It's twice as sad for fans of Sunn as J.E. had probably the highest(and longest lasting) profile of any "professional" Sunn user(I'm referring primarily to bass amps). Granted, Noel Redding may have been the first "world class" bassist to be seen extensively with a back line of 200s and 2000s amps, but his tenure with the JHE while using Sunn was brought to a close within a year. The Ox(as well as Townshend, briefly)started using Sunn during their '68 U.S. tours when they couldn't afford to bring their Marshalls with them. Even though Entwistle went along with Townshend in using Sound City and Hiwatt from late '68 through '70, by "Who's Next" he became the best Coliseum salesman the Sundholms(or Hartzell)ever had, employing the infamous "wall of Sunn" up to the early 80's when the band call it quits (for awhile!) All I know is his use of Sunn gear was a pretty big factor in me(as a kid)wanting some! Not to slight any of the other "big names"(Redding, Pappalardi, Stu Cook, etc.), but Entwistle's ferocious and beefy tone was apart from the rest, and single-handedly introduced twangy top-end definition to the rumble and boom underneath. That maybe was his most crucial contribution to the evolution of electric bass playing...even though his actual style of playing("lead bass" and all that)was way past any of his peers(with maybe the exception of Jack Bruce). Without the Ox, perhaps there would be no Chris Squire, no J.J. Burnell, no John Wetton, no Flea, no Les Claypool, even maybe no Jaco, at least in the way we know those guys(and many others)today. After 30 years I'm still discovering incredible nuances and astounding runs amid all the roar and chaos of "Live at Leeds"(the newer "enhanced" double CD doesn't hurt, either). "Hold your group together, with Rotosound Strings!"
