Sunn Amps

[SpeedDemon]

Anyone else checking these beasts out? I am, because alot of my favorite bands use them. I found one on Gbase(Sentura I) which happens to be exactly what I was looking for but I have no cash at the moment so I am out of luck. Anyone have any past expierience with these amps?

Anyways, just in case some one wants this:

http://www.gbase.com/Stores/Gear/GearDetails.aspx?Item=849621

[Rich_T]

Re: Sunn Amps

They are pretty rare over here in the UK, but i have had experience with one. It was really loud, really heavy and took fuzz pedals very well. I was using a big muff with sustain and volume maxed and the tone on 0. It was running into a Marshall 1960A cab. With a Les Paul. That was THE tone as far as us guys go. It was awesome, but as i say, mega loud, not for bedroom use.

They have their reputation in the doom/stoner circles for a reason, they f*cking rock. If you get your hands on one, you wont be disapointed. Im still waiting for one to show up over here, I might pull the trigger on a Laney or a Sound City first though.

[chill]

Re: Sunn Amps

Most of the old Sunn's are bone simple loud tube amps which were meant to be clean and get good smooth overdrive tones when they're cranked. They tend to have fancier/ hi-fi design details like choke input filtering, ultralinear outputs and the occasional pentode/ triode driver/PI.

Dixie Witch uses LP into rat into Model T and Hiwatt. Sunn 0))) of course uses them, and that guitarist's other band uses them to...is it Church of Misery?

[SpeedDemon]

Re: Sunn Amps

They are pretty rare over here in the UK, but i have had experience with one. It was really loud, really heavy and took fuzz pedals very well. I was using a big muff with sustain and volume maxed and the tone on 0. It was running into a Marshall 1960A cab. With a Les Paul. That was THE tone as far as us guys go. It was awesome, but as i say, mega loud, not for bedroom use.

They have their reputation in the doom/stoner circles for a reason, they f*cking rock. If you get your hands on one, you wont be disapointed. Im still waiting for one to show up over here, I might pull the trigger on a Laney or a Sound City first though.

Yeah because of the Stoner/Doom Rep these amps have is why I want one so bad. I have been into/playing stoner rock and traditional doom for the last year or so and I am looking for "the" tone. I have the big muff already, and I seriously need a high wattage, clean amp.

And Chill, there are SO many bands in the genre that use Sunn there practically un-countable.

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Sunn Amps

I've been really curious about the Model T, pretty much because of the bands Isis and Pelican. Is there anything special about that amp, or is there a "Sunn sound" that's common to all there stuff?

[SpeedDemon]

Re: Sunn Amps

I've been really curious about the Model T, pretty much because of the bands Isis and Pelican. Is there anything special about that amp, or is there a "Sunn sound" that's common to all there stuff?

As far as I know, the best Sunn amps are the Model T, Sentura I and II. Basically they all have that absolutely huge sound there known for.

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Sunn Amps

As far as I know, the best Sunn amps are the Model T, Sentura I and II. Basically they all have that absolutely huge sound there known for.

Thanks. All the Sunn stuff is pretty cheap on ebay right now, so it appears they haven't gotten full blown trendy yet

[Sludgenutz]

Re: Sunn Amps

That link does not show a model T. The model T is so f'n heavy, the single carry strap would tear off within 6 carries. The model T has side handles. The model T is not loud...it is stupid loud!!

I have owned my early model Sunn model T since 1982. These amps are viscious, reliable beasts with huge power/output matching transformers. There is a less preferred later Sunn model T that has a couple of tone slide switches (?) and red colored center knobs...but I have no experience with these.

I actually fell into this amp by accident in 1982, when I went from a small wattage transistor amp with an 8" speaker, so natrally I needed a better amp (rolleyes!). Anyhow, ened up calling some dude two months after he had advertised it in the local paper, and buying it. Sabbath was always my groove, and this amp carried me through the lean years of silly over hyped garbage that was so prevalent in the 1980's. Sorry, if the anti-hair attitude offends, but a Sunn is not a Marshall. Iommi's (Sabbath) Master of Reality and Volume IV tone ooze out of this amp with ease.

Anyhow, since the model T was marketed as guitar/bass amp, you can be assured that the bottom end grunt is there. I saw a print add years ago featuring BASSIST John Entwistle (The Who) that advertised 150 watts clean/180 watts distorted...and a 1974-ish retail price of $850 US dollars!

