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Any info on Traynor RVS Model II Keyboard Amplifier?


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Hey everyone, I just discovered this listing on Kijiji while doing my regular curiosity browing, and I was wondering if any of you have actually had experience playing through this, or have more information. I'm having trouble finding information on the amplifier online.

 

I am looking to upgrade my keyboard rig by the end of the summer. I have a new stool and a new stand, and a digital piano will come soon enough. I would like to eventually take an amp out with me, and I've been eyeing the K4, JC-120 (more for studio use than anything else), and Hartke KM200 for sometime. However, this Traynor RVS Model II from the listing above sounds like it could be rather interesting, especially at a negotiable price. I'd have to test it, of course (it needs "cleaning"). I want some colour to my sound, but most importantly, I need piano clarity. I find the Hartkes/Traynors provide that.

 

So, anyone with experience, thoughts, and/or wisdom to share? I always appreciate your input. :) The amp doesn't seem to be a stereo one, but I assume I could send left/right through two separate inputs? Or does that defeat the purpose?

~ Sean

Juno-60, Juno-G, MicroBrute, MS-20 Mini, PX-5S, R3, etc.

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It's "pro-sumer" electronic gear that's at least 20 years old - long out of production and manufacturer's support. If you plug it in and it works - great. But it's certainly not anything I'd look at purchasing to be the cornerstone of my gig-rig amplication.
The SpaceNorman :freak:
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I may as well try it, I suppose. More information would be great, but hey, if I could grab the thing for $100-150 and it works and sounds half-decent, why not. I know a tech that could definitely fix the thing up, but I don't think I want to invest major money into a piece of outdated equipment.

~ Sean

Juno-60, Juno-G, MicroBrute, MS-20 Mini, PX-5S, R3, etc.

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It's "pro-sumer" electronic gear that's at least 20 years old - long out of production and manufacturer's support. If you plug it in and it works - great. But it's certainly not anything I'd look at purchasing to be the cornerstone of my gig-rig amplication.

 

THIS. I once felt the same way you do about an old TOA and pulled the trigger. At first it was the cat's ass. Loved the sound. And enough balls to compete with and sometimes blow away the guitar player which p***ed him off no end :evil: . But I made the mistake of gigging with it and not having an adequate safety net. When it toasted itself in mid set one night... had gigs the next two nights and had to have something fast and cheap. That marked my forcible introduction to the B word. Fortunately I was with a different band-and guitarist - then.

 

That was four years ago. Present day - I now have been using a Traynor K4 for two years. Like it a lot but I think it'd be a mistake to assume that because the newer ones are good, that older piece is going to be, as Norman says, a reliable and good sounding gigging amp.

 

Bottom line, Sean - have at it if you like. It could be a lot of fun. Obviously it depends on what you want out of it. But based on my experience with that old TOA I'd certainly never take it on a gig without a back-up solution in the car.

-Mike
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It's "pro-sumer" electronic gear that's at least 20 years old - long out of production and manufacturer's support. If you plug it in and it works - great. But it's certainly not anything I'd look at purchasing to be the cornerstone of my gig-rig amplication.

 

Bottom line, Sean - have at it if you like. It could be a lot of fun. Obviously it depends on what you want out of it. But based on my experience with that old TOA I'd certainly never take it on a gig without a back-up solution in the car.

 

This is excellent advice. I sent the seller an email and will call him on Monday (it's a holiday up here) to see if I can test it out. I'm really curious about this piece.

~ Sean

Juno-60, Juno-G, MicroBrute, MS-20 Mini, PX-5S, R3, etc.

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Was that the year he was born?

 

:D

 

Perhaps, but it's sure as hell the year most of his gear was current. ;)

 

Hahahaha, Sven is right about that! I'm a decade younger. ;)

~ Sean

Juno-60, Juno-G, MicroBrute, MS-20 Mini, PX-5S, R3, etc.

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That does raise an interesting point. When exactly does gear become "vintage" as opposed to just old?

 

This in itself could make for an interesting topic; I think we've brought it up in discussions here before. How to define "vintage" is another good question to ask. I've always associated a degree of (high) quality with vintage gear, but that's very subjective.

