Kelvinator Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 I plugged in my 1970 Traynor YBA-3 Custom Special last night, because I wanted to use it on a job tonight. I hadn't used it in a couple of weeks, so I thought I'd play through it for a while to get the right tone settings. Well.... I was using my SG to try a new pickup, when the amp started losing power and making some strange noises. I thought maybe I had a cold solder joint or a bad ground in the bass , but my Double Cut did the same thing. I peeked behind the amp and saw the power tubes glowing bright red, and before I could shut her down - the fuse blew. I haven't tried replacing the fuse yet (and don't know if I should). Any ideas?? I'm hoping it's just a bad capacitor; this is an old amp, and 100% original. This head has always been reliable, never noisy, and has always sounded great. Looks like I'll be using the Markbass tonight - great sounding head, but it just doesn't growl like the Traynor... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrNylon Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 It almost sounds like a transformer going with the loss of power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Bill Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 Hey buddy...so sorry to hear about your amp. You are like me in that I also check ALL my equipment the day before a gig. Amps, mics, cords, and a supply of spare strings, and picks. Just about everything has a spare or a back up. Call me anal, but I've never been caught short, and often times I've bailed out other players. I hope you get the problem solved...if not, the best guy I've found in that area is a repairman named Tony Flaminio. He got my GBX up and running after four others failed. I've been told that a GBX and a Traynor are nearly identical. GBX fashioned their amps after Traynor equipment. I also concur with gsgbass in that it sounds like a transformer problem. Just as an aside...Denny "F" is scheduled for a visit here in Florida while visiting his daughter. He said he would stop by. Take care...and keep in touch when you can. Always good to hear from you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrNylon Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 Hi KB; As a old Roadie, you're doing the right thing by checking your gear, and back up gear. I do think Kelv's Traynor is having a Transformer issue. I had a 1970 Traynor head back in 1970. Fantastic amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelvinator Posted April 5, 2014 Author Share Posted April 5, 2014 It almost sounds like a transformer going with the loss of power. You could be right, but I hope not. I'm pretty sure they used Hammond transformers, and I wonder how hard they'd be to find. From what I've heard, new replacements stink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelvinator Posted April 5, 2014 Author Share Posted April 5, 2014 Hey buddy...so sorry to hear about your amp. You are like me in that I also check ALL my equipment the day before a gig. Amps, mics, cords, and a supply of spare strings, and picks. Just about everything has a spare or a back up. Call me anal, but I've never been caught short, and often times I've bailed out other players. I hope you get the problem solved...if not, the best guy I've found in that area is a repairman named Tony Flaminio. He got my GBX up and running after four others failed. I've been told that a GBX and a Traynor are nearly identical. GBX fashioned their amps after Traynor equipment. I also concur with gsgbass in that it sounds like a transformer problem. Just as an aside...Denny "F" is scheduled for a visit here in Florida while visiting his daughter. He said he would stop by. Take care...and keep in touch when you can. Always good to hear from you. Yep Bill, I'm usually over-prepared. I always bring 2 of everything - even an extra head. Could you PM me Tony's number? If you trust him, he has to be good. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrNylon Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 You could be right, but I hope not. I'm pretty sure they used Hammond transformers, and I wonder how hard they'd be to find. From what I've heard, new replacements stink. I heard the same thing about the newer transformers from another player. I hope it's not the transformer on your Traynor also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 To my experiences a faulty grid bias component or connection is more likely than a bad transformer. Would be much cheaper to fix though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelvinator Posted April 5, 2014 Author Share Posted April 5, 2014 To my experiences a faulty grid bias component or connection is more likely than a bad transformer. Would be much cheaper to fix though. Well that's good news... Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 Well that's good news... Thanks. To avoid giving you any false hope, I downloaded and checked the amp circuit diagram before posting. I am confident that fixing it won't be a big deal for an experienced rep guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Bill Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 Kelvinator... I posted something, but knowing me I goofed it up...so the # is 449-1589. You know the area code I'm sure. Thanks go to K. Bensink for the number...it had evaporated out of my address book. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelvinator Posted April 5, 2014 Author Share Posted April 5, 2014 Thanks for all the help and advice you guys - I really appreciate it. The Gibson Bass forum might be a small one, but it's always friendly. Lots of good people here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrNylon Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 I hope your fix isn't expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 Thanks for all the help and advice you guys - I really appreciate it. The Gibson Bass forum might be a small one, but it's always friendly. Lots of good people here! Keep us posted, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelvinator Posted June 29, 2014 Author Share Posted June 29, 2014 I finally got the Traynor to to Kaiser Bill's repair guy, Tony. The verdict was that one of the vintage EL34s crapped the bed and took out some diodes; I'm electronically challenged, but I think that was pretty close to Capmaster's diagnosis. Tony had an old EL34 that closely matched the remaining 3, but he recommended replacing all of the power tubes and I agree. It has to be reliable if I'm going to use it on stage. I also asked him if he could add a master volume, and he's looking into doing that. I'd have him put the pot in the 2nd input jack hole, so it won't alter the chassis and could be put back to original if the next guy wants to (when I'm dead). Tony went through the whole amp, touched up some solder joints, and gave her a clean bill of health. So in about a week I'll be back to enjoying that tube warmth and crunch that I've been missing for the last few months. I love my Markbass SD-800, which has tons of power and unlimited tone-shaping abilities, but with a good preamp in front of it - nothing beats that old Traynor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrNylon Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 That sounds good that the Traynor will be back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelvinator Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share Posted July 16, 2014 I picked up the Traynor last night. Tony (repair tech) put in 4 new EL34B power tubes from "The Tube Amp Doctor", replaced a bunch of diodes and a scratchy volume pot. He decided not to add a master volume due to concern about changing the tone of the amp - good decision. I was worried about the new tubes; how could they possibly sound as good as the vintage Sylvanias? Well they sound better . The amp tested at 134 watts, and has more power than I'll ever need on stage. I played it for a couple of hours in the band-room last night through a 4X10 Ampeg, and couldn't turn the volume past 2! I had everything in the room rattling... This thing is LOUD . But more importantly, it sounds better than ever: more low-end, sweet harmonics, and she still crunches. I couldn't be happier . Thanks again to Kaiser Bill for recommending Tony - he made my day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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