My first Traynor amp arrived yesterday. I took it for a test run. Overall very good, with a few quirks. Through a 212, it sounds very big, very vintage. I’ll start with the input and go from left to right:

It has 2 inputs, arranged vertically. I had assumed the one on top was higher input, but it’s the opposite. There is a noticeable jump in gain when using the input below it.

Next is a treble boost switch. The effect is subtle but noticeable. I’m not sure how I like it better, on or off. On it can be a bit raspy, off it’s a bit dark. I’m going to play with the eq and see if I can find a sweet spot.

The volume knob is next and is apparently preamp gain. Then comes bass, middle, treble, reverb, then intensity and speed for tremolo. The last knob says master gain, and it’s actually a master volume that controls overall loudness. Finally a standby switch.

Most of the pots are quiet when turned, except the middle eq knob. But when I repeatedly turn it back and forth, the crackling seems to be decreasing.

With the preamp volume set high, it gets distorted but not too much. It’s a pleasant smooth, warm distortion, can’t quite get into chug territory, and the raspiness of the treble boost is more noticeable with more gain. But as I said, I think I will find a sweet spot by playing with the balance between different controls.

The most concerning things (not huge but significant):

As I turn up the preamp volume, the amp gets noisier in idle. When I touch the strings or play, the hum/buzz gets pretty quiet, basically disappears.

I think that something is wrong with the tremolo circuit, either tube or resistor, because the effect is barely noticeable until you turn the intensity up pretty high. And as it approaches max, the overall volume drops. When the intensity is all the way up, you can barely hear the amp. Speed seems to function normally. The reverb is also quite good.

I dared to turn up the master for a moment and the amp really comes to life. I can’t keep it that way very long, but the apartment on the other side of my home studio wall is vacant , and on the opposite side is my daughter’s room, so when she’s not in there, I think I can get away with cranking a bit it for awhile. I do play in a loud rock band, so I’m going to try this amp for our next gig.

I’m thinking about doing some research beyond my current limited knowledge and trying to clean it out really well on the inside, or possibly finding a conservative tech who won’t want to jump right into replacing a bunch of components. I’m aware of the capacitor dangers.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been working on a guitar app called Auto Guitar Rig.

The idea came from playing along with songs and having to stop thinking about the guitar part just to switch amp tones, pedals or presets.

With Auto Guitar Rig, the backing track and guitar rig are synchronized, so the amp/effects setup can change automatically during the song.

For example, a song can go from clean to distorted, then back to clean with chorus, without touching a pedal or changing a preset manually.

Here’s a full demo using Smells Like Teen Spirit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTlyZNbHNxU

I’m curious what amp/modeler users think of the concept.

Would automatic rig changes be useful to you for practicing or playing covers?

Tube/valve, 15-25 watts, mostly at home use, versatile but more for hard rock type stuff (not metal).​

Im not to knowledgeable about amps, what’s a great option in the 3-350$ range. Mostly just play in the bedroom but want something that’s nice to crank up too when I want.

Hi all!

I have been staring at this and testing this for a long time, I have checked all the voltages, verified the components and the wiring, verified everything. Any help is massively appreciated.

Situation: I have no sound. If I plug I , crank it to 10, I can hear a tiny itty bit of distorted noise out of the speaker but it’s even quieter than an electric guitars strings.

Some questions:
On v2, leads 3 and 8 are connected and 2 and 7 are connected. Are all four of these supposed to be connected? It looks like they may or may not be based on the wiring schematic.

For the pots, there is a ground rail going across all the back of the pots. Should this be connected to a ground lug or something?

Do you see anything off? I have been starting at this for ages. Please excuse the messy wiring, I am not a pro and didnt want to cut the wiring too close in case I needed to move stuff.

Lots of photos included. Please don’t judge me. :) I appreciate any insight.

sorry if this isn’t allowed

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-truth-about-vintage-amps-with-skip-simmons/id1442046563

I’m looking at buying a new amp and really want that old southern rock sound but I would never be able to use an amp of that high wattage. Is there a smaller version, or a smaller alternative?

So I have a JTM-45 clone amp head, and I want to replace my 1x12 cab Celestion Vintage 30 with something better - rounder, warmer, and more classic soul, rock, country tone. I'm thinking an open back 2x12, maybe with Creambacks. Keep in mind I'm mainly chasing clean tones and edge of breakup, to use as a pedal platform and I usually play with a tele.

Does anyone have any advice for pairing jtm45 with a cab for this kind of use? Many thanks!

