Would appreciate any advice your users group might have. I am an organist using a Korg BX-3 (which is a Hammond B-3 clone).
I am rebuilding a Leslie (rotating speaker) and since the original amp was missing, will need a replacement. The speaker unit comprises a 15" bass and an upper driver both 16 ohm. The (new replacement) speakers are rated at 100 watts. The original Leslie amp was 45? watts and the original speakers were rated at 60? watts
A keyboardist in the states suggested using a Fender Bassman as he was ecstatic with the resulting sound. Unfortunately the prices on the used Bassman's I've seen are a little too high for my taste.
Someone else recommended the Bassmaster as a good (possibly better) alternative. Essentially I'm looking for a warm, clear sound (as the organ has existing overdrive/distortion controls) and definitely want a tube amp to replace the original Leslie tube amp. I assume the Bassmaster at 50 watts would be sufficience for practice/jams or the odd pub gig.
I think using a Bass Master to power your speaker is an excellent idea - I have always loved the sound of Leslies - especially in small clubs etc where the swirling effect is most obvious.
There are two Bass Masters - the standard 50 watt YBA-1 Bass Master, and the 80 watt YBA-1A Bass Master Mark 2. They are almost identical in appearance (both had several different case styles over the years) and used the same tubes (3 12AX7/7025 plus a pair of 7027s in the very early models, and a pair of 6CA7/EL34 in all the later models. The Mark 2 has bigger transformers and is heavier, runs on a higher plate voltage, and has a fan to save it from meltdown.
I have a YBA-1 and a couple of YBA-1As. I think the standard Bass Master YBA-1does guitar distortion better, but the Mark 2 YBA-1A has a more solid tone for bass guitar. I think the extra clarity and punch of the YBA-1A would make it better for organ, but it is a matter of taste.
Music store don't distinguish between the two models - they are both listed as 50 watts because they have a pair of EL34s, and are sold for the same price. The days where Bass Masters were given away for $50 to $75 CDN are long gone, but there are still bargains out there ($150 to $175 CDN). Song Bird has asked for close to $300 for a Bass Master recently.
I would be interested to hear other opinions about the sound differences between the two Bass master models.
Eric
I recently purchased a 1973 Traynor Studio Mate without a front nameplate. Does anyone out there have a plate that they would be willing to sell so that I can get this great amp back into shape?
Tony Dudzik
I was hoping that you might point me in the right direction for a missing name plate. I have a 1973 Traynor Studio Mate and I would love to get it back into original condition. Any ideas/leads?
The ebay auction site has a traynor 100 watt head and a 4 x 10 cabinet up for auction. A picture is included, looks pretty clean.hi there. was just perusing the traynor website you setup and found that the links for ygm-3 schematics are broken. also, i'm looking for a manual for one, happen to have a lead?
thanks much for authoring this website, i happened upon my new amp (a '69!) on ebay and i love it. found out lots of good stuff from your site that gave me enough info to make the decision to buy it.
eryque
Someone else recommended the Bassmaster as a good (possibly better) alternative. Essentially I'm looking for a warm, clear sound (as the organ has existing overdrive/distortion controls) and definitely want a tube amp to replace the original Leslie tube amp. I assume the Bassmaster at 50 watts would be sufficience for practice/jams or the odd pub gig.
I agree with Eric that this (or the YBA2) would be a great setup ... though guitar amps were created with a certain degree of preamp distortion index, some git amps like early Marshalls or Fender Deluxes have a high preamp distortion index, and perhaps just in case you're looking for a little more headroom than a guitar player might want here's a little info you may want to know about ...
if you want to maximize the clean sound of any guitar amp that uses a single branch filter distribution network throughout the amp (as this amp and almost all do) then what you may want to do is reduce the R component of the RC network ...
... in the early Bassmaster the RC network has a fairly high preamp distortion index, and in fact is backwards compared to most amps (ie Fender related) ... that is, the first resistor in the RC network coming off the choke is usually higher than the one following it but in the early bassmaster we have a 4.7k followed by a 10k ... if I recall correctly the early Bassmaster B+ voltage is around 450 volts (unlike the YBA2 which runs at 530v or somthing) ... this means you can reduce these resistors and have the preamp tubes running with more headroom, which is what you want to do to reduce preamp distortion and make the amp cleaner to a degree ...
