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.Keenan, Edward, "Pete Traynor, Toronto’s quietly legendary sound man: Keenan". Toronto Star, May 10, 2016Yorkville Sound History: 1963–1991. February 20, 2002. Mike Holman. Retrieved December 21, 2008 Traynor first became popular in Canada by providing less expensive versions of the circuits used in Marshall and Fender amplifiers of the time."Traynor Amplifiers". Tales from the Tone Lounge. Archived from the original. The revived brand now produces a wide range of electric, acoustic, and bass guitar amps.
History 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) speakersYorkville Sound. Company History. Retrieved December 21, 2008 based on a reference book of 1930s RCA commercial loudspeaker designs. 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. The company was named Yorkville Sound.
In 1964, the Dynabass became the "Bass Master", model "YBA-1","Liner Notes: Bullet News for May 11th". FYI Music News, By David Farrell 05/11/2016 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.Hunter, Dave (2005) The Guitar Amp Handbook. San Francisco, CA: Beatback Books. 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.
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.
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". 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.
As of 2011, Traynor products are manufactured in Pickering, Ontario."Pete Traynor The Man, The Music, The Struggle". Cashbox Canada, Bill Delingat, September 30, 2011
In 2000, Yorkville Sound reintroduced the Traynor brand with the YCV40 (Custom Valve) model.Pro Audio Review. John Gatski, August 20, 2003. Traynor YCV40 Tube Guitar Amplifier Combo 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.
References
External links Traynor Amplifiers website