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Dating a Traynor amp using the three-, four-, or seven-digit serial number or the codes on filter capacitors/circuit breakers.



Dating

Three-digit
serial numbers
Four-digit
serial numbers
Seven-digit
serial numbers
Filter caps/Circuit breakers
codes
Other dates
etc.




Three-digit
serial numbers
on a Bass-Master
might indicate that the amp is from 1965 or 1966, before the four-digit serial numbers were used.
The circuit in [that amps] is built on a phenolic turret board instead of the Fender style fibre board used [later.]
[...] it appears that Traynor/Yorkville used three digit serial numbers up until 1968. [An example is an] YBA-1A Bass Master Mark II [...] with the serial number M 601 [...] [whose] potentiometers date from 1968 [...] [and on which] 'Range Expander' is screened below the controls, not above.


(Eric Knudsen, Rob Mercure, Scott)

Four-digit
serial numbers
seem to follow this pattern
[I assume my Bass-Master, YBA-1 is from 1971, serial n. 5XXX]

1966 0XXX
1967 1XXX
1968 2XXX
1969 3XXX
1970 4XXX
1971 5XXX


(dhr)

Seven-digit
serial numbers
are coded as follows
s/n: 1020629

First digit: Last digit of year of production (1 ^= 1971, 3 ^= 1973)
Second and third digit: Month of production (01 ^= Jan., 11^=Nov.)
Last four digits: Numbered unit produced within that year?


(JRogersjr)

Filter caps/Circuit breakers
codes
dates coded as follows
Mallory capacitor code 235-7051Y:
235 is Mallory's EIA code, 51st [week] of 1970

Mel Rain Corp circuit breaker code 834-7305:
[834 is Mel Rain Corp's EIA code,] 5th week of 1973

Mel Rain Corp circuit breaker code 834-7328:
[834 is Mel Rain Corp's EIA code,] 28th week of 1973


(Eric Knudsen)

Other dates
etc.
Dates on schematics etc.
Often there are schematics inside an amp with sometimes hand-written revision dates on them, or on other pieces of paper, e. g. quality control etc.


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