Discussion:
Weber Blue Dog Ceramic?
(too old to reply)
stever
2004-07-29 23:25:42 UTC
Permalink
Anyone like this speaker? Is it better than a Celestion GB G12M wrt
the clean low end in a 1X12" opened back scenario? How bout the
Cali vs the Blue dog or the Vintage 30? What the best compromising
speaker for both super nice cleans and guttural crunch?
RG
2004-07-29 23:42:43 UTC
Permalink
Post by stever
Anyone like this speaker? Is it better than a Celestion GB G12M wrt
the clean low end in a 1X12" opened back scenario? How bout the
Cali vs the Blue dog or the Vintage 30? What the best compromising
speaker for both super nice cleans and guttural crunch?
I like it a lot with the 50oz magnet, pre-broken-in (12"). I cannot comment
on those others for comparison. It also sounds good with a Silver Bell as a
mate.

Best regards,

RG
Phil Symonds
2004-07-30 00:28:49 UTC
Permalink
Post by stever
Anyone like this speaker? Is it better than a Celestion GB G12M wrt
the clean low end in a 1X12" opened back scenario? How bout the
Cali vs the Blue dog or the Vintage 30? What the best compromising
speaker for both super nice cleans and guttural crunch?
I've got one. Bought it used off the Webervst bulletin board for a very
good price. This one is doped. I understand that Weber typically sells it
undoped. Anyhow, I don't have much to compare it to, but this is one fine
speaker. I've got it in an old Electrovoice cabinet I built from a NOS kit
(dated from before we had zip codes) I got from my father-in-law. Lot's of
bottom end, and good through the whole spectrum. Too bad it's 16 ohm, so
I've only got one amp I can use it with. I'd have a hard time saying the
Blue Dog is any kind of compromise, but it may not be your cup of tea.
stever
2004-07-30 01:54:04 UTC
Permalink
On Thu, 29 Jul 2004 20:28:49 -0400, "Phil Symonds"
Post by Phil Symonds
Post by stever
Anyone like this speaker? Is it better than a Celestion GB G12M wrt
the clean low end in a 1X12" opened back scenario? How bout the
Cali vs the Blue dog or the Vintage 30? What the best compromising
speaker for both super nice cleans and guttural crunch?
I've got one. Bought it used off the Webervst bulletin board for a very
good price. This one is doped. I understand that Weber typically sells it
undoped. Anyhow, I don't have much to compare it to, but this is one fine
speaker. I've got it in an old Electrovoice cabinet I built from a NOS kit
(dated from before we had zip codes) I got from my father-in-law. Lot's of
bottom end, and good through the whole spectrum. Too bad it's 16 ohm, so
I've only got one amp I can use it with. I'd have a hard time saying the
Blue Dog is any kind of compromise, but it may not be your cup of tea.
I just want my pristine cleans and I'm not getting that thru the
little traynor ycv20 amp with the celestion gb speaker...I don't know
if the amp is breaking up and not giving me the headroom or the
speaker is the culprit or if the amp is just plain defective...I know
I put the gt12ax7m's, mullard clones from KCA, in there for about a
week and they went microphonic on me so now I have the electoharmonics
in there and it sounds a little better with no microphonics but the
cleans are still muddy and ratty sounding... thinking about dropping
another $600 for the ycv 80 model for the increased clean headroom and
clarity.....:/ that's why I was considering the super clean late
breakingup 80watt Weber California...but I don;t want to drop another
$100 on a speaker if it's the amp,,,which I'd just as well trade up
to begin with and then upgrade...however the little ycv 20 does sound
really good on the od channel at bedroom levels so it is nice for that
anyway... but I'm more of a rythmm/chord player that likes the clean
channel better....jazz, funk, surf, blues, reggae type stuff
Phil Symonds
2004-07-30 12:43:50 UTC
Permalink
Post by stever
On Thu, 29 Jul 2004 20:28:49 -0400, "Phil Symonds"
Post by Phil Symonds
Post by stever
Anyone like this speaker? Is it better than a Celestion GB G12M wrt
the clean low end in a 1X12" opened back scenario? How bout the
Cali vs the Blue dog or the Vintage 30? What the best compromising
speaker for both super nice cleans and guttural crunch?
I've got one. Bought it used off the Webervst bulletin board for a very
good price. This one is doped. I understand that Weber typically sells it
undoped. Anyhow, I don't have much to compare it to, but this is one fine
speaker. I've got it in an old Electrovoice cabinet I built from a NOS kit
(dated from before we had zip codes) I got from my father-in-law. Lot's of
bottom end, and good through the whole spectrum. Too bad it's 16 ohm, so
I've only got one amp I can use it with. I'd have a hard time saying the
Blue Dog is any kind of compromise, but it may not be your cup of tea.
I just want my pristine cleans and I'm not getting that thru the
little traynor ycv20 amp with the celestion gb speaker...I don't know
if the amp is breaking up and not giving me the headroom or the
speaker is the culprit or if the amp is just plain defective...I know
I put the gt12ax7m's, mullard clones from KCA, in there for about a
week and they went microphonic on me so now I have the electoharmonics
in there and it sounds a little better with no microphonics but the
cleans are still muddy and ratty sounding... thinking about dropping
another $600 for the ycv 80 model for the increased clean headroom and
clarity.....:/ that's why I was considering the super clean late
breakingup 80watt Weber California...but I don;t want to drop another
$100 on a speaker if it's the amp,,,which I'd just as well trade up
to begin with and then upgrade...however the little ycv 20 does sound
really good on the od channel at bedroom levels so it is nice for that
anyway... but I'm more of a rythmm/chord player that likes the clean
channel better....jazz, funk, surf, blues, reggae type stuff
I don't know your amp. I'm using my BD with a half-watt Gilmore Jr. and
it's got plenty of rich sounding cleans. (For the Gilmore crowd, mine is
modified for an ECC99 dual triode as the power tube which is far cleaner
than the stock 6n1p.) In your case, it could be the amp or the speaker.
Can't help you there. Best of luck.
Phil
Pete Kerezman
2004-07-30 13:43:21 UTC
Permalink
Post by stever
I just want my pristine cleans and I'm not getting that thru the
little traynor ycv20 amp with the celestion gb speaker...I don't know
if the amp is breaking up and not giving me the headroom or the
speaker is the culprit or if the amp is just plain defective...I know
I put the gt12ax7m's, mullard clones from KCA, in there for about a
week and they went microphonic on me so now I have the electoharmonics
in there and it sounds a little better with no microphonics but the
cleans are still muddy and ratty sounding... thinking about dropping
another $600 for the ycv 80 model for the increased clean headroom and
clarity.....:/ that's why I was considering the super clean late
breakingup 80watt Weber California...but I don;t want to drop another
$100 on a speaker if it's the amp,,,which I'd just as well trade up
to begin with and then upgrade...however the little ycv 20 does sound
really good on the od channel at bedroom levels so it is nice for that
anyway... but I'm more of a rythmm/chord player that likes the clean
channel better....jazz, funk, surf, blues, reggae type stuff
Although I suspect your little amp is not defective and that it just
doesn't have the juice for what you seek, you might try dropping $59 +
$10 on a Reverend Alltone 1250. I have it on very good authority (a
completely tone-obsessed friend) that that particular speaker will
likely give you *some* of what you're after at just over 10% of the
cost of the YCV80. I'm extremely pleased with my non-WR model. When
I've just gotta have "more" there's an SM-57 in my kit for running the
amp through the sound system.

BTW, after a hundred or so hours I'm having zero, as in none
whatsover, problems with the stock Sovtek 12AX7's.

