Traynor is a brand of bass amplifiers and guitar amplifiers, the first brand formed by Yorkville Sound. The Traynor brand, named for founder Peter Traynor, began in 1963 with the Dynabass bass amplifier, a rental product.[1][2] Traynor first became popular in Canada by providing less expensive versions of the circuits used in Marshall and Fender amplifiers of the time.[3] The revived brand now produces a wide range of electric, acoustic, and bass guitar amps.
In 1963, Traynor amps were designed by Peter Traynor, a music shop repairman who had been customizing amplifiers as a way to save costs for the business. Through experimentation and experience, Traynor developed a bass guitar amplifier that he called the Traynor Dynabass. By the end of 1963, Traynor was selling the Dynabass amps along with matching 15-inch speaker cabinets, as well as Traynor portable columnar public address (PA) speakers[1][4] based on a reference book of 1930s RCA commercial loudspeaker designs.[2] Soon a business partnership to sell these amps had formed between Traynor and Jack Long, the man who owned the music store that Traynor worked at.[1] The company was named Yorkville Sound.[5]
In 1964, the Dynabass became the "Bass Master", model "YBA-1",[6] and its associated 15-inch speaker cabinet became the "YS-15". The YBA-1 "Bass Master" circuit is very similar to the Fender Bassman, which in turn inspired the classic Marshall 1959 "Plexi" amplifier.[7] The column loudspeakers were designated "YSC-1" and two additional models were created: the "YSC-2" with fewer, larger drivers to obtain more low-frequency bass extension and the "YSC-3" which was a cut-down version of the YSC-1 for customers who needed a smaller loudspeaker.[2]
Starting in 1965 with the Traynor Hi-Tone, a 2x12 test guitar amp (of which only two were ever made), Pete Traynor began experimenting with guitar amp designs. The YGA-1 (a 45 watt amp head) and the YGM-1 (a 1x12 20 watt tube combo) were the first products of this research. Full production of these amps began in 1966, and the release of new models continued until the 70s.[8]
Traynor YBA-3 Custom Special Amp showing the 1970 parallelogram nameplate
In 1970, Traynor introduced the new Traynor logo (in the shape of a parallelogram) that was less prone to having the initial 'T' and final 'r' break off to become "rayno".[2] In 1976, Peter Traynor left Yorkville Sound, suffering from a bad back. The Traynor brand would be slowly phased out over the next 17 years until its reintroduction in 2000.[2]
As of 2011, Traynor products are manufactured in Pickering, Ontario.[9]
Traynor YCV40WR Amp
In 2000, Yorkville Sound reintroduced the Traynor brand with the YCV40 (Custom Valve) model.[10] The brand has a wide product range, including DynaGain solid state guitar amplifiers, International amplifiers, Bass Master bass amplifiers, keyboard amplifiers, and an acoustic guitar amplifier line.
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