Speakers for use with my SUNN 2000S

[Howie V]

Hello all, first post here.

I putting together a bass rig for the band, but since I'm not the bass player I wasn't looking to spend much money.  I tried some low cost modern stuff like Acoustic and also tried the SUNN Concert Bass (first early version without the red knobs) and they just weren't loud enough.

Anyway, I found a SUNN 2000S locally for $750 and I'm very pleased.  Was more than I was looking to spend but I knew I would probably like the 2000S and could stop searching.

Anyway, now that that story is told.   Right now we are using it through a 2x15 tower PA speaker with a horn rated at 4 ohms.

I have an old tuck n' roll Kustom 2x15 cab (tall one with the two silver ports) that is empty.  It originally had those original JBL D140 speakers in it...but I blew those out years ago.

Looking for suggestions on BASS Guitar speakers to put in that Kustom 2x15 that would pair nicely with the SUNN 2000S.  Here are my concerns:

Not too Expensive, about $300 for the pair.
Rated at 4 ohms each so I can wire them together for 8 ohms
High enough wattage so I won't blow them with the 2000S
Lots of low end...but good for metal.  We play a style of doom sometimes faster and more akin to metal

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Howie

[EdBass]

Is it one of these Kustoms?



I've used D140F's, K140's, and EVM15L's with a 2000S in that one, and they all sound pretty good. The AlNiCo JBL's sound best. You can't get old JBL's in 4 ohm but you can find them in 16 ohm which you can wire in parallel to get an 8 ohm cab.
The cab is a little tight for most 2x15's, and won't get the bottom end extention of the larger vented cabs but it still sounds good. I also don't think you can get a nice pair of any of the drivers I mentioned for $300.

The JBL's will take the 2000S wide open, the K's will handle more power than the D's, and those AlNiCo JBL's work well; probably the best sounding drivers with a 2000S IMO.

Eminence also makes a few 15's that will work well in that box and will probably hit your budget parameters as well. You could contact them and I'm sure they will point you in the right direction with their products.

[Howie V]

Yup, thats the exact same cab except mine is black and speakerless.  It came with the exact same head as well.  Nice to meet you   I've always wondered, any idea when this setup was made?

I'll probably look into Eminence...good idea to contact them.  Send a nice picture like yours, along with a picture of the inside and some dimension and other tidbits and see what they say.  That's who I was looking at trying.

Thanks for all the info on those others too.  Someone else recommended the EVM15Ls.  I don't think I want to buy vintage at this point.  But who knows...usually a premium for that though.  I sold the original blown JBL D140 speakers for the cab, advertised as blown (no impedance on a multimeter) for $125 a piece I think. 

The Kustom head wasn't loud enough so the bass player I played with at the time went out and bought one of those SVT Pro rack heads...all tube one and I think rated at 800 watts?  Needless to say those JBLs didn't last long. =)

Not that I treat my stuff like that anymore....

[Howie V]

The Sunn 2000S, I just got lucky I think.  Bought it from the store my "tech guy" works at, got a 3 month warranty too =)

[EdBass]

I think my blue Kustom is from about 1970.

Eminence certainly knows what they are doing, and they have always been ultra helpful when I've had questions. It's always best to consult actual hands on speaker professionals.
Since WinISD has been out the internet forums have become saturated with self proclaimed "speaker gurus" who are pretty much clueless yet don't hesitate to state facts and absolutes about speakers, cabs, and combinations they have never even seen much less ever tested in real life.
Specs are nice; but they won't tell you how a driver/cab sounds or more importantly if you LIKE it or not ; )

Another option might be WGS, they make a very nice, versatile 15" bass driver ( http://wgs4.com/content/15-BG ) that will take a lot of juice.
I've spent many hours with these drivers, but never used them in a cab as small as the Kustom. They should perform as well as the EVM15L's I mentioned earlier in that cab; in my experience they are probably most similar to the EV's if you were comparing them to someone else's speaker.

The 2000S is a great classic tube bass amp IMO. Heavy, a little awkward, and pretty much devoid of any modern practical features, but a tone monster to my ears.
I hope you like it, but if you get tired of it I'm sure you won't have much problem finding it a new home!

Good Luck!