Texas Pete
stever
2004-07-31 14:38:33 UTC
Permalink
Post by Pete Kerezman
Post by stever
I just want my pristine cleans and I'm not getting that thru the
little traynor ycv20 amp with the celestion gb speaker...I don't know
if the amp is breaking up and not giving me the headroom or the
speaker is the culprit or if the amp is just plain defective...I know
I put the gt12ax7m's, mullard clones from KCA, in there for about a
week and they went microphonic on me so now I have the electoharmonics
in there and it sounds a little better with no microphonics but the
cleans are still muddy and ratty sounding... thinking about dropping
another $600 for the ycv 80 model for the increased clean headroom and
clarity.....:/ that's why I was considering the super clean late
breakingup 80watt Weber California...but I don;t want to drop another
$100 on a speaker if it's the amp,,,which I'd just as well trade up
to begin with and then upgrade...however the little ycv 20 does sound
really good on the od channel at bedroom levels so it is nice for that
anyway... but I'm more of a rythmm/chord player that likes the clean
channel better....jazz, funk, surf, blues, reggae type stuff
Although I suspect your little amp is not defective and that it just
doesn't have the juice for what you seek, you might try dropping $59 +
$10 on a Reverend Alltone 1250. I have it on very good authority (a
completely tone-obsessed friend) that that particular speaker will
likely give you *some* of what you're after at just over 10% of the
cost of the YCV80. I'm extremely pleased with my non-WR model. When
I've just gotta have "more" there's an SM-57 in my kit for running the
amp through the sound system.
BTW, after a hundred or so hours I'm having zero, as in none
whatsover, problems with the stock Sovtek 12AX7's.
Texas Pete
thanks Pete,
You may have hit the proverbial nail on the head with your first
sentence...when I was researching this amp and tube amps in general I
was a little fearful of getting a tube amp with too much power,,ie
higher wattage rating, for fear that I'd have to keep it turned down
too low to keep the volume down to acceptable levels for home usage
and would never get to use the amp as it was intended..up into nice
saturation range...ergo I thought the ycv 20 would be
perfect...granted this little bugger does get plenty loud but the
clean headroom is pretty low and it seems to be overly bassy in nature
which is fine for single coils but more difficult to deal with, with
humbuckers. One thing that should have tipped me off is having a gain
knob on the clean channel. Why on earth would you want a gain knob on
the clean channel on such a small tube amp? When I just get the amp up
to a nice sounding shimmering, swirling, harmonically rich sound clean
tone,( around 5 on the gain and 6 on the volume) I have to play with
such a lite touch to keep it there or the grit seeps in if I bear down
on the string the least bit...That's why I'm thinking of getting the
ycv80 2-12' amp!
Personally I think the choice of a Celestion Greenback in this amp was
a mistake...the Seventy 80 might be a better choice for a small open
backed cab combo unit...I don't know..but the greenback is muddy as
all get out on the lows and quite disconcertingly annoying sounding.
I email Ted at Weber about a week ago and he said that I could easily
put an 80watt Cali in a 15 watt amp if I so desired but suggested a
15watt blue dog as a replacement for the GB to sound good on both
channels and clean up the low end. I still haven't ruled out a
Reverend all-tone 1250 though either.
I just wondering are some speakers louder at a given volume setting
that other? And Weber does have a choice of different wattages for
each speaker 15,30,and 50....what effect would each of those have in a
small amp where I won't even come close to blowing any of them? Would
a higher wattage speaker give me more headroom before the speaker
starts to breakup?...potentially what I may be after to clean up the
clean channel some. Also I'm not sure if I'd want doped or non-doped
cones or not...seems like a doped cone would kill the response
somewhat and I don't think I'd need to worry too much about cone cry
on such a small amp....
tia
stever
Pete Kerezman
2004-07-31 18:01:28 UTC
Permalink
Post by stever
I just wondering are some speakers louder at a given volume setting
that other?
Yes. That is the "sensitivity" specification. The higher the
sensitiviy db's the louder the speaker.
Post by stever
And Weber does have a choice of different wattages for
each speaker 15,30,and 50....what effect would each of those have in a
small amp where I won't even come close to blowing any of them? Would
a higher wattage speaker give me more headroom before the speaker
starts to breakup?...potentially what I may be after to clean up the
clean channel some. Also I'm not sure if I'd want doped or non-doped
cones or not...seems like a doped cone would kill the response
somewhat and I don't think I'd need to worry too much about cone cry
on such a small amp....
I'm sure that Señor Weber is much more qualified to answer this
barrage than I. <g>

I do know that the YCV80 is a very different sounding amp than the
YCV20. If you're thinking about that one you really need to go try it
out. During my all too brief test hop in a typical noisy music store
I found it to do clean really, really well, a lot like a Twin Reverb,
but I didn't dare turn it up loud enough to drive the power tubes.
Man, it was loud! Heavy too. If the opportunity presents itself you
might should also try a YCV40T, the 2x10 version of the 40-watt amp.
The right two tens can make plenty of bottom, my 2x10 bass cab kinda
proves that but it's closed back.

Keep in mind that the 20 uses a pair of EL84's, the 40 a pair of
6L6's, and the 80 a quad of 5881's, so they each have their own unique
sound. I prefer the EL84's because I can play in the sweet spot
without blowin' the guys off the stage, they're inexpensive, and I
just like the way they sound. If I need "more" I put the '57 on it
and run it in the pa.

