need some input on a Sunn 1x15 cabinet!

[OR120]

Hey y'all! I've been fortunate to own tons of Sunn stuff over the years- having a guitar store helps! I have these 2 1x15 cabs in my personal stash. The taller one is 36" (not including the castors), and looks like a Sentura cabinet. It's the gray, as opposed to the silver/black grill, and came with a matching Sorado head, similar to the amp I used to borrow from the local high school in the early 70's when I was 13! Then, a few years ago I picked up the shorter cab, 29" tall. I've never seen any reference to it specifically- they made a "sound system" 1x15 that was 29" tall, but was supposed to have a horn in it. The innards look fully original, and it never had a horn, but does have the little port down at the bottom.
    Cool stuff! Thanks for any ideas
             Chip Coleman
OR120@aol.com

[CLD]

Nice looking setup, Chip! I think there have been some comments in the past about 115s like yours; I'm not much help as I have the early '70s 115V that is 24x24x15.

Not as impressive as that Coliseum wall you were trying to sell a few years ago, maybe, but still fun and a LOT easier to move around.

Carter

[OR120]

hey Carter!
  How are things? Nasville show good this summer? I was gigging and missed it.
  I still have some of the giant rig. I actually added to it after the picture was made!
  I have yet to meet anyone who is up on a 29" tall Sunn 1x15. I just sold 2 silver front 1x15V's, and have one of the red logo 1x15 folded horns in stock, most of the Sunn nuts I know are familiar with the Sentura style 1x15 or the 15V. But never this. Here's the front


And the inside



If you remember Jason, who used to work for me- he used the Sorado head with an 18V at rehearsals. SOunds great! But unloading the SVT is just a pain
                 Take care
                  Chip

[loudthud]

That looks like some version of the Sonaro cabinet. Made for a short time around 1969. The stock speaker was a "heavy duty Sunn Bass Transducer". The porting is different from the one I have but they could have been experimenting with different port configurations or it could have been installed by the owner. Note that there is no faux front to make the plywood look thicker and the corners on the front only have two screws. The Studio Sound System cabinets have the faux front, three screw corners and the speaker is offset to one side.

[CLD]

Chip, a post titled "old sunn 115 cab info" in the Q&A section sheds some light on this.  It was  pretty long thread, but in one of the posts EdBass (7-5-07) identified the 29x24x11.5 cab as a Sonaro cabinet, originally fitted with a Sunn Bass Transducer. In 1969 the Sonaro was a piggyback rig, as Loudthud mentions, and not a one-piece combo as it had been previously.

According to Ed's same post, the 38x24x11.5 cab was for the Sentura I (as you suspected), and originally came with a JBL D15S.

I have two of the 115RH cabs, both outfitted with JBL E-140 speakers. They are great individually or together.  

Unfortunately, I missed the Nashville show, too. Mike pushed the date back a month or so beforehand and I couldn't go on the new weekend. I'll tell him we talked here, though!

Carter

[Isaac]

That port doesn't look like a Sunn job to me. Of course, I may be wrong.

[madaradio]

That port doesn't look like a Sunn job to me. Of course, I may be wrong.

I have the same cab (or maybe a year or two older), and it has the same port.  Some type of cardboard roll.

[OR120]

Hey everyone- thank for the input. It's cool to get some more info on it. I like both cabs, and trying to figure out which to keep and which to sell. I just have way too much stuff.
   When I was in Junior High school in Morganton, NC, early 70's I used to borrow a Sorado with a 1x15 cab from the high schools stage nand to go jam with my buddies, along with their Japanese Epiphone bass. I lost the coin toss and had to move to bass. I've had a soft spot for Sunn Sorado's ever since. Hard to forget your first time. Of plugging into a Sunn, that is.
    Carter, I'll look for that post. Knowledge is power!
                                                Chip

[Isaac]

That port doesn't look like a Sunn job to me. Of course, I may be wrong.

I have the same cab (or maybe a year or two older), and it has the same port.  Some type of cardboard roll.

Okay. Not the first time I've been wrong.

[george]

Sonaro extension cabinet - I believe it was supposed to used with the combo version? Mine has the same port, etc. I installed a Gauss 15" and it is really nice. Use it with a 200s or a Sonaro  "head" that I built up from a 40 W chassis.

[lochry]

The 36" 1x15 cab on the left of the OP's photo is my Favorite guitar cab - Spectrum I.  I've owned and sold several (just look at my avatar).  I've used them with Hiwatts, Fenders, and Sunns (of course).  Very tight and balanced.  Comparably lightweight and trunk friendly.  If I only had one cab, that's the one.  Never used it for bass.

[OR120]

I've used them both for guitar, with EV 15L's. Sounds killer! I use the Sorado head a lot, but have gigged with it using it with a tweed Vibrolux (recovered in zebra material).

[Johnny Guitar]

I have 3 of the standard 115 cabs.
Johnny G.

[Johnny Guitar]

Here is a Sonaro.   ( I'm having trouble loading more than a couple of pics at a time )
Johnny G