190L Head

[slippingglimpser]

Does anyone know anything about the 190L?  I love my SUNN amp!  It's a 190L, which is on this page's list of models, however, before I found this page, I had been told by a "sunn amp expert" that it was probably a custom job and that somebody probably slapped a 190L sticker on top another model plate.  So, I love this amp and I want to know more about it.  What year was it made?  What was it designed for?  Not that I am planningon ever selling it, but how much is it worth?  What kind of cabinet was it meant for and does anyone have oppinions on what else works well?

[Anonymous]

One of my guitarists uses his dad's 190L for shows.  His dad bought it in the early-mid 70s at Sunn in Tualatin with a matching 610 cabinet and covers for both.  I've seen a couple around locally...not the typical custom job like you might be thinking.  The tubes are 6550s, 6AN8A, 12AX7, SS rectifier...probably puts out about 65 or so clean watts.  This is primarily for guitar but they use it for bass too.  He uses an MXR distortion as a boost at the front end.  We played a gig on Saturday and he used my 2x10 guitar cabinet with the 190L and it sounded great.  

[Ryan Phelps]

The Sunn 190L is indeed a standard factory amp head, first listed in the 1972 Sunn catalog. The circuit is essentially the same as the Sunn Sceptre, with a listed output of 80 watts RMS from a pair of 6550 output tubes. The black 190L sticker on the front control plate was installed at the factory. The 1972 catalog shows the 190L mated to several different speaker cabinets, including a 3x12, 6x10, 4x12 and 2x12. A 190L head in good condition should bring between $250 and $350. I have a 1974 190B (the bass version of your head)with matching 2x15 speaker cabinet and it sounds fabulous!

Good Luck!
Ryan Phelps