Question:
Hey guys. First off, I'd like to thank everyone for the input they've given me thus far on my never ending quest for tone.
As some of you might know, I've been looking at buying a traynor YCV40T for a while. I'll be spending some time with one sometime next week (I hope) and if it lives up to all the great reviews and comments I've heard (thanx piano man) then I'll probably write the music store a check that day...but...there's one snag. The lady at my LOCAL music shop talked me into trying out a Peavey Ranger 212 and I have to say that I love the crunch I got out of it, and the cleans were above decent.
Here's the thing, I've never heard of this amp before. Has anyone had any exsperiance with these amplifiers? It's rated at 120 wats and I don't doubt it, but I haven't had a chance to "dime" it out yet so I haven't heard what the power tubes when pushed. They're asking 600 for it, which is about the same as a new traynor, is this to much?
Any input would be greatley appreciated.
Answer:
at 120W it's going to be hard to push the tubes. you're basically talking about fender twin-esque headroom...that is...LOTS!
if you go to www.harmony-central.com and read the reviews of this amp you'll find out that the users basically say the same thing as far as headroom goes.
Answer:
I like having lots of headroom with my clean channel, it lets me put a little edge on when I pick hard and still sound smooth when I play soft.
I read the reviews on Harmony-central and that's what made me stop and consider this amp. I was just hoping that I could find some more insight.
Answer:
120 watts is A LOT. tube amps always sound better pushed and it will be hard to push a 120 watt amp and not be WAY TO LOUD.
Answer:
attunenator
Answer:
attentuator would be needed... they get a bit pricy to get one up in the 100+ watt range ($200-300).
yeah, use harmony-central. compare and contrast the 2 amps with each other... try to find which one will fit what you want better. it can be hard when you find 2 that you like, and are split between them.
i would probably pick the peavey, since i'm not a fan of 'fenderish' tone, which i hear that traynor does well. try them both out, give them both a chance, and read reviews... it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to pray about it too.
Answer:
[quote=tht00]attentuator would be needed... they get a bit pricy to get one up in the 100+ watt range ($200-300).
QUOTE]
What exactly does an attentuator do?
Answer:
Originally Posted by IceHawk What exactly does an attentuator do?
this has been covered in nearly every tube amp thread...lets cover it again.
or even better i'll just cut and paste.
An attenuator hooks up between the power amp out and the speaker, allowing you to turn up your amp to get the tubes distorted, but turn it down so you're not killing your self with the volume.
basically it allows the tubes to max out their voltage handling, while keeping the volume low.
that being said...if cleans is what you desire, you probably really don't need an attenuator at all. most of us who have attenuator experience here have them on fender amps. fender amps have a strangely tapered knob set...i've found that peavey volume knobs are not nearly as sensitive as those of fenders...also, it sounds like you're going for clean signal purity, so tube pushing is probably something you really don't want.
Answer:
I have an amp I can practice with, so this amp purchase will be for giging. I'm currently trying to put together a christian bar band so I can make a little more coin while I'm going to school (tuition keeps going up).
The pro's for the Traynor are that it is only 40 wat and so it's easier to get power tube saturation without making everyone go deaf. Also it has marginaly "crisper" cleans IMO. The cons would be that it doesn't have enough gain for those "satriani-esque" lead breaks, and I find it a little lacking in the headroom catagory on the clean channel.
Pros for the peavey are its distorted tones (almost brought a tear to my eye) and superior lead tones, as well as clean channel headroom. Also the trem is a very nice built in effect, the reverb is usable. The two things that I don't particularly care for are: 1) 120 wats makes getting solid tube saturation difficult in most situations without bringing the house to its knees. 2) it weighs about 80 pounds, this isn't a really big problem because I'm a resonably stout guy and I can put casters on it for less than $20.
What I'm really looking for is some input on what you guys think about what's more important in a giging amp. I will ultimately make the decision but I want to make sure I'm looking at all aspects, so any thoughts will help.
I've read all of the reviews you can find on the internet for this amp...so please don't suggest that any more
Answer:
I'd go for the peavey. Even if you pushed that Trayon to saturation, would it sound as good as the Peavey's high gain? THe most important factor in gigging is sound and practicality.
You are a strong guy, so you can easily move it around (Whats a littel exercise anyways?) THe headroom is great, plus you'll appricate getting the good distortion tone you want out of the peavey. And you could aslway get an attunator later if you really wanted to saturate the tubes.
Even with my Peavey Ultra (60tubbwhat) I can't saturate the tubes and it still sounds wicked. Go for the PEavey.
peace.
Answer:
Thanks 4glory,
I've decided togo with the Peavey Ranger. I read the owners manual, and after learning what the resonance and presance knobs do, I found that I could dial in a sweet fender twin(Maybe a little brighter) clean sound. The clean channel was the only big thing the traynor had going for it (that and power tube saturation, but I've found a way to fix that), but I like the peavey cleans better.
Don't get me wrong, the traynor is a great amp...but the kid in me just can't get enough screamin' harmonic rich distortion. Now that I've figured how to dial this amp in (not used to pasive EQ) it does everything I want it to, I spent an hour today dialing in all of the sound I want. This beast plays the sweetest jazz you've ever heard, switch channels and turn the gain up to 10 and get ready to drule.
thanx for your help
Answer:
Congrates Blessed!
I'd love to hear some sound clips of the distortion you get from the peavey.
I've always preffered peavey amps for a mid budget quality tube amp, the gain is very impressive and the cleans do fair very well. THe ultra sounds awesome, I replaced the speaker in mine with a celestion for better bass response.
I wish you the best with your peavey.
peace.
Answer:
Did the Ultra come with blue marvels?