Speakers for Sunn 60's era 610 and 215

[Spliffpfunk]

Hi group. I'm getting ready to get my components ready for reassembly on my 610 and 215 cabs.  My question is how do I determine what model I have without any speaker placards, other than one on the 610?  Also , Please tell me who manufactured the speakers and in your opinion whether they are worth reconing or not.  I was told the 610 cab was a px610. and the 2 x 15 was a 215S. How do you tell the difference without a catatlogue. The 10's are Sunn 108G transducers with metal dustcaps, ( JBL's?). The 15's are unknown .  The 15's are transducers in a steel basket.  The 610 speakers sit off axis and the 15 cab is  center ported.

also, anyone know where I could obtain  (2)  of the 108G's

[feel the sunn]

i've never heard of a px610, or any cab designated px. 

but that doesn't mean i'm right.

[Spliffpfunk]

Wow! Excuse me and the typo error.  I meant to type in " PA 6 x 10"
I bet that makes a difference
Thanks
Bill

[Isaac]

Never heard of that, either.

For most of their history, Sunn used a labeling convention that went as follows: number of drivers in the cabinet, size of the drivers in inches, suggested use. So a 610S had six ten inch drivers, and was suggested as a speaker, not dedicated as bass, guitar or PA. If a special driver was used, or the cabinet had a special configuration, that would take the place of the 'use' letter. A 118H was a folded horn cabinet, a 215M was a 215S loaded with Magna drivers. PA columns were designated SR, for sound reinforcement. A 412S was a 4x12 speaker cabinet, but a 412SR was a PA column.

They started going away from that convention with the Magna PA cabinets in the late 70's, though.

[Spliffpfunk]

Ok.,,,Isaac I hope you can help me with telling me the correct nomenclature of the  6 x 10 cabinet I have.  It has 6 -10 inch Sunn 108 G transducers.  The configuration is one of the baffle being a "V" shape or Off Axis layout.  I do not know the model number of the cabinet and obviously either did the person who I bought it from.  Can you tell me who the manufacturer of the speakers were?  Are the speakers of any value, I mean, in your opinion are they worth the expense of re-coning.  Thanks for your input.   Hopefully I can find out soon what exactly the model is. 
Bill

[Iron Mtn]

I scored a 6x10 on craigslist for $50 a year ago. The guy listed it for $25 and I emailed him and said i'll give you $50 for it and left my phone number. He called me and said that another guy wanted to buy it for $25 and he would offer it to him for $50 and if he didn't accept the offer it was mine. Well the guy said he would pay $50 for it and he was going to sell it to him. I told the seller that if it didn't work out to call me. I thought to myself "I guess it wasn't meant to be". Later that day my phone rings and it's the seller offering me the cab and proceeds to tell me how the buyer sent someone else to pick up the cab and that he tried to talk him back down to $25. The guy picking it up called the buyer on the phone and the seller grabbed the cab and threw it in his truck and called me. 60 miles and $50 later it was mine.
It's a bit thrashed and the speakers are all toast but I have since bought new ones and it's currently being rewired for pure sonic bliss!

[Isaac]

Ok.,,,Isaac I hope you can help me with telling me the correct nomenclature of the  6 x 10 cabinet I have.  It has 6 -10 inch Sunn 108 G transducers.  The configuration is one of the baffle being a "V" shape or Off Axis layout.  I do not know the model number of the cabinet and obviously either did the person who I bought it from.  Can you tell me who the manufacturer of the speakers were?  Are the speakers of any value, I mean, in your opinion are they worth the expense of re-coning.  Thanks for your input.   Hopefully I can find out soon what exactly the model is. 
Bill

Okay, Spliff. The cabinet is almost surely a 610S. I can't think of anything else it could be. The drivers, as you know, are Sunn 108G Transducers. 108G (think of it as ten eight G) means ten inches, 8 ohms, guitar. I've heard people say that the drivers were made by Eminence, others say by Jensen, yet others that they were made in house by Sunn. They were definitely not made by JBL. I bought a 1216PA from a guy in Salem who told me that he worked in the factory, making drivers, so the Sunn angle carries some weight.

Are they worth reconing? Up to you, I suppose. Are you interested in the 'best' sound, or authenticity? If it's authenticity you're after, check into reconing. I have quite a few of these 10"s: two 410S cabinets and four spare drivers. One of the spares doesn't work, and the other three have a nasty buzz, as does one of the drivers in one of the 410S cabs. So, twelve drivers, one useful cabinet. Most any cheap 10" driver would make the other cabinet sound much better. Driver technology has come a long way in forty years.

I put 'best' in quotes because what sounds best is always a personal decision. Your gear, your sound, your choice.

[feel the sunn]

For most of their history, Sunn used a labeling convention that went as follows: number of drivers in the cabinet, size of the drivers in inches, suggested use.

A 412S was a 4x12 speaker cabinet, but a 412SR was a PA column.

a bit off topic but what would the sp stand for in the case of my two 412sp cabs? 

[Isaac]

I dunno. I'm not familiar with that designation.

[feel the sunn]

I dunno. I'm not familiar with that designation.

from what I can tell the only difference between a 412S & 412SP is the drivers.  412S was rated as a 300 watt cab(I think) and the 412SP was 150. 

I don't own a 412S to see if the dimensions are the same but from the pics i've seen I believe they are. 

[Isaac]

If that's true, then I'd expect the SP to have higher output for a given input. Of course, I might be wrong...

[basiklybass]

Regarding reconing the 108G speakers, just as with JBL's, if the cone and kit is not origianal...it ain't gonna sound original. I would be surprised if there were any original kits around. I read an article somewhere about Sunn making their own speakers so I think they are probably truly made by Sunn. The article talked about them testing the 916SPL speakers by plugging them into the wall...yep....120 volts.....they said they just sat there on the loading dock.....shaking everything and bouncing around. But they didn't blow.

IMHO; go for some modern 10's. I have heard good things about the Jenson MOD series...but being a bass player...never actually heard them...that I know of. Just what I heard.