Purchased completely gone-through '72 Traynor YBA-1 - DOA

[rp]

Just checked the ebay link, yes those are the orig trannies.

[Leo_Gnardo]

the link on the cap is cedist, not just radios. And Cedist is tubesand more,or Antique electronics that sell parts of all kinds and type to most amp builders.
As far as Just Radios, they sell similar items as Cedist and mojo and others. Just Radios has one type caps made for them, and the correct values.
I've bought a lot of caps from Just Radios, and never had a problem with the caps or the service being A1 and or shipped the same day the parts are ordered.
Like most places, they sell a less expensive, type or brand. Or Sprague,to polystyrene or mica to Audio hi-fi grade.
The other caps in the amp shown are IC caps or Illinois capacitors.
Its up to the buyer to decide what caps they want to use. Saying Just Radios sells "cheap" componets is a bit misleading. Just my opinion.

About CE brand filter caps: Antique/CE a handy source but I've seen too many gone bad, fast. Meaning immediately up to 5 years. A good electrolytic can last 25 years or more. If they're used near their stated voltage limit, or receive an overvoltage peak at switch-on, expect trouble.

I like just about everything Antique/CE sells, except their house-brand electrolytics. If you keep the amp, you can use 'em until they pop, or swap out for more reliable parts.

Although lots of people like to dump on Illinois, I haven't found any problems or lousy sound quality. Remembar when that amp was built, nobody was doing handflips over that "fabulous mustard-cap tone", they were just an affordable and reliable item several manufacturers chose to use. And I find Illinois electrolytics still chugging away just fine in amps built 20 years ago or more. I think it's the name that gets them the unfair bad rep: Ill noise.

[CherryFive]

Interesting insights Gnardo. Thanks.

So I just got off the phone with the seller. Seems like a sweet, Tennessee guy with a real draw to his accent. Based on what I've heard, I don't think this guy harvested the amp for good components. Quite on the other hand. He was devastated, saying he poured his heart into this Traynor, so my hunch is that the coveted parts were taken out not because he wanted to salvage them, but because he just thought that was the thing to do.

He was telling me how much he poured his heart into taking apart each potentiometer individually and cleaning them properly versus just spraying them. In other words, if he was willing to take apart each pot spending hours on this amp, does this still sound like the kind of guy who wants to make the amp less-good by taking out said coveted components? It just doesn't add up.

Nevertheless, the choice is all mine. I can return it, or keep it. He said he'd foot the tech bill if my guy looks at it, and he admitted that perhaps he had a cold solder, but that he has a soldering iron in his hand quite a large percentage of his life and that cold solders happen seldom for him. He seems to restore hi-fi MacIntosh and Scott amps of the 1964 era.

I'm still learning towards return, but talking with him certainly piqued my interest. Does the work look as shoddy/messy as some are saying? Or are some folks just nit-picking and the work looks fine? I'm just curious

[Leo_Gnardo]

Nevertheless, the choice is all mine. I can return it, or keep it. He said he'd foot the tech bill if my guy looks at it

You never told us where in Ct are you, or I missed it. If anywhere near Danbury, PM Firestorm and ask him if he'd like to have a go. Maybe there's another TAG member or 2 who would help. I'm in mid Hudson valley NY but people come here all the way from Norwalk area up to New Milford. If you're on the east side, shout out to our Boston area members, they're sick of shoveling snow & slush, good to have an amp to sort out for a change. I think some of us would like to find out whatsamatta, get it sorted, and report on it. The novel has gone on a few pages too many. We can't edit it, but a thrilling conclusion would be nice.

[CherryFive]

If you want to send it back, send it back, but this issue about the mustard caps really shouldn't be a consideration. The guy's listing disclosed, both textually and photographically, that all the caps had been changed out. If you didn't understand or investigate what that entailed, or how it may have affected what somebody else might be willing to pay for the amp, that's on you, not the seller. Some people think these old components are sprinkled with magic mojo fairy dust and sound better; others think it's all gullibility and confirmation bias and no one would really be able to tell the difference in a true double-blind comparison test.

The seller has over a thousand ebay transactions and a perfect feedback score, so he probably isn't lying about the amp being functional at the time of sale. Probably something just got jarred during shipment, and it could well be something very easy to fix.

Really good point drew.

[CherryFive]

Nevertheless, the choice is all mine. I can return it, or keep it. He said he'd foot the tech bill if my guy looks at it

You never told us where in Ct are you, or I missed it. If anywhere near Danbury, PM Firestorm and ask him if he'd like to have a go. Maybe there's another TAG member or 2 who would help. I'm in mid Hudson valley NY but people come here all the way from Norwalk area up to New Milford. If you're on the east side, shout out to our Boston area members, they're sick of shoveling snow & slush, good to have an amp to sort out for a change. I think some of us would like to find out whatsamatta, get it sorted, and report on it. The novel has gone on a few pages too many. We can't edit it, but a thrilling conclusion would be nice.

In in Windham CT. Larry at Accutech audio in East Hartford CT seems to get my amps working, he's just so shy I don't know the extent of his knowledge. I think he's good, his work area indicates brilliance, he's just so quiet with what he knows that I just keep him for simple things like this - just getting amps working that otherwise should be working.

But for complex things like customizing an amp's voice? Or fixing my shure Vocal Master? He won't do it. Which kills me, cause the vocal master is THE amp for vintage vocals. Thank god I have a few backups, but I'd like a tech to go over them just as a preventative measure!!