I'd recommend you bring the 4.7k down to 2.2k and then experiment with replacement values for the 10k going lower in increments (say 6.8k, 4.7k, 2.2k and finally 1k no lower, all 1w) ... because the voltage to the preamp will increase by decreasing the series resistance one must be careful because depending on the strength of the B+ you can bring this feed voltage to a (high) degree where you start exceeding plate dissipation when the amp is driven extra hard ... in Twin and Super Silverface amps I have found it acceptable to have 2.2k and 1k running there ...
by reducing the filter resistance you get an overall cleaner response and an even more pentodish distortion when overdriving the amp because the power tubes will cream up before the triode stages will ... of course this will alter the character of the amp slightly and you may not like that, so there's a subtle compromise ... it's good to play the amp lots before playing with this series resistance, then play the amp lots after so you can better tell which suites your needs more ... you may like the distortion character of a stock YBA1 ... which is very nice ... conversely you can use the YBA1 values on a high headromm guitar amp to give it more YBA1-style triodicity ... there's no ultimate choice, depends and you ...
incidently, I use an Ampeg (7027A) V4 between my Rhodes or '49 B2 and 122 Leslie and the sound/breakup is phenomenal (many Ampeg amps, especially those for Bass, were designed with less breakup than other brand amps) ... there's always been a tendency to use high headroom tube amps on keyboards, or to modify them for this
... all else said I think a 50w YBA1 amp would be a great choice ... I've gotten two positive emails in the last week from guitar players who recently bought early Bassmasters ... these amps are capable of producing very nice harmonics and dynamics indeed ... very nice harmonics on a guitar signal, very nice harmonics on an organ signal ... what the hey ... :)~ hope this is useful to you ... have fun with it ...
I was pleased to find you page. I currently own 3 Bass Master heads and one Bass Mate head which has 6V6 outputs rather than the EL84 variety. Have you seen this output tube complement in a Bass Mate before?
Also, the Bass Mates that I have appear to be 70 and 71 year models which do not have the choke as on the 66 models. Is there any differences in tone and/or circuit differences between the 66 and 70's vintage amps?
V/R, Bob Parks
I just scored a YGL-1 Mark III combo in a pawnshop for $150 US.
They were asking $195, but I whined about the reverb not working and the footswitch being missing until they dropped the price.
Someone had installed Peavey speakers ( which is probably okay, as I understand the original speakers weren't so great anyway) and replaced the grill cloth with what looks like window screen.
But when I opened up the top, the electronics look all original -- it's got the big Mallory paper two-section filter caps, etc. This is almost bad news -- half the reason I bought it was as a platform for modifications, but it seems almost a shame to disturb the beautiful work that was done some 26 years ago!
(... it's a favorite amongst modsters I would think - lots of room, relatively crappy Hammond OT ...)
Mine had some heavy guage chicken wire stuff on it and had shiny metal studs stuck all over the amp. I retolexed it and built a new front but didn't have a Traynor badge to stick on it. But I did have a nice metal "Acetone" badge that I stuck on the grill. You should see the looks I get when I gig with this amp...
I am coming to rely on your advice entirely too much. I will try to be brief. And I will repay you by sending you a copy of an early seventies Traynor brochure, if you want it. It's different from anything I've seen on your site, and encompasses the whole line. I have it in storage presently on the other side of the country but I go home for thanksgiving.
I am looking for an amp: either a garnet or a traynor. If you would be so kind as to give me a quick recommendation as to what model and year (if the year makes a difference as to sound).
Traynors seem to be fairly common so I could probably pick and choose. On the other hand I know where there is a Garnet Deputy II (if still unsold) and those don't grow on trees. I am looking for Marshall type sounds more than Fender. I will be modding (respecfully, and reversably) for master volume (I don't need no deafness, thank you very much) and channel switching if necessary. Reverb and trem would be nice but not a requirement. Prefer 50 watts to a hundred. And I know it's a weird thing but I really hate heads that are 4-12 cabinet width, they're ugly and, more importantly, unwieldy. But, ultimately, tone and features rules (over dimensions).
I have been reading your email files but so far I haven't been able to find the info I need and I don't want to let that Garnet get away..., should that be your recommendation. If you're too busy perhaps you could forward to someone else who could help???
Thank you for whatever help you can offer. gene.