I haven't actually played through the YCS50 yet, but I assume it's the "little brother" of the YCS100, which I've owned for several months now. It sounds from Telemark's comments and the description on the Traynor site that the amps are very similar. The following comments are based on that assumption.
1) I agree - it is a bit of a MF to dial in - much like the Boogie DR's. But once you get the feel of the thing it gets easier.
2) Yes - it is kind of bright, but if the tone stacks are anything like the 100 you can dial it out to a large degree. There is still a "hairy" element to the tone at lower volumes (like many similar high gain amps). Also, the factory pre tubes are a little harsh for this amp. I swapped V1 & V2 with Tung-Sols and it's much better.
3) I can imagine that it didn't work well with a Strat. Again, assuming it's the same basic architecture as the 100, it's very sensitive to guitars & pickups...more so than any amp I've owned. I can't even swap between my SG & Ibanez comfortably tone-wise, let alone between humbuckers & singles. I haven't really tried very hard to dial in my Strat on the thing though. That guitar is used almost exclusively through my Trinity sIII.
4) It does like humbuckers, that's for sure.
5) Agreed 100%
Now, with all that said, I will say I'm not the biggest fan of the "class A" mode on mine. It compresses a little too much. The full-power mode sounds more open.
The "Brit" voice mode does sound a little thin at lower volumes. It starts coming alive with the volume past noon (when the output tubes start cookin' more).
I don't like the modern mode much. It scoops the tone WAY too much. I do like the "scoop" switch in vintage mode though. That's where I've found the sweet spot for the DR type tones.
As for reliability, I really can't say. I've had no issues with mine, but I don't gig with it so I'll reserve my opinion. But, as with any amp this complex, there's always potential for issues. People always say the old single-channel non-MV amps were more reliable. It only makes sense...there's less stuff to break!
I've also found that the amp seems to be sounding better as time goes on. I wonder if the whole theory of tubes needing a "break-in" period is actually true...
All I can say is for what the YCS series can do, they're a steal at this price point - especially for the average Joe like me who can't toss $2k+ for an amp.
1) I agree - it is a bit of a MF to dial in - much like the Boogie DR's. But once you get the feel of the thing it gets easier.
2) Yes - it is kind of bright, but if the tone stacks are anything like the 100 you can dial it out to a large degree. There is still a "hairy" element to the tone at lower volumes (like many similar high gain amps). Also, the factory pre tubes are a little harsh for this amp. I swapped V1 & V2 with Tung-Sols and it's much better.
3) I can imagine that it didn't work well with a Strat. Again, assuming it's the same basic architecture as the 100, it's very sensitive to guitars & pickups...more so than any amp I've owned. I can't even swap between my SG & Ibanez comfortably tone-wise, let alone between humbuckers & singles. I haven't really tried very hard to dial in my Strat on the thing though. That guitar is used almost exclusively through my Trinity sIII.
4) It does like humbuckers, that's for sure.
5) Agreed 100%
Now, with all that said, I will say I'm not the biggest fan of the "class A" mode on mine. It compresses a little too much. The full-power mode sounds more open.
The "Brit" voice mode does sound a little thin at lower volumes. It starts coming alive with the volume past noon (when the output tubes start cookin' more).
I don't like the modern mode much. It scoops the tone WAY too much. I do like the "scoop" switch in vintage mode though. That's where I've found the sweet spot for the DR type tones.
As for reliability, I really can't say. I've had no issues with mine, but I don't gig with it so I'll reserve my opinion. But, as with any amp this complex, there's always potential for issues. People always say the old single-channel non-MV amps were more reliable. It only makes sense...there's less stuff to break!
I've also found that the amp seems to be sounding better as time goes on. I wonder if the whole theory of tubes needing a "break-in" period is actually true...
All I can say is for what the YCS series can do, they're a steal at this price point - especially for the average Joe like me who can't toss $2k+ for an amp.
