By Bob Pletka: What can I say, old 60’s SUNN amps occupy a special place in my heart. I used these amps when I was in my early teen’s playing at grade school and high school dances.
I grew up in the same city where SUNN amps were made and when SUNN moved to Tualatin, Oregon from Portland the band I was in at the time practiced only a few miles from the SUNN factory. On several occasions late at night we would dig through the dumpsters outside the SUNN factory finding such treasures as SUNN name plates, knobs, tolex, grille cloth and even cabinet pieces. I met Conrad Sundholm a few years ago when he called me saying that he was sure happy to see someone making good KT88's again because this is the power tube that helped make SUNN amps famous. Conrad told me he was making amps again and wanted to come by for some tubes. I showed him part of my SUNN collection that was in the studio and he was very surprised to say the least. As he looked over the gear stories started flowing about the different models and the stars that played them. As a SUNN lover you can just imagine how I was feeling at the time.
In July of 2008 Conrad called and asked if we could take a picture of him with a SUNN amp, my response was 'of course!' It turns out that a mutual friend (Mr. Ted Weber of Weber speaker fame) was also a SUNN fan having owned and played one. Conrad uses Weber speakers in his new amps and during a conversation Ted had asked about getting a picture. So I'm no Einstein, but I have been known to seize an opportunity or two and this one was NOT going to be the one that got away! A few weeks went by and after a little coordination I had the date set.
Eddie and Michael helped me in moving all the SUNN gear from the studio and a couple other rooms out into the yard. This was actually the first time I had all of it in the same location! I foolishly sold several pieces over the years to local friends who really wanted to own and play a piece of history but that ended in 2003. It's getting hard now to find real nice pieces that are all original. Update: Of course that was 2008 and the collection has mysteriously continued to grow, another 200S and two more Solarus amps came into the herd.
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So Ted, thanks for the inspiration and great speakers! Conrad, MANY thanks for being the father of SUNN amps and continuing to make great amps!
Update: Our friend Ted Weber passed away in 2009 and we all dearly miss him, thanks for making us sound better. The first pic says it all. A great shot of the father of SUNN amps!
The top middle shot is the Eurotubes crew with Conrad. Starting from the far left is Craig, Eddie, Conrad, Bob, Carla, Jay and Michael. The only guy missing from the pic is Aaron so maybe I'll photoshop him in later! After Conrad left we decided to gather up a few of the guitars we have for a shot and then Eddie proceeded to get a bit abstract in the last shot where you can see him in the vintage 'Chocolate chair' staring at the SUNN. The sound of a SUNN amp is something that you can’t really describe, you just have to experience it! It’s big, fat, warm and thunderous.
For you SUNN fans who are interested in the amps pictured starting from the far left the little stack is a Solarus with the stock matching 2X12 cab. This is probably the most dead mint SUNN I have and I even have the original vinyl covers for it. The second amp is probably the most famous and well known which is a 200S. The third stack is a fairly rare 6X10 cab and the amp directly on top of it is also a fairly rare piece which is the four channel Studio PA head and the top amp is the only non-original amp I own. It started as a Spectrum One with with missing tranny’s that I bought for 30.00 and a local friend, musician and amp maker 'Rooster Ross' went thru it, added a push pull master volume and total custom wiring job. It really does sound great!
Nice job Rooster! The forth full stack consists of two 4X12 cabs and a 1000S with verb and trem. The fifth stack is an original 1000S cab shown here with a 1200S amp on top.
I very carefully removed the top baffle board holding a JBL 15' and JBL horn and replaced it with a new baffle board holding four 12' Celestion 70's so it's now a hybrid 4X12 and 1X15 that I can put back to stock at any time. In it's current configuration as a 4X12 and 1X15 we refer to is as the 'Gawd' cabinet. This seems to be the reaction from just about anyone who plays it.
The first word usually said is 'GeeaawD!' The sixth stack is a very rare SUNN magna cab that is loaded with four 15' D140F's (yes, four of them!) It's topped by the youngest SUNN amp I own which is a Model 'T' and the top amp is another Solarus. The seventh and last stack is another 200S cab and on top of it are two of the first SUNN amps ever built know as the 'Top control amps' The first one is sitting upright and I sat the top one on it's face so you can see the controls. One of them is the Mark III with a pair of KT88's and the other is a Mark IV with a pair of EL34's. While updating this page I ran across some other photos taken that day. In the early 70's Bill Hartzell bought SUNN from Conrad Sundholm and kept up production of the Model T while concentrating more on the solid state amps. Hartzell was bought out by Fender in the early 1980's and shelved.
