Traynor YBA-3 Custom Special

[Randall]

Just got one in for a re-cap. Original Telefunken EL-34s and Sylvania 12AX7s. Massive iron. A friend sees it, and thinks it might be a Marshall rip off done in a Fender style. Intriguing. Anyone know about these?

[Blackburn]

Been looking for one of these things cheap to mod. My understanding is similar to yours, in that they can make good Marshall tone with a few tweaks. I just wish they were better looking amps.

[M Fowler]

Yes know of them but never found one yet.

[LOUDthud]

There are several versions of the YBA-3. Earlier ones had 6 knobs. Later ones added a master volume. Strange EQ and preamp. EL34s have bias voltage connected to suppressor grids (pin 1).

[Gaz]

Loud thud's right. The early I Are like Plexis, but the later ones are strange, and not too nice for guitar in my experience. For bass, on the other hand, they are great. Regardless, they are all a pleasure to work on. Is this one fan cooled? That's typically why they still have the old tubes, and they are very easy in the screen grids because the PA sags a lot even though the B+ is 500vdc or more.

[jon]

Mine was an early one. Here are some gut shots. It was totally stock not a single solder joint had been disturbed when I got her. I paid $250.00.

[IMG:799:598]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/Jhtjon/Traynor%20YBA-3%20Custom%20Special/YBA3CustomSpecial6.jpg[/img]

[IMG:799:598]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/Jhtjon/Traynor%20YBA-3%20Custom%20Special/YBA3CustomSpecial4.jpg[/img]

[IMG:800:600]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/Jhtjon/Traynor%20YBA-3%20Custom%20Special/YBA3CustomSpecial17.jpg[/img]

[IMG:800:600]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/Jhtjon/Traynor%20YBA-3%20Custom%20Special/YBA3CustomSpecial16.jpg[/img]

[IMG:800:600]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/Jhtjon/Traynor%20YBA-3%20Custom%20Special/YBA3CustomSpecial15.jpg[/img]

[IMG:800:600]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/Jhtjon/Traynor%20YBA-3%20Custom%20Special/YBA3CustomSpecial14.jpg[/img]

[IMG:800:600]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/Jhtjon/Traynor%20YBA-3%20Custom%20Special/YBA3CustomSpecial13.jpg[/img]

[IMG:800:600]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/Jhtjon/Traynor%20YBA-3%20Custom%20Special/YBA3CustomSpecial12.jpg[/img]

[IMG:800:600]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/Jhtjon/Traynor%20YBA-3%20Custom%20Special/YBA3CustomSpecial11.jpg[/img]

[IMG:800:600]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/Jhtjon/Traynor%20YBA-3%20Custom%20Special/YBA3CustomSpecial10.jpg[/img]

[IMG:800:600]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/Jhtjon/Traynor%20YBA-3%20Custom%20Special/YBA3CustomSpecial9.jpg[/img]

[IMG:800:600]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/Jhtjon/Traynor%20YBA-3%20Custom%20Special/YBA3CustomSpecial8.jpg[/img]

[IMG:800:600]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/Jhtjon/Traynor%20YBA-3%20Custom%20Special/YBA3CustomSpecial8.jpg[/img]

[IMG:800:600]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/Jhtjon/Traynor%20YBA-3%20Custom%20Special/YBA3CustomSpecial3.jpg[/img]

[IMG:800:600]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/Jhtjon/Traynor%20YBA-3%20Custom%20Special/YBA3CustomSpecial2.jpg[/img]

[IMG:800:600]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/Jhtjon/Traynor%20YBA-3%20Custom%20Special/YBA3CustomSpecial1.jpg[/img]

[Leo_Gnardo]

IIRC saw a photo of Steve Miller mid 70's with a stack of 3 of these. Loud, clean, that's what it takes for the Miller tone.

In more recent times, a friend I jam with in mid Mass. got one and it's the cat's meow for bass. Low cost and easy to maintain. H'ray for Traynor!

[Randall]

Looks I have the early version based on these pics. What is the boxy thing in the output section? Looks like one was replaced at some point, but it has no numbers I can understand.

[Cliff Schecht]

Jon...Nice Omega!

[Gaz]

Looks I have the early version based on these pics. What is the boxy thing in the output section? Looks like one was replaced at some point, but it has no numbers I can understand.

What boxy thing? All I can see are resistors.

[Randall]

Whoops.

[Gaz]

Ah, okay, that's what I thought. I was confused because I thought the first pictures were of your actual amp. That's an MOV (or some similar ancient solid state component). Look on your schematic at the plates of the output tubes, and you'll see it. The white tublar thing is part of it too, and strapped across the OT. It clamps when there's a spike. I had a YBA-3 once where it was blown and choking the output to barely audible levels. An old Traynor tech bulletin calls to snip it out because it apparently failed needlessly more often than for actual protection. Maybe you can actually find the old bulletin somewhere...

[Structo]

That is a strange device.
I have not seen anything like that before.

At first I thought maybe it was a tremolo bug or similar but I think Gaz nailed it.

[Randall]

There are several versions of the YBA-3. Earlier ones had 6 knobs. Later ones added a master volume. Strange EQ and preamp. EL34s have bias voltage connected to suppressor grids (pin 1).

Yes. I think this one is a possibly a hybrid. It has 6 knobs, no master, but with the EL34's and that odd biasing that I find on the revised versions.

Also has a choke, and 10 uF/500v cap on the preamp node. Haven't found a schematic that exactly represents it, it seems to be little of the early and perhaps beginning of the later era.

[Randall]

There are several versions of the YBA-3. Earlier ones had 6 knobs. Later ones added a master volume. Strange EQ and preamp. EL34s have bias voltage connected to suppressor grids (pin 1).

Yes. I think this one is a possibly a hybrid. It has 6 knobs, no master, but with the EL34's and that odd biasing that I find on the revised versions.

Also has a choke, and 10 uF/500v cap on the preamp node. Haven't found a schematic that exactly represents it, it seems to be little of the early and perhaps beginning of the later era.