Texas Pete
stever
2004-08-01 03:09:27 UTC
Permalink
Post by Pete Kerezman
I do know that the YCV80 is a very different sounding amp than the
YCV20. If you're thinking about that one you really need to go try it
out. During my all too brief test hop in a typical noisy music store
I found it to do clean really, really well, a lot like a Twin Reverb,
but I didn't dare turn it up loud enough to drive the power tubes.
Man, it was loud! Heavy too. If the opportunity presents itself you
might should also try a YCV40T, the 2x10 version of the 40-watt amp.
The right two tens can make plenty of bottom, my 2x10 bass cab kinda
proves that but it's closed back.
Keep in mind that the 20 uses a pair of EL84's, the 40 a pair of
6L6's, and the 80 a quad of 5881's, so they each have their own unique
sound. I prefer the EL84's because I can play in the sweet spot
without blowin' the guys off the stage, they're inexpensive, and I
just like the way they sound. If I need "more" I put the '57 on it
and run it in the pa.
Texas Pete
I'm now beginning to wonder if there might be some "issues" with the
amp after all. I earlier stated that the 12AX7-M's went microphonic
and that the OD was feeding back...well it's doing it again when I
switch the boost switch on even with the gain and vol at 5...12
o'clock...halfway up...that can't be right is it...I switched back to
the Sovtek EL84's thinking it might be the output/power tubes but it
still does it so it's not the tubes...it's a really high pitch squeal
and it's not the guitar feeding back either...only does it with the
boost on...have you noticed anything like this with yours?
I might get around to recording and posting a clip to my website
depicting the tonal problems I'm having on the clean channel...
stever
Eric Deibler
2004-08-01 03:45:47 UTC
Permalink
Sadly the Traynors of today are not the Traynors of yore. I bought a
Traynor combo bass amp. Within a matter of minutes (15-20, no joke), it
developed a terrible mechanical buzzing. I went around and tightened
all of the screws I could find, but to no avail. I took it back to the
music store and laid out the extra coin for a Hartke kickback. (Couldn't
afford an ampeg <g> )
eric
Post by stever
I'm now beginning to wonder if there might be some "issues" with the
amp after all. I earlier stated that the 12AX7-M's went microphonic
and that the OD was feeding back...well it's doing it again when I
switch the boost switch on even with the gain and vol at 5...12
o'clock...halfway up...that can't be right is it...I switched back to
the Sovtek EL84's thinking it might be the output/power tubes but it
still does it so it's not the tubes...it's a really high pitch squeal
and it's not the guitar feeding back either...only does it with the
boost on...have you noticed anything like this with yours?
I might get around to recording and posting a clip to my website
depicting the tonal problems I'm having on the clean channel...
stever
stever
2004-08-01 14:44:56 UTC
Permalink
Post by stever
Post by Pete Kerezman
I do know that the YCV80 is a very different sounding amp than the
YCV20. If you're thinking about that one you really need to go try it
out. During my all too brief test hop in a typical noisy music store
I found it to do clean really, really well, a lot like a Twin Reverb,
but I didn't dare turn it up loud enough to drive the power tubes.
Man, it was loud! Heavy too. If the opportunity presents itself you
might should also try a YCV40T, the 2x10 version of the 40-watt amp.
The right two tens can make plenty of bottom, my 2x10 bass cab kinda
proves that but it's closed back.
Keep in mind that the 20 uses a pair of EL84's, the 40 a pair of
6L6's, and the 80 a quad of 5881's, so they each have their own unique
sound. I prefer the EL84's because I can play in the sweet spot
without blowin' the guys off the stage, they're inexpensive, and I
just like the way they sound. If I need "more" I put the '57 on it
and run it in the pa.
Texas Pete
I'm now beginning to wonder if there might be some "issues" with the
amp after all. I earlier stated that the 12AX7-M's went microphonic
and that the OD was feeding back...well it's doing it again when I
switch the boost switch on even with the gain and vol at 5...12
o'clock...halfway up...that can't be right is it...I switched back to
the Sovtek EL84's thinking it might be the output/power tubes but it
still does it so it's not the tubes...it's a really high pitch squeal
and it's not the guitar feeding back either...only does it with the
boost on...have you noticed anything like this with yours?
I might get around to recording and posting a clip to my website
depicting the tonal problems I'm having on the clean channel...
stever
something else I just found one the web:
http://www.betterguitar.com/Equipment/Amplifiers/TraynorYCV20/TraynorYCV20Review.html
state that the clean channel doesn't start to break up until 8 or 9 on
the gain setting...well that's not the case with mine,,,it starts
breaking up at around 3 or 4 with the vol on 5 or 6...can you tell me
where your's starts to break up...I know it depends on the axe and the
pickups, but just a ballpark figure?
I made Mus.friend price match another web site and take around $60 off
their price...wondering if they sent me a open box/return jobbie to
make up for the price matching?
stever
2004-08-01 15:47:13 UTC
Permalink
Post by stever
I'm now beginning to wonder if there might be some "issues" with the
amp after all. I earlier stated that the 12AX7-M's went microphonic
and that the OD was feeding back...well it's doing it again when I
switch the boost switch on even with the gain and vol at 5...12
o'clock...halfway up...that can't be right is it...I switched back to
the Sovtek EL84's thinking it might be the output/power tubes but it
still does it so it's not the tubes...it's a really high pitch squeal
and it's not the guitar feeding back either...only does it with the
boost on...have you noticed anything like this with yours?
I might get around to recording and posting a clip to my website
depicting the tonal problems I'm having on the clean channel...
stever
emailed Yorkville

Hi,
I recently bought the YCV20-WR from MusciansFriend and I'm having some
problems with it. If I have the gain and volume over 5, 12 o'clock on
channel 1 and hit the boost switch, I get a microphonic squeal that's
not guitar/pickup related.
My biggest problem is that I don't have very much clean headroom on
channel 2, it starts breaking up at low volumes around 4 on the gain
and 5 on the volume which is unacceptable to me. Is this normal?
I read a review of the amp that stated that the clean channel
shouldn't start breaking up until around 8 or 9 on the gain knob.
http://www.betterguitar.com/Equipment/Amplifiers/TraynorYCV20/TraynorYCV20Review.html
I really need more overhead on the clean channel and I'm not getting
it...does this sound like I may have a defective unit?
MF has a 45 day return policy and I'm prolly going to return the unit
because of the boost squeal but don't know if I should get the ycv80
in it's stead or not.
I mainly use the amp in a home setting rather than live setting but I
this amp isn't giving me enough clean headroom ...hopefully because
it's defective somehow...also the lows are really muddy on the clean
channel too....
Can you please help me decide what to do as I'm fearful that the 80 or
40 watt models might be too loud for home usage and I'd never be able
to turn the amp up loud enough to get to the sweet spot of tube
saturation. I did notice, however, that the 80 has a master volume.
thank you,
Steve

hopefully I'll get to the bottom of this.....
stever
Pete Kerezman
2004-08-02 12:42:08 UTC
Permalink
Post by stever
I'm now beginning to wonder if there might be some "issues" with the
amp after all. I earlier stated that the 12AX7-M's went microphonic
and that the OD was feeding back...well it's doing it again when I
switch the boost switch on even with the gain and vol at 5...12
o'clock...halfway up...that can't be right is it...I switched back to
the Sovtek EL84's thinking it might be the output/power tubes but it
still does it so it's not the tubes...it's a really high pitch squeal
and it's not the guitar feeding back either...only does it with the
boost on...have you noticed anything like this with yours?
With about 100+ hours on it, some hard, most easy, no problems of
any kind have surfaced. Stock 12AX7's, JJ EL84's.

Texas Pete
Jeff Chevalier
2004-08-03 21:21:37 UTC
Permalink
Post by stever
I'm now beginning to wonder if there might be some "issues" with the
amp after all. I earlier stated that the 12AX7-M's went microphonic
and that the OD was feeding back...well it's doing it again when I
switch the boost switch on even with the gain and vol at 5...12
o'clock...halfway up...that can't be right is it...I switched back to
the Sovtek EL84's thinking it might be the output/power tubes but it
still does it so it's not the tubes...it's a really high pitch squeal
and it's not the guitar feeding back either...only does it with the
boost on...have you noticed anything like this with yours?
Could it be cone cry?
Pete Kerezman
2004-08-03 21:49:40 UTC
Permalink
Post by Pete Kerezman
Post by stever
I'm now beginning to wonder if there might be some "issues" with the
amp after all. I earlier stated that the 12AX7-M's went microphonic
and that the OD was feeding back...well it's doing it again when I
switch the boost switch on even with the gain and vol at 5...12
o'clock...halfway up...that can't be right is it...I switched back to
the Sovtek EL84's thinking it might be the output/power tubes but it
still does it so it's not the tubes...it's a really high pitch squeal
and it's not the guitar feeding back either...only does it with the
boost on...have you noticed anything like this with yours?
With about 100+ hours on it, some hard, most easy, no problems of
any kind have surfaced. Stock 12AX7's, JJ EL84's.
PS - The boost is way too much for my taste so I rarely use it. By
itself, without boost, the drive channel is very musical, best of any
amp I've ever tried. I usually position the gain at "2" or "3" and
adjust the volume to the situation.

Did you ever hear back from Traynor?