 

---

 

Back to the RVS, I did a bit more research, and the amp actually falls under Yorkville branding, not Traynor branding. Check this out from the Yorkville history I found on their website:

 

1977

 

What a year! Before 1977 was over, no less than twenty-six new products came off the assembly line, nineteen of which were not Traynor brand. Instead of an effects pedal, Eric Von Valtier had designed a five-channel, 300-Watt rms (@4 Ohms) keyboard mixer/amp with his effect, now called *RVS (Rotating Vibrato Synthesizer) built in. This was the RVS-II, a dedicated keyboard amplification system and, as such, another first for Yorkville. RVS-II was jammed with specialized keyboard features such as switch-activated piano pre-EQ on channel one and organ pre-EQ on channel two, also masters for RVS speed and acceleration and a speed change footswitch jack (Leslie cabinets have two rotation speeds and the older ones speed up more slowly due to drive belt wear so these masters let the organist adjust everything). There were also volume, bass, treble and RVS controls on each channel and a master 5-band graphic EQ.

 

*The E in REVS was dropped as revs is a common term in the auto industry and cannot be registered.

 

Naturally if there was an RVS-II there had to be a RVS-I. This was a twin-twelve, 70-watt combo with two channels and all the RVS effect controls. Additionally there were speaker cabinets - the **BW-1, a 200-watt rms, 8-Ohm single-fifteen + horn enclosure designed for the RVS-II and the RVS-1ES, twin-twelve extension speaker cabinet which let the RVS-I user play through a total of four 12 speakers. Another product, the PM-300 power amp was basically the RVS-IIs output stage packaged separately. There was an additional feature however, a load impedance switch which gave the amp the ability to deliver 190 watts @ 8 ohms, 300 watts @ 4 ohms and 425 watts at 2.7 ohms, or 200 watts @ 4 ohms, 300 watts @ 2 ohms and 390 watts at a staggeringly low 1.3 ohms - the equivalent of SIX eight-ohm speakers.

 

It definitely looks interesting. I heard back from the seller, and he told me to call him on Monday. I hope to try it out early this week. I'll keep all of you posted!

 

Update: Seeing as Yorkville/Traynor are Canadian companies, I think it's a good time to wish my fellow Canadians and beer enthusiasts a happy Canada Day! :mad::evil::mad:

~ Sean

Juno-60, Juno-G, MicroBrute, MS-20 Mini, PX-5S, R3, etc.

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That does raise an interesting point. When exactly does gear become "vintage" as opposed to just old?

 

To me, it becomes "vintage" the moment it ceases to be manufactured. It's prime "vintage" the moment the technology it's based on is no longer in production in any major product line.

 

I'll go further and say that for me "vintage" applies to things that actually create sounds (i.e., keyboards and modules). Things that shape sound (i.e., pedals, amps, speakers), I consider them to be "vintage" - but that they're prone to simply be considered old, especially if there are a dozen current production devices that are equqally acceptable.

 

The SpaceNorman :freak:
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So if I were to somehow reconstitute part of my 1970's funk rig, a Clavinet C, "blackfaced" Fender Deluxe Reverb amp and Vox wah wah, the Clav would be vintage and the rest maybe vintage or just plain old? Interesting. I sort of like the distinction.

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Wolvesparade, I owned one of these!!! I actually used it in a classic rock band in the late 70's.. I actually put a Hammond B3 into a chorus pedal into this amp (along with a Minimoog and sometimes and EP). How did it sound... ? Well it was pretty loud.. I didn't really care how good it sounded (hence my satisfaction with playing a B3 through a chorus pedal rather than a leslie), my main goal was trying desperately to keep up with the volume of my guitar player, and I was almost able to to it with this amp. The other thing I liked was the multi-channel input and it had EQ.

 

I can't remember where I bought it, probably Long and McQuade in Toronto.. (based on the Trayner, L&M connection). I never ever saw anyone else perform with this amp (not sure how many were sold) and I was drawn to it because it was supposed to be designed for "keyboards"... since I knew very little about amps at the time, I thought if it was designed for keyboards how could it not be great?

 

I never had any problems with mine, but I only had it for about a year.. if this one still works it may be a safe buy and cool to restore. I say make him an offer.. if you don't, perhaps I will.

 

 

Craig MacDonald

Hammond BV, Franken-B (A100 in a BV cabinet), Leslies 122/147/44W, Crumar Mojo, HX3 module, Korg Kronos, VR-09, Roland GAIA, Burn, Ventilator

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Wolvesparade,

 

I've had this rig for 33 years, and it still serves as my main studio amp. I bought it new in 1979 at Long and McQuade's only USA store in Parsippany, NJ. It's a beast to move(head is 85lbs, cabinet is 60 lbs), but it still cranks tons of clean power. Sure, the pots are scratchy and the cooling fan gets noisy, but if you can score it for a buck fifty you're stealing it ;)

 

Some pics:

 

Entire Rig

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL96/792815/4063775/403259376.jpg

 

RVS II head

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL96/792815/4063775/403259377.jpg

 

The Rotating Vibrato Synthesis was really ahead of it's time for the late 70's. You could control fast, slow, and ramp speeds, but not upper and lower. It does pale compared to current sims, but it never sounded "chirpy". I ran a Univox Organizer through it and later on my Korg CX3.

