Traynor YGM-3 Vintage Reissue

A little known classic

Traynor amplifiers are not as well known as the more mainstream American and British brands, however throughout the mid-sixties to early eighties Yorkville Sound produced several lines of absolutely killer bass and guitar amplifiers. Those who knew about them loved them and even today there is a rabid group of devotees who collect them, gig with them and are always quietly on the prowl for more. Pete Traynor's designs are famous for their durability and sound. Most up and coming Canadian guitar players in the sixties cut their teeth on a Traynor. However, because the guitar gods of the day generally used Fenders and/or Marshalls, Traynors never developed the visibility and fame of the other brands. In the early eighties, Yorkville Sound got out of the guitar amp business when it appeared that good tubes would no longer be available. Consequently the classic Traynors have generally been available for a couple hundred dollars, where an equivalent vintage Fender or Marshall would sell for five times as much. However, with the advent of the YGM-3 Reissue, as well as an increasing awareness of the quality and sound of the old Traynors, the price has been rising steadily, much to the dismay of the hardcore fans of these amps.

I am a fan of low-powered, hand wired amplifiers. Until I purchased the YGM-3 RI, I had always sought out and used old (50's, early 60's) lesser known brands, like Premier and Magnatone. I am a harp player first and a more recent guitar player. Being a Canadian child of the 60's, when I saw the ad for this amp in Guitar Player, I was immediately smitten. The YGM-3 (Yorkville Guitar Mate) was one of Yorkville's most popular models, and this reissue is almost identical to the original, except where safety requirements dictate change. The original speaker, made by Marsland, is no longer available and so is replaced by a top-of-the-line Jensen P12Q AlNiCo. It has a closed back, which provides tight, deep bass. True to the times in which it was created, it has both a reverb and tremolo, both of which are outstanding, at least on par with, and some say superior to those found in the Fenders of the day. Many say that the YGM-3 is very similar in sound to the Fender Deluxe Reverb; I can't say, having no experience with the DR. The DRRI and the YGM-3 RI are about the same price today, however the Fender is not a true re-issue, in the same sense that the Guitar Mate is. For the same money, the Traynor provides a true to the original, hand-wired amplifier made with top drawer components and built like a tank.I'm unaware of another handwired amp on the market today available for $1100. Fender's handwired '57 Deluxe, which also uses the same Jensen AlNiCo, costs $2300. (Shame on them. There is absolutely nothing in the manufacture or components of that amp that justfifies such a price.) The clean sound provides a wonderful shimmer when an open chord is struck that puts a smile on my face. Turn up the volume on the single channel plugged into the higher gain of the two inputs and a warm fuzz begins to be heard. This amp isn't a modern, high-gain machine, but is a throwback to the days of clean, warm old-school tones with an overdriven breakup that is true to the classic rock tones that I grew up on and play today. Put a Tubescreamer in front of it and I have all of the dirt and grit that I need without the hiss of Fender's "hotrodded" classics.

The YGM 3 RI would be an outstanding amp for the Jazz player, and the few times I've done harp gigs with it show a great deal of promise. I think the closed back cab and the breakup at relatively low volumes will make it a tremendous harp amp.

Good on Yorkville Sound for releasing this wonderful re-issue at a fair price. This is a closet classic made in Canada by some of the same people that built the originals. In fact there are only a few people in Yorkville's plant that are allowed to build the reissue, and I'm told that each one is signed inside by the craftsman that made it. I haven't taken mine apart to find out whether this is true. For the record, there is no Traynor Amp company. The Traynor brand is and always has been made by Yorkville Sound based in Pickering, Ontario, Canada.

This is a lot of words to the bottom line, but this amp is worthy of a lot of praise. It is a masterpiece that probably won't sell in high volumes because the Traynor name doesn't have the same cache as Fender, Marshall and some of the latest "boutique" brands. But you should check it out if you are serious about terrific tone from an amp you can pass on to your grandkids.