YCS100H Review

The Custom Special 100H's true three-channel architecture offers full control of each and every channel. No shared EQ's or pseudo "channels" here.

Features:	9
Sound:	9
Reliability:	8.7
Impression:	9.3
Overall rating:	9
Reviewer rating:	9
Users rating:	9
Votes:	10

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: hendrix4934, on january 05, 2008

Price paid: $ 800

Purchased from: Guitar store

Features: The Traynor YCS100 head or Custom 100 Special is a pretty recent model from Traynor I believe. It is extremely veristle. I play just about anything ranging from Jazz to Death Metal, It can cover pretty much every style. It is a true 3 channel amp with a global Master volume, Presence, and Resonance Controls. Each channel has a control for gain, volume, equalazation, reverb and effects (for the effects loop). Each channel has a gain boost function and a button to get a more modern sound. The crunch and red channel have a button to scoop the mids, and the clean channel has a bright function. There is a headphones output and a D.I function. The footswitch controls the channels and there is a solo boost function which is very cool and kinda sounds like a tube screamer when it's on. This is an all tube 100 watt head. But, you can bring it down to 30 watts which is very cool. I use this amp for recording primarily and it's great. // 9

Sound: I use a strat, and a Jackson dinky with this amp. The clean channel will get you a great classic Marshall Plexi tone and for a clean channel, It is extremely versitle. I cranked this thing up to around 8 and set the gain around 3 o'clock. This setting got me up to Metallica type gain which was amazing for a clean channel. The crunch channel starts around a Marshall Plexi with the gain fairly low, You can get this channel up to high gain stages pretty easily though. The red channel gets great Mesa/Boogie type tones. Unbelievable sound when It's cranked, and just about no feedback. You can achieve a great high gain sound on this channel. You could survive a 2 hour gig with no effects except maybe a wah. The amp is one of the most verisitle I've seen in a long time. And it's very simple to use. // 9

Reliability & Durability: No problems so far. I would use it during a gig without a backup. The amp has never broken down on me and I have been very happy with the reliability.Plus, Traynor has an amazing two year warranty on it so I am pretty confident that I won't need to fix it or anything like that. Traynor is pretty reliable. // 10

Impression: For alternative and metal, this amp sounds great. It will suit just about any style you want. I have been playing for almost 2 years and own lots of pedals but I ownly use my fuzz face and wah wah for this amp. I would buy this again if it where stolen and am more happy then I thought I would be with it. I love the versatility and simplicity of the amp and have compared it to just about every amp under 2000 dollars. There is nothing you could add to make this better. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on march 30, 2011

Price paid: $ 900

Purchased from: ProAudioStar

Features: It was dropped shipped from the Traynor factory warehouse. It's brand new in 2010-11. It has what I need. Clean, lightly broken up and overdriven sounds. It has three channels with separate gain, volume, tone and verb controls, plus scoop and boost switches for each as well. It has a master presence and resonance and volume. It's all tube, and was shipped with EL34s but it can be set up for 6L6s. I intend to use it the same places I used previous amps, for live gigs, rehearsals and studio sessions. I'm sure it has plenty of power. // 8

Sound: After a bit of knob twisting and strumming and riffing it actually sounds pretty good, good enough even. It's not really noisy. It can be clean until the powertubes distort. The distortion when the boost is added is way over kill. On my lead channel I set the gain at 9am and use the boost. On my broken up channel I set the gain at 10:30am without the boost. The clean channel gain is set at 8am as well. // 8

Reliability & Durability: It has a two year warranty. I'm fairly sure I could depend on it, but I'm not ready to sell my other amp to prove it. The footswitch acted funny the other day, requiring me to click the Switch for the clean channel selection twice before it would switch. But today it works fine. // 7

Impression: I play everything that is music and for the last 42 years. I bought it sight unseen, but knowing my ability to bring out the best in even the worst sounding amps, I had confidence I could at least manage an ok sound from it. Two days later I had a great sound out of it. I compared it to my previous amps, including the VHT UL and Lucky 13 and all my Mesa, Marshall, Ampeg, PV and Crate amps. At first I thought I would have to run it along with a amp switcher and my BV120 in order to have the perfect sound for lead solos, but I was able to tweak the amp until I got the right sound. It sounds sorta like a Hi-watt crossed with a Soldano without the huge power reserves available for the transients like those amps have. It can also be dialed in to sound thin and raspy like a Marshall or loose and fizzy like a Boogie*. *like when those amps are used by amateurs. // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on november 03, 2007