 

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL96/792815/4063775/403259378.jpg

 

Your channel controls

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL96/792815/4063775/403259382.jpg

 

Finally, your inputs (5 channels)

 

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL96/792815/4063775/403259379.jpg

 

The head is packed with an aluminum heatsink the size of Delaware, which explains the weight. There are a pair of intake screens underneath the head, and the fan exhausts out either side. Do Not Block These! There were some large (maybe 2") rubber feet adhered to the chassis bolts on the bottom of the head, but these disappeared long ago, and I never found replacements. If you look at the full rig picture you can see that there are raised moldings around the edges. I've been careful to sit the head on these and the gap is large enough to allow enough air to enter the intakes. The fan is a replacement from the original, but it started rattling almost as soon as I installed it. It works, but the noise will let you know it's switched on. The only other item I've replaced is the master level slider, otherwise it's been trouble free for over half my lifetime.

 

This rig is also the reason I bought my Yorkville Blok 100 keyboard amp. That's been bulletproof since 1989, and is my main gig amp.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Jake

 

 

 

1967 B-3 w/(2) 122's, Nord C1w/Leslie 2101 top, Nord PedalKeys 27, Nord Electro 4D, IK B3X, QSC K12.2, Yamaha reface YC+CS+CP

 

"It needs a Hammond"

 

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Jake, thanks a million! All of that info is a huge help, help that I know I couldn't find anywhere else. The entire setup looks really cool in those photos too. I'm hoping I could pick it up on Tuesday--if it's in good condition, of course. If I do, I'll definitely post some photos/a video. Fingers crossed!

 

I'm still not entirely clear on the mono/stereo, reverb, and noise gate sends. Can you share some insight?

~ Sean

Juno-60, Juno-G, MicroBrute, MS-20 Mini, PX-5S, R3, etc.

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Glad to help, but I can't offer much because I basically didn't use them.

 

Mono/Stereo: I didn't ever use this because I never bought the 2nd cabinet. IIRC engaging this switch with 2 speakers (the max; the back panel is a power toggle, fuse holder, and 2 - 1/4" jacks)allowed you to split your signal and the RVS channel pot became a L/R pot....not true stereo, but helpful if you had a second cabinet located some distance away.

 

Reverb - Built in spring system. Decent and natural sounding. The reverb channel pot became an amount pot when using the effects send/return subsystem.

 

Noise gate - Basically a non-adjustable on/off if you had a system buzz or hum inline - helped a lot with my Clavinet.

 

I believe I have the owner's manual someplace in my house (I moved here in October, and coming from a 2 family 2 story full basement full attic house to a bi-level with a small crawlspace and no basement has been a challenge to locate many things). If you score it I'll photocopy it and send it assuming I do get my hands on it.

 

Jake

1967 B-3 w/(2) 122's, Nord C1w/Leslie 2101 top, Nord PedalKeys 27, Nord Electro 4D, IK B3X, QSC K12.2, Yamaha reface YC+CS+CP

 

"It needs a Hammond"

 

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If I do end up buying it, that could be a huge help, so I'll let you know! I'm checking it out tomorrow afternoon. The seller said he bought it a few years ago and mainly used it for recording "effects" on guitar/vocals, but not with keyboards. It's been sitting in his basement for a while, but it was fully functioning the last time he tried it. He said it's a bit dirty (dusty) and I may need to clean up the contacts a bit, but that it sounds good. I'm not too sure what this means. If it's buzzing/crackling, it may not be worth the risk.

~ Sean

Juno-60, Juno-G, MicroBrute, MS-20 Mini, PX-5S, R3, etc.

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Alright--big surprise here, I bought it. And man is it heavy! But, nothing I can't manage with a friend, or deal with--in dire straits--on my own. The seller was a bit tough in regards to negotiation; he already dropped the price from $400. I still got it for $180, and probably could have pushed for a bit less, but it's a small difference for me.

 

The amp is huge, and in pretty good shape. It's missing one knob and a little EQ switch; I don't really care about the missing knob, and the switch is replaceable. It's LOUD, and that's what counts! The RVS simulation is pretty cool, and I know it'll sound good with organ. I think something's up with the spring reverb, but I'll have to play aroud with it some more before I conclude on that.

