At the core of my electric guitar sound is a Traynor tube amp that’s a stylish, old-school, over-constructed, two channel power house…
My (yr. 2010) Traynor YCV80 Custom Valve 80-Watt 2×12 Guitar Combo is at the center of my electric guitar sound.
Channel one is voiced similar to a Marshall (and as you add more gain, it sounds like a JCM with a Tube Screamer in front of it). Channel two sounds like a good, clean, Fender… how could you go wrong with any of that!
I’ve found that quality and consistency are pretty much a mainstay within the build of any Traynor amp that I’ve played, and this one is at the very top when it comes to that level of quality.
TRAYNOR:
Never heard of Traynor amps before? Well, I’m not surprised. Traynor makes excellent guitar amps that not only have fantastic tone, but they are built solid with a price tag that won’t break the bank.
Traynor is a Canadian company, with their production facility located in Pickering, Ontario Canada (their USA distribution center is located in Niagara Falls, New York).
Traynor’s parent company is called Yorkville Sound and if you desire quality control (who doesn’t), then Traynor and Yorkville keep both quality and reliability ranking high on their “to do” list.
SOUND:
Simply put, this amp sounds amazing when run clean. The top end boost has a ton of punch with huge headroom. The end result is a classic clean twin sound, and seriously – let me tell you – this amp truly delivers!
No complaints about the overdrive /boost channel either, once you voice it with the tubes of your choice and set the 3 band EQ correctly to your liking – look out! This beast can throw out gain like crazy!
The versatility of this amp is ridiculous… you could play in a country band on Tuesday, a top 40 band on Thursday, and a heavy rock band on Saturday… this amp would cover them all like it was made for each gig!
The interesting thing that I noticed right away about the YCV80 was the unique Traynor, “scoop switch.” It (Scoop) gives the amp a modern fat voicing that fits perfectly with the triple rectifier crowd.
OUTPUT:
Volume wise – there’s no problem in a room with Marshall or Mesa stacks. The Traynor’s sound will certainly stand apart from others. It’s not a British; (brown, orange), or an American sound, but rather a Canadian sound all of its own!
CONCLUSION:
Overall, I Love it! Highly recommend for “pure tube” tone enthusiasts. Sadly this amp is discontinued, but you can still find them posted on Reverb.com.
The Traynor replacement model is just as amazing as the YCV80, it’s the; Custom Valve 40 Watt All-Tube 1×12 Guitar Combo Amp – Wine Red.