Texas Pete
stever
2004-08-06 00:05:09 UTC
Permalink
Post by Pete Kerezman
Post by Pete Kerezman
Post by stever
I'm now beginning to wonder if there might be some "issues" with the
amp after all. I earlier stated that the 12AX7-M's went microphonic
and that the OD was feeding back...well it's doing it again when I
switch the boost switch on even with the gain and vol at 5...12
o'clock...halfway up...that can't be right is it...I switched back to
the Sovtek EL84's thinking it might be the output/power tubes but it
still does it so it's not the tubes...it's a really high pitch squeal
and it's not the guitar feeding back either...only does it with the
boost on...have you noticed anything like this with yours?
With about 100+ hours on it, some hard, most easy, no problems of
any kind have surfaced. Stock 12AX7's, JJ EL84's.
PS - The boost is way too much for my taste so I rarely use it. By
itself, without boost, the drive channel is very musical, best of any
amp I've ever tried. I usually position the gain at "2" or "3" and
adjust the volume to the situation.
Did you ever hear back from Traynor?
Texas Pete
Yes, they emailed me back and said it way prolly a bad tube....funny
is, that when I replaced all the tubes back to the stock Sovteks in
preparation for return to musiciansfriend, the microphonic squeal went
away... ;/ ...... so I guess both the gt12ax7-m's and the
12ax7-eh's were both causing this...I guess they're hotter tubes or
something but they do sound better but don't seem to have as much
headroom on the clean channel either....still not sure how much
another speaker would help the situation...
I don't know what I'm going to do...I do think that the amp is really
pretty nice sounding overall...I'd just like the cleans to go a little
louder before breaking up any....my ears are half shot anyway so that
may be a factor too...I haven't decide if I want the 80 in the 20's
stead or not...If I upgrade, it'd be to the 80 instead of the 40 for
the master vol, scoop, and expander switches but it does have four
5881 rather than two that's on the 40....I'm still afraid it's too
loud for what I need but it does have the master volume....still
haven't made up my mind...got about 2 weeks left on the 45 day return
to decide...any input appreciated.
stever
Pete Kerezman
2004-08-06 16:07:05 UTC
Permalink
Post by stever
Post by Pete Kerezman
Did you ever hear back from Traynor?
Yes, they emailed me back and said it way prolly a bad tube....funny
is, that when I replaced all the tubes back to the stock Sovteks in
preparation for return to musiciansfriend, the microphonic squeal went
away... ;/ ...... so I guess both the gt12ax7-m's and the
12ax7-eh's were both causing this...I guess they're hotter tubes or
something but they do sound better but don't seem to have as much
headroom on the clean channel either....still not sure how much
another speaker would help the situation...
I don't know what I'm going to do...I do think that the amp is really
pretty nice sounding overall...I'd just like the cleans to go a little
louder before breaking up any....my ears are half shot anyway so that
may be a factor too...I haven't decide if I want the 80 in the 20's
stead or not...If I upgrade, it'd be to the 80 instead of the 40 for
the master vol, scoop, and expander switches but it does have four
5881 rather than two that's on the 40....I'm still afraid it's too
loud for what I need but it does have the master volume....still
haven't made up my mind...got about 2 weeks left on the 45 day return
to decide...any input appreciated.
THE YCV80 IS VERY, VERY LOUD!!!!!!

Keep in mind that I only tried it in a guitar store and I'm the kind
of guy that has to live with an amp for a while before I know if I
like it. I never did get a musical distortion going with it in the
ten minutes or so that I played it. However, if you want an amp that
does loud and clean as good as any I've heard with the possible
exception of my dear old long gone Ampeg B12XT, the YCV80 may be for
you. However, to me the YCV20 is a sweeter sounding amp.

It's a personal thang, so if there's any way you can try before you
buy that's really what you should do, even if it takes several phone
calls and a long drive.

Texas Pete
Miles O'Neal
2004-08-07 04:34:02 UTC
Permalink
Post by Pete Kerezman
It's a personal thang, so if there's any way you can try before you
buy that's really what you should do, even if it takes several phone calls
and a long drive.
Is that a Texas long drive, or a most other
places long drive? Because if he's not from
Texas or Alaska, or at least California, his
idea of a long drive might be 2 hours, instead
of a day or two.
Pete Kerezman
2004-08-07 11:39:15 UTC
Permalink
Post by Miles O'Neal
Post by Pete Kerezman
It's a personal thang, so if there's any way you can try before you
buy that's really what you should do, even if it takes several phone calls
and a long drive.
Is that a Texas long drive, or a most other
places long drive?
Yeh. I was using it in terms as "most other places" long drive. To
offer some perspective to non-Texans/Alaskans/Californians, when we go
240 miles to Austin to visit the kiddos that's a "short" drive.

Texas Pete
Miles O'Neal
2004-08-07 16:21:05 UTC
Permalink
Post by Pete Kerezman
Yeh. I was using it in terms as "most other places" long drive. To
offer some perspective to non-Texans/Alaskans/Californians, when we go 240
miles to Austin to visit the kiddos that's a "short" drive.
Growing up in El Paso, I always
heard, "If you have to ask how
far it is, you don't need to go."

That about sums it up.

3 hrs to DFW for a concert? No
big deal. 4 hours each way to
bring my daughter home from school
for the weekend? Oh, well.

One of my favorite post cards:

The sun is riz
The sun is set
And still we is
In Texas yet
Pete Kerezman
2004-08-07 17:03:25 UTC
Permalink
Post by Miles O'Neal
The sun is riz
The sun is set
And still we is
In Texas yet
Har!

When trying to explain Texas' distances to folks I tell 'em that in
driving from Houston to Los Angeles when they get to your home town of
El Paso they're more than half the way there.

Texas Pete
MulayM
2004-08-07 17:28:25 UTC
Permalink
You poor ass wad. Both CA and Alaska are MUCH larger than TX.

No wonder you're enamored w/ LV ;-)
Post by Pete Kerezman
Post by Miles O'Neal
The sun is riz
The sun is set
And still we is
In Texas yet
Har!
When trying to explain Texas' distances to folks I tell 'em that in
driving from Houston to Los Angeles when they get to your home town of
El Paso they're more than half the way there.
Texas Pete
MulayM
2004-08-07 17:34:05 UTC
Permalink
Alaska 656,425 square miles
Texas 268,601 square miles
Post by Pete Kerezman
Post by Miles O'Neal
The sun is riz
The sun is set
And still we is
In Texas yet
Har!
When trying to explain Texas' distances to folks I tell 'em that in
driving from Houston to Los Angeles when they get to your home town of
El Paso they're more than half the way there.
Texas Pete
MulayM
2004-08-07 17:50:49 UTC
Permalink
What matters:

http://www.world-gazetteer.com/d/d_us_tx.htm
http://www.world-gazetteer.com/d/d_us_ca.htm

btw- CA is overwhelmingly pro-Kerry ;-)
Post by MulayM
Alaska 656,425 square miles
Texas 268,601 square miles
Post by Pete Kerezman
Post by Miles O'Neal
The sun is riz
The sun is set
And still we is
In Texas yet
Har!
When trying to explain Texas' distances to folks I tell 'em that in
driving from Houston to Los Angeles when they get to your home town of
El Paso they're more than half the way there.
Texas Pete
Miles O'Neal
2004-08-08 05:33:05 UTC
Permalink
... Both CA and Alaska are MUCH larger than TX.
No, dear genius. Alaska is, but California
is not. Or did you mean Canada? Duh! But
last I looked, it wasn't one of the United
States of America, and (unlike a great deal
of Mexico) it doesn't want to be.

Meanwhile, both Texas Pete and I already
mentioned Alaska and California (which
from top to bottom is a "fur piece").
But your average US driver thinks a two
hour drive is a long ways, and it's nothing
in Texas. That same, average driver is
also a whole lot more likely to end up in
(or passing through) Texas than Alaska.

So, other than trying to convince us that
either you're a stalker or that you have
Internet Tourette Syndrome, what was your
point?

From _I, Robot_ (the AGA movie):

Dr. Calvin: Were you being funny?
Marc Mulay: Apparently not.
MulayM
2004-08-08 07:53:53 UTC
Permalink
Texas as a state pumps state-love USSR-style into it's geo-inmates, from
birth on.

Most of them have no idea how insignificant that square mileage is...or
how ugly
compared to ALMOST every other state in America.

It's about...Population...# of congresspeople...electoral votes.

btw shitbird;

"...your average US driver thinks a two hour drive is a long ways, and
it's nothing in Texas..."

