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Traynor
Custom Special 50 Watt 1x12 All-Tube Guitar Head
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The Custom Special 50 Head offers great flexibility and tone in a 50-watt all tube head. Designed to deliver a wide tone pallet in a conventional amp format, the Custom Special 50 Head features a full two-channel configuration with independent gain, and fully independent EQ's for each channel.
The all-tube design of this head delivers a unique tone that alludes to the great British and American amplifiers of the past without resorting to modeling technology that only mimics and amp's sound without offering the player any truly individualized tone.
Innovative mode switching like the unique USA / Brit switch on the clean channel as well as the 'Modern' switch on the lead channel further expand the head's tone pallet, making it one of the most versatile guitar rigs Traynor has offered in this format.
The USA / Brit switch relocates the tone stack relative to the gain stages in the clean channel, allowing the Custom Special 50's EQ section to respond with either a crisp 'American' amp tone with clarity and definition or with a grittier, more 'spongy' 'British' flavor associated with the great UK amps of the 60s and 70s.
The YCS50H's lead channel offers more flexibility and a wider tone pallet than competitive tube amps in its class. Modern and Scoop switches offer the player a choice of 'vintage' tube drive or a more aggressive 'scooped' guitar tone. A solo boost level on the lead channel offers easy access to an additional gain stage, allowing the amp to deliver a clean, crunch and lead tone from the simple two-button footswitch (included).
The power section of the YCS50H is switchable between 50-watt Class-AB mode and a 15-watt Class-A mode. This ensures enough volume when coupled with the Traynor YCS412VA2 cabinet in the full 50-watt mode for the live stage, yet able to deliver super saturated lead or Blues tones at a more manageable volume in the 15-watt mode.
Presence and Resonance controls are all included in the master section of the Custom Special 50 Head. The Resonance Control, when used with a high quality and responsive loudspeaker enclosure like the Traynor YCS412VA2 allows the player to dial in the exact bass response from their rig that they want to hear. Tonal range from a tight and punchy tone to a looser, more 'vintage-tube' sound can be had with a simple adjustment of the Resonance control. This is accomplished by actually controlling the damping factor of the amplifier's output stage, allowing the player to take full advantage of the tone of his loudspeaker enclosure and tweak it to his or her own unique playing style.
As an additional feature, the Presence and Resonance can be removed from the circuit with a simple touch of a switch on the front panel, shortening the signal path and delivering a truly vintage tube sound for the tone purist.
Handy professional features like a long Accutronics spring reverb, separate effect and reverb return levels for clean and lead channels, parallel effect loops for modulation and delay effects and an in-line loop for dynamic and EQ or overdrive units, ensure the Custom Special 50 Head is the ideal center of a modern guitar rig.
Standard channel switching capability has been enhanced in the YCS50H head by a footswitchable boost with independent level control that delivers exactly the right amount of lead boost in any situation.
Features:
• Selectable 50-watt Class-AB / 15-watt Class-A output
• Footswitchable full Two Channel Configuration
• Brit / USA Voicing Switch on Clean Channel
• Modern & Scoop Voicing Switches on Lead Channel
• Parallel and Loop-thru Effects Sends and Returns
• Vintage style Accutronics Long-Spring Reverb
• Master Volume, Defeatable Presence and Resonance Controls
Specifications:
• Type: Tube Guitar Head
• Power @ min. impedance (Watts): 50
• Minimum Impedance (Ohms): 4
• Burst Power - 2 cycle: 60
• Channel 1 - Inputs: 1/4-inch shared with channel 2
• Channel 1 - Controls: Gain, Boost, Vol, Treble/Mid/Bass, Reverb, EFX Rtn
• Channel 1 - Switches: Boost, Modern, Scoop
• Channel 2 - Controls: Gain, Vol, Treble/Mid/Bass, Reverb, EFX Rtn
• Channel 2 - Switches: Bright, USA/Brit, Expander
• Channel Switching: 2 Footswitchable Channels with Boost on Ch. 1
• Master Volume Control: Yes
• Main Tone Controls: Presence, Resonance, Voice
• Line Out (type / configuration): Pre Out (TRS), DI Out (XLR) EFX Send Level
• Line Out Sensitivity (Vrms): 300mV
• Effects Volume: Master Send, Dual Returns
• Effects Loop / Location: Rear
• Effects Footswitch / Function: Reverb and Effects Return
• Effects Return Sensitivity (Vrms): 300mV
• Internal Reverb / Effects: Accutronics Dual Spring Long Tank
• LED Indicators: Ch. 1, Ch. 2, Boost, Power/Standby
• Protection: Mains Fuse
• External speaker output / location: 1 Rear Panel
• Other Features: 15 watt Class A low power mode switch
• Dimensions (DWH, inches): 10 x 27 x 11
• Dimensions (DWH, cm): 25 x 69 x 28
• Weight (lbs / kg): 38 / 17
The all-tube design of this head delivers a unique tone that alludes to the great British and American amplifiers of the past without resorting to modeling technology that only mimics and amp's sound without offering the player any truly individualized tone.