 

The cab is in excellent shape. My only concern with the head is some pot noise, which was to e expected. The seller took off all the knobs and cleaned it for me, but I really think my best bet is bringing it to the tech who repairs my synths (and works on all sorts of analog gear), and asking him to open it up, clean it, and take a look at the reverb. That--if everything is in working shape--will cost me no more than $80-100.

 

The thing is definitely not in mint shape, but it's not in bad shape either. For something from the 70's, it could be a lot worse. I'll take photos tonight when I bring it home. It will make a more solid practice amp than my KM60 (which I'll keep) or KC-60 (which I'm selling--there's roughly my money back), and may sound cool on recordings. Heck, I could even (and may) gig with it in its current condition, but fitting all of that gear in the accent will be another story to tell. ;)

 

Jake, if you do find a copy of that manual and can scan it or send a copy my way (I'll pay for postage), please let me know!!

~ Sean

Juno-60, Juno-G, MicroBrute, MS-20 Mini, PX-5S, R3, etc.

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Alright, the inage quality is a bit crummy, but here it is! It's very warm-sounding. Though I'm not running it in true stereo, the piano sounds a lot better through this amp (left channel 1, right channel 2) than it did through my KM60 or KC-60 (it's not hard to beat the sound from the latter), and the synths sound great! They're very lush. I'm going to have to get used to the colour, but I definitely like how all my keyboards sound together. I could tell it's really powerful.

 

I think the spring reverb needs repair or is otherwise insignificant, but I'm not in a rush to repair that. I'd probably put wheels on the thing at the same time, especially if I plan to bring it out, which, between you and me, may happen one of these days. ;) Also, my cables aren't always that messy; I have to wrap them up again.

 

http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd455/seanseannseannn/Yorkville.jpg

~ Sean

Juno-60, Juno-G, MicroBrute, MS-20 Mini, PX-5S, R3, etc.

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Sean,

 

Congratulations! I used to nickname the head "Mercury" because of the weight, which you've already found is considerable. If/When your tech does pull it apart make sure he vacuums the inside: 30+ years of flow thru ventilation without a filter can trap some pretty interesting things inside (mostly dog hair in my case). The sound is solid - Yorkville really did a great job engineering this amp. You'll get lots of use out of it, I'm sure.

 

Now to see if I can locate my manual..........

 

Jake

1967 B-3 w/(2) 122's, Nord C1w/Leslie 2101 top, Nord PedalKeys 27, Nord Electro 4D, IK B3X, QSC K12.2, Yamaha reface YC+CS+CP

 

"It needs a Hammond"

 

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Cool looking rig!

 

Maybe move the mixer on its side, plonk a keyboard or two on top and aim it at the guitar player?

:thu::rawk::laugh:

 

Thanks guys! And our bassist is the loud one. ;)

The reverb switches are loose, so a connection issue may be why the reverb's not working.

I haven't been able to take the switches off yet, but sounds like it could be a pretty easy fix.

Mercury is quite the nickname, Jake! I definitely need to put wheels on her.

~ Sean

Juno-60, Juno-G, MicroBrute, MS-20 Mini, PX-5S, R3, etc.

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  • 1 month later...
I wanted to offer Jake (lightbg) another HUGE thank-you for sending me the manual for this amplifier! It's going to be a huge help to me. :) I turned the scans into a .PDF file which also includes an old RVS advertisement that Jake was able to find. If there is anyone out there who is also looking for the manual, please let me know, and I will kindly pass it on. I'm thinking of taking it to a tech for some maintenance Thursday or Friday.

~ Sean

Juno-60, Juno-G, MicroBrute, MS-20 Mini, PX-5S, R3, etc.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Sean. I've been searching the net for this manual, when I found your posts. I bought one of these beasts (just the head) a couple of days ago and am blown away with it's clean power. I bought it as an amp for my used (new to me) Korg Trinity and it does the job with lots of power to spare. For $100. it's been the biggest bang for my buck so far this year.

 

If you could possibly send me the PDF file, I'd be very grateful, as there is no manual on the Yorkville site.

ricardobelanger@gmail.com Thanks Sean. ricardok45

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Absolutely! I just sent out the email; it's a pretty big attachment, so you should receive it in a few minutes.

Another huge thanks to Jake for sending me the scans!

I'm thinking of bringing the head into a tech next week to work on the reverb.

~ Sean

Juno-60, Juno-G, MicroBrute, MS-20 Mini, PX-5S, R3, etc.

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