Traynor
24Also known as: Traynor Amps, Traynor Amplifiers
UnclaimedTraynor is a Canadian amplifier brand founded by Peter Traynor in 1963, launching with the Dynabass bass amplifier as a rental product under Yorkville Sound in Toronto. The lineup expanded quickly: the YBA-1 Bass Master head arrived in 1964 and became one of the most celebrated vintage Canadian amplifiers, while guitar models including the YGA-1 and YGM-1 followed in 1966. Throughout the late 1...
$475.37
in Bass Amplifier Heads Rank
$550.00
$299.79 - $1,289.00
$1,069.00
$500.00
$929.00 - $1,049.00
$415.00
in Keyboard Amplifiers Rank
$428.26
$589.00
$255.00
in Keyboard Amplifiers Rank
$1,069.00
Traynor is a Canadian amplifier brand founded by Peter Traynor in 1963, launching with the Dynabass bass amplifier as a rental product under Yorkville Sound in Toronto. The lineup expanded quickly: the YBA-1 Bass Master head arrived in 1964 and became one of the most celebrated vintage Canadian amplifiers, while guitar models including the YGA-1 and YGM-1 followed in 1966. Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, Traynor built a reputation for delivering high-output tube designs at prices well below comparable British and American alternatives, earning widespread adoption among working musicians across Canada and the United States.
After Peter Traynor left the company in 1976, the brand was gradually wound down before Yorkville Sound relaunched it in 2000 with the YCV40 (Custom Valve), a 40-watt all-tube combo that earned Guitar Player magazine's Editor's Pick Award in 2001. The Custom Valve series grew to include models at various wattages and configurations, such as the YCV50B and YCV20. On the bass side, the YBA-1 Bass Master was reissued as a tribute to the original, and the lineup was extended with modern high-powered heads like the YBA300, a 300-watt all-tube bass amplifier. Traynor's current range also spans solid-state guitar amplifiers (DynaGain series), acoustic amplifiers, and keyboard amplifiers.
Traynor holds a particularly strong place in Canadian music history. Geddy Lee's first amplifier was a Traynor, which he and Alex Lifeson shared for early gigs in Toronto before Rush rose to prominence. The brand's vintage amps are actively collected and traded, with a dedicated archive community preserving schematics and historical documentation.
Traynor has 125 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Combo Guitar Amplifiers, Guitar Amplifier Heads, and Bass Combo Amplifiers. Their gear is featured by 38 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Metal, and Pop. Notable users include Donna Grantis, Tim Hecker, and Steve Terryberry. Traynor's catalog spans the full price spectrum — from entry-level options to high-end flagships.
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