As for the new SUNN amps which I refer to as 'Fender/SUNN' amps they are really nothing like the old SUNN amps, they were only SUNN by name. The SUNN T50C and reissue Model T amps are close cousins but share nothing in common with old original SUNN's. This is not to say that the Fender/SUNN amps were not decent amps. The T50C and Model T were not bad and provided a good clean sound as they should (it is a Fender amp) and a decent drive sound. In my opinion the shining star of the Fender/SUNN's was the 300T. This is a monster bass amp that is very versatile and packs a huge punch that I actually prefer over the new SVT's.
With the demise of the Fender/SUNN amps the 300T was dressed in Fender threads and called the Pro 300. Still a great bass amp!
Superior Music - Fender Amp, Amplifier Serial Numbers Fender Amps FENDER Tube Amplifier / Amp / Serial Number, Date - Dating, Speaker code & Tube Information by; Chuck Kotlaris This data base is for use for dating and verifying your amp. This information is not for commercial use, and cannot be copied, posted, pasted or otherwise used in any publication or web site.
Fender Tube amp codes: 1953-1970 - (look for a 2 letter code stamped on the tube chart inside the back of the amp)- the first letter is the year, and the second letter is the month. An amp stamped NA would have been made in Jan. Here is a list of the first letter showing the year of manufacture. These codes have nothing to do with the serial number that is stamped on the right rear of the chassis - Those numbers are posted below. A=1951, B=1952, C=1953, D=1954, E=1955, F=1956, G=1957, H=1958, I=1959, J=1960, K=1961, L=1962, M=1963, N=1964, O=1965, P=1966, Q=1967, R=1968, S=1969, T=1970 A=Jan, B=Feb, C=Mar, D=Apr, E=May, F=Jun, G=Jul, H=Aug, I=Sep, J=Oct, K=Nov, & L=Dec.
' Pre-CBS' Blackface Amps are labeled 'Fender Electric Instruments'. After CBS bought Fender in 1965, amps were labeled 'Fender Musical Instruments'. Early Fender Electric Blackface amps from 1964 and some into early 1965 did not have a Fender Logo on the grillcloth. ' Pre-CBS' Blackface Original Amp Knobs have the set screw at the number '10'. Fender Blackface amps & early Silverface amps used cloth covered wire until sometime in 1968. Silverface amps with aluminum trim surrounding the grill cloth are 1968 models Silverface Amps began in 1968, when Fender made circuit changes to most amps, making them a little less desirable than the blackface amps. A good amp tech can make these sound great.
In 1973, Fender removed the 'Tail' from the logo. A push-pull pot was added to some amps in 1974. Therefore, if you have a push-pull pot, your amp is 1974 or newer.
1970-1989 - Most amps do not have a date code stamped on the tube location chart. These codes are for amps with the serial number beginning with a letter: B+5-digits - 1975-1976 A6+5-digits - 1976 A7+5-digits - 1977 A8+5-digits - 1978 A9+5-digits - 1979 F0+5-digits - 1980 F1+5-digits - 1981 F2+5-digits - 1982/83 F3+5-digits - 1983/84 F4+5-digits - 1984/85 F9+5-digits - 1979-1980 EIA numbers taken from the transformers may help you to determine the date of production on amps that fall between the different dating schemes.
These numbers always begin with '606', and are followed by three or four digits in various combinations. If three digits are present, the first digit would refer to the year i.e. ('7' would mean 1967).
If four digits are present, the first two digits refer to the year i.e. ('66' would mean 1966). The last two digits would refer to the week of the year i.e. ('26' would mean the 26th week or approximately June).
An example would be: EIA 606-4-21 would mean the 21st week of 1964. All Fender amplifiers, manufactured after 1989 include a date code on the amplifier. This code is located on the 'QA' (Quality Assurance) sticker, which may be found on the back of the amp chassis. The sticker is a Black and Silver label, which contains several lines for 'sign-offs' at the completion of sound and electrical tests, where applicable. The last line will have 2 letters of the alphabet either printed or written by hand.
