Kingsmen w/ Norm on Bass and Sunn Amps

[HRobert]

Hey!!!  Lookie what I found!! A picture of the orignal Kingsmen at a gig with Norm Sundholm on Bass.  Look at the Sunn Amp behind him.  There also appears to be another Sunn cab behind the guitar player on the right and another Sunn head on the stage next to the Fender Twin.

Rob

[bigobassman]

FAR OUT 

Sunn ever make a keyboard? 

[ROCKETBRO2]

In those days, it was Vox Jaguar and Farfisa that were the hot keyboards.

[HRobert]

In those days, it was Vox Jaguar and Farfisa that were the hot keyboards.

You got that right.  In 1968 I was using a Vox Jaguar combo organ and a Sentura II amp.

[HRobert]

FAR OUT 

Sunn ever make a keyboard? 

Nope, Sunn never made anything but amps and sound reinforcement equipment, and later in it's existence, some microphones and lighting equipment. I understand that when Fender took them over there was some sort of guitar with the Sunn name on it, but I'm not sure.

Rob

[biltmore]

Fender made a 'Sunn Mustang' that was made in India. It's a horrible guitar.

[mc2]

FAR OUT 

Sunn ever make a keyboard? 

Sort of.....SUNN retrofitted a few Hammond organs circa 1965-66. They beefed them up and made they more portable and covered them in SUNN black tolex...paired them with a beefed up Leslie cabinet and SUNN amp head. I've seen them with both an early top controlSUNN head and also an early 7 knob front control head.

I had heard that it was done without prior OK of Hammond and Hammond said to stop...because the SUNN badges were screwed to the front of the Hammond and Leslie.

If you look carefully at the front of the 1966 catalog....the band is playing one of them!

[HRobert]

Thanks for the info.  Maybe Conrad would have more information about these organs.

[bigobassman]

Interesting info guys.  Here's why I asked the question.  I enlarged the photo of Norm and crew.  Looking it over, there is something solid looking with SUNN on it just about where the keyboard could be for the keyboard player in the pic.  Of course, could be a bit of an illusion in 1D, but it led me to the question.  I don't recall ever having seen a SUNN keyboard, but that doesn't mean there wasn't one.  Once I clicked the pic to enlarge there, I clicked the text size on my computer and went 200%.  Gives you a pretty good close view.  Take a look and see what you see.   

[mc2]

Well....here's a pic of the setup I almost bought several year back. If you look close you will see the organ says "Hammond" above the center of the lower keyboard.

The seller was the second owner and had gotten it with somethig needing repair, etc. but said he got the entire rig, as pictured, from the original owner. I'd have to search my email archives...don't recall if he said who he got it from.

[biltmore]

Check these out"

http://www.organforum.com/forums/showthread.php?4100-1966-ish-Sunn-Hammond-Leslie-Conversion-done-by-Sunn-factory-Need-help-with-history-of-this-equipment-Can-you-take-a-look

http://www.organforum.com/forums/showthread.php?4101-1966-Sunn-Hammond-M3-Leslie-Conversion-For-Sale-Soon-How-Much

http://www.zeni.net/pipermail/hammond/2009-March/074894.html


Looks like in the 1960's Conrad and crew were chopping up Hammond Organs into more portable enclosures and branding them with a Sunn logo. Apparently they even received cease and desist letters from Hammond! Crazy.

[mc2]

Yeah...this is the same one that surfaced above about 5 years back.

This was the comment at the time from Conrad regarding SUNN and those organs:

" I did about three of them.  I also converted the Leslie to JBL components, including the JBL 375 2” driver.  It was ridiculous."

[madaradio]

how come you didn't buy it?

[mc2]

 VERY, VERY expensive....I could've bought a car or a nice motorcycle...actually both