Innovative mode switching like the unique USA / Brit switch on the clean channel as well as the 'Modern' switch on the lead channel further expand the head's tone pallet, making it one of the most versatile guitar rigs Traynor has offered in this format.
The USA / Brit switch relocates the tone stack relative to the gain stages in the clean channel, allowing the Custom Special 50's EQ section to respond with either a crisp 'American' amp tone with clarity and definition or with a grittier, more 'spongy' 'British' flavor associated with the great UK amps of the 60s and 70s.
The YCS50H's lead channel offers more flexibility and a wider tone pallet than competitive tube amps in its class. Modern and Scoop switches offer the player a choice of 'vintage' tube drive or a more aggressive 'scooped' guitar tone. A solo boost level on the lead channel offers easy access to an additional gain stage, allowing the amp to deliver a clean, crunch and lead tone from the simple two-button footswitch (included).
The power section of the YCS50H is switchable between 50-watt Class-AB mode and a 15-watt Class-A mode. This ensures enough volume when coupled with the Traynor YCS412VA2 cabinet in the full 50-watt mode for the live stage, yet able to deliver super saturated lead or Blues tones at a more manageable volume in the 15-watt mode.
Presence and Resonance controls are all included in the master section of the Custom Special 50 Head. The Resonance Control, when used with a high quality and responsive loudspeaker enclosure like the Traynor YCS412VA2 allows the player to dial in the exact bass response from their rig that they want to hear. Tonal range from a tight and punchy tone to a looser, more 'vintage-tube' sound can be had with a simple adjustment of the Resonance control. This is accomplished by actually controlling the damping factor of the amplifier's output stage, allowing the player to take full advantage of the tone of his loudspeaker enclosure and tweak it to his or her own unique playing style.
As an additional feature, the Presence and Resonance can be removed from the circuit with a simple touch of a switch on the front panel, shortening the signal path and delivering a truly vintage tube sound for the tone purist.
Handy professional features like a long Accutronics spring reverb, separate effect and reverb return levels for clean and lead channels, parallel effect loops for modulation and delay effects and an in-line loop for dynamic and EQ or overdrive units, ensure the Custom Special 50 Head is the ideal center of a modern guitar rig.
Standard channel switching capability has been enhanced in the YCS50H head by a footswitchable boost with independent level control that delivers exactly the right amount of lead boost in any situation.
