Yorkville BLOC-150B

[TodBERG]

Hey All,
I just picked up one of these for the bargain price of $50 (that's 30cents /watt ).
It had been sitting in a church basement for so long, they didn't know who it belonged to, nor no one claimed it.

It's in super shape other than a bit of noise in the pots. Easy fix with some electrical contact cleaner.

I went to the Yorkville website, and searched for it, but it doesn't exist there.

Wondering if any one has a manual or other documentation for a Yorkville BLOC-150B?

Thanks in advance,
Jeff

 

[Redbrangus]

Easy fix with some electrical contact cleaner.

Only use DeOxit D-5, and use it sparingly at that. It's easy to do more harm than good with some 'contact cleaner' products.

 

[TodBERG]

Only use DeOxit D-5, and use it sparingly at that. It's easy to do more harm than good with some 'contact cleaner' products.

To be honest, I was planning to use my trusty CRC QD contact cleaner, but you saying not to does give me pause. Please tell me more?

 

[Redbrangus]

There's been a fair amount of discussion about exactly this subject here on TB -- a search might turn up some of that dialogue. @agedhorse can usually be counted on the weigh in about it -- I was merely acting to preempt him, to a certain extent. [Hey, Andy!] Some folks have reported satisfactory results with SOME CDC products, but I can't say which. Whereas, I know that DeOxit is safe. Whatever you use, do use it sparingly and DON'T spray it on the shaft to run down into the pot -- that washes lubricant down onto the wiper and contact.

Some products sold as contact cleaners are chemically reactive with the plastics used in assemblies like switches and pots and will melt or deform them. I learned this in an extremely difficult and expensive way, a long time ago, repairing a friend's tape machine. And here's a link to a TB thread that mentions your amp: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/yorkville-traynor-club.412858/page-51

 

[bottomzone]

Ditto for DeOxit D-5. I use it and won't trust anything else.

 

[agedhorse]

To be honest, I was planning to use my trusty CRC QD contact cleaner, but you saying not to does give me pause. Please tell me more?

It is a quick and efficient way to ruin a set of pots long term.

Contact cleaner has no business anywhere near a pot and most plastics (depending on which solvent is used).

 

[TodBERG]

Thanks guys, it's short money so i'll get a can from amazon. Right tool for the right job.

 

[agedhorse]

Use the tiniest amount possible. Less is more.

 

[Super Bass]

I had one of these and a matching 1X15 cab that I rented from Long & Mcquade in the early 90's when I was touring bars in western Canada and I loved that amp... Good score!!

 

[jonathanhughes]

I had one of those on the late 80s to early 90s. That's a great price! It's not an exciting amp, but it'll do the job. I have no help to offer, other than to say if yours is like mine was, the tolex will smell vaguely (and strangely) like soap if you leave it in a hot car.

 

[PrimitiveMan]

Used to have the smaller BLOC80 back in the 90s. Was indestructible and sounded pretty darn good.

Hope it serves you well. They are heavy though

 

[klyph]

I have a 350B head of the same vintage. I haven’t used it in years, but it was my main amp n the late nineties. Durable, easy to fix (according to my tech), and LOUD AF. I should dig it out of the garage and see if it still works… Maybe a I’ll sell it to somebody for 100$.

 

[MtManiac]

Used to have the smaller BLOC80 back in the 90s. Was indestructible and sounded pretty darn good.

Hope it serves you well. They are heavy though

My dad bought me a Bloc 40B for my birthday back in 1986. I used it and nothing else until 2007.

I really should have been using a bigger amp, now that I know better.

But yes, virtually indestructible.

 

[40Hz]

The BLOC series are sweet little amps from the same folks who make Traynors.

I’ve got their BLOC40K. Purchased it new back in the 80s as a small amp to go with the first keyboard I ever bought. It’s still going strong. But it also sounds really good with a bass. Especially an ABG, which is what I mostly use it for these days.

 

[DirtDog]

Hey All,
I just picked up one of these for the bargain price of $50 (that's 30cents /watt ).
It had been sitting in a church basement for so long, they didn't know who it belonged to, nor no one claimed it.

It's in super shape other than a bit of noise in the pots. Easy fix with some electrical contact cleaner.

I went to the Yorkville website, and searched for it, but it doesn't exist there.

Wondering if any one has a manual or other documentation for a Yorkville BLOC-150B?

Thanks in advance,
Jeff

I had the guitar version of that almost 40 years ago (Bloc 100GT). I suspect any manuals that might be out there will be hard copy only. Good luck!

Those amps are nuclear-level bombproof but I didn’t care at all for the tone.

 

[mexicanyella]

One of my college roommates was guitarist in a punk band in the late 80s and 90s, and the bassist they had when they first started gigging played through a Bloc 80 combo. It managed to keep up with the guitarist’s Marshall Lead 100 MOSFET head and 4 x 10 cab, and sounded pretty good.

 

[Coot]

Because the high end amps and cabs from Ampeg, Fender, Marshall and Acoustic were often either too pricey or unavailable to us here in Canada, we used the Traynor/Yorkville products quite a lot back in the 60's 70's ,80's . I took them for granted at the time and I truly regret not keeping the amps I did have . They used to be all over the place and on most stages here and were often found cheaply in the pawn shops. Now I rarely see the old timers around. They were beautiful and sounded good too. I also have regrets that I didn't keep the Garnet ( the Guess Who's gear)amps that were made exclusively here in Winnipeg. They were similar to the Traynor's in build toughness and tone. But...I bought a Traynor YBA 100 last year ( 2022) and I love it!! It sounds great and is built tough. These threads take me back and I wish I didn't have that " the Grass is greener" attitude when I was young and had appreciated just how awesome that gear was.... and still is .

 

[Bass Boy]

My 30 year old Yorkville 50 was making some crackles and noises so I opened it up. 30 minutes later its good as new. Great amp. Used it for pit orchestra work, teaching studio, jazz gigs and its travelled the world. Was nice to be able to open an amp and actually fix things!