Vintage Traynor YGM-3 vs. Fender Tweed Blues Jr.

I don't have an inside scoop on or personal experience with the Traynor, but my opinion is that you should see about getting the Traynor and getting rid of the Blues Junior. Not that the Traynor will give you the tweed sound you're seeking, but, dang, a 20 watt point-to-point vintage Traynor with a 12" speaker for that price! Sorry to be the bearer of bad news--or at least an opinion that you might not like. But you did ask... Maybe folks who know this amp better than I do will disagree with me and make you feel better.

 

YGM-3s are sweet. Open the back, speaker to taste (C.Rex) ..... I have a '73.

 

The traynors are wicked!!!Beats the hell out of a blues JR!!!And now that Traynor died last year!!those amps are going up in price

 

And yes...you made a mistake...live and learn i guess!!!!!!

 

I would pick the Traynor over a Blues Jr any day. Hand wired non-PCB and built like a tank.

 

I had one and didn't really like the sound. I had an amp guy go over it, put in a Celestion Vintage 30, and still didn't like it. Maybe if I had left the back off I'd a liked it better. Bottom line is an amp is worth nothing (yeah, yeah, of course you can sell it so it's worth something) unless you like its sound.

 

Let's see. (A) You found an amp that has the sound you want, the features you need, and works for you in all the settings you use it.

(B) But it's not "point to point" or "vintage". So you are contemplating getting rid of the amp that works for you in favor of an amp that won't do what you need, has features you don't need, and is not as convenient a size or form-factor. Near as I can tell it also doesn't have a master volume (which it seems like you really need given the volume complaints that prompted your quest).

I'm sorry, only on an internet gear forum would multiple people tell you you made a mistake on (A) and need to proceed to (B). IMO of course.

 

Totally agree, you got an amp you like the sound of, like the size of, and works for you in regards to practicalities and is under a warranty for the next 5 years. Sounds to me like you got the right amp for the job at hand. Owning one amp over another because it's "Hand Wired" is a romantic gear-head notion IF it's in an amp that doesn't otherwise tick the boxes for your everyday usage, taste, playing and requirements. Unless of course it's a collecting driven or investment purchase, or you are concerned with increasing value down the track if deciding to sell. If the amp ticks the other boxes then that's a different story.

 

Traynor !

 

I have a 1976 YGM3 for my basement studio. It is an awesome amp for that purpose, for me. I have 15 or more amps at this time. Mine was thoroughly gone through by Dean Zink, which makes it even sweeter.

Don't beat yourself up on this. If you can only afford one, or a few amps; they have to be ones that check all the boxes. It is all about how you actually use what you own. A workhorse amp is just that. A trophy amp could be a workhorse, but smaller, reliable, cutting through the mix, and lighter is where it is at, for most of us these days if you actually gig.

 

2 months from now you will be modding it..Trust me...BillM mods make it a killer

 

Just put a CRex in mine, sounds flippin huuuuuuge. It's worth ten modern Fender amps.

 

I think the C Rex is love-it-or-hate-it. I initially loved it. Then I fell out of love. If you want big clean sounds, it is nearly impossible to beat. It doesn't perform as well for overdriven sounds. You can hear it "laboring" and feel it being "ponderous". Not like wonderful, chewy, speaker compression. Actually laboring. This is all IMO and with a well broken-in C-Rex (actually several) that I gigged a ton. FWIW. Oh, one other thing. The C-Rex is 3.5db more sensitive than the Jensen. I think that will make your amp effectively twice as loud? I forget the formula. But a lot louder. So if part of what you are trying to do is be less loud, the C-Rex won't help the effort.

Oh, and I don't understand the Bill M mods thing. A stock BJR is what it is. If you are going to spend a bunch of money and time modding it into something else, why not get something else? You can mod the crap out of it and you still have an EL84 amp in a tiny, cramped cab. Stock was good enough for Brian Henneman to play (and rock the crap out of) all over the word for a decade or more. YMMV.

 

I had an absolutely mint, still like new 1972 YGM3....it was a DR killer. An Emi Texas Heat did the trick....only issue was I am not a Blackface Fender fan...I dig the tweeds and Browns. So I sold it. Great pedal machine...clean, scooped, and bright. Great verb and term, if you dig BF tones.

 

I am conscious that it may not be really helpful since I’m a complete fan of vintage Traynor, my first one, a Bass Mate YBA-2 cube combo, was bought new in 1966.

Over the years I acquired a few of those ‘60s &‘70s amps and various cabs ( some can even think that I have too many!! ). YBA-1, YBA-1A, YSR-1, YBA-2A heads and YBA-2, YBA-2B (converted to open back), YGM-3 combos.

Cabs are early single 15” (2), late ported single 15”, early 2x15” (2) ( sold ), late ported single 18” (2), early 4x10" (sold), late 4x10” and 2x12”, all being closed back. One is an open back 2x12” ( conversion of dead late YGL-3 ). Some have their original speaker, many have various brands & types of speakers.

Now back to the topic. I have 3 YGM-3 :

1969 “White face” Conservatory special edition with its original Marsland,

1969 with a new Jensen P12R ( bough with a JBL D-120F which is best suited in a stronger amp ),

1972 with an old Celestion G12T-75.

Those combos were bought used and are all well serviced and tuned-up. In many occasions they were A/B/C tested by a dozen friends in jams as well as by a few semi- pro musicians friends on actual gigs.

Conclusion : Declared as nice sounding amp by each of them – Not similar tone wise but have features and construction In the same category than a Fender Deluxe Reverb - Different combinations of amp/speakers appeals to different peoples in quite even proportions– Mostly considered not powerful enough for their type of gigs.

 

Neither will the tweed Blues Jr! It's a "tweed" amp in covering only.

I've got a '75 YGM-3 that I paid $200 for this summer. It really only needed new electrolytics and cleaning up. I put an Eminence Private Jack in it (with the back on the cab, because that's parts of the YGM-3 sound) and tweaked a few things and it's a really cool amp! Kinda bulky for what it is, though.

 

If your amp sounds good to you and can cover all your bases, you're fine. If not, keep looking. In short: if the amp you bought covers all your needs, then you're golden.