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Q & A / 1967 Prototype Sunn 100S, Hendrix, West/Papalardi/Who----Woodstock Sunn Amps
« Last post by ampking300 on December 22, 2024, 08:30:54 pm »I just bought this Prototype 1967 Sunn 100S, Small Box, 4 Power Tubes, Massive Dynaco A-451 OT-----3 PT Mounts snapped, What To Do?---History and Photos To Come, If This Forum Let's Me? For some reason this site is not letting me post photos. All my photos are JPEG which I understand is the same as JPG, Anyone here know what's up? Thanks, Ray.---
OK, I will await some good Sunn persons reply regarding posting photos, in the mean time let me tell you a little about myself and this specific amp. I have been collecting/playing/repairing vintage amps/speakers/cabs for 57 years. I have owned over 4,000 pieces in that time, most that I ever had at one time was about 800 pieces. I started selling my huge collection about 25 years ago. I specialized in early serial #'ed/prototype models of just about every amp company, but mostly, Fender, Ampeg, Sunn, Acoustic and Kustom amps. Most of the Ampeg amps in the Hopkins/Moore Ampeg book are mine. I knew a lot of the older Ampeg techs, Jess Oliver, Denis Kager, Ken Fischer and Gene Andre, all RIP. I also knew John Teagle and John Sprung who wrote the Fender book. Teagle, RIP, used many of my amps for his column in many of the older VG Mag title including one in Feb. 1999 about Sunn amps.
OK, enough about me, let me tell you about this 100S and the other 5 that are similar. I had a phone conversation with Conrad about 35 years ago regarding his very first 6 amps that he built and 6 of these small box, 4 power tube amps. The very first 6 models were all top mounted, smiley faced logo models, BUT, have the very distinctive white grill cloth, which was the exact same grill cloth that Jess Oliver used on his early PowerFlex Model 500 amps and the same grill was used on the 1968 Coral speaker cabinets made by Danelectro. I saw one of these models at a Philly show about 23 years ago. It looked like the vertical cab models that Norm and Mitchell used in the Kingsmen. The more common bluish grill cloth was used after these 6 early models and used right up until very late '69/early1970. I heard that it eventually sold for 3K about a year after this show.
Going back to the phone conversation with Conrad he told me that he made these 6 small box 120 watt heads because JH and a few others needed more power at the time , in order to play larger venues. He said that Buck Munger was in charge of these 6 amps which were 2 Coliseum PA model, one 200S, one 100S, One Spectrum I and one Spectrum II. I have seen one of the Spectrums on Ebay about 15 years ago, it needed a lot of electrical work as owner was getting shocked. I owned one Coliseum, which I sold to Al Romano, a guitar student of Leslie West and a collector of gear used by famous players. I also sold Al about 15 of my Sunn Rigs. Conrad stated that these 6 amps were being used by the JHE, Mountain and The Who, probably some lesser known bands also. JH did not like these Sunn amps and switched to Marshalls,BUT, JH gave/sold these amps to LW/FP of Mountain and both Leslie and Felix really liked them. I believe that these are the actual amps that they used at Woodstock. The Who may have used these amps also. Anyway, has anyone seen the small box 200S, with the 4 power tubes, dual rectifiers and Dynaco A-451 OT?
Any ideas on fixing the PT mounts on my 100S?---hopefully some one here on this forum will guide in getting some photos posted, thanks for reading, listening and any ideas, Ray and all have Great Holidays AND, as my good Sunn friend, Bob Hand says,"May The Sunn Shine On You "
Edited by Loudthud to improve readability.
OK, I will await some good Sunn persons reply regarding posting photos, in the mean time let me tell you a little about myself and this specific amp. I have been collecting/playing/repairing vintage amps/speakers/cabs for 57 years. I have owned over 4,000 pieces in that time, most that I ever had at one time was about 800 pieces. I started selling my huge collection about 25 years ago. I specialized in early serial #'ed/prototype models of just about every amp company, but mostly, Fender, Ampeg, Sunn, Acoustic and Kustom amps. Most of the Ampeg amps in the Hopkins/Moore Ampeg book are mine. I knew a lot of the older Ampeg techs, Jess Oliver, Denis Kager, Ken Fischer and Gene Andre, all RIP. I also knew John Teagle and John Sprung who wrote the Fender book. Teagle, RIP, used many of my amps for his column in many of the older VG Mag title including one in Feb. 1999 about Sunn amps.
OK, enough about me, let me tell you about this 100S and the other 5 that are similar. I had a phone conversation with Conrad about 35 years ago regarding his very first 6 amps that he built and 6 of these small box, 4 power tube amps. The very first 6 models were all top mounted, smiley faced logo models, BUT, have the very distinctive white grill cloth, which was the exact same grill cloth that Jess Oliver used on his early PowerFlex Model 500 amps and the same grill was used on the 1968 Coral speaker cabinets made by Danelectro. I saw one of these models at a Philly show about 23 years ago. It looked like the vertical cab models that Norm and Mitchell used in the Kingsmen. The more common bluish grill cloth was used after these 6 early models and used right up until very late '69/early1970. I heard that it eventually sold for 3K about a year after this show.
Going back to the phone conversation with Conrad he told me that he made these 6 small box 120 watt heads because JH and a few others needed more power at the time , in order to play larger venues. He said that Buck Munger was in charge of these 6 amps which were 2 Coliseum PA model, one 200S, one 100S, One Spectrum I and one Spectrum II. I have seen one of the Spectrums on Ebay about 15 years ago, it needed a lot of electrical work as owner was getting shocked. I owned one Coliseum, which I sold to Al Romano, a guitar student of Leslie West and a collector of gear used by famous players. I also sold Al about 15 of my Sunn Rigs. Conrad stated that these 6 amps were being used by the JHE, Mountain and The Who, probably some lesser known bands also. JH did not like these Sunn amps and switched to Marshalls,BUT, JH gave/sold these amps to LW/FP of Mountain and both Leslie and Felix really liked them. I believe that these are the actual amps that they used at Woodstock. The Who may have used these amps also. Anyway, has anyone seen the small box 200S, with the 4 power tubes, dual rectifiers and Dynaco A-451 OT?
Any ideas on fixing the PT mounts on my 100S?---hopefully some one here on this forum will guide in getting some photos posted, thanks for reading, listening and any ideas, Ray and all have Great Holidays AND, as my good Sunn friend, Bob Hand says,"May The Sunn Shine On You "
Edited by Loudthud to improve readability.
