Traynor YCV40

A bit of quick background: I've only been playing electric for about three years after playing acoustic for quite some time before then. I messed around with small tube amps to learn how to play electric, but I quickly learned that the real joy of electric is blasting through a rich tube amp. That is pretty much what I get with this amp that I bought off a friend for a great deal. I love that the high,mid,low knobs actually DO something! I can get great versatility on this thing. The other reviews have already covered the features pretty well but let me just re-emphasize that this is a well equipped and very LOUD tube amp. (ya know, if you like that kind of thing.)

Does a big tube amp get any better? I'm not experienced with a lot of amps, but I have played a ton at the music store I worked at, and it's hard for me to find one that I like as much as the Traynor. I play rhythm in a jam-rock band with a Fender Strat (how typical, eh?). The thing takes quite a bit of volume to break up on the cleans, but boy oh boy is it nice. The drive channel is so smooth. I go back to those solid state amps I played in the store and wonder how I could ever even stand the sound before. For the band, I love how the richness blends in with my buddie's Fender cyber-twin on lead.

Only real problem I had was when it started billowing white smoke at a practice one night. I called the friend who I bought it from and he said it was only a power tube. We took it out and the thing worked fine, so all I needed to do was get a replacement. I've gigged with it for a year or so and no problems. The thing is heavy and beefy. I would certainly count on it. Actually, I wish the tube would have blown at our live show becuase it looked so cool! (ok, sad attempt to add humor to these reviews) I should also mention that my friend used it in his band several years prior to me on a very regular basis with no problems.

Since I bought it from a friend, he's basically my tech support.

My main instrument is actually keyboards, but I still feel very strongly about great guitar tone and overall sound quality as I am going to school for recording technology. Right now, I have no need for anything more that this Traynor. I love it for both its simplicity and its great tone and versatility. One of these days I'll get ambitious and try switching tubes or maybe try another speaker. If it actually gets better than this, I will be truly amazed. If you are one of those people who was like me and started messing in the world of solid state amps and even cheap little tube amps.. do yourself a favor and get something like this. You will understand why electric guitar players do what they do.

Probably made year 2003. Bought it about one and a half month ago so I've had some time to try it out. It was a little used when a bought it. I understood that some guy had bought it and didn't try it at all in the shop and then he had the amp for a few weeks, but then he thought the sound was too much fender-like, so he sold it. I think all the features are mentioned in the other reviews. I am not an experienced player, but I've tried to find a good tube amp, I never wanted a solidstate amp again after that I had a Marshall VS65R =P (But I think there was something wrong with it). I haven't been on stage with this amp yet. I think the amp is really loud, and the amp is pretty versatile.

I have an Epiphone Les Paul with DiMarzio pickups. I like the clean channel and I've tried to tweak to my taste. The clean channel is more noisier than the distortion channel, but none of them are actually noisy at all.

I like rock like AC/DC and Gun's and Roses... Maybe I should bought an Marshall cause I can't really get the distortion that you can get from Marshall, but as many other ppl said the YCV40 has it's own sound.

But anyway I like the distortion and I can get pretty brutal distortion if I want, but I don't that kind of music, but I get pretty AC/DC-like distortion.

My friend has a new Fender Hotrod-Deluxe, and I've compared them side by side with the same guitar, and I think that the Fender is a bit better, at least the clean side. It somehow has got a bit more punch. But I still use the original stock tubes (Sovtek), so I'm looking forward to the day I've got some money to change them =P Cause I've read that you can get a much better sound with a bit more expensive tubes.

I haven't tried if the clean channel distorts at higher volumes, but otehr ppl say that. I don't care so much about that. Don't almost all amps do that. Today I tried to put the volume at 3 but then it was so damn loud that I couldn't really play.

The only problem I see it that If you put the distortion at about 3 or 4, I can't really get a lot of volume from it, you have to have to volume at 5 or 6, and it's not so loud anyway. But I don't know so much about that, and I guess that happens to the most amplifiers when you turn down the gain, but the YCV40 seems pretty sensitive to that.

I can't really tell. I haven't had it for long.

Haven't tried to contact Yorkville.

