Gear Hunter

Traynor - YCV80

Description

There is something magical about the sound and versatility of a powerful, twin-twelve tube combo that has made them the staple of almost every major guitarist's amp lineup since they were introduced over 50 years ago. Yorkville was there in the early 1970's with their groundbreaking Traynor "Mark III" and today they remain at the top of so many players' must-have lists thanks to the Custom Valve 80.

Designed and manufactured by Yorkville Sound in Pickering, Ontario, the YCV80 offers all-tube power and versatile features while maintaining the reliability and value Traynor users expect. Two new tone-shaping controls give players an unprecedented variety of vintage tube sounds. A 'Scoop' switch on the lead channel adds body for much heavier solos and power chords, while the clean channel's 'Expander' switch equalizes certain frequencies to create new, crystal clear rhythm sounds nearly simulating an acoustic-like tone.

There are more features on the channels. For example, each of them has its own set of three tone controls. Add to that a Boost button on the lead channel which is overridden by the footswitch to spotlight solos and a Brightness button on the clean channel to sparkle up the high end for country licks or vintage R&R tones.

Masters include volume and Reverb, the latter driving a lush-sounding Accutronics long-spring line. The volume Master then makes sure everything comes out the speakers at the right level.

There are more features on the back panel. A new DynaSound circuit is on both the XLR Line output and the 1/4-inch Line/Headphone output. Its effect makes the amp come through the PA, recording medium or stereo phones sounding much more like a miked-up cabinet than a regular line out. And while we're on that subject, there is also a Speaker Defeat button for silent practicing or recording. There are also two Effects patches, one parallel, the other serial. The serial patch is a single 1/4-inch TRS Loop Thru jack (Apex A206SPY insert cable is optional) for processing such as a compressor, volume pedal, etc. The parallel loop has separate Send and Return jacks, each with its own Trim pot for better control over effects drive and mix for chorus, echo, distortion, etc. And of course there is an Extension Speaker jack (YCX212 extension cabinet sold separately). And then, to make sure driving four, twelve-inch speakers is totally within its safe limits, the Custom Valve 80's output stage has been designed to operate at full power into as little as two Ohms overall speaker impedance.

Look in the back and you'll see the YCV80 has a quartet of matched 5881/6L6 power tubes held securely in place with spring-anchored chrome retainers. Inside the chassis, safely shielded from accidents, static and hum fields are three 12AX7/7025 preamp tubes. Look down and you will see a pair of Celestion's high-power, 7080 twelve-inch guitar speakers. And all around this tone monster is multi-ply wood (chipboard NOT allowed) - covered in durable black Bronco leatherette.

Features:
- All tube construction with 4 x 5881, 3 x 12AX7A tubes
- Dual, 12 inch Celestion 70/80 speakers
- Separate tone controls for clean and drive channels
- Scoop switch on lead channel for heavy, boutique amp lead sound
- Expander switch on rhythm channel for unique variations of clean tone
- DynaSound speakers compensated XLR direct output
- DynaSound compensated headphone output
- Parallel effects loop with trim controls on input and output
- Internal Speaker defeat switch for silent practice or direct recording
- DC powered filament supply on preamp tubes for reduced hum
- Autobalancing bias supply means no need for matched pairs of output tubes or bias adjustments
- Long Accutronics reverb springs for authentic vintage sound
- Fully regulated power supply for ultra low noise
- Conservatively driven output for extended tube life
- Additional loop-through serial effects loop 80, great big loud tube watts, not the little tiny solid state ones

Two-button Channel Select/Boost footswitch is included
YCV80COVER sold separately
YCX212 extension cabinet sold separately

Specifications:
* Type - Tube Guitar Amplifier
* Power (Watts) - 80
* Built-In Speaker Impedance (Ohms overall) - 4
* Minimum Impedance (Ohms) - 2
* Speakers - 2x12-inch Celestion 7080 ea. 80Wpgm, 8 Ohms
* Instrument Input - 1/4 inch high impedance
* Channel 1 Controls - Gain, Volume,Treble, Mid, Bass
* Channel 1 Pushbuttons - Boost, Scoop
* Channel 2 Controls - Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass
* Channel 2 Pushbuttons - Brightness, Expander
* Masters - Channel Select button, Master volume and Reveb
* Footswitch Jack - regulates Channel Select and Boost functions and overrides their pushbuttons
* Line Outs - Dynasound-compensated XLR and 1/4" Balanced
* Effects Loops - two, serial and parallel, capable of working together
* Internal Reverb - Accutronics 4EB3C1B dual long-spring
* Extension Speaker Jack - 1/4-inch in parallel with internal speakers
* Headphone/Line Output Jack - 1/4" TRS post-preamp, pre-master
* Other Features - Auto tube matching circuit, DC filaments on preamp tubes, Speaker defeat switch, Standby Switch
* Cabinet Construction - 11-ply Russian birch
* Hardware - perf-steel grill with grey cloth covering, 10-inch strap handle with steel insert, nickel-plated steel corners
* Dimensions (DWH, inches) - 9.5 x 26.5 x 20
* Dimensions (DWH, cm) - 24 x 67 x 51
* Weight (lbs / kg) - 65 / 29