The sunn Forum
Sunn Musical Equipment => Q & A => Topic started by: Ezpeezy on March 02, 2021, 06:06:58 pm
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Hi, I just joined this forum to ask a question about my 2nd gen sunn model t. I just had it modded as per Joe's blog, and have noticed that the mods have changed the position of the master volume. Pre mods, the volume really kicked in just below 2 on the dial, just like a 1st gen that I have. After the mods were completed by my tech, the amp doesn't kick in until just after 2 on the master dial. This kind of struck me as odd. Is there anyone out there with a 2nd gen that has done all of the mods that has noticed this?
Cheers!
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Are you speaking of JoeArthur ? He hasn't been on here in years. Where did you find has blog ?
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Yep it was Joe Arthur's blog that outlines some mods pertaining to the 2nd gen model t. The original angelfire page that outlined the mods is long gone but I was able to find it through a web archives page. It really made my Model T sound better for guitar, I was just wondering how many people have taken the mods all the way and how their amps have reacted to the mods.
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I didn't go all the way with mine.
I play bass, and generally without distortion, so I never noticed where the master volume kicked in. I just wanted to get rid of the always on mid boost and the master volume maxing out at 8 rather than 10. Since then, it's been a joy to play.
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I have a second gen that I use for bass, also.
I have considered doing some of the mods.
But I'm wondering how that might affect the value if I decide to sell.
Any opinions?
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I didn't go all the way with mine.
I play bass, and generally without distortion, so I never noticed where the master volume kicked in. I just wanted to get rid of the always on mid boost and the master volume maxing out at 8 rather than 10. Since then, it's been a joy to play.
Mine sounded good clean actually, but I play play heavily distorted through fuzz pedals and the stock preamp didn't like that too much. It's way better after the mods though..a very nice amp to play
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I have a second gen that I use for bass, also.
I have considered doing some of the mods.
But I'm wondering how that might affect the value if I decide to sell.
Any opinions?
The mods are reversible, that's why I went ahead with mine. Plus I don't plan on selling. I might consider putting it back to stock if I did though
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I have a second gen that I use for bass, also.
I have considered doing some of the mods.
But I'm wondering how that might affect the value if I decide to sell.
Any opinions?
I don't know.
My impression is that they 1G is far more desirable than the 2G. That being so, the mods might actually increase its value.
I really didn't like the mid boost always being on. It gave the bass a honky, nasal sound that just wasn't the sound I was looking for. I liked it much better after the mod.
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Thanks for you thoughts.
Mine's completely stock, including the original tubes if you'd believe that.
The only thing missing is the washer and nut on one of the input jacks.
Any idea where I can find replacements that won't look out of place?
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I don't recall there being anything special about the washers or nuts.
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So I talked with my tech further about what I was experiencing with the mods and the master volume. Turns out there is a little signal loss due to the new tone stack that the mods provide. This can be confirmed in the mod "manual" where Joe mentions insertion loss due to the new tone stack and how bumping up the master volume a notch is needed.
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So, it's all good, then?
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So, it's all good, then?
Yep seems to be a normal effect of the mods.
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Hi, I just joined this forum to ask a question about my 2nd gen sunn model t. I just had it modded as per Joe's blog, and have noticed that the mods have changed the position of the master volume. Pre mods, the volume really kicked in just below 2 on the dial, just like a 1st gen that I have. After the mods were completed by my tech, the amp doesn't kick in until just after 2 on the master dial. This kind of struck me as odd. Is there anyone out there with a 2nd gen that has done all of the mods that has noticed this?
Cheers!
Can you post the link that you are referring to? Thanks
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The link has expired but I have it saved in pdf form if you would like to PM me
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Can you post the link that you are referring to? Thanks
The actual site disappeared from the web long ago, but here's what's left of it on the Internet Archive:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190731063422/http://www.angelfire.com/blog/sunnmodelt/
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I've been looking for this site for sometime now. Thank you for sharing.
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The actual site disappeared from the web long ago, but here's what's left of it on the Internet Archive:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190731063422/http://www.angelfire.com/blog/sunnmodelt/
Oh, now you've gone and done it! I'll be lost in Model T la la land for hours!