You just jerked off on your belly, ...again.

I lived in Texas for 5 years sweety. I know it better than you'll ever,
because I was on the road
ALL over TX. You're an uneducated, stupid amp tech typing away in
Austin.

& My Gawd, yer an assdrip.
Post by Miles O'Neal
... Both CA and Alaska are MUCH larger than TX.
No, dear genius. Alaska is, but California
is not. Or did you mean Canada? Duh! But
last I looked, it wasn't one of the United
States of America, and (unlike a great deal
of Mexico) it doesn't want to be.
Meanwhile, both Texas Pete and I already
mentioned Alaska and California (which
from top to bottom is a "fur piece").
But your average US driver thinks a two
hour drive is a long ways, and it's nothing
in Texas. That same, average driver is
also a whole lot more likely to end up in
(or passing through) Texas than Alaska.
So, other than trying to convince us that
either you're a stalker or that you have
Internet Tourette Syndrome, what was your
point?
Dr. Calvin: Were you being funny?
Marc Mulay: Apparently not.
Juhan Leemet
2004-08-08 21:19:22 UTC
Permalink
Post by Miles O'Neal
Meanwhile, both Texas Pete and I already
mentioned Alaska and California (which
from top to bottom is a "fur piece").
But your average US driver thinks a two
How is that measured? In merkins? 8^)
--
Juhan Leemet
Logicognosis, Inc.
freeradical
2004-08-09 07:29:32 UTC
Permalink
Post by Juhan Leemet
Post by Miles O'Neal
Meanwhile, both Texas Pete and I already
mentioned Alaska and California (which
from top to bottom is a "fur piece").
But your average US driver thinks a two
How is that measured? In merkins? 8^)
When you're in El Paso you are closer to California than Texarkana,
and when you're in Texarkana you are closer to New York City than El
Paso.

or El Paso is closer to Los Angeles on the Pacific Coast than it is to
Port Arthur on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Port Arthur, on the other
hand, is closer to Jacksonville, Florida on the Atlantic Coast than it
is to El Paso.


so what and who cares? ;)
and here's a weird one: Texas has more surface water than any of the
other of the contiguous 48 states
Miles O'Neal
2004-08-11 06:05:01 UTC
Permalink
Post by Juhan Leemet
Meanwhile, both Texas Pete and I already mentioned Alaska and California
(which from top to bottom is a "fur piece"). But your average US driver
thinks a two
How is that measured? In merkins? 8^)
I think most furs are measured either in
dollars, or in PETA demonstrators.
Mr. yaluM_
2004-08-11 06:59:34 UTC
Permalink
Miles, are you FOR animal cruelty?

If not, show your positive humanity and it will come back to you.
Post by Miles O'Neal
Meanwhile, both Texas Pete and I already mentioned Alaska and California
(which from top to bottom is a "fur piece"). But your average US driver
thinks a two
How is that measured? In merkins? 8^)
I think most furs are measured either in
dollars, or in PETA demonstrators.
stever
2004-08-07 13:42:06 UTC
Permalink
Post by Pete Kerezman
Post by stever
Post by Pete Kerezman
Did you ever hear back from Traynor?
Yes, they emailed me back and said it way prolly a bad tube....funny
is, that when I replaced all the tubes back to the stock Sovteks in
preparation for return to musiciansfriend, the microphonic squeal went
away... ;/ ...... so I guess both the gt12ax7-m's and the
12ax7-eh's were both causing this...I guess they're hotter tubes or
something but they do sound better but don't seem to have as much
headroom on the clean channel either....still not sure how much
another speaker would help the situation...
I don't know what I'm going to do...I do think that the amp is really
pretty nice sounding overall...I'd just like the cleans to go a little
louder before breaking up any....my ears are half shot anyway so that
may be a factor too...I haven't decide if I want the 80 in the 20's
stead or not...If I upgrade, it'd be to the 80 instead of the 40 for
the master vol, scoop, and expander switches but it does have four
5881 rather than two that's on the 40....I'm still afraid it's too
loud for what I need but it does have the master volume....still
haven't made up my mind...got about 2 weeks left on the 45 day return
to decide...any input appreciated.
THE YCV80 IS VERY, VERY LOUD!!!!!!
Keep in mind that I only tried it in a guitar store and I'm the kind
of guy that has to live with an amp for a while before I know if I
like it. I never did get a musical distortion going with it in the
ten minutes or so that I played it. However, if you want an amp that
does loud and clean as good as any I've heard with the possible
exception of my dear old long gone Ampeg B12XT, the YCV80 may be for
you. However, to me the YCV20 is a sweeter sounding amp.
What were your vol. levels set at when you tried out the 80?...ie
master vol vs. channel vol.
I've read some threads about the 80 and it seems that the master vol
controls the saturation level of the 5881 power tubes...do you know if
this is correct?
On the 80 there is no gain knob on the clean channel, which I think
I'd like because I want the clean channel to do strictly clean tones
and use the od channel for mild gain,,bluesy od to full out preamp
tube ac/dc type crunch. This is my first tube amp and one thing I've
noticed even on the 20's clean channel is that swirling, chimey,
shimmering sound you get on the clean tones that is absolutely
heavenly...and that I've never heard on any of the solid state jobbies
I've owned. It's kinda like a mild vibrato or tremolo type of effect
that's a little hard to describe but really fills out the sound.
That's the clean tone I'm after at louder volumes before any grit
seeps in...so it'd be imperative for the 80 to do this without being
too loud.
On the 80's OD channel, it has channel gain and vol plus you have the
master vol too, so surely you could adjust the two volumes to get a
lower db level crunch tones with good tube saturation?..no?
One scenario I'm thinking of is master vol turned up...power tube
saturation, gain turned up,,preamp tube saturation and channel vol
turned down low to protect what's left of my hearing<g>
What I don't want is to have to run all the volume levels down around
1 or 2 to keep it within reason... loudnesswise.
Another thing I'm not sure of is the difference between the EL84s vs
the 5881s/6L6s power tubes wrt OD tones..I think the EL84 are more
Marshally sounding not sure about the 5881/6L6's though.
I would get the 40 in a heartbeat if it had the master vol on it but
it has only channel vol and gain on each channel like the 20 but with
independent tone stacks and a presence knob instead of the master vol.
Post by Pete Kerezman
It's a personal thang, so if there's any way you can try before you
buy that's really what you should do, even if it takes several phone
calls and a long drive.
I guess I'll try all the ma and pop music stores in my area to see if
they carry Traynors...I tried Guitar Center before I got the 20 and
they didn't carry the Traynor line and the Traynor website shows no
dealers in my state...OKLA.

stever
Pete Kerezman
2004-08-07 16:48:13 UTC
Permalink
Post by stever
I guess I'll try all the ma and pop music stores in my area to see if
they carry Traynors...I tried Guitar Center before I got the 20 and
they didn't carry the Traynor line and the Traynor website shows no
dealers in my state...OKLA.
Hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised. I just checked the
Traynor dealer locator and the local store that handles
Yorkville-Traynor is not listed, but one of his main suppliers who is
relatively "nearby" is.

Sorry I can't tell you more about what the amp's settings were but I
really don't remember (too many knobs get me confused) except that the
master volume was on about three and man that thing was loud.

Texas Pete
"OffTopic" @
2004-08-08 04:58:35 UTC
Permalink
Hi Again, Stever!