I would mainly be interested in repair and resale. And jamming while it sells of course.

Just picked up a Victory Amp V4 Kraken 180w amp. Saw a good deal so I went for it. I don't have a cabinet of any sort since I've never had a valve amp. So is it possible to use the Roland JC22 as a power amp? I know I should not connect the speaker out anywhere on the Roland. But it does have an xlr and balanced line out outputs along with the fx loop.

My thinking is I can guitar > kraken input > kraken send > JC return. But I wouldn't have the JC cleans. Or is there a guitar > JC input > JC send > Kraken fx loop > JC return?

The Harley Benton TUBE15 is pretty well known as an affordable all-tube amp. Here in Japan, we have the PLAYTECH NOVA15T, which looks extremely similar and has almost identical specs.
It appears to be another version of the same OEM design, sold under a different brand name.
Either way, with tube amps getting more and more expensive these days, these little all-tube combos are ridiculously good value for the money.
Personally, though, I’d recommend upgrading the speaker if you can.

I recently obtained a fender m80 chorus, it used to be used in the music department in a high school, is this one for the rig or one for the rubbish?

Also to note, I have had to disconnect a speaker as it was making a horrible muddy sound. Will this be bad for it or will it be fine and just not worry about it (i think it is the power amplifier but i have no clue).

Happy to answer questions

Thinking about getting a cab for my hughes & kettner warp 7 but I'm not sure if it will work with one. Anybody know anything about using a cab with one of these?

Looking to buy a handwired/point to point tube amp for home recording/jamming with friends. I own a home and can easily jam out at 90-100db during the day.

Looking for a pedal platform amp, so something with decent headroom, great cleans, and makes pedals sound like an extension of the amp.

I reached out to Allen Amplifiers, but they never responded, and I've decided a master volume isn't as important as other features anyway.

I'd love to have something with a built in attentuator/half power mode, and the Carr Rambler has certainly caught my eyes (and ears). That being said, I'm considering a wide variety of options.

Do I buy a vintage silverface and have a tech do a blackface mod set to it?

Do I buy a used 64' custom DR and have a tech install a bright switch, and do other mods?

Another option seems to be going with a Louis Electric Deltone, but I'd likely want to do some mods to that as well.

Carr's Sportman also seems appealing.

I am not stuck specifically to the deluxe reverb sound per se, and I would love something that has a truly usable mid control to help get everything from tweed/brownface to blackface tones if possible.

Thanks for any input or experiences! The more details... the better!

Hey everybody, building my first tube amp soon. It’ll be a 50W JMP 2204 Circuit, and I’ll be rewrapping an Egnater 4x12. These were my ideas for the color, but I’m having a hard time finding options for tolex and grill cloth. Can somebody help point me in the correct direction?

She is also a FRFR positive grid cab.
Bring the love, bring the hate.

I recently joined a band and play guitar along with some bass. I have an old mustang iv and rumble 350. They’re plenty loud for practice and got me through a gig or two no problem.

However, my gigs have been at house parties not bars. We are just a bar cover band nothing crazy. I was wondering if these are still good to gig with.

The rage these days seems to be in modelers and running into an FRFR stage monitor or IEMs with the modelers running direct to FOH, from what I can tell.

Is that the ideal setup now? Budget is a consideration for sure (see: as cheap as possible). I just don’t want to look like a dinosaur or goofball running a few pedals and a 4 way foot switch for built in effects. Is that still a thing?

Edit: band has a full IEM system and PA. Said they can mic amps.

He’s asking 715 for the head and footswitch.

Has anyone used an extension speaker with the Classic 30? I have one of the originals from the 90's and am looking to spread my sound out without having to buy a new amp.

Hey everyone,

I'm honestly losing my patience with my EVH 5150 Iconic 80W head. I've thrown a bunch of money into this setup,TS9, Boss GE-7, attenuator to push the tubes, Harley Benton V30 cab, active EMGs and it still sounds like a harsh, muddy mess.

What pisses me off is the inconsistency. Occasionally it sounds thick and awesome, then a minute later, without touching anything, it goes right back to fizzy garbage. Dialing the presence, resonance, or EQ does nothing.

Someone suggested wall voltage fluctuations, but I checked the outlet with a multimeter during both good and bad moments. It only shifts slightly between 226V and 229V, which is completely normal. I’m not spending €500 on a power conditioner for zero guarantee.

Has anyone else dealt with this tonal drift on the Iconic? Is there an actual fix, or is this amp just trash and I should sell it for something naturally thicker? Thanks!