Anyhow, this head will destroy a set of Vintage 30's in a Marshall cab. I presently use this amp with a 150 watt EVM 12L in an open back cab. This amp does not have a great distortion by its own, and is greatly helped by your choice of overdrive/distortion. The "prescence" control is very good, and makes the clean power of this amp so versatile.

Past users of this amp. No spandex/big-hair here:

Foghat
Leslie West/Mountain "Mississippi Queen"
The Who
The Stooges (Iggy Pop/James Williamson)
Clutch
Probot

Factoid from the Ages: The founder of Sunn was some dude named Sundholm...the bass player on The Kingsman's 60's thrash hit "Louie Louie". sorry I forgot his first name.

added linky, and check out the artists:

http://www.richbriere.com/The_Sunn_Shack.htm

[SpeedDemon]

Re: Sunn Amps

That link does not show a model T. The model T is so f'n heavy, the single carry strap would tear off within 6 carries. The model T has side handles. The model T is not loud...it is stupid loud!!

I have owned my early model Sunn model T since 1982. These amps are viscious, reliable beasts with huge power/output matching transformers. There is a less preferred later Sunn model T that has a couple of tone slide switches (?) and red colored center knobs...but I have no experience with these.

I actually fell into this amp by accident in 1982, when I went from a small wattage transistor amp with an 8" speaker, so natrally I needed a better amp (rolleyes!). Anyhow, ened up calling some dude two months after he had advertised it in the local paper, and buying it. Sabbath was always my groove, and this amp carried me through the lean years of silly over hyped garbage that was so prevalent in the 1980's. Sorry, if the anti-hair attitude offends, but a Sunn is not a Marshall. Iommi's (Sabbath) Master of Reality and Volume IV tone ooze out of this amp with ease.

Anyhow, since the model T was marketed as guitar/bass amp, you can be assured that the bottom end grunt is there. I saw a print add years ago featuring BASSIST John Entwistle (The Who) that advertised 150 watts clean/180 watts distorted...and a 1974-ish retail price of $850 US dollars!

Anyhow, this head will destroy a set of Vintage 30's in a Marshall cab. I presently use this amp with a 150 watt EVM 12L in an open back cab. This amp does not have a great distortion by its own, and is greatly helped by your choice of overdrive/distortion. The "prescence" control is very good, and makes the clean power of this amp so versatile.

Past users of this amp. No spandex/big-hair here:

Foghat
Leslie West/Mountain "Mississippi Queen"
The Who
The Stooges (Iggy Pop/James Williamson)
Clutch
Probot

Factoid from the Ages: The founder of Sunn was some dude named Sundholm...the bass player on The Kingsman's 60's thrash hit "Louie Louie". sorry I forgot his first name.

added linky, and check out the artists:

http://www.richbriere.com/The_Sunn_Shack.htm

Thanks for all the great info Sludge, and yeah I know it doesn't show a model T, I stated that it was a Sunn Sentura I

By the way. Vol 4 Sabbath tone = Godly. And the reason I am looking at the sentura is because the guitar player from Orange Sunshine(Great 1960/1970's sounding band www.orangesunshine.tk) is using one, or at least it looks so. Could be a Model T he is running that big muff into.

[Sludgenutz]

Re: Sunn Amps

I am looking at the sentura is because the guitar player from Orange Sunshine(Great 1960/1970's sounding band www.orangesunshine.tk) is using one, or at least it looks so. Could be a Model T he is running that big muff into.

Photo #2: The only Sunn amp I see is the later model T, as it has 5 jacks on the front, red inserts in the center of the 7 knobs, the red (O))) logo, and very faintly you can see the slide switch under the forth knob to the right of the inputs. Off the top of my head, I remember this as some sort of midrange booster.

Photo #15 shoes a poor but discernable "model T" badging to the left of the power/stanby switches.

That band sounds worth listening to!

[SpeedDemon]

Re: Sunn Amps

Photo #2: The only Sunn amp I see is the later model T, as it has 5 jacks on the front, red inserts in the center of the 7 knobs, the red (O))) logo, and very faintly you can see the slide switch under the forth knob to the right of the inputs. Off the top of my head, I remember this as some sort of midrange booster.

Photo #15 shoes a poor but discernable "model T" badging to the left of the power/stanby switches.

That band sounds worth listening to!

Thanks for all the great info Sludgenutz I really appreciate it. And yeah these guys rock.