Author Topic: Which tube Sunn heads were meant for bass?  (Read 6000 times)

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Offline denton

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Which tube Sunn heads were meant for bass?
« on: August 16, 2009, 03:55:15 pm »
Im looking to buy a Sunn head in the 60-100 watt range for bass.  There are so many different ones available (Sceptre, Sonic, 100S, Sonaro, ect...)  Which ones were designed for bass?  Are they all pretty much the same amps?  I was looking at a 100S..

Offline xsolarusx

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Re: Which tube Sunn heads were meant for bass?
« Reply #1 on: August 16, 2009, 04:06:18 pm »
Technically, all heads are fine for bass or guitar, but the various names were meant to differentiate between head/cabinet pairings, so in a few situations, a guitar and bass head are the same build, just labelled differently. I've got a '71 Solarus, and it sounds amazing with a bass.

You may never use the tremolo circuit on a Solarus for bass(I never use it for guitar), but then again, who knows?
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Offline denton

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Re: Which tube Sunn heads were meant for bass?
« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2009, 05:07:08 pm »
Awesome.  I kind of thought that might be the case.  I'm looking at a 100s.  So it should be the same as a 200s, right? 100 watts, right?

Offline Le Navigateur

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Re: Which tube Sunn heads were meant for bass?
« Reply #3 on: August 16, 2009, 07:27:24 pm »
Awesome.  I kind of thought that might be the case.  I'm looking at a 100s.  So it should be the same as a 200s, right? 100 watts, right?

The 100s and 200s are rated 60 watts R.M.S. and 140 watts peak. But believe me it sounds loud as loud can get.
So, getting a 100s would be a great idea!
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Offline denton

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Re: Which tube Sunn heads were meant for bass?
« Reply #4 on: August 17, 2009, 10:34:22 am »
Ok, what is the output ohmage for these?  16? 8?  Dont know where I could find a 16ohm bass cab!  Hopefully its an 8...

Offline noel

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Re: Which tube Sunn heads were meant for bass?
« Reply #5 on: August 17, 2009, 10:46:42 am »
My 2 cents... get a 200s or if you can a 2000s.  Sunn made a lot of awesome amps but those are my favorites for bass.  A 2000s just smokes an svt an day for me.  Hope this helps!

Offline EdBass

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Re: Which tube Sunn heads were meant for bass?
« Reply #6 on: August 17, 2009, 11:11:45 am »
The 100S is the guitar version, and the 200S is the bass version of the amp. They are very close being identical; the differences are in the tone stack. The 100S has a contour knob which is like a high-mid control, and the 200S has "lo" and "hi" boost switches.

Technically, all heads are fine for bass or guitar, but the various names were meant to differentiate between head/cabinet pairings, so in a few situations, a guitar and bass head are the same build, just labelled differently.

I'm not aware of any guitar/bass amps that are identical except for badging, but there are different bass amps (as well as guitar amps) that are identical with different names because of the speaker configuration.

As far as bass specifics amps go from that era, the 200S, Sorado and Sonic II bass amps are the same (KT88/6550), Sonaro, Sonic, and the Sonic I40 bass amps are the same (EL34).
I agree that it doesn't make a lot of difference, the guitar amps work just fine for bass. Apparently Entwistle thought so anyway, and that's certainly good enough for me! It sure looks like a 100S and a pair of 200S cabs to me in this pic.
It’s been a while, but I used to use a Ric 4003 running the bridge PU to a 100S into a D140 loaded 200S cab, and the neck PU to a 200S into a 215S cab loaded with EVM’s. Pretty outstanding tonally IMO.

Ok, what is the output ohmage for these?  16? 8?  Dont know where I could find a 16ohm bass cab!  Hopefully its an 8...

It’s either wired for 16 & 8 ohms, or for 8 & 4 ohms. The amps have 16, 8 and 4 ohm taps on the output transformer; you can wire them however you need to.
Use the handy search function to find out more. This has been discussed ad infinitum on this forum.

Offline denton

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Re: Which tube Sunn heads were meant for bass?
« Reply #7 on: August 17, 2009, 11:34:25 am »
Thanks for the information guys.  Im a newbie to the Sunn's, except for a Sunn 300T which was a Fender.  I have owned a 73 SVT, 76 V4, and two B15N's in the last couple years.  I liked the 100 watt V4 alot.  I have always wanted to try a vintage Sunn tube head out, and I am needing something real quick for a gig next weekend.  There is a 100S that I have been looking at.  I think 60 watts will be enough.  The B15 i just sold was not.  Anyway, I am going to need a head and a cab real quick!  The V4 was a guitar head, which makes me less concerned that the 100S is really a guitar head.  If a 200S would pop up, id certainly grab it.  But right now the 100S is looking good.  Hmmm


Offline Soundmasterg

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Re: Which tube Sunn heads were meant for bass?
« Reply #8 on: August 18, 2009, 11:58:12 pm »
Thanks for the information guys.  Im a newbie to the Sunn's, except for a Sunn 300T which was a Fender.  I have owned a 73 SVT, 76 V4, and two B15N's in the last couple years.  I liked the 100 watt V4 alot.  I have always wanted to try a vintage Sunn tube head out, and I am needing something real quick for a gig next weekend.  There is a 100S that I have been looking at.  I think 60 watts will be enough.  The B15 i just sold was not.  Anyway, I am going to need a head and a cab real quick!  The V4 was a guitar head, which makes me less concerned that the 100S is really a guitar head.  If a 200S would pop up, id certainly grab it.  But right now the 100S is looking good.  Hmmm




Go for it....all of the old Sunn tube stuff is good and can be used for guitar or bass, though personally I don't like the old Sunns for guitar myself. If it isn't the way you want it stock, it can be modded too. So for instance if you got this 100S and you wanted more bass, it could be changed. you'll find the Sunn sound is very clear so don't make mistakes! :)

greg

Offline denton

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Re: Which tube Sunn heads were meant for bass?
« Reply #9 on: August 19, 2009, 06:27:20 am »
Well I didn't win the auction for the 100s.  It got past $550 and that was my limit.  I went to a vintage guitar store in a neighboring state and found a b25 in great shape for $250!  Guess I'm back with the ampeg crowd.  Someday I will try a sunn!