Features:
• Selectable 50-watt Class-AB / 15-watt Class-A output
• Footswitchable full Two Channel Configuration
• Brit / USA Voicing Switch on Clean Channel
• Modern & Scoop Voicing Switches on Lead Channel
• Parallel and Loop-thru Effects Sends and Returns
• Vintage style Accutronics Long-Spring Reverb
• Master Volume, Defeatable Presence and Resonance Controls
Specifications:
• Type: Tube Guitar Head
• Power @ min. impedance (Watts): 50
• Minimum Impedance (Ohms): 4
• Burst Power - 2 cycle: 60
• Channel 1 - Inputs: 1/4-inch shared with channel 2
• Channel 1 - Controls: Gain, Boost, Vol, Treble/Mid/Bass, Reverb, EFX Rtn
• Channel 1 - Switches: Boost, Modern, Scoop
• Channel 2 - Controls: Gain, Vol, Treble/Mid/Bass, Reverb, EFX Rtn
• Channel 2 - Switches: Bright, USA/Brit, Expander
• Channel Switching: 2 Footswitchable Channels with Boost on Ch. 1
• Master Volume Control: Yes
• Main Tone Controls: Presence, Resonance, Voice
• Line Out (type / configuration): Pre Out (TRS), DI Out (XLR) EFX Send Level
• Line Out Sensitivity (Vrms): 300mV
• Effects Volume: Master Send, Dual Returns
• Effects Loop / Location: Rear
• Effects Footswitch / Function: Reverb and Effects Return
• Effects Return Sensitivity (Vrms): 300mV
• Internal Reverb / Effects: Accutronics Dual Spring Long Tank
• LED Indicators: Ch. 1, Ch. 2, Boost, Power/Standby
• Protection: Mains Fuse
• External speaker output / location: 1 Rear Panel
• Other Features: 15 watt Class A low power mode switch
• Dimensions (DWH, inches): 10 x 27 x 11
• Dimensions (DWH, cm): 25 x 69 x 28
• Weight (lbs / kg): 38 / 17
Q & A
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Reviews
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Criminally Underrated 4 of 4 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Courtenay, British Columbia
*sigh* I owned one of these things about 8 years ago. In a moment of stupidity I flipped it for the Traynor YCS100. I thought it was the same amp with more power and a third channel. Boy was I disappointed to find out that it was not. I then flipped THAT amp for a Marshal JCM2000 TSL. It wasn't as nice as my Traynor YCS50. I wish I still had that amp. It was shockingly impressive. Beautiful clean tone. USA/Brit switch. Clean, Dirty, More. It just did everything so so well.
under product experience I'm choosing "I own it" because I used to own it. And boy do I miss it.
Posted by WouldntYouLikeToKnow on Apr 3, 2019
Traynor YCS50H 1 of 1 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Sydney, Nova Scotia
Got this on sale for $499! It was a former rental unit. In perfect shape though. Super pleased with the price and the amp. Easy to dial in a great tone on both channels. I have it running through a 1x12" cabinet on the 15watt setting at home and it's still super loud. At the store it sounded superb through a 4x12. I have the YCV40 as well. Can't go wrong with Traynor.
Posted by Chris on Apr 11, 2018
Excellent, extreme versatility 1 of 1 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I've tried it
Closest Store Burlington, Ontario
I rented this for a month when my Marshall head bit the dust. Great value for the price, very good tone. Not quite at the level of some of the more expensive tube heads (esp. vintage) in terms of overall tone but still very good. What impressed me the most was the versatility of this amp. I was able to dial in all sorts of tones to suit all kinds of music, from pure clean to metal crunch, and everything in between. I really like the switchable 15/50 watt option. Even at 15 watts it was plenty loud for rehearsal and gigs.
Posted by Chris on Sep 1, 2017
Awesome Amp 0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Victoria, British Columbia
Great all around amp. I play in a cover band and it easily covers all the tones I need!
Posted by Jason on Apr 19, 2017
Sick!!!!! 1 of 1 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Kanata, Ontario
Love it!!!! Once you get the settings that you want, which doesn't take long, you'll fall for it as well. I'm running mine through a Marshall 1960 Lead 4x12 straight cab. Tons of power, versatility and phenomenal sound. Buy it!!! You won't be disappointed.
Posted by Jedi Knight on Feb 21, 2015
Great amp. Takes time to dial in. 3 of 3 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Stratford, Ontario
First of all, it's worth mentioning that on top of being built like the proverbeal tank, you will not find a better warranty; not that you'll ever need to use it.
This amp is all about versatility and offers you a wide range of tones. That said, none of it's voicings are going to give you THE quintessential flavour of whatever amp style it's going for. It will however, get you most of the way there, in a way that is pleasing and doesn't feel compromised. Considering the price of this head, that's really saying something.
The tone controls are not the most musical I've ever used. They have an extremely wide range of adjustment, which for me, took some time to get used to. I found the best approach was to leave the mids around 12o'clock, and with the bass and treble at 0, slowly bring them up until you get what you are after. The frequency response of the tone stack really pushes the lows and highs. I found I needed very little bass and treble, but a good amount of mids dialed in to get the tone I was after.
All things considered, This is a great amp. If you are looking for something that can take you from American cleans, to classic British rock, all the way to modern lead tones, this is what you need. At this price point you'd be hard pressed to find an amp that represents a better value.