I own a YCV40 as well as a YCV20. They are really very different sounding
amps. I attribute this mainly to the output tubes. The 6L6WGB/5881 tubes in
the YCV40 sound a bit more aggressive to me. Where the YCV20 is soft, almost
spongy, the YVC40 barks a little more. I've heard people describe its clean
as that of a Fender amp but I think that is somewhat exaggerated (I also own
a Deluxe Reverb). The swirl you describe is commonly associated with EL84
based amps - think Vox AC15/30 and the like. I think of my YCV40 as more of
a warm, straight ahead rock amp that can get quite LOUD! Plenty of clean
headroom, as well, yet the drive channel reminds me more of a Marshall.
Now, I really like the Alnico Blue Dog I installed in my YCV20, but the
stock Celestion Rocket 50, while being an econo unit, was really quite well
suited to the amp and more than adequate. However, the stock Celestion 70/80
in my YCV40 sucked IMHO. I couldn't tolerate the shrill treble it produced
and the bass sounded liveless to me. A Celestion Vintage 30 sounds much
better in it. But then again, we are all very different critters and my
perception of things is very personal. I wholeheartedly endorse Texas Pete's
suggestion to actually try the amp first . Better still, use your own
guitar(s) if at all possible.
I've never tried the YCV80 on account of the volume level produced by my 40
and because of its weight.

