NAD: Rising Sunn (2000s)

[D.M.N.]

Well, technically, New Amp Day was last Saturday, but I just haven't had the time to post about it yet. So, a little delayed, here it is: My new Sunn 2000s.



As some of you may know, I've been on the prowl for a 2000s for....well, a very long time. I've been close to getting one a number of times, but I've never pulled the trigger. Recently, while lurking around Craigslist, I saw this amp listed down in Portland. Talked to the guy, got him down from his initial asking price, and it was road trip time! The above picture shows it mated with my DIY 2000s cab, and might I say, they are a lovely couple.

More pictures, shall we?



Original US Made Tung-Sol 6550 power valves.


Mullard GZ34 Rectifiers (Great Britain)








Due to the Tube rectifiers, along with the Bass Boost, I'm going with a mid-69 production date (haven't opened it up yet to check the test date). The guy that sold it to me was a guitar player probably 30, and said that his bass playing friend from California had bought it during a visit because it was the cleanest he'd seen, and then had left it at his house, unused. The only damage is a few minor nicks in the tolex, and and a few small scratches on the face plate. No mods have been done to it, it even still has the two prong cable and an operating polarity switch (I'll promptly get that fixed, as I now know personally how unfun it is to get shocked). It features 8 & 4 ohm taps (yes, I know the 16 is in there).


Alright, now for the review:
Let me just start out with making the following statement: DAAAAAAAAYYYYUUUUMMM. Got it home, plugged it into to the cab (loaded with JBL K-140s), powered it up, plugged in my 62 RI P into the normal channel, and put all knobs to five. What a sound. Warm and articulate. Leaving the volume on 5, I started fiddling with all the knobs, eventually ending up with Treble-10, Bass-5, Contour-10, bass boost engaged. That is a BIG sound. even with my P-basses tone knob wide open, it retains a massive low end. In fact, after a while I disengaged the boost cause there was so much bass, and I'm still figuring where to set it (Bass knob is fluctuating between 0-10, and there isn't a bad setting to be found, it just depends on the song). Next I tried out the Bright Channel, which doesn't have as much bass, but can get very....biting? cutting? So the controls pretty much stay the same, except usually the bass is up at 10, with the bass boost occasionally engaged. Roll the tone knob all the way open, and let's play some Working Man and early Rush! Back in the normal channel, crank the volume to 10, and it's 60's overdrive time! Felix Pappalardi? I know how you got your tone! Noel Redding? Yes please! It's a really great sound, perfect for what I like to do.

Zebrabird time: I've always felt a little at odds with my Zebrabird. It's never quite worked for me, partially due to my big hands and the toothpick neck, and partially because I've never quite got the proper tone from it. Well, certainly remedied that. It sounds AMAZING through the 2000s. Big bold lows, but not loose or boomy, growly mids, and tight highs. With the bass boost engaged, and the bass up at 10, stuff it taking a walk in my house, but it's still articulate, and not muddy. Roll off the neck pickup a bunch, put the bridge up all the way, and crank the amp and it's honky Jack Bruce time.




So, there you have it. I really like it, could you tell?

[s_mcsleazy]

my lord

[fu22ba55]

Congrats man, that's a nice one. Looks unmolested.

Good on you for building a 27" wide cab. I don't like how those usually look atop narrower cabs. Yours looks sweet.

[Freddels]

That was my first amp (well probably not that exact one) and I played it for many years from rock, top 40, jazz, etc. It was a very good sounding amp. It was also a beast to move. Congrats!

[cripula]

Very nice - sweet condition!
Bonus getting the Tung Sols. I have Winged C KT88s in mine and it is a fantastic sounding amp, I love it.
I've used mine on smaller gigs with a Berg HT112ER... now THAT looks ridiculous

[Freddels]

Originally Posted by cripula

Very nice - sweet condition!
Bonus getting the Tung Sols. I have Winged C KT88s in mine and it is a fantastic sounding amp, I love it.
I've used mine on smaller gigs with a Berg HT112ER... now THAT looks ridiculous

I used mine on top of a B-15 fliptop cab. It had the original tubes in it since I bought it in 1977 and used it until 1985.

[RockBobby]

Good news! There is a borwn (I think)8ohm tap wire that you can swap out in the tranny, for the 16 ohm tap, and make the amp a 4/8 ohm instead of 8/16 ohm!! I lost the pics from when I did mine.

[D.M.N.]

^It's actually is at 8 & 4, just as it left the factory.

Originally Posted by Freddels

It was a very good sounding amp. It was also a beast to move. Congrats!

Ha, yeah, it's kind of a bulky rig. But it's actually easier to move than my Bassman 300.

Originally Posted by fu22ba55

Congrats man, that's a nice one. Looks unmolested.

Good on you for building a 27" wide cab. I don't like how those usually look atop narrower cabs. Yours looks sweet.

Yeah, it's one of the nicest I've seen for sale in a long time. I'm very happy with the condition. Especially the lack of rust, which you often see.

The cab is actually 30" wide, same as the head! It's a bit ridiculous, but I love the thing. Especially the looks it gets when you roll in such a behemoth.

[RockBobby]

Originally Posted by D.M.N.

^It's actually is at 8 & 4, just as it left the factory.
.

I thought they all were 8/16 factory...... Hmmmm

[Mojo-Man]

Very nice.
The 2000s, and the 200s are just great thru two K-140's.
One of my favorite tones.

[fu22ba55]

Originally Posted by D.M.N.

The cab is actually 30" wide, same as the head!

Damn. I thought my 27" wide V4 was stupid. All I remember about the 2000s I played through was that it was stoopid wide, and it sounded stoopid good.

[ryco]

score!!

Love my 200s!

Dream rig would be a 2000s on top of a Coliseum 300
biamped lows into a Coliseum 8028 and hi's to a 4x10 cab!

[coreyfyfe]

Nice amp man. Dig the sound of a K140 with bass, have one in my B15, can't imagine two of them.

[JimmyM]

nice nice nice! the sunn rig is complete!

[johnk_10]

yep. i love mine too. and i agree that it does seem to make any bass sound as good or better than it is. mine is the SS rectified version, and it's also near mint:







i also run mine with two k140's, or two K140's and a a 1x18 cab:





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[Bassman822]

Those things are only rated at 120w rms, but what a a$$-kicking 120 watts thatis

[koobie]

Nice score! Scratching my head on why I didn't try to jump on that one. Oh yeah, I'm trying not to buy every cool tube bass amp I see! I played a friend's 200S into a 2xD140 Sunn cab and it sounded great, really creamy.

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by D.M.N.

^It's actually is at 8 & 4, just as it left the factory.



Ha, yeah, it's kind of a bulky rig. But it's actually easier to move than my Bassman 300.



Yeah, it's one of the nicest I've seen for sale in a long time. I'm very happy with the condition. Especially the lack of rust, which you often see.

The cab is actually 30" wide, same as the head! It's a bit ridiculous, but I love the thing. Especially the looks it gets when you roll in such a behemoth.

i wonder if that cab could be re jigged to 27in,and still sound as good......maybe deeper/higher,or is the difference in volume or shape that big a deal........30 is what too many doors measure and my head is only 26 and change....

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Jim Campbell

i wonder if that cab could be re jigged to 27in,and still sound as good......maybe deeper/higher,or is the difference in volume or shape that big a deal........30 is what too many doors measure and my head is only 26 and change....

wouldn't look the same. totally worth the extra inches.

[Gizmot]

N I C E amp. I was always impressed with these as well as the 200S.