Traynor & Garnet Canadian Amps, Tweed Champ Circuits

[Guildedagain]

Longtime Traynor fan here, my main guitar head for quite a few years now is a 60's Bass Mate, 6V6 version. I've had others, lusted after others, and then I ran into Garnet. Both Pete Traynor and Gar Gillies were amp design geniuses, and maybe especially Garnet, the following and rave reviews on these amps speaks for itself, which pushed me over the edge to get an ultra rare Garnet 1x12 Reverb/Tremolo combo that only weighs 18lbs, anxious to check this out, shipping all the way from QC.

Truth be told, it was Cupric.

The Tweed Champ thing. I had a real TV front way back when, sold it for maybe $275?

That was a long time ago, but suddenly the 5F1 circuit was something I wanted to check out, and somehow I arrived at the Garnet because I didn't really feel like spending a big chunk on something that isn't vintage. I was looking at something from Carl's Custom Amps, seems to be a highly reputable builder of that circuit.

 

[AcornHouse]

One of the last versions of YBA-1.

 

[Guildedagain]

70's?

The best read yet about Gar Gillies, Garnet amps. Incredible story, like if Leo Fender had been a musician and a Rock n' roller to boot.

Dec 2014: Sound by GARNET

This Tuesday marks the eighth anniversary of the passing of Thomas Garnet “Gar” Gillies, the man who created the sound of Winnipeg rock in the 1960s, a sound that shook the world by the ea...

www.winnipegfreepress.com

 

[AcornHouse]

70's?

The best read yet about Gar Gillies, Garnet amps. Incredible story, like if Leo Fender had been a musician and a Rock n' roller to boot.

Dec 2014: Sound by GARNET

This Tuesday marks the eighth anniversary of the passing of Thomas Garnet “Gar” Gillies, the man who created the sound of Winnipeg rock in the 1960s, a sound that shook the world by the ea...

www.winnipegfreepress.com

Judging by the schematic with it, it’s a ‘78, vers. 4.

 

[cupric]

Very cool! I'm really enjoying the tone and simplicity. It's a keeper. Enjoy!!!

 

[Vermonter]

I just picked up a ‘68 YVM-1. I have to bring it to the shop to get checked out, three prong cord installed, etc. I think it might have been modded. The ohm switch on the back has a newer sticker that goes from 4 ohm on top to 2 ohm on the bottom. No value given to the middle one. Someone may have modded it for a bass rig.

 

[Rambozo96]

Pete Traynor and Gar Giles used to work together at Garnet IIRC. One of my smaller 6AQ5 single ended builds is gonna be a standalone amp with the ability to be a lower wattage Herzog. Which all that wattage and signal getting attenuated anyway. I wished I could find Garnets in Texas. Traynor stuff doesn’t show up often either.

 

[Guildedagain]

Just got Gar's book in the mail from Pete Thiessen in Winnipeg. Really cool collection of schematics, and Gar's takes on circuits, lots of fuzz circuits, Herzog, etc.