I have only been playing for about two years now, but I've tried to find a good tube amplifier for a decent price. I live in Finland so the amp was way more expensive than in the states, so 700 ?, about 900 dollars is a OK price. Actually I bought this cause I couldn't really find any other good tube amp for a reasonable price near me. First I wanted a Marshall, but I couldn't find a used Marshall for a decent price anywhere near my hometown, but then we got a guitar shop to the town I they had that Traynor, so I bought it. Now I don't dont have any money at all, but I like the amplifier.

It's missing a vibrato, but it does have most other things any tube amp should have.

Beats some boutique amps. Especially when you find the right tubes and speaker. I'd rather take this to a gig than an expensive boutique amp. Your sound will suffer very little damage in the trade, but your bank account will be a lot healthier. Somebody said between a Fender and Marshall in sound, and that's a fair assessment, but I think it has more tonal range than either one but possibly not as good at the extremes those amps are noted for.

The birch plywood cab and steel speaker grille means major protection and ability to take hard knocks. A spare fuse and some spare output tubes, and you're all set to gig.

Schematics are downloadable from the website and the technician is very helpful. Yorkville Sound leads in reasonably priced gear. I compare them to Tech 21 stateside. The warranty is "no BS" and doesn't cost you extra up front like lifetime warranties from some people (Monster Cable, etc.)

Anything you plug in sounds good, and you can always get a useful tone for just about any kind of music. For the money you will probably not be able to beat it overall if you need a wide ranging amp for lots of different music. Leave the effects out of the loop and you'll generally get better sound from what's already built into the circuitry. I studied the schematic, and the amp is quite sophisticated, being a mix of tube and solid state circuitry. Dn't look down on the solid state aspects, as it allows many nice features at a reasonable price like auto tube biasing, voltage regulation, and rectifier tube emulation without the sound changing as the tue ages. Get some NOS Tung-Sol or RCA tubes like other guys have tried, and the tone is killer and probably even better than boutique amps using the latest Russian tubes. I think JJ tubes are the best I heard in it for those wanting budget tubes. Ei ECC83 tubes, the latest versions, in the preamp were really nice for those wanting lots of sparkle in the high end for country playing. This is an amp worth playing around with for your signature sound, but it's darned good right out of the box.

The most useful feature to me is the fact the tubes are autobiased by the amp itself. That saves on the necessity to buy matched pairs and allows you to buy single NOS tubes at bargain prices. I'm stuck on Tung-Sol 5881 tubes for their great bottom end, so this feature is important as most boutique tube dealers are getting ruinous prices for genuine NOS Tung-Sol 5881 tubes in matched pairs or quads. The only thing the amp misses is some effects gizmos that I generally never use anyway. A vibrato would be nice, but buy a small gizmo box for that, plug it into the backside effects loop jacks, secure it in the bottom of the amp (I suggest the velcro straps that hold the footswitch in place during transport) and it's as if the amp came with it.

The stock Sovtek tubes did not have the gutteral bottom end I like. A changeout trying various tubes resulted in the Tung-Sol 5881 taking top honors. RCA 6L6GC was no slouch either. JJ 6L6GC will work for the economy minded. If going to the add-on cab, I would have used the Celestion G12H30 speaker, but I chose the G12H80 instead to take the pounding in a single speaker while exceeding the 40W power rating in full output overdrive. I have heard that Traynor has put out a limited edition tha uses EL34 tubes for 50W of power. You would hear a tonal difference more than a volume difference. This is a LOUD combo amp for the size once you get a 99dB efficienct speaker in it like I have. I wanted a 100W Fane alnico speaker, but the price was too high. Some day..........maybe.