Good luck reading some of the hand written ones. These letters are the production date code for the amplifier. The first letter refers to the year, and the second letter refers to the month of manufacture. The codes are: 1990-A / 1991-B / 1992-C / 1993-D / 1994-E / 1995-F / 1996-G / 1997-H / 1998-I / 1999-J / 2000-K 2001-L / 2002-M / 2003-N / 2004-O / 2005-P / 2006-Q / 2007-R / 2008-S / 2009-T / 2010-U / 2011-V 2012-W / 2013-X / 2014-Y / 2015-Z FENDER AMP Chassis Serial Number DATE CODES These are the numbers you will find stamped into the chassis.
I have a Sunn 2000S head with the matching 2x15 cab. I pulled the back off and the speakers are the JBL D140F models, and im trying to figure out how to date them. The only marking the speakers is on the back of the magnet, its a simple serial number. Is there anyway to use that serial number to determine the year? Any info would be helpful, ive been searching here and on google and havent come up with anything (which now that i said this theres probably a simple website with this info lol). From what I've read on the subject the main guy in charge of JBL speaker development from that era said there was no real rhyme/reason to the serial numbering he was aware of. They just got the stickers from the local (LA) printer and slapped them on the drivers.
There are others on TB more knowledgeable than me on the subject but since I too recently got a pair of those I did some homework and that's what I found. Maybe search here for D140F and see what threads come up and perhaps there's some links that'll be more helpful.
Here's a wonderful opportunity to go back in time period when the latest and greatest things were solid-state amplifiers. Amazing how the older solid-state amplifiers sound amazing compared to the newer stuff. Anyways here's a wonderful what I think is a student model amplifier.
Wonderful cleans has a nice bark to it as well. Amplifier is tired looking but the front is really pretty. Amplifier was tested she makes good music but please know that this is a 40 plus year old amplifier so expect an amplifier with a few Grunts and groans. This amplifier has wonderful character. Pat pots are a little scratchy. Amplifier needs to be used and broken back in.
She's been sitting in my music room too long. Amplifiers being sold as is no returns. Vintage Guitar Amplifiers If you are a guitarist in search of an old-fashioned sound, then you might consider a vintage guitar amplifier. Whether you are interested in Fender, Silvertone, Ampeg, or others, vintage amps can help you recreate classic music with an extra layer of authenticity. From chiming clean tones to molten overdrive, you can find the make and model that will allow you to sculpt the tone you want and cut through the mix at your next practice or gig. What should you consider when choosing an amplifier?
There are several things to consider when purchasing a guitar amp:. What style of music do you play? While there are many versatile guitar amps that can be used for many styles of music, if you play a particular style of music a majority of the time, then you should get an amplifier that best suits it.
Do you play acoustic or electric? Certain guitar amplifiers are designed specifically for acoustic guitars although it is possible to play an acoustic through any amp.
In terms of styles, jazz players typically do not need an overdrive option as clean tones are best suited for that style of music. Blues aficionados will be happiest with a clean channel plus an overdrive channel with plenty of sustain, such as one finds on many vintage Fender models.
Shredders will require an amp that will accept distortion pedals without losing signal quality. Do your research regarding which guitar amps are best suited for the type of music you play.
What type of environment are you playing in? This is an important consideration when determining how many watts your amp should have. If you practice in an apartment surrounded by neighbors, a low wattage combo option is going to minimize potential conflicts.
If you play live gigs in small club environments, it is possible to get by with as little as 50 watts. Larger venues require a larger amp that can move more air with its speaker. You should also take in to account how many other musicians you are playing with, and if there is a second guitarist, as you will want a tone cuts through the mix as opposed to getting buried.
What is a tube amp? This is a type of electronic amplifier that uses vacuum tubes to increase the amplitude or power of a signal as opposed to using transistors. A vast majority of vintage guitar amplifiers use tubes, which help to give them a warmer, sweeter tone. They are available in combo amps and in amp heads, which then require an external speaker cabinet to produce sound.
Sunn Amps History
I'm not sure if this is the right forum to post this in seeing as how i don't know if this is a vintage amp or not. I'm trying to figure out what year this head that i'm looking into buying was made.
I think fender bought the sunn bass amp company in the early 80s and then discontinued production of sunn products in the early 90s. At least that's what i've heard. I was just trying to figure out if this amp is pre-fender or not. The serial number on the back is CR-254802. If anyone can help me with dating this amp, i would be greatly appreciate it! Thanks ahead of time!
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