are you using this stuff?

[xsolarusx]

I'm a guitarist playing through a 71 Solarus head, into a 412L and a 612S(and a Traynor YGC-412 which I love, but this isn't a traynor forum!).  I'm a wee 25, but like most people, grew up thinking Marshall was the only decent guitar amp, and that you needed one.  I never bothered buying one, instead getting a really solid Traynor halfstack(Traynors are SO easy to come by in Toronto, given that it's their home) that I didn't appreciate at the time, and sold it for not nearly enough.  I digress...

Fast forward a few years, a few various purchases, and after finally looking into the gear a lot of the bands I like are using and recommending, Sunn kept coming up.  So, I tracked down some gear, checked it out, and promptly took it home.  While I know I could get some sweet deals if I'd persevere, if the gear is worth the trouble, I don't mind spending a bit extra.  Especially with something as solid as a Sunn.

I play in a few bands, poppy punk, thrashy hardcore, and an electronic rock band.  Mostly it's just for fun, but who knows what tomorrow will bring?

The Solarus is a pretty well-rounded amp in my eyes.  I can work it for anything I'm doing, which I can't say for most amps. It's got a beautiful clean tone, and running a ProCo Rat through it on 5 almost drowns out the drummer when I've got everything going.  I love vintage gear, and especially those undervalued gems, like Traynors, Sunns, Garnets, etc.

I'd love to get my hands on some solid state Sunn gear, though Toronto isn't the city to go gear hunting, save for Paul's Boutique in the market(check it out if you're ever through here!  The guy is amazing).

[fatlizzard]

Bought my first Sunn new in "72"a Model-T with 6-10 cabinet,I traded in a "61" 4-10 Fender Concert amp
and 50 watt Hi-Watt,the Model-T would cut through anything with my 65 Firebird,when I bought my Rick 4001 in 73 I picked up a 200S cab. with D140's and a prototype Music Man 18" folded horn cabinet and a Coliseum Bass head,I would run the neck pickup through the Coliseum head with the 200S and Music Man cabs. and the bridge pickup through the Model-T and 6-10 cab.which I loaded with J.B.L. D110's!
Now I use mostly combinations of my 200S,1-15, and 3-12 cab's and Concert Bass,Slave and 200S heads
My basses of choice are a 63 Thunderbird and a 69 EB-1.

[rick.heil]

I only gig with my Beta lead... for guitar or keyboards.  It has what I want....

I can say that wanting to play a lot of Melvins is what made me scour eBay for it!

[wiper]

    I'm from Portland, still live here, and came across a Sonic II on craigslist for 200 bucks awhile ago. Looked into it and being a fan of Northwest garage rock (Wailers, Sonics and such) fell in love with the story of how Sunn amps started. Just a few days after picking it up, I tried the Sonic II out at Dante's (good rock club here) in a stereo setup with my 66' Pro Reverb and it sounded great. Tons of sparkling grind, a kind of hi-fi roar. Clean, it reminds me a lot of the kind of sounds I get out of my McIntosh mx-110 and Dared power amp setup, which makes sense considering the dynakit provenance.

    Since then, I've picked up a 1st gen model T, a Studio P.A. (tube) head, a 410 cab, and a 118 cab and a 215BH. The one thing I will say about the Model T is that it's one of the few guitar amps I've come across that seems to really understand how to produce serious low-end... it's warm, fuzzy, and dialed properly it never seems hit those pain frequencies a lot of guitar players have as part of their distorted sound.

    This stuff is totally getting used live: we play about 70 show a year, and even though I've only recently acquired most of this stuff, I'm certain I'll be gigging with it for awhile...  and I just got a Matamp Green 412, which sounds amazing with the T... 
 
      Cheers!   

 

[made by hand]

hi joe...hey pal !   sorry about the dots...love morse code....only kidding....you have to give me a little handicap with my absence of typing skills...i know i'am an older sun guy with 4th grade typing skills...oh sorry...using the words typing skills is an insult for people who can correctly hover over their key board that can space the words with out ,.......morse code....right now...as we speak...or as i type...i'am looking for the comma key.....joe...smiles to you....Bob from mass.     ..........   ....    .....    ....   ...