Ok, it's an easy guess that with the tubes and speaker I have installed, it's a lot like a good 70's tube amp. The sound is not as sparkly clean as a Fender from tha era, but not quite as distorted as a Marshall either. I think this has a heavier output transformer than a Marshall of the same power, because it plays tighter bass than a Marshall. You would have to switch over to EL34 tubes to get a more Marshally tone, but call Traynor before making the switch. I like it just fine the way it is. It reaches way down and shakes the room in the bass, but performs well on up through the midrange and treble as well. While the treble is not super extended, it is smooth. I hate overly bright amps anyway. Before buying an expensive boutique amp, give the YCV series a try. Even if you buy a boutique tube amp, this makes a really good tube amp for live gigs and will save your boutique amp from unnecessary wear and tear. If your YCV40 doesn't sound great, you must have it set up with the wrong speaker and tubes, or something is broke. The sound was good as I got it, but a bit underwhelming. Now it's a tone monster. I was after a classic tube rock amp, not a modern gizmo box, and this really fills the bill. Oh, and the reverb is quite good and is the long spring type that I like. Those short spring types like in the Marshall AVT series just don't cut it in comparison. This is more like a Fender reverb.

Hard to say. The cabinet and grill is gorilla tough. I'm a bit concerned about the jacks and pots. They are the PCB mount type that have to be soldered to the board, so not a really quick and easy repair. The PCB could be heavier and tougher. The tube sockets solder directly to the circuit board, so could be a future problem that needs resoldering. I'll modify the amp with standard sockets and standoffs then run wires between the socket and board if that ever happens. Almost all the high production tube amps have serious cost cutting features, and I feel this is a more reliable amp than the Fender Hot Rod series, and better sounding as well. I bought a Tech 21 SansAmp RBI preamp for a tube amp backup, and it serves a bass or guitar equally as well as a backup direct input box. Quite frankly, I would spend $300 on a new SansAmp RBI before buying cheaper tube amps with cheap construction and ratty tubes. Getting a cheap tube amp to sound right can easily cost over $200 in better tubes and speaker. As I mentioned, you can use any tube of the 6L6 type family and get them cheap from Ham radio operators and such as bargain prices. If they test good in a tube tester, they will probably fly alright and reliably because of the autobias feature. I'm going to stick my neck out and give it an 8, because of Traynor warranty.

They have the best warranty and service among the high production music amp companies. Others may equal, but probably do not surpass. Their schematics are online, and a service tech is there if you need to call and ask a question. Even if YOU broke it, they will fix it for two years (like if that tube swap you just did goes sour and blows a transformer or somrthing). That's plenty of time to determine if you like the amp and to tweak it to your taste. If it stays reliable for two years, it will probably go at least ten more with little hassle. Probably the safest call you will ever make in a tube amp.

Mine was a demo unit that had well used output tubes that were a bit weak in emission. New tubes brought it up to par, and the right speaker pushed the sound over the top for me. The output tubes make a big difference, as it should in any quality tube amp that has clean tone capability. This amp sounds better than a lot of vintage tube amps, and only 5 tubes are needed for a complete tube swap. You can do it for less than $75 with all new JJ tubes. Much less hum because of the DC heaters on the preamp tubes, and the regulated HV to the preamp tube plates gives stability of tone. If you want something between a Fender and a Marshall in tone, give this little monster a try. I think the others had better do some catching up or Traynor may take back a significant part of the tube combo amp market. Too bad they don't have a head version, but this is nice and plenty loud for most club gigs and any recording gig. Traynor made some mistakes in years past and let their guitar amp market fizzle away. These have the spirirt of their early days, like when their bass and guitar amps stood with the best available. It was a Traynor bass amp that inspired Ampeg to introduce the SVT bass amp. That Traynor bass amp head is still prized by some guitarists that want a simple head without effects or distortion and prefer a 4x12 halfstack arrangement. This makes a much better guitar amp all in one unit without adding processors into the inputs for tube overdrive tone. You have none of the flaky capacitor and resistor issues you have with vintage amps. Try this instead, it's less expensive and better. This amp is a standard bearer in its price range.

Bought new in Fall 2003. Foot switchable channels and boost (on od channel. Foot switch included. Vol (gain on od),bass, mid, treble for each channel. Master reverb and presence. Extension speaker out. Could use a master volumne.

