amazing. I had never heard this head before and bought it because of the reviews that I read on the internet. It has turned out to be a fantastic deal and I will purchase another one when I find another good deal like this one.

I have 6 guitars that I play through this head to give me the tones that I need. I have a Gibson Flying v, a Gibson SG, a Gibson Double Cutaway Les Paul with P90's, a Fender Strat with the EMG David Gilmour pickup system on it, a Fender Tele with a P90 in the neck, and a PRS Corvette with Seymour Duncan Blackouts on it. All of these guitars sound incredible through this head. It does all styles very well. With the Strat and Tele, the clean channel is amazing. The distortion channel number two covers the Marshall classic rock sound with my Gibsons, and the PRS with distortion channel number 1 covers a high gain sound that allowed me to get rid of my Mesa Single Rectifier.

I have used this amp on many gigs without a backup. It is dependable as it can be. I do take extra tubes along, just in case, but I always do that with my tube amps. This amp has not so much as hiccuped at a live performance or at practice. It still has the original tubes in it and they still have plenty of life in them.

I have emailed Traynor twice with questions regarding this amp and they have always responded within one business day. I always get a response from a player and not someone who doesn't know anything. The response is always spot on and answers my question. They are great to deal with.

I have been playing 40 years this year. I picked up my first guitar in 1968 and have played them all (amps and guitars both) over the years. I have played in professional bands, semi-pro bands, amateur bands, worked in recording studios, and currently have a solo career. It is really nice to find an amp that covers this much tonal territory so well. I have let my pro friends play this amp and they were amazed at how they could get what they wanted out of it with just a few minor tweaks. Traynor has outdone themselves on this piece of equipment and have managed to do so at a price point that is almost unbelievable.

Made in 2008. This amp is plenty versatile. I play in a cover band that plays 60s - 90s classic rock, and some newer rock stuff. The bells and whistles are plenty but very well laid out. We play a lot of outdoor gigs in the warmer months and indoor bars and parties in the colder months. I love the 100 / 30 watt option.

My main guitar is a 2002 Les Paul Standard with a JB and Jazz setup. I can play anything with this rig. I also play a PRS with the same pickup set, a 335, and a strat. I can't think of anything this amp is lacking in sound quality. The cleans are fantastic and the range of crunch and od tones are amazing. We play Clapton, Allman Brothers, Van Halen, Creed, Metallica, etc. It has to do everything and it does.

Seems very solid .....built like a tank. I always have an old solid state amp in the trailer to cover my ass but I wouldn't expect to have to use it. (God I hope not)

This is where Traynor shines. I also own a 50 Blue that I love but I was intrigued by the features of this amp. I called their service dept. cause I knew I'd talk to a player. Sure enough...this guy spent 20 minutes talking shop with me and filling me in on every detail. Try to get that with some of the other companies.

I've been playing for 32 years. I own or have owned just about every amp and guitar made since 1965.....seriously. I love all of my guitars and amps but I can only take one on the gig and this is it. I play it through a Marshall 1960A 4x12 with an X configuration of G12T-75s and Vintage 30s...sweet. The only thing this amp could have is another switch to activate the gain boost on each channel.

writing again from tbc..

I have to tell you to try channel 1 'clean' with 3/4 gain on . use an OD or metal pedal (boss ml-2 - new pedal out) and the tube amp harmonics just scream and it's sounds very natural. plus you can turn off the pedal and have great clean parts.

I now keep channel 2 for zep overdrive and channel 3 for the heavier setting without pedals.

great amp as you can have 3 settings plus your pedals so it's like 6 channels.

First things first. get this amp right now if u like metal/rock because it sounds perfect. im rediculously picky about tone i mean u gotta have good distortion and clean channles but its nothing without the right tone and this amp has it. the 3 channels r amazing cause i can have one set up for metal and the other for rock and the clean for ya know some cool clean stuff.

im using this amp with an ibanez with DiMarzio high output humbuckers and a strat with seymour duncan hotrails and they both sound amazing on it. i get great EVH sounds on this rig. the distortion can be a little anoying but once u tinker with it for a while it sounds perfect. it took me 2 days to get it set up the way i wanted it and now its the best sound ive ever heard.

this thing is built solid as a rock. i would never be concerned about this breaking down in any way.

never had to talk with the company. the 2 year warranty is great cause i mean if anything happens to it then just get it replaced. believe u would want to replace it.

if this were stolen id replace it in a heart beat. this amp has bassically all u need, 3 awesome channels plus a solo boost. ive played marshalls and honestly i like this better. theres nothing to hate about this amp besides its really heavey but i mean its a 100watt tube so.