holy shit I think I killed my amp...:(

[crochambeau]

the 40-ish Watt Traynor still shouldn't be able to fry the attenuator, right? It's 8 Ohm btw, and so is the cab, fwiw

I wouldn't rule it out until you disprove it. It's safe to say that 40 watts is conservative.

I really do not like attenuators so I can't speak from experience, but if smoke was emanating from the vent on the attenuator my next step would be to open that up and visually inspect the interior. Chances are there will be visible evidence of what happened.

If smoke came out of a vent on the AMP (I'm not 100% clear based on your post) stop playing it; it's time to visit the tech or buy a multimeter and dig in.

[digi2t]

If memory serves me, the YBA-1a had a published power output of 90 watts (clean), and would max out at 150 watts. Like they say, there's "watts", and then there's "Traynor watts". The output impedance on the YBA-1 is 8 ohms using one output, 4 ohms using both (i.e. two 8 ohm cabs), but then again, the iron in them is so massive, I don't think the amp would really care if you ran 4 or 8 ohms.

Manual and all schematics are here; http://www.thetubestore.com/lib/thetube ... ematic.pdf

[frigid midget]

When the attenuator just started smelling and smoking, it made a "click" and turned off completely. Could've been a safety of sorts? I quickly turned everything off and unplugged the attenuaor. I still had an electric screwdriver nearby from installing the new speakers in my cab. So within a minute or two I managed to open the motherfucker up and take a pic of the inards.



I'm pretty sure I saw the moke rise from that small white resisitor (right?) on the left, the one with the black spot on it :s
The whole pcb sits on top of a large heat sink, which made the bottom as a frying pan on the outside.

@digi2t: I'm not gonna argue with you on the power rating of my amp, I'm sure you're more knowledged on the subject as me. Which is why I don't have a clue what the difference is between "watts" and "Traynor watts"
I don't even remember who told me this paricular Bassmaser version is 40Watt, I might've just read it online somewhere
But I suppose overpowering the attenuator might be a valid explanation for the smoke and smell

[digi2t]

Sorry, the "Traynor watts" quote was something that was floated back in the day to describe why these little amps were so damned loud.

Seriously though, the newer tribute head was rated at 40 or 45 watts, but the golden oldies can clock in at 90+.

[frigid midget]

I see...That explains why I barely touching the volume control nearly blows out my window :s

And it's also why I went for the attenuator. I normally wouldn't mind not getting awsome pristine toanz when I'm just noodling in my living room, I'm okay with keeping the master down and plugging in a buncha fuzz peds...

But the lowest setting on the volume control of the Traynor isn't even useable in a living room where there's kids running around. I wanted to use the attenuator at the mildest possible setting to get an extra master volume of sorts...

[crochambeau]

Maybe a dedicated living room cab with the most inefficient speakers you can find?

[frigid midget]

Maybe a dedicated living room cab with the most inefficient speakers you can find?

Actually...That might actually be a good idea. As long as it'll cost me less than a small amp that sounds better. And I know there options for good small practice amps is infinite, but I'm kinda set on just using the Traynor for everything. That's how much I like it I guess
Also, I hate it when stuff sounds different in my living room as when I'm jamming/rehearsing with another rig. Some stuff just works on amp A, and doesn't on amp B, or vice versa. If that makes any sense at all

[digi2t]

What is the make/model of your attenuator?

[frigid midget]

What is the make/model of your attenuator?

It's an 'ultimate attenuator'. At the moment I'm reluctant to say it's ultimately shitty, but in all fairness it did sound pretty great the last time I used it on my plexi, half a year or so ago. And there's still a good chance this is a case of user error, so...

Anyway, even with the limited amount of info, does anyone maybe have any idea what exactly got broken, and whether or not it's fixable for a reasonable price?

[crochambeau]

What is the make/model of your attenuator?

It's an 'ultimate attenuator'. At the moment I'm reluctant to say it's ultimately shitty, but in all fairness it did sound pretty great the last time I used it on my plexi, half a year or so ago. And there's still a good chance this is a case of user error, so...

Anyway, even with the limited amount of info, does anyone maybe have any idea what exactly got broken, and whether or not it's fixable for a reasonable price?

Is it one of these?

"ultimate attenuator schematic ala google"

I'm seeing heat sinks, what appear to be power MOSFET (or something else in a TO-247 can, but FET sort of makes sense here) and all manner of complication in the image the looks even remotely close to yours. There also appear to be old threads on it, though image hosting evaporation makes a visual confirmation difficult.

Did I already mention I hate these things? I'm sure it can be fixed. I would start by pulling the 5 watt resistor that has signs of heat in your pic, then measure it. I also cannot help but notice the solder fill on some of those through hole pads are a touch lacking, might not be a bad idea to spend some time making sure all the connections are good. In terms of outsourcing to a tech, I have no idea.

[digi2t]

Did some digging on the Wayback Machine on the Ultimate. Pre-2010, it came standard with a capacity up to 100w, with a 200w option. After that, 200w was standard. Here is a post 2010 page;
https://web.archive.org/web/20100819045 ... specs.html

And a 2009 page;
https://web.archive.org/web/20090214222 ... uator.com/

Not sure I can tell which unit you have. Does it look like this?



or this?

[frigid midget]

Dude...Thanks

Mine looks exactly like the first one.

So where are we on the possible reason the damn thing refused to work properly and eventually crapped out?

Even if the Traynor somehow puts out 90Watt...The attenuator is build to handle up to 100Watt (at least), at any impedance, and it's not like I cranked the Traynor for an hour or anything

I know it wouldn't be the first time an appliance shits the bed for no other reason than having lousy build quality/parts/design...

[digi2t]

Dude...Thanks

Mine looks exactly like the first one.

So where are we on the possible reason the damn thing refused to work properly and eventually crapped out?

Even if the Traynor somehow puts out 90Watt...The attenuator is build to handle up to 100Watt (at least), at any impedance, and it's not like I cranked the Traynor for an hour or anything

I know it wouldn't be the first time an appliance shits the bed for no other reason than having lousy build quality/parts/design...

You're welcome.

OK, that would be the second generation model, claimed to be good to 200w.

As for what the possible problem with it might be, no idea. That would require someone with adequate capabilities to go in and test the circuit. The burnt resistor may be just a bad resistor, or victim of a deeper problem. Impossible to tell from a jpeg.

[frigid midget]

My amp tech will take a look at it on monday. I'm hoping it's an easy fix, but we'll see. It cost me too much to ditch it after years of barely using it, but aside from that I couldn't care less if I never see it again. It's just that I can't really afford a good smaller amp or even an (inefficient) small speaker cab, and the only other amp I have at home is my 'nice' sounding AC15C2. The vox is okay for certain things, but it still feels like getting on a bicycle when you're used to riding a Harley...:s

Oh and yeah btw...I think my Bassmaster is the YBA-1, which supposedly puts out 45ish Watts, opposed to the YBA-1A, which I read puts out 90Watts...

[rfurtkamp]

The 'low efficiency speaker' isn't going to get what you want at living room volume. It'll cut volume, yes. But...it'll still melt paint.

Find out the actual rated wattage of the amp.

Find out the actual rated wattage of the attenuator.

See if the two match.

When in doubt, replace the attenuator.