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Topic: Sunn 100s tube head |
Paul Sutherland
From:
Placerville, California
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Posted 24 Dec 2011 11:59 am |
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| Anyone ever play a pedal steel through one of these? Comments? Opinions? |
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Tim Marcus
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 24 Dec 2011 12:20 pm
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no, but I bet its going to be a very awesome experience.
Sunn amplifiers were based off of HiFi amps, and sound gorgeous. A little too gorgeous for electric guitar - but for keyboards, bass they are stunning. I have reason to believe that the steel will sound gorgeous through that amp.
I used to have a Sunn Sonaro, wish I never got rid of it. It was a glorious amplifier!
_________________
Milkmansound.com |
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chas smith R.I.P.
From:
Encino, CA, USA
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Posted 24 Dec 2011 12:49 pm
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Many years ago, I was trying out different kinds of amplifiers and I had a Sunn, for a while. I wasn't trying to play traditional music and I'm not entirely sure why I sold it, but it was around the time when I had my Leslie hotrodded with a 300 watt amp and a guitar interface and I probably used the Sunn to help pay for that.
On a slightly different topic, one of my favorite bands is/was Sunn 0))):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a0Z2yndlOs |
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Jay Ganz
From:
Out Behind The Barn
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Posted 24 Dec 2011 4:00 pm
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I had the Sunn head with two 6550 output tubes and reverb. It was fantastic with the steel! Only thing was...it weighed a ton! 
It looked similar to this > > > >
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Olli Haavisto
From:
Jarvenpaa,Finland
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Posted 24 Dec 2011 4:43 pm
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Didn`t Sunn use Dynaco monoblocks for the power amp section ?
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Olli Haavisto
Finland |
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LARRY COLE
From:
LANCASTER, OHIO, USA
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Posted 24 Dec 2011 7:44 pm
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That Youtube link is worse than rap if possible. It just sounds like noise,No melody or music content at all. Sunn amps are fine.
Last edited by LARRY COLE on 25 Dec 2011 6:19 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Paul Sutherland
From:
Placerville, California
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Posted 24 Dec 2011 8:35 pm
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| By "That Stuff" I assume you are talking about Sunn O))), and not Sunn tube amps. |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 24 Dec 2011 10:14 pm
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| The Sunn 100/200 amps are absolutely some of the best clean pedal steel amps ever. If I didn't have a Little Walter, I'd buy one. They are relatively cheap, and way better (IMHO) than a fender twin. |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 25 Dec 2011 1:16 am
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| Dan Tyack wrote: |
| They are relatively cheap, and way better (IMHO) than a fender twin. |
Well that's interesting, that may explain why the Sunn amps are in such demand across the globe and the Twins are not ! 
Just havin' fun, The Sunn amps are fine and if you can find one you should grab it. Now with regard to being better than a TWIN, that may be stretch as the TWIN is the reference for guitar amps today and has been for 50 years. There is a reason for this. That initial 4x6L6 circuit which had been carried thru for almost 20 years became iconic. Twins, Showmans, Quads, etc...Then the massive amounts of 2x6L6 amps in the 40 to 60 watt category that were born from those intitial designs started the "amp wars"....I would never say other amps are not good but I would also never state that other amps are "better" than the fender designs..
just my take on the world...
t
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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john widgren
From:
Wilton CT
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Posted 25 Dec 2011 7:23 am sunn
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Had one: Loved the power amp section, but the preamp EQ was a little limiting, and it was a tad hissy at idle.
_________________
Steel Guitar Services:
Live performance and recording. Instruments, repairs and lessons. Fresh bait/discount sushi.
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widcj@hotmail.com |
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Clete Ritta
From:
San Antonio, Texas
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Posted 25 Dec 2011 9:11 am
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My brother had a Sunn amp just like that for his Fender electric bass. It was a killa. I havent seen one of those since the early 80's. 
Clete |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 25 Dec 2011 10:54 am
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| Tony Prior wrote: |
| Dan Tyack wrote: |
| They are relatively cheap, and way better (IMHO) than a fender twin. |
Well that's interesting, that may explain why the Sunn amps are in such demand across the globe and the Twins are not !
Just havin' fun, The Sunn amps are fine and if you can find one you should grab it. Now with regard to being better than a TWIN, that may be stretch as the TWIN is the reference for guitar amps today and has been for 50 years. There is a reason for this. That initial 4x6L6 circuit which had been carried thru for almost 20 years became iconic. Twins, Showmans, Quads, etc...Then the massive amounts of 2x6L6 amps in the 40 to 60 watt category that were born from those intitial designs started the "amp wars"....I would never say other amps are not good but I would also never state that other amps are "better" than the fender designs..
just my take on the world...
t |
When I said that (IMHO) the Sunn 100s is a better amp that a twin, I was referring to its use as a pedal steel amp. Obviously, the fender twin has achieved much greater success in the guitar world. |
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Tim Marcus
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 25 Dec 2011 11:59 am
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Huh. I always thought the twin to be a horrible guitar amp and a great steel amp.
The sunn is probably better for raw clean power, but the twin is the perfect compromise between a power station like a 2x6550 100w amp and an early breakup low power amp like a little Walter or deluxe reverb style.