[feel the sunn]

For guitar I usually use a beta lead 2x12 combo or a beta head with either a 412sp loaded with eminence tonkers or one with the original drivers.

For bass it's either a silver concert lead, concert bass, or beta lead into a bassman 2x15 or a pair of ampeg 1x18 cabs. 

[n!k]

I haul my coliseum bass and 6x12 to every practice. I haul all that and my 2x15 to every show. When I find the second head (hopefully Coliseum Lead), i'll haul that to every show and bi-amp.

Sunn is famous for their volume, but I really like the tone. I've never played a modern amp that could produce its clarity while still having the volume up. The highest notes on my thunderbird ring like a bell.

[sunnpeg]

My 2000s is my favorite bass amp. I own quite a few tube amps, and the SUNN is the bomb! Two years ago I installed JJ KT-88's and I've never looked back.

I really like the fact that it works great with modern speaker cabinets including SWR and Aguilar. I play through quite a few set-ups including flat-wound, round-wound and fretless, and the SUNN makes all of them sound great.

The bottom-end is priceless!

I still wear my SUNN t-shirt that says "Volume never goes out of style".

Who printed those shirts anyway?

[pickinatit]

Sunn Solarus w/ 2 X 12 Cab.  (40 watts) owned & operated since about 1969.  Hard Rock, 4 piece Wedding band, 9 piece Dance band with 4 piece brass section,  Classic Rock (although it was about 1978 so it wasn't really "classic" yet, ha ha).  It's seen all those gigs.  I still have it and play it,  all original except a capacitor or two and I think I've done maybe two tube replacements in all these fourty yrs., the last one back in the early 80's.

Sunn Concert Bass w/ a 1 X 15 cab  I bought one back in around 1975 when I switched over to bass for a while,  but sold it later in a weak moment (weak with hunger and needed to eat, ha ha).  I recently bought one off e-bay because I've always regretted parting with that amp.

Sunn 2000S  -  bought it recent off E-Bay after reading so much about it's history on this forumn and rich briere website, that I couldn't pass it up.

Sunn 1200S (Sunn/Fender era) -

I have a 2 X 15  200S cab also that needs some restoration and I have a pair of JBL D140F's to put in it when I finally get around to doing it.

Anyway,  I love Sunn gear.  Wouldn't want to use or own anything else.
When  my current "Second time around" band plays out which we've recently started to do it's a big problem trying to decide which Amp head to use.  I love all three of the Bass Heads I have.  The 2000S is just tone to die for,  the Concert Bass is SO clean (and as a result is VERY unforgiving to technique foibles.  I mean every little squeek, clank and buzz that you create comes out the speakers)  it's sound-in-sound-out verbatim with that amp.   Of course the 1200S is a dream itself of a totally different kind, being more modern feature wise and everything not to mention power wise.
AAAghhh,  decisions, decisions......but I like having Sunn problems.

[wickedkingwickr]

Hell yeah I use the stuff!!! I have a 75 Model T and I use it for every show we do. I have a 120 watt Matamp, 80's JCM 800 that sit and collect dust.  The Model T has completely enhanced my tone. Great amps and they need to be used!

[djc]

I recently acquired a silverface concert lead and love it for guitar.  I play through a 70's model Traynor 212.  the reverb has a ground buzz, don't use much reverb anyway.  the distortion has a nice 70's growl to it, not too over driven.  for more I use a Tube Screamer.  this amp has the best SS clean sound I've heard in a while, actually sounds like tubes, and takes effects incredibly well.  that was a surprise.  I guess I kinda like like it
nothing beats my 200s for bass, 5 string, fretted or my 6 string fretless.  just faithfully recreates the sound of my basses, probably makes them sound better than the are (and me for that matter)

[broiler]

I use 3 2000s rigs when I can.

[EdBass]

I use 3 2000s rigs when I can.

How's that drummer feel about your rig? 
You could probably scoot him and his kit forward with your E string!

[pickinatit]

The drummer is just sitting there for show.  The drums are actually played by hitting various notes/frequencies on the bass to vibrate the appropriate drum head or cymbal.