If anything were to happen to mine, I would not hesitate pulling the trigger on another one. I have been very happy with it's performance.
Posted by Mike on Jan 10, 2015
Great Amp! 3 of 3 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store London South, Ontario
I've owned this amp for 5 years now, and it's the best amp I've owned. I've owned Marshall's and Mesa's and this is still the one I come back to. It just gets the sounds I need. Very versatile amp with the british & USA clean modes, USA gives a very nice Fender clean, whereas the british mode when the gain is cranked is very much early Marshall/Vox crunch. Channel 2 in the modern mode with the scope engaged can get very close to a Mesa Rectifier sound. Everytime I buy another amp because I think I'm missing out on something I always come back to this one. For me it's perfect!
Posted by Toogy on Oct 15, 2014
N/A 0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Edmonton South, Alberta
Excellent sound at both low and high volumes.
Posted by anonymous on Jan 26, 2013
before buying a more expensive amp, TRY THIS ONE OUT! 4 of 5 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Moncton, New Brunswick
picked it up on boxing day and the local L&M didn't have any compatable cabs in store that fit my needs and budget so I ordered one and had to wait a few weeks to try it.
So finally I got the cab and hooked it up and no sound. Being a computer tech as well as playing my share of gigs when I was playing in bands, I know a bit about troubleshooting. Checked all the cables, replaced the cables with known good ones, removed any extra equipment that could cause problems until I had myself down to just the guitar and the amp and a cable. NOTHING. Tried swapping preamp tubes around and still nothing. So I took the amp to the store and even when it was cranked full blast people didn't notice the amp was on. They tested the tubes and found no issues and the possibility of my rig being the problem was ruled out by the fact the salesman at the store used a guitar off the rack and a cable that he'd just used to demo a guitar to another customer. I didn't want any other amp, not even the combo version and they didn't have another head in stock, so they sent it back to Traynor.
It came back with them saying they found nothing wrong with it and it worked just fine the whole time they had it there, even when it was hooked up to all sorts of fancy equipment to monitor it's performance. I haven't had a problem since and Mark Taylor at the Moncton L&M and I figure that something inside the amp like a piece of dirt or something may have been causing a problem and got knocked free during shipping back to Traynor. Most important was that it works now.
Despite my experience I rate this amp a 9 for quality because I've had no issues since and Traynor stands behind it's product. They give a 2 year UNLIMITED WARRANTY, even if you break it! (I assume the one limitation here would be intentional damage).
They were awesome to deal with too. Any questions regarding the amp or attempts to follow up on the progress of getting my amp back were answered within 24 hours or less every time.
Now for the tones and features, basically this amp is designed to be versatile. It's clean channel is capable of tones ranging along the lines of Fender to early Marshall or Vox amps (some might disagree, but I find this is a good description of what I hear). The dirty channel picks up where the clean channel leaves off and gives tones I'd compare to Marshall JCM800 style tones to modern Marshall or Mesa/Boogie depending on what voicing options are enabled. The variable gain boost is a nice touch too. I wouldn't say to expect exact reproductions of the above mentioned tones but as a guideline of what this amp is intended to compete with, I feel that's a good guideline of what the amp is capable of.
There is no need for pedals with this amp but from my experiments with it... IT LOVES PEDALS. Try this amp with the volume at 10, gain up until it's slightly dirty and put a fuzz or OD in front with the volume on the pedal set so there's a slight increase in volume when the pedal is engaged and then add gain to your liking and you'll be very pleased. Or set the amp so it's clean but just about to start distorting if you were to push it a bit harder and let the pedal do the work...it still sounds good.
Also I love the class switching feature. On 15 watt class A mode it's just as loud as in 50 watt class AB mode, but a little hotter and you get the distortion a bit sooner in the volume/gain controls. Class AB mode has more clean headroom but I also find the tone has a bit more bottom as well. Both channels sound good but if you want a clean tone while competing with a drummer, 50 watt mode is what you need. I like this feature because It lets me have an amp that goes from practice room volumes to stage/jamming volumes and not have to worry about being drowned out by the drums.
There's also lots of voicing options that all more or less do what they suggest and between all these options there are not many tones you'll be unable to approximate from high gain to vintage crunch to very clean.