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Okay, I'm back.
It was fun, reviewing what he did to his 2G Model T.
I am primarily a bass player, so my needs were different than his. I did the master volume mod (page 5) and the mid boost mod (page 7). Those sufficed to make my Model T a killer bass amp. Which reminds me that I need to find out why my T is popping its circuit breaker. One of these days...
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For some time I've been meaning to grab a copy of Joe's old site and make it available here. Now it's done:
https://joearthur.sunnstillshines.online/
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You are a god amongst men!
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Yep that's the blog. I had all of the mods done in stages. My 2g model t now sounds awesome with my heavy gain pedals. I can't for the life of me figure out why it didn't get along with gain pedals in stock form. Lots of people get great pedal tones with their stock model t's but I couldn't. Weird...the only reason that I can think of is that I found my amp in a wet murky basement...anyone out there think that this could have aided in the degradation of parts in the amp, making the tone suffer?
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For some time I've been meaning to grab a copy of Joe's old site and make it available here. Now it's done:
https://joearthur.sunnstillshines.online/
I?ve tried looking at this website a few times over the last week. Are you having issues with your host? I cannot connect to any of the pages here. Thanks
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I am seriously considering having my amp tech work on some of these mods with my second generation. I have a first generation and I agree there is a big leap in tone qualities from the first to the second. Has anyone tried these modifications? If so, does your second generation modded now so closer to the first generation and how so?
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As noted above, I have done a couple of the mods on my 2G, and I think it sounds much better. I've never had a 1G, so I can't compare them.
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Can you describe a little bit more detail on the sound comparison before and after the mud? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks
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It's as described in Joe's notes.
First thing I noticed was that turning the master volume up past 8 caused the volume to go down rather than up. Mod 1, cutting the white/blue wire eliminated that.
Next was that there was always a midrange bump in the response. I prefer a predominantly flat response, and I just couldn't get it. Mod 2 eliminates the "always on" boost. I can still get the midrange boost if I want it, but now it goes away when I turn the midrange control to zero.
My T is one of the earliest 2G units. Still has the silver centers on the knobs instead of red. I haven't ever traced out the circuitry to determine what kind of tone controls I have. Given that it has the midrange selection switch, it's reasonable to think that it has the Baxandall tone circuit, but it's possible that it has the original tone stack. Either way, I generally prefer all the tone controls at zero. It seems to me that I get the flattest response that way.
Best I can do as far as describing the tone is that, before the mods, it sounded honky or squawky, the result of the midrange boost. That's gone, post-mod. I don't think the master volume mod changed the tone; it simply made the amp respond the way I think an amp should respond. Now, post-mod, the response is pretty flat. I rarely drive it into overdrive, but, even clean, it has a fair amount of harmonic distortion, which gives it a full, fat sound rather than a squeaky clean, hi-fi sound.
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I am seriously considering having my amp tech work on some of these mods with my second generation. I have a first generation and I agree there is a big leap in tone qualities from the first to the second. Has anyone tried these modifications? If so, does your second generation modded now so closer to the first generation and how so?
OP here...I have a 1st & 2nd gen. When I got the 2g it was bone stock and I was shocked at how it sounded compared to the 1g. Fwiw, I use both amps on guitar with fuzz to get deep saturated doom tones. The 1g was plug and play right when I got it and sounded epic with every pedal I threw at it. The 2g sounded choked, congested and didn't have the deep tones I was wanting. I then had the mid switch mod done and it was a little better. Then I went ahead with the tone control mods. It now sounds deeper and takes pedals way better. Still sounds different from the 1g, but I thought that was a good thing. I would say that the 2g is still more mid pushed than the 1g after the mods. Also, there is more gain post mods.
One thing that took me by surprise is the master volume on the 2g now needs to be turned up a little more to achieve the same volume as the 1g. Pre mods, they both had the same volume at the same spot on the master control. I confirmed this was normal as it is written in Joe's manual that moving the tone controls to a different spot in the preamp makes the master volume behave a little different.
Hope this helps!