Author Topic: Sunn Solarus Mods?  (Read 5799 times)

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Offline Terry

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Sunn Solarus Mods?
« on: December 30, 2000, 09:42:00 pm »
Do I use my Solarus?-------------Sure do!!
I'm 48 years old and still into the blues-played my Solarus and 6-string for a lot of those years. It's still goin strong.One speaker replaced in cab but everything else still original. What i'd like to know, are there any mods or mod kits available for this amp? I think it's about time to retube and am wondering if replacements are readily available,but can substitutions be made without a lot of rework?

Offline Dave Foxx

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Sunn Solarus Mods?
« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2000, 07:18:00 am »
Happy New Year to ya! Glad that you are still using your Solarus,and achieving those classic sounds.I'm assuming your amp is loaded with EL34's.Some of them were loaded with 6550's.If you are going to replace your tubes,I would recommend the Svetlana EL34's.They are very smooth,reliable,and affordable.If you are going the 6550 route,then I would recommend the Mesa Boogie 6550...Very smooth,and breaks up a little quicker than most other 6550's I've used.With an EL34,you're looking at about 40 watts in a duet..with 6550's about 60 watts in a duet..and of course,there is a difference in tone,but for blues..the EL34 would be probably better suited.You'll still need to have a tech bias up the amp when changing power tubes..very important.Now..in the preamp section.You have a 12AX7A,and a 12AU7A.You might want to change these over to an ECC83 for the 12AX7A,and an ECC82 for the 12AU7A.The 12AU7A is used mostly for the reverb,while the 12AX7A is your drive section.The ECC83 crunches a little more..believe you'll like this.Now...another really cool mod is to change the volume pot which is a 500K pot over to a 1 meg pot.This will give you more gain,and more tonality.I've done this in my Sceptre with terrific results.On the pot you'll find a 470pf disc cap across the first two taps..the third goes to ground.There's a blue wire that goes to the tube,and a red one.Make sure you don't accidentally switch these around on the taps on the pot.If you don't like the mod,you can always go back to the 500k original.The 6AN8 tube is the phase inverter for the output tubes.Since you're changing tubes all around,you might as well change this one to.Let me know how all this works out for you,but definitely have your local tech make sure when switching power tubes that it is indeed biased up correctly.For 6550's..bias current should be about 54ma..for the EL34..about 36ma.You and your amp will be much happier for it.
                                Dave

Offline Terry

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Sunn Solarus Mods?
« Reply #2 on: January 01, 2001, 09:52:00 am »
Thanks so much Dave....The information you shared is greatly appreciated...
If you have a few more minutes, I still have a question or two, for in the area I live in it's as hard to find a good Amp Tech as it is to find a Rooster with Gold fillings!

I checked my amp and it is loaded with 6550's. A long time ago someone suggested the EL34's as possible replacements also-my primary intrest is Blues with a Rock Vibe-and use an Tube Screamer at times to get "that" sound. If there is any complaint with my Solarus, Its that it is hard to get to break up and distort when needed. Will the EL34's and the other replacements you suggest follow along that line? If the 34's are ok, Is all I'll have to do to make the switch is have the bias set for the 34's?

As for the pot replacement, do you have any suggestion of where on line, or other, that could supply that item and do you know the shaft size that would be needed?

Is it important to have this amp re capped at this age? The bass response seems to be getting muddy lately and I was wondering if that could be the problem.

Sorry to have so much questions,but I've had no other source until now.
Thanks Again,   Terry

Offline Dave Foxx

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Sunn Solarus Mods?
« Reply #3 on: January 01, 2001, 07:59:00 pm »
Glad to help anyway I can.You can order the I meg pot from Mojo Musical supply..wwwmojotone.com.Since you have 6550's in the amp already,you'd probably want to stay with those type of tubes.With EL34's,you have less power.From what you describe,I'd say that the 6550's ,in your amp,need to be replaced if they are starting to sound mushy and lack bass response.If you have some tech guy who lives around you,he could set-up the amp for you..you could have him contact me and I'd walk him thru the process.Since you're going to make some changes for improvement,you might as well change the other tubes..it's an expense you only have to do once..really.If there is anything I can do,let me know.

Offline mike

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Sunn Solarus Mods?
« Reply #4 on: January 01, 2001, 09:59:00 pm »
Converting from 6550's to EL34's would take a bit of modding;I would suggest(and I've had it done to a Scepter--an almost identical amp)is to substitute KT90's for the 6550's--they're fairly well available and nowhere as expensive as KT88's(KT88's were "forerunners" of 6550's and used in the earlier 60 and 120 watt Sunn amps. Out of production for years, they're being made again but are quite pricey). With KT90's, you have a tube that's directly related to 88's & 6550's, same power range, BUT it breaks up very similarly to an EL34, especially with the midrange switch and contour knob maxxed out.  Definitely search out the hottest gain pre-amp tubes.  Any stock Sunn guitar amp is difficult to overdrive due to its heritage--that is...remember that these amps were designed by a bass player, based on hi-fi sound criteria. Clean was the name of the game. For further tech advice, go the boards on http://www.vintageamps.com, http://www.vintageguitar.com, http://www.webervst.com(you'll find lots of cool links there too)and post some questions; hopefully some of the people there will have had some experience or knowledge of working on tube Sunn's at some time. Also, check http://www.tone-man.com, that's my amp tech, and although he's more of an English tube amp specialist, I've forced him to work on plenty of Sunn's in the last few years(he really wasn't that unknowledgable).  He will work on stuff shipped to him, and he's quite reasonable. Also check in with the amp repair link at the bottom of the home page here; he also knows his stuff and is a Sunn specialist. Get as many opinions as possible, and good luck!

Offline Brian Comnes

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Sunn Solarus Mods?
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2001, 09:44:00 am »
Good and RELIABLE  tube sources are

Antique Electronic Supply in phoenix AZ    http://www.tubesandmore.com
Lord Valve http://lord-valve.freeyellow.com/   his newsletter is a real trip!! probably doesn't have 6AN8s.

be wary of eBAY tube suppliers, half are great,  half are awful, a real time waste unless you are on a real tight budget

Also Kendrick Amplifiers (Gerald Weber) just moved to a new facility , and they are advertising they have great deals on amp rehabs, check out http://www.kendrick-amplifiers.com/

Offline Bob

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Sunn Solarus Mods?
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2001, 10:37:00 am »
Hi Terry:

      I collect pre 70's SUNN amps. I currently have about 20 amps including a pair of top control heads and four Solarus heads. These amps with the exception of the Spectrum and a couple of other 40 watt amps were designed to use KT88's and that is all I used in mine ( GEC KT88's ) until I ran into the JJ Electronic tubes.
They make a killer KT88. This tube even has a deeper low end than my NOS GEC's have. A lot of players pass off the JJ tubes as being Tesla tubes but this could not be further from the truth. They are made in one of the old Tesla factories but the JJ tubes have been completely redesigned and sound nothing like the old Tesla's. You can see them and read more about them by following the link to Eurotubes.com on the front page of this site. I do stock NOS RCA 6AN8A's. With as many SUNN amps as I have I need to keep stock!

Bob.