[CherryFive]

About CE brand filter caps: Antique/CE a handy source but I've seen too many gone bad, fast. Meaning immediately up to 5 years. A good electrolytic can last 25 years or more. If they're used near their stated voltage limit, or receive an overvoltage peak at switch-on, expect trouble.

I like just about everything Antique/CE sells, except their house-brand electrolytics. If you keep the amp, you can use 'em until they pop, or swap out for more reliable parts.

Are you referring here to the large two black capacitors?

[SilverFox]

TubesAndMore??? That's who I buy from nearly all the time. I do know they have another website that sells the MOD products and etc... I stand corrected then on that site as I've never had a problem with them and I get exactly what I expect to receive every time.

Regarding the phone conversation with the seller- Hmmm. Sounds interesting and I would get this to a technician asap since, as I understand things, the seller is willing to cover the cost. I will say the wiring was neat on the build. Particularly in comparison to my own work found here: http://ampgarage.com/forum/download/file.php?id=38929

And if I may, let me head off any snide remarks in saying- This was my 3rd attempt at point to point and yes I used a PC board to mount the PS caps. Even though, the amp works and I use it nearly every day.

If this situation can be resolved satisfactorily, even though some say you could find this amp chassis and then build it yourself cheaper, it's like the situation where we try to sell an item we scored at a garage sale and either the customer or their friend says: "My husband can build that for you cheaper than that", or "I can find that at a garage sale for less". True but the proof is in the pudding and that ain't no where near baked. In other words, you might but it's not likely... So I've changed my mind for the moment. Get it fixed or estimated but do something sooner than later

silverfox.

[Leo_Gnardo]

In in Windham CT. Larry at Accutech audio in East Hartford CT seems to get my amps working, he's just so shy I don't know the extent of his knowledge. I think he's good, his work area indicates brilliance, he's just so quiet with what he knows that I just keep him for simple things like this - just getting amps working that otherwise should be working.

Well then don't YOU be shy, call him & find if he'll give it a shot. If not, ring the bell around TAG.

But for complex things like customizing an amp's voice? Or fixing my shure Vocal Master? He won't do it. Which kills me, cause the vocal master is THE amp for vintage vocals. Thank god I have a few backups, but I'd like a tech to go over them just as a preventative measure!!

Makes sense for tech & player to be in the room together with your guitar & speakers to voice an amp. Otherwise it's pin the tail on the donkey. And I've been that donkey too many times. OW! didja have to pin it there? My first bit of advice on "voicing" is speakers. Listen to other players. When you hear something you like, find out what it is, try some out. Half the people I tell this to wind up getting Celestion Vintage 30's.

Shure VM yes it's a classic, also a sure fire PIA to work on. Hope all the transistors are good. Lots of bad little electrolytic caps used to pass signal. A tech would have to do it as a labor of love. No muso is going to want to foot the bill for hour after hour after hour swapping out cheap little parts. I'll bet Larry has a family & house & needs to earn a living.

[Richie]

The good thing is, it should be an easy fix. And that the seller is going to work with you.

[rp]

It's an easy amp so anything should be an easy fix, but if your tech finds that it was mis-wired, rather than banged up in transit, and that is why it didn't play then it was never tested after the work done. That would be just nuts, even for a hobbyist amateur, indication of real careless hack work.

So, if this does proves true, better tell your tech, that even if it plays strong, he'll need to dl the schematic and check every single resistor, cap, and pot, to make sure the values are correct and to double check all the wiring, and clean up any cold solder joints - even if it plays and sounds strong to you it could have a 10K instead of a 100K somewhere, or a 500K and a 250K pot got switched etc.

If it sounds terrific and you find stuff wrong then leave it and market the mistakes

So now you have something to do for the weekend, have fun, good luck.

[CherryFive]

I see your point, thank you very much. very good advice. But I doubt a miswire! You're right, that would be just nuts. And yeah, he was testing it for weeks he said. He said he couldn't turn the volume past one or two before just being engulfed in massive amounts of volume.

Gnardo - you're right - I've taken apart about 4 or 5 of these babies and I have one particularly clean looking 1973 unit (vocal master) and I've sat there mezmorized by the beautiful thing..the beautiful internals with all of those shinny clean CTS pots ---usually these things are dusty inside but not this one!...wish I could just change caps and stuff on it myself. I'm really too busy with music, and I know very few people who can explain this stuff to me. Just the other day I tried to wire my vintage bass guitar pickups because the bass (its a 70s fiddle bass) buzzes when you touch the pickups. I thought, no big deal, I'll just ground it. it's horrible now, I made a total mess of it. The soldering iron I think is too hot, I think it's 60 watts. The soldering was just cooking, not working right. The tip was really fat so I think it was wrong, but just a simple two-single coil pickup wiring was a nightmare and I still haven't fixed it.

I took it to a guitar repair place and they said 70 bucks to wire it, and that's after I told them I don't even want a tone knob, just two volume knobs! needless to say I told them no thanks. but yeah I stink at soldering. I just bought a new 30 watter with a pointier tip so hopefully that will help

[Teleguy61]

I'm glad the guy was sweet to talk to, but he didn't offer to give you the parts he replaced.

[Richie]

CherryFive

But I doubt a miswire!

Sometimes I wonder why I bother posting. The pic I posted previously shows exactly one spot it is miswired. Mostly I was trying to help,by pointing that out. Maybe when the amp is fixed, post the pics of it after to compare it to.

[CherryFive]

So what can be inferred here? That the seller lied to me? He said it worked and he tested and heard it before he shipped it out. I noticed that 10k thing too. Am I to believe the amp re-wired itself during shipping?