Now, for the thing that makes this amp worth looking at... after you've seen first hand what this amp can do and considering the warranty they offer (and by experience how they stand by their product); check out the price and compare other amps with similar features in the same wattage range...maybe it's because they aren't as known as the other guys, but they offer basically the same options with a better warranty for several hundred dollars less. Also, Traynor does have a good reputation with people who know of them. They've been around as long as Marshall has, and there are many examples of their amps from the 60's and 70's still working just as well as they did when they were new. Also, I know a lot of people that swore by these old Traynor amps. They're just as good if not better than their more expensive competitors
Posted by this_dying_soul on Jun 10, 2010
Rental rates
This product is normally available for rental. Please contact your preferred location for further information.
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1 Month $0.00
Protect your investment with the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty
A warranty can be a very important factor when making a buying decision. Because repairs can be very expensive in terms of parts and labour costs, manufacturers usually only provide one year limited warranties that generally only cover items that malfunction due to a manufacturer’s defect. With an important purchase such as a musical
instrument or piece of studio gear, however, many people want to have the peace of mind in knowing that their investment will be protected should the product no longer be performing at 100%.
Because of this, Long & McQuade provides our customers with a FREE one-year Performance Warranty on most of our products. The Long & McQuade Performance Warranty supplements the manufacturer’s warranty to ensure that our customers receive complete “no hassle” warranty coverage within their first year.
How does the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty differ from most manufacturers' warranties?
- Performance Guarantee: Normal wear and tear is covered, so your product will be performing as well as the day you purchased it for the entire duration of the coverage. Band and Orchestral Performance Warranty does not include replacing pads or cleaning for woodwind instruments, unless deemed necessary by our repair staff. Ultrasonic cleaning for brass instruments will be provided if deemed necessary by our repair staff, but is not routinely offered under the Performance Warranty.
- Product Replacement: If your product cannot be fixed or costs too much to fix, we will replace it with the equivalent model for no additional charge. If this is not possible, a full refund will be provided.
- No Lemon Policy: Your product will be replaced should the same problem occur multiple times.
- Convenient: Easy drop off and pick up of the product at any Long & McQuade location.
- Guitar Setup: Guitars purchased at Long & McQuade come with 1 free setup, to be redeemed within 1 year for new guitars and 90 days for used guitars.
- Loaners Available: A loaner product may be given while the product is being repaired.
- Power Surge Protection: Your product is covered even if damaged from a power surge.
- Accessory Coverage: Any peripheral devices or accessories that come with your product (i.e. foot pedal, case) are also covered.
- Commercial Use Coverage: Music and recording professionals who purchase gear for “heavy-use” commercial purposes will still be covered.
Long & McQuade reserves the right to restrict the purchase of additional years of Performance Warranty. Used products come with a 3-month Long & McQuade Performance Warranty. Some products (i.e. computers, software, cymbals and other items) are covered only by the manufacturer‘s warranty. Consumables (i.e. strings, reeds, drum sticks, batteries, tubes, cross faders) are excluded as they are designed to be replaced. Cosmetic Damage, Accidental Damage, or problems caused by Humidity or Temperature Issues are not covered. Speakers damaged by overpowering are generally not covered. Our coverage does not provide compensation for loss of use. As of June 2018 the Performance Warranty is no longer transferable. The warranty is only valid in Canada.
Purchasing additional years of coverage
Some manufacturers provide warranties for longer than 1 year; however, these are usually limited warranties that do not provide the same coverage as the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty. Customers interested in more complete and convenient (but not necessarily longer) coverage are still able to purchase additional years of the Performance Warranty.
If you are interested in receiving this coverage for longer than one year, you have the option of purchasing additional years of the Performance Warranty. The pricing is as follows:
- NEW products: 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. 4% for each additional year.
- USED products: 4% of the current new selling price to increase the warranty from 3 months to 1 year. 4% for each additional year.
- GUITARS: 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. 4% for each additional year. $45 maximum. An additional free setup is not included with additional purchased years of Performance Warranty.
- BAND and ORCHESTRAL instruments: 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. 4% for each additional year.
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| Product | SKU | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| Custom Special 50 Watt 1x12 All-Tube Guitar Head | 263644 |
