Drunk Beaver releases superb new and improved MKII take of its Trainer TS-15 - now with two additional controls

This reboot really hits hard, and is one of my favourite Drunk Beaver releases in a while. It’s based on the kind of amp beloved by garage punks - the Canadian Trainer TS-15 - sort of in a similar ballpark to the Peavey Decade. You get this amazing lively output - punchy and percussive - but also raw, angular and edgy - and really quite muscular.

It has that very distinct sort of raw, rough and ready garage punk sound - which is at the opposite end of the spectrum to one of those classic and much smooth fenders. The textures on this amp are killer - it’s loud, spiky and always interesting with its output - a perfect incarnation of those kinds of amps.

It’s seriously one of the liveliest preamp pedals out there, and it features the most amazing range of gain - right up tint the high gain stuff. If you’re looking for more of rough and ready sound - then this has to be it. And for this edition you have 2 extra gears - which either accentuate or somewhat soften the output.

Controls - Bass, Treble, Gain, Master, EQ : ISS4 (More Bite)/ ISS6 (Softer), Input Gain : Normal / Low.

Everything about this pedal is mostly the same as before Vitalii - same core components - apart from those extra toggle switches - which accentuate the output when Up, and soften it when down in different ways - one by a change in EQ, and the other by a change in Input Gain.

Vitalii explained to me that Traynor refer to their revisions in the form of an ISS (Issue?) Code - so here we have revisions ISS4 and ISS6 - which in fact changes out the entire tone stack - which consists of an array of different capacitors. ISS4 means more bass, ISS6 is less bass, and where the mid scoop moves lower to 450Hz. So as I put it - Up is more punch and bite, and down is somewhat softer in output for me!

I tend to prefer the pedal in its livelier modes - with both switches Up. I like to have Bass at around 3 o’clock, Treble at Noon, Gain between Noon and 4 o’clock, Master @ 3 o’clock, EQ Up on ISS4, and Input Gain Up at Normal. And then the 2 switches allow you to gear down and soften the output. So if you wish to dampen the output somewhat just flick those two switches to the down position.

I loved this pedal from first encounter - as told Vitalii at the time in landed towards the middle of June :

"It sounds amazing - so lively, punchy, raw - with such a vast range onboard - massive gain range - from Overdrive to High Gain - and massive Volume - I off course love it!"

This is the antithesis of most of those somewhat smoother mainstream amps - this a noisier and more raw and ragged sound - which works great for so many different styles of rock in particular and of course especial all forms of Punk Rock - garage and otherwise!

The new TS-15 retails for $150 on the Drunk Beaver Rocks Webstore which is a very good price for such a flavourful and versatile preamp.

When I received the original TS-15 for some reasons I wasn’t nearly as excited about it - this time around it’s really hit me hard. It’s so much fun to play with that very distinct signature sound. If you’re a fan of Vitalii’s Drunk Beaver pedals - then this is most surely one of his very best. An all-round exhilarating experience for me - something akin or the preamp equivalent of a joyride!

I feel these will do very well!