With a twin and a steel, you get just the right amount of tube mojo at the right volume to overpower the guitar player
_________________
Milkmansound.com |
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Paul Sutherland
From:
Placerville, California
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Posted 25 Dec 2011 3:04 pm
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I didn't mean to start a Christmas day war between the various tube amp experts. Nor did I mean to drive up the price of a relatively obscure amp. On that note, yesterday I scanned the Craigslists of the western US. The only Sunn tube amp I found was a 200s in Phoenix. They want $600 for it.
What makes this amp sound good? Is it the KT88 tubes, or something else?
I played bass through a couple of these amps back in the early 70s. A P bass with two heads driving two cabinets with two D140s in each sure sounded good, as far as I can remember. But I never thought of trying to play steel through the set up.
What about the Weber amp kit that is apparently a clone of the Sunn 100s? The Weber number is 6S100. Anyone have any experience with that kit? |
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Tim Marcus
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 25 Dec 2011 4:24 pm
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Sunn amps sound good because of their design and quality of the transformers. Plus, KT88's run at very high voltage and have a very clean sound
I agree that the eq is not very exciting - but you won't really need much EQ!
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Milkmansound.com |
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Bob Vantine
From:
Freeville, New York, USA
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Posted 25 Dec 2011 8:41 pm
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In the late 70s I had a Sunn Solarus ..... loved everything but the awkward size . Sold it and went to a Fender Twin . Wish I had them all back . 
_________________
EQUIPMENT:
"TEAK" ZUM STAGE-ONE Steel / C6th Lapsteel
Peavey NV112 , CLASSIC and EFX112 amps
Peavey Guitars |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 25 Dec 2011 10:25 pm
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| My experience with the Sunn 100s was with a primo example that had been gone through by a really good tech, with KT88s. I love the contour control, which gives a good way to dial up a good midrange (no technical details, sorry). I can't give the technical details about why this amp sounds good for pedal steel, but it kills me. It doesn't have the black face fender tone stack, with the boosted highs and scooped mids. Some folks love it, for me not so much. I love the power amp section, the KT88/6550 tubes have a great low end response. It works great with a ZenDrive for rock and roll. And if you get it loud enough to distort, watch out! It's really, really ballsy. Think HiWatt. |
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Brett Lanier
From:
Madison, TN
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Posted 25 Dec 2011 11:52 pm
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| Fwiw, I like 2/kt88s more than 4/6l6's. I get more clean volume from my 70 watt amp with kt88's then I've ever gotten from a twin, and the low end is way less saggy. |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 26 Dec 2011 4:38 am
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| Tim Marcus wrote: |
Huh. I always thought the twin to be a horrible guitar amp and a great steel amp.
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Those are fighting words  
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Tim Marcus
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 26 Dec 2011 6:38 am
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They were not intended that way. I'm only saying that based on my experience - I like under 50W for guitar and over 50W for steel. I want a guitar amp to sag and break up, which is very difficult to do on a twin unless you pull two output tubes and put in a set of 16 ohm speakers
_________________
Milkmansound.com |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 26 Dec 2011 7:29 am
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| Brett Lanier wrote: |
| Fwiw, I like 2/kt88s more than 4/6l6's. I get more clean volume from my 70 watt amp with kt88's then I've ever gotten from a twin, and the low end is way less saggy. |
I agree, I love the low end on these amps. BTW, if you are looking for one of these, you should check out craig's list in Seattle or Portland, they are much more common out here (they were really popular here in the late 60s). If you can snag an original cabinet, that can be cool (the 100s came standard with a cab with 2 JBL D130s!). |
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Allen Peterson
From:
Katy, Texas
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Posted 26 Dec 2011 9:00 am
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The Sunn I had was great. Plenty of power and I like the way they looked. Still do. It did have hum that I was never able to get rid of. I had a friend who worked at the factory in Tualatin. He got the amp head for me for $75.00. Great deal, but maybe that's why the hum. HaHa.
Allen Peterson
_________________
2008 D10 Rains Pedal Steel, 2000 D10 Carter Pedal Steel, BR-9 Lap Steel, Nashville 400, Nashville 112, '65 Fender Twin Re-issue, MB 200, Telonics Volume Pedal |
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Paul Sutherland
From:
Placerville, California
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Posted 26 Dec 2011 10:26 am
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Dan: Did you ever use the head with a different cabinet? There is no way I am going back to hauling around a 2x15 cabinet. Was that great low end due to the head, or the cabinet, or both?
If this is such a great sounding head, why doesn't anyone make an updated version: hint, hint??!! |
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Tim Marcus
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 26 Dec 2011 4:27 pm
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I thought about it, but it would be much more expensive and also heavier. Did I mention more expensive? The mercury transformers for Sunn amps are priced very high.
_________________
Milkmansound.com |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 26 Dec 2011 4:48 pm
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| Paul Sutherland wrote: |
Dan: Did you ever use the head with a different cabinet? There is no way I am going back to hauling around a 2x15 cabinet. Was that great low end due to the head, or the cabinet, or both?
If this is such a great sounding head, why doesn't anyone make an updated version: hint, hint??!! |
I played it through a 1X12 open back cab with a JBL E120. |
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