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[Mike Caldwell]

Maybe not exactly a concert sound piece of equipment but with built in reverb complete with bright-soft contour switch, about 50 watts output, unbalanced inputs with a high and low gain switch, in 1970 you would have felt special to have one of these........at least for a little while.

It has a few battle scars but it still works short of some noisy pots and an intermittent jack on channel 4. It's actually remarkably quiet as far S/N.

[Ivan Beaver]

Maybe not exactly a concert sound piece of equipment but with built in reverb complete with bright-soft contour switch, about 50 watts output, unbalanced inputs with a high and low gain switch, in 1970 you would have felt special to have one of these........at least for a little while.

It has a few battle scars but it still works short of some noisy pots and an intermittent jack on channel 4. It's actually remarkably quiet as far S/N.

That old Altec stuff was designed to work forever-built like a tank.

The "wattage wars" was the start of the downfall (as far as i know), but they always made good gear that worked well.

Oh how the mighty have fallen-like when spark-0-matic bought them

[Dave Scarlett]

Just a few years later in Canada Yorkville came up with the YVM-6. Six channels and 100 watts into 4 ohms with built in reverb!
I use to work at Yorkville back then and you can read the full, and interesting story, at: http://www.yorkville.com/downloads/other/yorkvillehistory.pdf

Here's what she looked like:

[Jerry Burns]

Just a few years later in Canada Yorkville came up with the YVM-6. Six channels and 100 watts into 4 ohms with built in reverb!
I use to work at Yorkville back then and you can read the full, and interesting story, at: http://www.yorkville.com/downloads/other/yorkvillehistory.pdf

Here's what she looked like:

Dave, about 1975 had a Traynor Bass head and then I bought the Mark III guitar head. The bass head had 2 EL34 Tubes and sounded like a Fender Bassman only brighter. Never tried a bass thru that amp only guitar. The Mark III had 4 EL34 and was very bright and loud. Had 2 channels and was a very clean Amp also very heavy. I used that amp for 10 years and probably changed the tubes 1 time.  I always liked the Traynor PA cabs that looked like Porta potties standing up. Big alum horns on each speaker. I was told Leo Fender helped set up that company after he sold to CBS. This has nothing to do with the post but I liked Traynor Stuff, solid and always worked and a little cheaper in cost.

[Dave Scarlett]

Dave, about 1975 had a Traynor Bass head and then I bought the Mark III guitar head. The bass head had 2 EL34 Tubes and sounded like a Fender Bassman only brighter. Never tried a bass thru that amp only guitar. The Mark III had 4 EL34 and was very bright and loud. Had 2 channels and was a very clean Amp also very heavy. I used that amp for 10 years and probably changed the tubes 1 time.  I always liked the Traynor PA cabs that looked like Porta potties standing up. Big alum horns on each speaker. I was told Leo Fender helped set up that company after he sold to CBS. This has nothing to do with the post but I liked Traynor Stuff, solid and always worked and a little cheaper in cost.

I don't remember anything about Mr. Fender being around Yorkville sound but I bet he knew who they were!  If you get a chance give a read to the history link I posted originally, it tells of many innovations the company created. The "porta potty" or "dog dish" speakers were the YSC-7A http://traynoramps.com/legacy/vintage/product/ysc-7a/ seemed an odd way to make more of a cheap driver!

[Steve M Smith]

Over here in England in the late 1960s, Charlie Watkins produced something similar:



As used at the original Isle of Wight festivals.

http://www.wemwatkins.co.uk/history.htm


Steve.

[Craig Hauber]

Just a few years later in Canada Yorkville came up with the YVM-6. Six channels and 100 watts into 4 ohms with built in reverb!
I use to work at Yorkville back then and you can read the full, and interesting story, at: http://www.yorkville.com/downloads/other/yorkvillehistory.pdf

Here's what she looked like:

I learned "sound" on that thing.  Beat the living crap out of it actually and it still stayed in working condition.  Even had the matching column speakers with it.
Graduated from that to a Yamaha EM-300 and 2 shiny-new 4115 speakers.  Used the traynor as extension speakers with that or even as crude stage monitors!

[Gus Housen]

I had a 6 channel vertion that I found in a old TV repair guys storage locker. it had no case but my buddy got it working and i used it and a couple Radio shack dual10" colums@ high school keggers

[Jeff Bankston]

in the early 70's we thought we had hit the big time with an early 1970's rack mount Tapco mixer.

[Ivan Beaver]

in the early 70's we thought we had hit the big time with an early 1970's rack mount Tapco mixer.

If you had a Tapco 6 channel mixer with ALtec A7s-you had hit the big time.

Add in a Crown DC300 and WOW-you were cool. 

Oh how times have changed.

Now any idiot with a couple of bucks can buy a system that makes a lot of noise-but that is about it-noise.  Not quality sound.

While the gear had gotten much better-I don't feel that the "average" sound quality is any better-in fact I think it is worse-since it is so easy for people to get into the business.  At least years ago it took a decent amount of money to get a sound system. 

That weeded out some of the people

[ProSoundWeb Community]