Just got a Sunn 200s + Cab

peterpanwashere · #1 07-27-2011, 10:26 PM

A local music store was selling a Sunn 200s + matching cab (2x15), and an amp cover (unsure if it's original) for a good price ($600 for all of the above). I picked it up today after trying it out. It's very dirty, and was probably stored in a garage for 30 years. But wow, it sounds sweet.

I have a few questions I'm hoping folks can help with:
1.) How can I date the head and cab? It's sporting KT88s, and the guy at the store thought it had the original JBLs (didn't confirm because I would have had to pull the back of the cab).
2.) What are some suggestions for cleaning it? The guy at the store suggested simple green.
3.) It's still rocking the old 2-prong power cord. I've heard horror stories about people getting shocked. Should I get a 3-prong installed professionally?

Anyways, here she is. For a 50W amp, this sucker is loud!

johnk_10 · #2 07-27-2011, 10:29 PM

major score there! congrats.

the heads go for that alone, and if they're are JBL's in the cab (and it looks like there are), the cab is worth $600 by itself.

IMO, there's no better sounding amp than one of those. louder, yes. but better? i don't think so.

Corey Y · #3 07-27-2011, 10:49 PM

Great deal, that'll shake the rafters for sure. I would get the power cord replaced, it's not very expensive.

Lowbrow · #4 07-27-2011, 11:05 PM

Great deal on a great amp. Congrats!

dbase · #5 07-28-2011, 05:03 AM

I had one of those for club gigs in the 60's It was heavy and a real workhorse. I would say its a 1968 and with four KT88's its a lot more that 50 watts..

coreyfyfe · #6 07-28-2011, 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbase

I would say its a 1968 and with four KT88's its a lot more that 50 watts..

Four KT88s is the 2000S.

Definitely get the power cord swapped out. The amp looks to be in pretty good condition, I've seen much worse. Love the sound of those JBLs.

PJMiDi · #7 07-28-2011, 06:01 AM

Nice Score, but definitely get that power cord swapped out!

JMac4strngr · #8 07-28-2011, 06:16 AM

Sweet score. Sounds like You got one heck of a deal. I'd suggest taking it to a tech for a good once-over, and get that power cord swapped out. Even if You had to do a full recap, and tube replacement it'd still be worth more $ than what You have in it.

arthur31686 · #9 07-28-2011, 08:36 AM

Hell you're guaranteed to get that money back if you decide to resell it....so why not?

edbass · #10 07-28-2011, 09:07 AM

That's an old one; probably late '66 - early '67, likely one of the first single chassis Sunns.

That numbered faceplate was changed in favor of numbered knobs sometime in '67.
However, the years aren't cut and dried on old Sunns, it seems that once a change was made they continued to use remaining parts; knobs, faceplates, etc., until they were gone, and some older amp features appear on newer amps well after the changes were made.

Almost like if they found some old faceplates squirreled away months after the change they would just use them anyway. Serial numbers are little help on old Sunns, they aren't sequential and are pretty much random.
The best way to tell the actual date is to look on the chassis itself.
Almost all of them had a date written in grease pencil on the chassis; some had inspection stickers as well.

Regardless, IMO you got a great score for $600.
And to echo John's sentiments, tonally that rig has very few peers; It will keep up amazingly well in a gig situation as well. If you keep her healthy it will put out an amazing amount of SPL for an amp rated at 60 watts, and tonally it finds its niche and sits very nicely in a band mix.

teleharmonium · #11 07-28-2011, 12:00 PM

It's important to get a proper chassis grounded 3 prong power cord installed and you should get at least the filter caps and power tube bias checked at the same time.

klejst · #12 07-28-2011, 12:14 PM

Indeed, nice score!

peterpanwashere · #13 07-28-2011, 08:32 PM

Thanks for the info. I'll definitely get the 3-prong cord done, and get it a nice checkup.

Does anyone have opinions on Simple Green? I saw a thread with people talking about using it to clean the grill. What about the tolex and metal of the head?

bottomend! · #14 07-29-2011, 05:23 PM

SimpleGreen works great for the tolex and grill. be careful on the grill though because you dont want to scrub too hard and rip stuff. J
Jealous....

hifibass · #15 07-29-2011, 05:34 PM

Amen to the Simple Green and after you have it all cleaned up an additional cleaning with Armor All wouldn't hurt, really spruces it up.
It looks to me that the grill cloth on the cab doesn't match the head. If you want to address that you might want to look at Mojotone's 6300001 "Aged Black/Silver/White" grill cloth.... I think it will match the head perfectly. Mojotone is a great source for vintage parts and there custom service is A+ (at least with me). Nice find! Ken

Amplifier Grill Cloth - Mojotone.com

hifibass · #16 07-29-2011, 05:43 PM

I forgot to address the power cord..... YES, YES, YES, have it changed. I remember playing a gig in 1971 (yup I'm a dinosaur) and looking over at my guitarist/lead singer just at the very instant an 8" BLUE SPARK jumped from his microphone to his WIRE FRAMED GLASSES as he played guitar! I almost crapped myself laughing...... but now I know how serious it could have been. We used the best gear available at that time too but it didn't help. Ken

johnk_10 · #17 07-29-2011, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hifibass

Amen to the Simple Green and after you have it all cleaned up an additional cleaning with Armor All wouldn't hurt, really spruces it up.
It looks to me that the grill cloth on the cab doesn't match the head. If you want to address that you might want to look at Mojotone's 6300001 "Aged Black/Silver/White" grill cloth.... I think it will match the head perfectly.

i wouldn't get armor all anywhere near any of my amps, unless you want it all greasy looking and feeling and WAY too slick and shiny (non-stock). armor all contains silicones and will eventually permeate the vinyl and breakdown the adhesives (a very bad thing).

if you want the vinyl (tolex) to have an original sheen and still be protected, i'd use vinylex instead.

BTW, while mojo is great, they don't carry any grill cloth like the stuff on your Sunn cab. the early Sunns used cloth very similar to ampeg's blue/silver cloth, only it was completely gray with no hue to it. i think i saw somewhere on the the Sunn amp forum that someone has the same type available that's on your head.

Mojo-Man · #18 07-29-2011, 06:31 PM

Nice score.
One of m all time favorite amps.
Looks like JBL's in cab (lucky you.)
I'll give you $900.00 for it right now?

edbass · #19 07-29-2011, 10:03 PM

The grill cloth that’s on your head is newer than the amp; it was used from 1969 forward. The grill cloth on your cab is period correct. Regretfully as John alludes to, it is unavailable. The later style is still available from the OEM, but I don’t know anywhere you can get less than a bulk amount retail, I think 4-5 yards x 72” wide. I’ve got some leftover from doing this rig;

However, I have more rigs that need new grills. There are probably some Sunn-o-philes at the Sunn forum who would sell you enough to do the cab if you want a matching rig. I imagine that they would love to drool over your “score” also!

johnk_10 · #20 07-29-2011, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edbass

......................... I’ve got some leftover from doing this rig;

...........................There are probably some Sunn-o-philes at the Sunn forum who would sell you enough to do the cab if you want a matching rig. I imagine that they would love to drool over your “score” also!

wow Ed. i'm busy drooling over your's!