Building an Amp Cabinet

I have a old (1969)Traynor Guitar Mate Reverb III amp.. It used to be a amp with a 10 inch speaker but through the years somebody cut the amp in half and made it into a head (and covered it with horrible white speaker cover).....

I'm thinking about making a new cabinet for it with one 10 or 12 inch speaker...(8 or 16 ohm). I thought I'd go safe since I can't seem to find out if it was orginally a 4 or 8 ohm amp.. I thought I'd play it safe and go 8 or 16 ohm.. I think it is a 25 watt amp.. 4 12AX7 two EL84's

My question is.. does it matter what type of material I use for the cabinet... does the material effect the sound..

I was thinking about 5/8 or 3/5 plywood or wafer board. does it matter... Has anyone built there own before?

Keep the resistance in 8 ohms!!! It most likely was the same originally but if it was 4 ohms and you're putting in a 16 ohm speaker I just say that those tubes might be a teeny weeny HOT!!!! It may damage the amp. If it originally had only one speaker it most likely was 8 ohms.

I think wafer board might be better. It's more solid and doesn't resonate as much as plywood...

[Edited by janir123 on 01-21-2003 at 09:40 AM]

I might be mistaken but doesn't a lower ohm rating cause more stress on the amp.. 4 ohm is harder on amps than 8ohms so wouldn't 16ohms be easier.

If your aamp is rated for 8 ohms and you install a 4 ohm speaker you can damage your amp?

Yes, this is true in solid state amps but in tube amps it's usually just the opposite. It depends on the amp though. Some of them can handle the differences, some don't.

From what I can find out, the Guitar Mate Reverb came with a 12inch,8 ohm speaker, they were listed as 20 watts, probably about 14-15 watts , a cool little amp, I'd like to find one myself, do you plan to just build a speaker cab, or are you going to re-combo-ize the amp? Either way 3/4inch Apple ply or Birch ply, is the way to go, use cabinet grade plywood, a half sheet should be plenty (4ftx4ft), if you are going to build a closed back cab, make sure you fit the back and baffle board tightly, as close to airtight as possible and I wish I was in your shoes, I love doing stuff like this, if you want more info, just do a search on this site, Building Speaker Cabinets, and you should hit the motherlode, this is Lordathestrings, Favorite subject of all time! LOL, ROFL, chuckle, chuckle, chuckle................

Either look online, or have an electrician check it out. Either way you should be able to find out the amps impedance. When you do, MATCH the speaker to it. Going under it will fry your amp, going over it will make you amp work harder than it should.

As far as I know, electronic 'laws' are the same for solid state and tube amps.

I was very luck.. this amp came with a Garnet Cabinet with twin 12 inch speakers..

I would like to make it a smaller combo amp so I can gig with it..

I have found info about the guitar mate reverb but not the Guitar Mate Reverb III. The difference is that mine has three inputs in a line where the others have them on top of each other..

I'm wondering if they use the some of the Mark III parts in it..(maybe that's where the III came from)..

The new tubes fixed some of the buzz but the reverb still has a bit of a buzz. I think it might need a few new parts..

It is quite loud.. The cabinet has mixed parts right now..It has a Radio shack 12 inch 8 ohm speaker and a JBL (blown) 12 inch 16 ohm speaker.

I was thinking about using the Jenson speaker that is suppose to be like the ones used in the 60's any suggestions?

Hey Jay, the Guitar Mate Reverb III is also known as the YGM3, the third input jack is just an extra jack in the same circuit as the other two, your 69" might have been the last year for the 3rd jack, I've seen schematics of both 2 and 3 input jack models and it's the same amp. Have you seen how the original combo's were made? They had a divider that the amp sat on and the speaker section was a closed back design, I thought it was pretty cool. The Jensen should be a good speaker, I've heard that their design and use of ALNICO magnents is supposed to sound better with lower powered amps than ceramic magnents, but I guess the beauty is in the ear of the beholder. Hang on to that Garnet Cab, even without the original speakers it is still worth some money, hang on to it for a few years, Good Luck.............. If you need more info on the amp or parts, etc,etc,... try http://www.ampage.org

I'm glad you straightened that out for me.. I could never ready the schematics that well..

I found a pic of the front of my amp.. mine is silver... I think this is how I'm gonna build mine to look like..

http://www.kilback.net/traynortweaks/traynorphotos/ygm1.jpg
http://www.kilback.net/traynortweaks/traynorphotos/ygm2.jpg

Therre is a guy around here that could hot rod the traynor to have a gain channel but I think I'll just use my Blue Tube Stomp box for the distortion...

Any idea where I could get a old Traynor name plate for mine..

Do I have to stuff the inside of the speaker cabinet with anything or just leave it empty?

[Edited by Classic Jay on 01-23-2003 at 09:46 AM]

You guys might think I'm nuts but.......

Has anyone every put in a two or three way crossover into an amp so You can also run a mid and a tweeter or horn?

Would this sound like crap..

I saw an old ampeg (I think that was the brand) with a rotationing horn inside near the top above the speaker... It sounds great hith his old hammond so way wouldn't it sound good with a guitar?

Just curious..

Those pics are exactly what I was talking about, where to get a Traynor nameplate? Pray. That one would probaly take some searching. Naw, don't need to stuff nothing in the speaker cab, cept a speaker, and crossovers and rotating speakers, Jay, now you are getting too ambitious for this hillbilly....................

lol... just sitting here thinkin'......

Originally posted by Classic Jay
Has anyone every put in a two or three way crossover into an amp so You can also run a mid and a tweeter or horn?

The guitar is a mid-range instrument, and guitar-cabinets are actually designed to keep it that way.(amps have a tendency to create a lot of painful, useless highs)
So you don't want to have a tweeter or horn driver in your cabinet.

uhnnngg... hhiinnngg... AAAArrrghhhh! I gotta jump in here!

Traynor amps used to be made by Yorkville Sound in Toronto. They moved into the 'burbs years ago, but they have recently revived the Traynor name, and some of their staff have been there for a long time.

Call 1-905-837-8481 and ask for Tom Wood. He won't be the guy you really need to talk to, but he will know who that guy is, and where to find him.

You're welcome.