The Other Pete
Post by stever
Post by Pete Kerezman
Post by stever
Post by Pete Kerezman
Did you ever hear back from Traynor?
Yes, they emailed me back and said it way prolly a bad tube....funny
is, that when I replaced all the tubes back to the stock Sovteks in
preparation for return to musiciansfriend, the microphonic squeal went
away... ;/ ...... so I guess both the gt12ax7-m's and the
12ax7-eh's were both causing this...I guess they're hotter tubes or
something but they do sound better but don't seem to have as much
headroom on the clean channel either....still not sure how much
another speaker would help the situation...
I don't know what I'm going to do...I do think that the amp is really
pretty nice sounding overall...I'd just like the cleans to go a little
louder before breaking up any....my ears are half shot anyway so that
may be a factor too...I haven't decide if I want the 80 in the 20's
stead or not...If I upgrade, it'd be to the 80 instead of the 40 for
the master vol, scoop, and expander switches but it does have four
5881 rather than two that's on the 40....I'm still afraid it's too
loud for what I need but it does have the master volume....still
haven't made up my mind...got about 2 weeks left on the 45 day return
to decide...any input appreciated.
THE YCV80 IS VERY, VERY LOUD!!!!!!
Keep in mind that I only tried it in a guitar store and I'm the kind
of guy that has to live with an amp for a while before I know if I
like it. I never did get a musical distortion going with it in the
ten minutes or so that I played it. However, if you want an amp that
does loud and clean as good as any I've heard with the possible
exception of my dear old long gone Ampeg B12XT, the YCV80 may be for
you. However, to me the YCV20 is a sweeter sounding amp.
What were your vol. levels set at when you tried out the 80?...ie
master vol vs. channel vol.
I've read some threads about the 80 and it seems that the master vol
controls the saturation level of the 5881 power tubes...do you know if
this is correct?
On the 80 there is no gain knob on the clean channel, which I think
I'd like because I want the clean channel to do strictly clean tones
and use the od channel for mild gain,,bluesy od to full out preamp
tube ac/dc type crunch. This is my first tube amp and one thing I've
noticed even on the 20's clean channel is that swirling, chimey,
shimmering sound you get on the clean tones that is absolutely
heavenly...and that I've never heard on any of the solid state jobbies
I've owned. It's kinda like a mild vibrato or tremolo type of effect
that's a little hard to describe but really fills out the sound.
That's the clean tone I'm after at louder volumes before any grit
seeps in...so it'd be imperative for the 80 to do this without being
too loud.
On the 80's OD channel, it has channel gain and vol plus you have the
master vol too, so surely you could adjust the two volumes to get a
lower db level crunch tones with good tube saturation?..no?
One scenario I'm thinking of is master vol turned up...power tube
saturation, gain turned up,,preamp tube saturation and channel vol
turned down low to protect what's left of my hearing<g>
What I don't want is to have to run all the volume levels down around
1 or 2 to keep it within reason... loudnesswise.
Another thing I'm not sure of is the difference between the EL84s vs
the 5881s/6L6s power tubes wrt OD tones..I think the EL84 are more
Marshally sounding not sure about the 5881/6L6's though.
I would get the 40 in a heartbeat if it had the master vol on it but
it has only channel vol and gain on each channel like the 20 but with
independent tone stacks and a presence knob instead of the master vol.
Post by Pete Kerezman
It's a personal thang, so if there's any way you can try before you
buy that's really what you should do, even if it takes several phone
calls and a long drive.
I guess I'll try all the ma and pop music stores in my area to see if
they carry Traynors...I tried Guitar Center before I got the 20 and
they didn't carry the Traynor line and the Traynor website shows no
dealers in my state...OKLA.
stever
stever
2004-08-08 16:04:19 UTC
Permalink
On Sun, 08 Aug 2004 04:58:35 GMT, "OffTopic"
Post by "OffTopic" @
Hi Again, Stever!
I own a YCV40 as well as a YCV20. They are really very different sounding
amps. I attribute this mainly to the output tubes. The 6L6WGB/5881 tubes in
the YCV40 sound a bit more aggressive to me. Where the YCV20 is soft, almost
spongy, the YVC40 barks a little more. I've heard people describe its clean
as that of a Fender amp but I think that is somewhat exaggerated (I also own
a Deluxe Reverb). The swirl you describe is commonly associated with EL84
based amps - think Vox AC15/30 and the like. I think of my YCV40 as more of
a warm, straight ahead rock amp that can get quite LOUD! Plenty of clean
headroom, as well, yet the drive channel reminds me more of a Marshall.
Now, I really like the Alnico Blue Dog I installed in my YCV20, but the
stock Celestion Rocket 50, while being an econo unit, was really quite well
suited to the amp and more than adequate. However, the stock Celestion 70/80
in my YCV40 sucked IMHO. I couldn't tolerate the shrill treble it produced
and the bass sounded liveless to me. A Celestion Vintage 30 sounds much
better in it. But then again, we are all very different critters and my
perception of things is very personal. I wholeheartedly endorse Texas Pete's
suggestion to actually try the amp first . Better still, use your own
guitar(s) if at all possible.
I've never tried the YCV80 on account of the volume level produced by my 40
and because of its weight.
The Other Pete
Hi Peter
Thanks for all the good info!
However...you are really making want one of each..ie keeping the EL84
YCV 20 and also getting a 6L6 YCV40 or YCV 80!!!<bg>
So the 6L6 doesn't have the shimmering sounding cleans like an EL84
does?
Which clean channel do you like best the 20's or the 40's? Are they
very different from on another like the OD channel's are?
Can you dial in good tube tones on the 40 at reasonable vol levels
both clean and OD or do you have to crank it to get to the sweet
spots?
On your AlniCo Blue Dog that you put in the YCV20, which wattage
version did you get the 15, 30, or 50 and did you get doped or
non-doped cones? I'm guessing that the lower the wattage, means that
the speaker would break up earlier so if you wanted later breakup
speakerwise that you'd get a higher wattage rating?
The reason I'm kinda stuck on the more powerful 80 is the Master
Volume feature which would seem to add an addition level of loudness
attenuation while still being able to drive the tubes to saturation as
stated in my scenario in the previous post but that's still just
speculation on my part. I'm also thinking with the 80 being a 2 X12"
combo that you could put a combo of complementing speakers in there
like a blue dog and a silver bell or a V30 and G12-H or something.
However these points are all moot if I can't use the amp properly at
living room levels. I really don't want to get into any hot plates or
mass attenuator or anything like that.
I've read about some people taking out the outer 2 5881's in an 80 to
reduce the loudness of it too so that might turn the 80 into a 40
sorta except the output of the 80 is 4 Ohms and the 40 is 8 Ohms I
believe...I have heard the speakers sound better at a higher
resistance rating..ie 16 is better than 4 but don't know if this is
true or not. I guess you can run the speaker load down to 2 ohms on
the 80 if you want...I don't think this would be very good for your
tubes or xformers though. The guy said that a traynor rep said it was
okay to remove the 2 outer 5881s in the power stage of the amp.
thanks again
stever
stever
2004-08-08 21:05:10 UTC
Permalink
Post by stever
Which clean channel do you like best the 20's or the 40's? Are they
very different from on another like the OD channel's are?
One reason I like clean tones...is right here......
http://members.cox.net/ssmith142/07%20-%20Ease%20Back.mp3
stever
2004-08-11 00:29:18 UTC
Permalink
Post by stever
On Sun, 08 Aug 2004 04:58:35 GMT, "OffTopic"
Post by "OffTopic" @
Hi Again, Stever!
I own a YCV40 as well as a YCV20. They are really very different sounding
amps. I attribute this mainly to the output tubes. The 6L6WGB/5881 tubes in
the YCV40 sound a bit more aggressive to me. Where the YCV20 is soft, almost
spongy, the YVC40 barks a little more. I've heard people describe its clean
as that of a Fender amp but I think that is somewhat exaggerated (I also own
a Deluxe Reverb). The swirl you describe is commonly associated with EL84
based amps - think Vox AC15/30 and the like. I think of my YCV40 as more of
a warm, straight ahead rock amp that can get quite LOUD! Plenty of clean
headroom, as well, yet the drive channel reminds me more of a Marshall.
Now, I really like the Alnico Blue Dog I installed in my YCV20, but the
stock Celestion Rocket 50, while being an econo unit, was really quite well
suited to the amp and more than adequate. However, the stock Celestion 70/80
in my YCV40 sucked IMHO. I couldn't tolerate the shrill treble it produced
and the bass sounded liveless to me. A Celestion Vintage 30 sounds much
better in it. But then again, we are all very different critters and my
perception of things is very personal. I wholeheartedly endorse Texas Pete's
suggestion to actually try the amp first . Better still, use your own
guitar(s) if at all possible.
I've never tried the YCV80 on account of the volume level produced by my 40
and because of its weight.
The Other Pete
Hi Peter
Thanks for all the good info!
However...you are really making want one of each..ie keeping the EL84
YCV 20 and also getting a 6L6 YCV40 or YCV 80!!!<bg>
So the 6L6 doesn't have the shimmering sounding cleans like an EL84
does?
Which clean channel do you like best the 20's or the 40's? Are they
very different from on another like the OD channel's are?
Can you dial in good tube tones on the 40 at reasonable vol levels
both clean and OD or do you have to crank it to get to the sweet
spots?
On your AlniCo Blue Dog that you put in the YCV20, which wattage
version did you get the 15, 30, or 50 and did you get doped or
non-doped cones? I'm guessing that the lower the wattage, means that
the speaker would break up earlier so if you wanted later breakup
speakerwise that you'd get a higher wattage rating?
The reason I'm kinda stuck on the more powerful 80 is the Master
Volume feature which would seem to add an addition level of loudness
attenuation while still being able to drive the tubes to saturation as
stated in my scenario in the previous post but that's still just
speculation on my part. I'm also thinking with the 80 being a 2 X12"
combo that you could put a combo of complementing speakers in there
like a blue dog and a silver bell or a V30 and G12-H or something.
However these points are all moot if I can't use the amp properly at
living room levels. I really don't want to get into any hot plates or
mass attenuator or anything like that.
I've read about some people taking out the outer 2 5881's in an 80 to
reduce the loudness of it too so that might turn the 80 into a 40
sorta except the output of the 80 is 4 Ohms and the 40 is 8 Ohms I
believe...I have heard the speakers sound better at a higher
resistance rating..ie 16 is better than 4 but don't know if this is
true or not. I guess you can run the speaker load down to 2 ohms on
the 80 if you want...I don't think this would be very good for your
tubes or xformers though. The guy said that a traynor rep said it was
okay to remove the 2 outer 5881s in the power stage of the amp.
thanks again
stever
Sorry if that was an over inundation of q's.....
I'm getting the 80 off ebay and getting my money back from
musiciansfriend for a G&L telecaster.from acousticaxis.com.to go with
my strat, sg with duncans, and semihollow body Ibanez..next a soapbar
p90 jobbie...spend the 150 left over from the 20 on tubes and
speakers to replace the seventy-80s...thinking of a weber cali and
blue dog combo in it need to talk to Tom first thou...with a quad of
jj 6L6's or SHUGUANG 6L6GC-M...I already have plenty of 12ax7's...for
now
"OffTopic" @
2004-08-12 03:10:47 UTC
Permalink
Hi Stever,
I listened to the MP3. Very cool! For some reason I was envisioning a red,
mid sixties, aircraft carrier-size convertible rumbling down a dusty Texas
highway. Go figure... I assume that was you playing?
I do understand the need for ballsy clean now. Some of the melodic passages
played on the low E and A strings require some oomph to punch through. I
also see the need for some break-up on the solo breaks, particularly the
double stop riffs. I think the master volume with the separate drive control
will come in handy for dialling in the preamp break-up while I predict that
the amp will have low end punch to spare. I think you'll be alright
removing two of the four 5881s. This is fairly common practice. At anything
other than medium to full volume you won't here much of a loudness
difference, although the tone might change slightly. You will also gain a
fresh set of backup tubes as a side benefit.
My AlNico Blue Dog is of the 30W, no-dope variety. With regards to break-up
I would suggest asking Ted Weber. The cone, magnet and basket all remain the
same between the 15/30/50W versions - just the voice coil wire changes. I've
never had a chance to actually compare them, but Ted should know about the
tonal differences, if any. I know, some people claim that they can hear the
difference between identical speakers of differing impedances, but I have
never really tested this for myself. I can understand that four 16Ohm/12"
speakers in parallel run at 4Ohms might sound different than say the same
speakers with an impedance of 4Ohms run in series/parallel in the same
cabinet. Using different secondary winding taps on the output transformer
might play a role also, but I am just speculating here. I would see how the
YCV80 performs as a stock unit, and see what your goals are, such as warmer,
darker, brighter, bassier, etc.
The YCV80 has some cool sound shaping features. Keep us informed once you
had a chance to play with them.
Keep on playing,
Peter
Post by stever
Post by stever
On Sun, 08 Aug 2004 04:58:35 GMT, "OffTopic"
Post by "OffTopic" @
Hi Again, Stever!
I own a YCV40 as well as a YCV20. They are really very different sounding
amps. I attribute this mainly to the output tubes. The 6L6WGB/5881 tubes in
the YCV40 sound a bit more aggressive to me. Where the YCV20 is soft, almost
spongy, the YVC40 barks a little more. I've heard people describe its clean
as that of a Fender amp but I think that is somewhat exaggerated (I also own
a Deluxe Reverb). The swirl you describe is commonly associated with EL84
based amps - think Vox AC15/30 and the like. I think of my YCV40 as more of
a warm, straight ahead rock amp that can get quite LOUD! Plenty of clean
headroom, as well, yet the drive channel reminds me more of a Marshall.
Now, I really like the Alnico Blue Dog I installed in my YCV20, but the
stock Celestion Rocket 50, while being an econo unit, was really quite well
suited to the amp and more than adequate. However, the stock Celestion 70/80
in my YCV40 sucked IMHO. I couldn't tolerate the shrill treble it produced
and the bass sounded liveless to me. A Celestion Vintage 30 sounds much
better in it. But then again, we are all very different critters and my
perception of things is very personal. I wholeheartedly endorse Texas Pete's
suggestion to actually try the amp first . Better still, use your own
guitar(s) if at all possible.
I've never tried the YCV80 on account of the volume level produced by my 40
and because of its weight.
The Other Pete
Hi Peter
Thanks for all the good info!
However...you are really making want one of each..ie keeping the EL84
YCV 20 and also getting a 6L6 YCV40 or YCV 80!!!<bg>
So the 6L6 doesn't have the shimmering sounding cleans like an EL84
does?
Which clean channel do you like best the 20's or the 40's? Are they
very different from on another like the OD channel's are?
Can you dial in good tube tones on the 40 at reasonable vol levels
both clean and OD or do you have to crank it to get to the sweet
spots?
On your AlniCo Blue Dog that you put in the YCV20, which wattage
version did you get the 15, 30, or 50 and did you get doped or
non-doped cones? I'm guessing that the lower the wattage, means that
the speaker would break up earlier so if you wanted later breakup
speakerwise that you'd get a higher wattage rating?
The reason I'm kinda stuck on the more powerful 80 is the Master
Volume feature which would seem to add an addition level of loudness
attenuation while still being able to drive the tubes to saturation as
stated in my scenario in the previous post but that's still just
speculation on my part. I'm also thinking with the 80 being a 2 X12"
combo that you could put a combo of complementing speakers in there
like a blue dog and a silver bell or a V30 and G12-H or something.
However these points are all moot if I can't use the amp properly at
living room levels. I really don't want to get into any hot plates or
mass attenuator or anything like that.
I've read about some people taking out the outer 2 5881's in an 80 to
reduce the loudness of it too so that might turn the 80 into a 40
sorta except the output of the 80 is 4 Ohms and the 40 is 8 Ohms I
believe...I have heard the speakers sound better at a higher
resistance rating..ie 16 is better than 4 but don't know if this is
true or not. I guess you can run the speaker load down to 2 ohms on
the 80 if you want...I don't think this would be very good for your
tubes or xformers though. The guy said that a traynor rep said it was
okay to remove the 2 outer 5881s in the power stage of the amp.
thanks again
stever
Sorry if that was an over inundation of q's.....
I'm getting the 80 off ebay and getting my money back from
musiciansfriend for a G&L telecaster.from acousticaxis.com.to go with
my strat, sg with duncans, and semihollow body Ibanez..next a soapbar
p90 jobbie...spend the 150 left over from the 20 on tubes and
speakers to replace the seventy-80s...thinking of a weber cali and
blue dog combo in it need to talk to Tom first thou...with a quad of
jj 6L6's or SHUGUANG 6L6GC-M...I already have plenty of 12ax7's...for
now
Scott Colborn
2004-07-30 01:50:26 UTC
Permalink
Hello,