Fender A.S. Fat Strat Texas Special(HSS)with minimal effects (delay, phaser). I play in an original band with classic rock influences. I've upgraded the stock speaker and tubes. A Celestion G12H-80 from Avatar(better bass reponse - no farting on the clean channel anymore)and JJ 6L6GC power tubes and JJ ECC83S pre amp tubes (smooths out the overdrive, eliminates the harsh edge it had). Clean channel sounds very good with Fender singles. Reverb is nice (I use lower settings around 4). Overdrive channel is versatile. Set to low gain (3) gives a bluesy break up. Mid gain (5-6) full sounding chords. Higher gain (8-10) sounds better at lower volumne levels to me (tone compresses too much for my preference at higher vol). Boost function adds mids and a little more gain. Makes single note lines stand out and gives a fatter tone to leads. Rock ,country and blues tones can be found in this amp.

I have had the YCV40 for one year with no problems. I've played dozens of gigs in the Philadelphia area, mostly three set shows. While I trust the reliability of the amp, I always have a back up amp or a Tech 21 direct box just in case (no sense in being unprepared).

Quick reponse and helpful information on the only email I sent. 2 year unlimited, transferable "even if you break it" warranty.

I've been playing for 20 years and am happy with the YCV 40. My other amps include a Music Man HD210 one thirty. I won't ever get rid of the Music Man but the Traynor is now my workhorse. I would not hesitate to buy another.

Needs a reverb switch, but otherwise fairly full featured.

Somewhere between a Fender and Marshall, but with the soul of a custom amp from a small manufacturer. For the price it's amazing. I did some tube comparisons, and settled on JJ Tesla tubes. Ei tubes also sounded nice in the preamp and driver section. Fender and Marshall have nothing at the price tha matches it.

It looks like it is fairly well made. The plywood cabinet looks incredibly sturdy. I would put on better pots, jacks, and switches if I were building them.

Yorkville stands behind these amps and their warranty is no nonsense.

This is the perfect amp for my Rickenbacker guitar. Forget that Vox POS that other Ricky owners seem to be stuck on for some unexplained reason to me. Everything you plug into this amp seems to sound better than what it was previously plugged into.

2001 model,2 channels,effects loop,spkr. out,a reverb switch would be nice,use this at home,so much volume ill never use it all!

i use a am.series strat with a voodoolab tremolo pedal for retro rock blues and country and this baby delivers the goods,dead quiet.The lead channel really sucked untill Bob at Eurotubes set me up with some jjs preamp ecc83s that have made channel one KILLER!thanks Bob!also my clean channel has taken on a much better tone thanks again to Bob,distortion now is like it should be,overall this is the best sounding amp going for up to twice the price

this baby was used when i got it ,a tear in the grill cloth shows how great the grill under it is,no speaker damage!rock solid construction all over,however somecrappy jacks on rear panel drops rating to 7

absolutely the best,

after 30 yrs playing thru countless amps the baby is on top,sound,price and support ,yes id buy another,beats the rest,a half power switch would be cool cause this puppy is loud!but nice..do improve your tube sellection for supreme enjoyment

Mine is a new amp, I actually got it today but ive been playing the SAME one in the SAME guitar store for like weeks, and its amazing! The speaker might be crappy for some people, but hey dont complain about it, DO something about it! its alright for me cause it sounds amazing! two footswitchable channels, clean and overdrive. wish the reverb was footswitchable too. :( i play like alternative rock, sometimes metal or blues, whatever im really into playing at the time, and this amp can cover basically all (for metal, i recommend a MT-2) Has an effect loop but i put my effectys thru the input to guitar. Tube amp, and its badass! I use the amp in my bedroom and for gigs, and its sure as hell loud enough! I cant put it past 1/2 without people getting pissed!

I use Gibson (BEST OF THE BEST) Faded SG with 490 p/ups. Sounds absolutely amazing! This amp isn't noisy at all, and its sooooo crisp and clean. Distro can be brutal, if u set it right

Well i got it today, well see how it goes. seems very sturdy to me and traynors warranty supports it!

Amazing amp. I absolutely love it. Sounds awesome, suits my needs. No amp can be a absolutey perfect, thats why i give it a nine of ten. this bad boy wont dissapoint you, so fender and marshall and mesa and randall, you should take some notes - yorkvilles made an amazing amp for a great price everyone can afford.

hybrid amp with more tubes in the circuitry than most other hybrids.