Features: This is the new 3-channel amp from Traynor, a Canadian company known for their early tube amps that are basically less expensive Bassmans and JTM45s. This amp has no frills, but it has what you would most likely ever want in a good sounding tube amp:

- a series FX loop (input goes to power amp)
- a parallel FX loop (each channel has a separate send level)
- 3 true/discrete channels with separate eq and settings
- nice sounding spring rev, separate setting on each channel
- a tuner output jack and a tuner Switch that kills the sound while you tune (but not with a footswitch, yet)
- a solo boost in the power amp section (I love this)
- self-biasing circuit to Switch from 6l6s to el34s (el34s are stock)
- a headphones out with a spkr sim (that sounds pretty good)
- 100 watt AB mode, or a 30 watt A mode. // 10

Sound: Playing in a cover band going from country to Green Day and everything in between; with a PRS Custom 22 and a modified Strat with a bunch of bells and whistles. I need a lot of different sounds. I love this amp. Best way I can describe it: the tone is very focused. With leads, there is no messiness or buzziness to the tone, very lyrical, and if you overdrive the el34s it chugs really nicely! I would buy this thing again in a second. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Traynor apparently used to test their chassis and cases by throwing them off a 2-storey building, puttin tubes back in and seein if it still worked. This amp is covered by a 2 years unconditional warranty, and it says somewhere in the literature that if you break it on purpose, they will fix it free. That being said, the chassis appears to be solid enough. I would prefer thicker plywood in the case, but at 50 pounds it's heavy enough. I gig without a backup, unless you count my PodXT Live that I use in the series loop (truth be known, the POD really throttles the tone but I need lots of FX for some tunes and can't afford a GSHarp yet). // 9

Impression: I've been playing a long time, 25 years (I'm an old guy). This amp kills, with a decent clean sound, a nice brown Vintage Marshall channel, and a souped-up Rectifier-like gain channel. I have to admit, I like this amp better than the rectifiers, although you can't compete with their gain meltdown! Never been a fan of Mesa because of reliability. Although my 1968 Traynor YBA-1 sounds incredible, the Custom Special sounds fantastic, has great features and seems roadworthy. Not to mention it's got the best crunch for the buck you'll find in North America! // 9

Comments

[vitax]

sounds rly cool!!!! I like the A and B mode, so that u can use it even at home without crollin down the walls!!!

[A-Ro]

Using it running at 30 watts will be PLENTY for small gigs. It would have to be a large gig to need the 100 watt setting. All in all, this is a very versatal amp.

[guitargod1965]

This amp is the best I have ever played (and I have played alot). The ycs 412 is a fantastic cab, durable, visually pleasing and kicks like there is no tomorrow. I would recommend this to anyone who has shopped around without success and who wants to be able to play anything through this amp with beautiful results. This amp will become a classic.

[Ramik]

I switched over from a mesa triple rec solo head to to this amp. It is simply so versatile. The only problem I had is the footswitch. The footswitches would stop working everyone once inawhile and I would have to get a new one. But hey, its unlimited warrenty and its free

[Ramik]

OH and if you want to hear what this amp sounds like go to www.myspace.com/finalfall I used this head with a mesa oversized cab, although the ycs cab sounds just as good. I just didn't feel like dragging it to the studio. I played through it with my ltd dj 600 guitars. The settings i played through were 4 gain, 8 treble, 6 mid, and 5 bass.

[guitargod1965]

Just a brief note I felt I should post. If you really want a fantastic amp without the hastles of hauling around a head and huge cab, be sure to check out the traynor ycs 90 combo. In all honesty it actually sounds better than the 100 watt and is a whole lot easier to haul around. It is an amazing amp for just over a grand and compares very favorable with the 1500-1800 dollar Marshall and Mesa combo's. Actually I found it much more versatile with crystal clear cleans and demonic roars overdrive if needed. This is one hot amp and I am at a loss as to why Yorkville does not more aggressively market it. It is quite simply the best amp in the under 1800 range. It looks vintage hot and makes a Brugera sound like an am radio. Check it out, I promise you will not be disappointed.