I've got a ceramic Blue Dog 12" and a Celestion Vintage 30 in a closed back
2 x 12 cab (Mission Amps).

The Blue Dog (undoped is the version I have) has a bigger and tighter bottom
end. The V30 has better mids and slightly better high end.

Be aware that some, repeat, some speakers may exhibit cone cry at high
volume, on certain notes on the upper register of the fretboard, in some
cabs. A speaker maker will often recommend doping the speaker as a part of
a solution to this - Ted Weber is very knowledgeable and good about
answering questions. www.webervst.com .

The ceramic Blue Dog and the V30 are a good combination in a closed back
cab. A speaker I continue to recommend in an open cab is the Celestion Lead
80 - not sure what they call it now. Good tight bottom end and good balance
between mids and high end. I'm usually not a fan of V30's in open-back
cabs.

Hope any of this helps. Good luck !
Walk in Beauty, Peace. Scott
Post by stever
Anyone like this speaker? Is it better than a Celestion GB G12M wrt
the clean low end in a 1X12" opened back scenario? How bout the
Cali vs the Blue dog or the Vintage 30? What the best compromising
speaker for both super nice cleans and guttural crunch?
---
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Goldtop 71
2004-07-30 03:23:36 UTC
Permalink
I'm using 4-10" Ceramic Blue Pups ina 4-EL-84 50 watt set-up and the
efficiency is like 100 watts. LOTS of sound. Had to dial the bas way back as
well. Pretty happy with them.
Post by stever
Anyone like this speaker? Is it better than a Celestion GB G12M wrt
the clean low end in a 1X12" opened back scenario? How bout the
Cali vs the Blue dog or the Vintage 30? What the best compromising
speaker for both super nice cleans and guttural crunch?
Phil Wilson
2004-07-30 03:26:00 UTC
Permalink
I don't think there is a compromise speaker. Someone (Allan Holdsworth?)
said something about using different speakers for your crunch and your
clean. To my ears, the Blue Dog is as good as a Celestion Blue (I have both)
and works nice for medium crunch, Vintages sound good for cleans (like
Fender) and modern Greenbacks just don't seem to have anything at all
(unlike the older ones).
--
Phil Wilson
Post by stever
Anyone like this speaker? Is it better than a Celestion GB G12M wrt
the clean low end in a 1X12" opened back scenario? How bout the
Cali vs the Blue dog or the Vintage 30? What the best compromising
speaker for both super nice cleans and guttural crunch?
TD Madden
2004-07-30 20:50:02 UTC
Permalink
Post by Phil Wilson
I don't think there is a compromise speaker. Someone (Allan Holdsworth?)
said something about using different speakers for your crunch and your
clean. To my ears, the Blue Dog is as good as a Celestion Blue (I have both)
and works nice for medium crunch, Vintages sound good for cleans (like
Fender) and modern Greenbacks just don't seem to have anything at all
(unlike the older ones).
gotta be in the ears of the beholder...I had a 30-watt AlNiCo
BlueDog...it got sold after I fell into a good deal on a Celestion Blue.
..they are close but I think the Celestion is sweeter.
stever
2004-08-01 14:07:17 UTC
Permalink
On Thu, 29 Jul 2004 20:26:00 -0700, "Phil Wilson"
Post by Phil Wilson
I don't think there is a compromise speaker. Someone (Allan Holdsworth?)
said something about using different speakers for your crunch and your
clean. To my ears, the Blue Dog is as good as a Celestion Blue (I have both)
and works nice for medium crunch, Vintages sound good for cleans (like
Fender) and modern Greenbacks just don't seem to have anything at all
(unlike the older ones).
--
Phil Wilson
I just got the latest issue of Guitar One and they've started adding a
multimedia cd with their monthly issues, and on it, they had a review
of the new Eminence Red Coat/Patriot line of speakers. They ABCD'ed
four of them, two from each, on both clean and OD settings, and each
one sounded completely different than the others...I mean it was like
four different tone settings or four different amps for that matter
...now I'm really confused......
Miles O'Neal
2004-08-02 05:00:58 UTC
Permalink
Post by Phil Wilson
I don't think there is a compromise speaker. Someone (Allan Holdsworth?)
said something about using different speakers for your crunch and your
clean. To my ears, the Blue Dog is as good as a Celestion Blue (I have both)
Do you have the ceramic or the AlNiCo?
The ceramic is 60% of the price of the
AlNiCo.
Nels
2004-07-31 17:11:50 UTC
Permalink
Post by stever
Anyone like this speaker? Is it better than a Celestion GB G12M wrt
the clean low end in a 1X12" opened back scenario? How bout the
Cali vs the Blue dog or the Vintage 30? What the best compromising
speaker for both super nice cleans and guttural crunch?
I have a blue dog, a v30, and two silver bell's spread between two 2x12's
and a 4x12 (eminance legend v12's fill the other 4 spots). I really like
all these speakers in a closed back cab and am super happy with my current
setup, but if forced to pick just one, I would go with one of the silver
bells....very very SMOOTH. Depends on the amp, pickups, and of course
taste....but that'd be my vote.

ERic
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