Traynor has pulled a rabbit out of the hat and managed to get a better sound out of it than an all tube amp would have had at this price level. I know electronics and studied the circuitry for quite some time. They skillfully used solid state and tube circuits in the best places for each to get the best sound at the lowest price level. This is a new standard for a hybrid amp, and they have managed to get the public to believe it is an all tube amp except for solid state rectification. The truth is, solid state figures very prominently in the circuitry and is used exclusively in the reverb and effects loop circuitry. It would have taken well over 9 tubes to get a similar level of sophistication. The preamp tube regulator, valve rectifier emulator, and automatic output tube bias are not to be taken lightly. It covers Marshall to Fender tones fairly well, but can go places they can't. Not as high gain as some Boogies, but an overdrive pedal takes care of that. Boogies are the next commonly available amp up the ladder and they offer more model choices so you can dial to your style. Traynor YCV40 is the Ford F-150 of the amp world because of it's versatility and value for money. I replaced a Mercedes with my F-150 and am happier because of it. A lot of more expensive amp owners would also like the Traynor better than what they are using if they gave it a try and tweaked it a bit. The circuit design will become a classic and is probably being studied and copied right now. Some all tube amps will probably try to sound like the Traynor before it's all over. I added some accessories to my F-150, and I did the same to the YCV40. This amp is a tweakers dream come true if they have some electronic sense. The circuit has been updated over early models, and the changes are listed on the schematic that you download from the company website.

It has a glass epoxy circuit board that is repairable. Soldering the output tube sockets to the board is a bit iffy. It's as good as anything else at this price level, and better than most. The birch plywood cabinet deserves special mention and seems gorilla tough. The steel mesh behind the grill cloth is a nice touch and should stop a beer bottle thrown from the audience.

This is where Traynor really shines. They back their products with no BS and are jackrabbit quick about it. Unless you only like expensive boutique amps, there is no reason to get any of its high production competitors.

This is the most amp that you will ever get at this price at this time. The circuit design is way ahead of anything cheaper that comes from Asia, and the sturdiness of the birch hardwood plywood cabinet is as good as anythig I ever saw. It's probably the finest hybrid amp in existence and has set a new standard for sound quality at its price point. No all tube amp or all solid state amp can beat it overall at this price point, because both technologies are used where they work best. The modeling amps are a few steps behind in sound quality. One real amp beats any copycat amp any day in my book. The Traynor makes a fairly good modeling amp if you know how to set the controls.

1st year manufactured, 2001. if you've read all the past reviews you already know the main features of this unit. i gig extensively with this amp, to a venue of 600 people. i'm a pro player, and this being one of many amps i own, fits the gig perfectly. reliable, warm round tube tone, decent distortion, very classic but slightly unique sound.

i'm an 80's shredder, at heart, but am more versatile than that in order to make my living. b.c. rich,, ibanez with air nortons, and classic, boutique pedalboard with the best pedals you can think of. this amp can be noisy when cranked, but remember , this is not the most expensive amp you can buy , with the most expensive components. it is what it is, an entry level to midrange priced amp. i don't use the amps distortion, too brutal, rarely have i found an amps distortion i've liked, in this pricerange. my original tubescreamer works just fine.

very dependable amp, but man i sure take care of her. never touched a thing in 3 years.

Playing 30 of my 43 years, I own boogies, fenders, marshalls, I would buy it again in a heart beat, I love the dependability, the warmth, the size for the venue, I compared it to the fender and the traynor blew it away. The distortion was better, more athentic sounding, if your into amps distortion. The traynor was less honkey then the fender, if you know anything about that. The traynor was lighter in weight, with the stock tubes, the traynor's head room is marginaly lower than the fenders. The traynor was $200 cheaper, if that matters to you, than the fender. On the downside, i would consider the traynors build quality, to be inferior to that of the fenders, still a very good buy. For the particular music, and venues that I play, it's all I need, let me also add, that I use an extension speaker with his traynor, for over-all stage fill, since its only a 112. Besides most of the time, we run d.i. or miked.