Traynor YBA-1A ?'s (Pics added)

[Sharkey]

I happened to run across an old Traynor Bass Master Mark 2 and the gentleman wanted 20$ for it, but said he didn't know if it was operational. I had been wanting to find an old tube base head for my band room and I had heard of Traynors but really had no prior knowledge of these amps or their history. A quick peek in the back told me the preamp tubes were worth his asking price (if they worked) and it was built like a tank so I brought it home with me.

After some research here and on E-bay, I now know I scored a very nice old tube amp. After I found out what Ohm speaker to use I plugged her in and it fired
right up. The pilot light was burnt out so I replaced it and I know it will need a cap job .

My question's are:

Does it look all original inside?

Suggestion's on brand of NOS power tubes that sound good in these?

Mods - or leave it as is?

[sliberty]

Photos?

If it is original, leave it alone. They are basically Plexi amps in sheep's clothing. I have an earlier YBA-1, and it rocks. If you don't already have an amp that can handle the Marshall tone, you do now.

[Sharkey]

Dohh, Too many irons in the fire.






I'm a far cry from being a amp tech but that center cap looks a little suspect

This thing is built like a tank and should probably come with a roadie, or at least casters. These seem well liked as guitar amps but will it make a decent bass amp for a med sized rehearsal space?
I found some info on dating these but the info seemed suspect to me.

Serial #2040991 Anyone?
Thanks for looking - Advice & suggestions are always welcomed.:AOK

[Sharkey]

Bump, for some expert advice and or suggestions:BEER

[AL30]

The resistors on the right side of the board (big sqare ones) may not be original. Not sure. I've got two old Traynors and they didn't have that style in there. Not that it's a problem - I believe those are prone to overheating anyway.

Not sure what "center" cap you are referring to but the caps look stock.

I wouldn't mod that amp at all. She's a beauty. Cap job and check for any drifting components. Possible mod to put in an adjustable bias supply.

Serial # info from Velvet Black

First digit: Last digit of year of production (1 ^= 1971, 3 ^= 1973)
Second and third digit: Month of production (01 ^= Jan., 11^=Nov.)
Last four digits: Numbered unit produced within that year?

http://www.informatik.uni-bremen.de/~dace/vb/index.html

http://www.lynx.bc.ca/~jc/traynorSchmArchive.html

[Sharkey]

AL30,
Thanks for the links and reply. From the research I have done here on TGP, everyone says these are suppose-ably really loud amps and this one didn't seem very loud at all when I tested it. It appears to have the original power tubes so I 'm gonna pic some up ASP and change those out. Like I said I'm no Tech but I assumed the brown residue on the inside of the chassis was an indication of a leaky cap. Suggestions anyone?

[Wakarusa]

The large capacitor at the front of the chassis (horizontal and brown) is either bad or going bad. Note the prominent bulge in the left end cap. When you go to get new tubes for it, it's overdue to have the large electrolytics changed out.

As far as mods, I'd suggest getting it working correctly stock and then playing it long enough to know if you want it changed.

[Sharkey]

Originally Posted by Wakarusa

The large capacitor at the front of the chassis (horizontal and brown) is either bad or going bad. Note the prominent bulge in the left end cap. When you go to get new tubes for it, it's overdue to have the large electrolytics changed out.

As far as mods, I'd suggest getting it working correctly stock and then playing it long enough to know if you want it changed.

Thanks for the expert info and suggestions on this Todd.
I figured that brown residue was an indication of a leaky
cap.

Anyone care to suggest a brand of new production EL34's that would work best in this amp and also where and what brand of electrolytics & new caps to purchase
for it online?

[Wakarusa]

I just put a set of JJ E34L in a gear pager's YBA-1 this weekend and they sound dandy. Mike K. (Blue Strat) will probably have some good advice on this as well.

For the caps the first thing you have to decide is whether or not you need to replace the multi-section cans. If you do, then there's the next question about whether to replace them with new cans, or to disconnect the old ones (leave 'em there for decoration) and replace them with a bank of new discrete components tucked inside the chassis.

The replacement discretes can have a much smaller footprint than those old brown ones. The good news is that you can fit a bunch more inside. The bad news is that the old clips won't fit the new caps -- so you (or your tech) will have to rig up something new to hold everything in place. As for where to get 'em, the usual suspects are Antique Electronics Supply, Mouser, etc. You may need to replace single high voltage rating caps with a pair of replacements (fairly rare to see, for instance, a 600WVDC cap these days, so you put in a pair of 350WVDC with twice the capacitance in series instead). Depending on how experienced you are, you may want to leave the recap to your tech -- or at a minimum invite over a buddy who's done this sort of stuff before and trade labor for beer (the beer, of course, has to come after the labor -- not during )

[donnyjaguar]

Nice amp (I have one too). Just leave the can caps in and add the appropriate capacitance inside the chassis. Use 105C electrolytics and rock on. The amplifier is ferociously loud. Traynor amp's have the schematic on the underside of the cover which is good because many circuit variations exist. You can peal it off the galvanized sheet with a heat gun to photocopy. Check all tube receiver pins for wear and/or deformation. The tubes could be original. Its missing the wooden crossmember on the back with the two cord winding posts (unless you removed for the photo session). You got an amazing deal! The trick now is to find a matching speaker cabinet for a reasonable price.

As for mod's, check the voltage supply on the first stage. If there is a 10k resistor feeding it, great. If not, add one to bring the plate voltage down just a little and you should be good to go.

[phsyconoodler]

Great score! It is definitely original inside.There are no can caps in this amp.The three caps you see are what you get.There are a couple of smaller electrolytics that also need replacing.The resistors are also all original.The ones in the reddish boxes are tempreature sensitive resistors and they change resistance with temperature.
I also suggest rebuilding it totally stock and by all means replace those tubes!

[Sharkey]

Thanks guys,
Think I will give Mike a call for the tubes and then I'll just take it to a good qualified amp tech that Greg Germino recommended to me.

Ballpark, how much will this cost if I supply the tubes?

DJ,
The back panel was included with it and the tubes appear to be original.



http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...8923&rd=1&rd=1
This just sold on E-bay but I need 8 ohm cab right?

[phsyconoodler]

Sorry,I didn't see the cap cans on first glance,and as my head is stuck inside a Traynor Mark III right now that doesn't have cans,I made a mistake.Indeed change those caps!

[Swarty]

Those original Mullards (preamp and power) may be perfectly fine. Of course you could also spin them on Ebay for a bunch of dough. BTW, I'd call it circa '72.

[chris_d]

Originally Posted by phsyconoodler

Indeed change those caps!

+1 on crunky old electrolytics. But don't let anyone touch those old mustards!

-chris