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1968 Sunn 200S
- Thread starter NKUSigEp
- Start date
I had one in 1966 or 67. At the time, it was a good amp but back then there were Fender Bassman and Showman, Vox and little else for bass. By todays standards, fair at best.
I have had two 200S's in my life. The first one (1967 200S with original cabinet and speakers) was fantastic. I sold it to fund a vintage SVT purchase. Later I got a 1970 200S head (sounded great too but different than the earlier one) and overhauled it, then sold it after about 5 years because I got a 2000S head and cabinet and I don't need to duplicate the sound. To me the 2000S sounds the best, but the 200S sounds very good too. I know a guy in a touring blues band who uses a Fender Showman head and Bassman cabinet live and mics it, and then goes through a DI into the PA and he has a great sound. It can be done just fine with the old amps. Sure they are a little more effort to drag around, but it is worth it for the warm sound. Not everyone plays them cranked into distortion either....and clean they sound way more alive than any SS amp.
Greg
Greg
Dont remind me of those Sunn's. I left giging in 1970 and sold my 68 Sunn amp plus a 65 Fender Precision bass all for $350. I would love to have it all back now but I cant pick up the cab at my age.
I know a guy in a touring blues band who uses a Fender Showman head and Bassman cabinet live and mics it, and then goes through a DI into the PA and he has a great sound. It can be done just fine with the old amps.
now you're talking My language. been doing exactly that since 1987 and still doing it too. i have no need or desire to mess with my sound. it is the perfect tone for old school roots music, which is what i do. a modded to hell bf bassman (it's now on par with a bf showman) and either a 1-15 or 2-15. so help me, if i had a dollar for every foh guy who raved about my tone i'd have paid for my dream reeves 225 already. sorta kidding about the reeves (sigh) but not the compliments; over the years i've had some very skeptical soundmen come up mid set and rave about it. i'll take a di or a mic, prefer the mic, but i know that both is best for them. get your tone, don't worry about covering the room, let the pa do the heavy lifting. works a charm. there's new/"better"/lighter of course, but if you want That tone you gotta grunt for it. and at 54 i still don't mind the schlep one bit, as long as my back holds out that is!
now you're talking My language. been doing exactly that since 1987 and still doing it too. i have no need or desire to mess with my sound. it is the perfect tone for old school roots music, which is what i do. a modded to hell bf bassman (it's now on par with a bf showman) and either a 1-15 or 2-15. so help me, if i had a dollar for every foh guy who raved about my tone i'd have paid for my dream reeves 225 already. sorta kidding about the reeves (sigh) but not the compliments; over the years i've had some very skeptical soundmen come up mid set and rave about it. i'll take a di or a mic, prefer the mic, but i know that both is best for them. get your tone, don't worry about covering the room, let the pa do the heavy lifting. works a charm. there's new/"better"/lighter of course, but if you want That tone you gotta grunt for it. and at 54 i still don't mind the schlep one bit, as long as my back holds out that is!
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
I played through one recently. It sounded great for a while, but started to rat out after a while. If it had sounded the same all the way through, I would have liked it a lot. It probably needed some work, but so it goes.
- Feb 16, 2008
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- John K Custom Basses
just like any other vintage amp, it probably just needed new filter caps and possibly some new tubes. i completely went thru my 2000S to put it back up to factory spec and it sounds great on the first set as well as the fifth.
Exactly. I had Conrad Sundholm go through my 2000s this summer to bring it up to 21st century specs, and it's fantastic. Just as reliable as any modern production amps.
I still have to go through my 2000S but the 200S that I sold I went through and overhauled and never had a problem again with it in over 7 years of owning it.
With my 2000S, since the chassis has so much room, I'm going to go through it and use Solen polypropylene caps instead of electrolytics, and set up tip pin jacks and individual bias pots so I will never have to open the amp up again once I am done with it and the caps will last forever too since those type of caps don't fail. When the tubes go bad I will be able to change them and rebias without having to pull the chassis.
Greg
With my 2000S, since the chassis has so much room, I'm going to go through it and use Solen polypropylene caps instead of electrolytics, and set up tip pin jacks and individual bias pots so I will never have to open the amp up again once I am done with it and the caps will last forever too since those type of caps don't fail. When the tubes go bad I will be able to change them and rebias without having to pull the chassis.
Greg
- Feb 16, 2008
- 21,240
- 23,638
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- John K Custom Basses
i used sprague atom filter caps and an OEM CE multicap in mine and couldn't be happier with it, and it's good to go another 25 years.
with NOS GE 6550A's:
with NOS GE 6550A's:
The 200S is nice and light and portable, compared with my other tube heads. 
Rocking the "oldies" trio with a 2x12, it does tend to max out. It still sounds musical though, and I can still hear myself, even with two electric guitars. It's good for those occasions where you don't want the volume to get too out of hand. (Kind of cool to be rocking the house with 60 watts!
)
I really love how simple the controls are. How many other amps do you see with just two EQ knobs?? (I wish they were all like this.)
Rocking the "oldies" trio with a 2x12, it does tend to max out. It still sounds musical though, and I can still hear myself, even with two electric guitars. It's good for those occasions where you don't want the volume to get too out of hand. (Kind of cool to be rocking the house with 60 watts!
)I really love how simple the controls are. How many other amps do you see with just two EQ knobs?? (I wish they were all like this.)
http://www.pappalardi.com/M19.html
The amp system Felix uses is the Sunn equipment that he claims was first designed for Jimi Hendrix. "It was souped up some more by our Tom Lyle," he adds, "but I really don't know what he did. Something to do with the top, I think. I'm really not into all that electronic thing. As long as I have the bark, the attack, that I like, everything's fine."
http://www.youtube.com/user/StephenRedrobe#p/c/31CFED372B003094/9/ixSTnLFIqYM
The amp system Felix uses is the Sunn equipment that he claims was first designed for Jimi Hendrix. "It was souped up some more by our Tom Lyle," he adds, "but I really don't know what he did. Something to do with the top, I think. I'm really not into all that electronic thing. As long as I have the bark, the attack, that I like, everything's fine."
http://www.youtube.com/user/StephenRedrobe#p/c/31CFED372B003094/9/ixSTnLFIqYM
i used sprague atom filter caps and an OEM CE multicap in mine and couldn't be happier with it, and it's good to go another 25 years.
with NOS GE 6550A's:
Looks good.
You could have saved a lot of money and space by going with caps other than the Sprague Atoms. They are overpriced and are just a modern small cap inside the large container anyway these days. Any of the ***con brands are good, as are F & T. I tend to stay away from Illinois caps as I have had problems in the past with them in some repairs.
The CE can cap has had issues over the years. They were not very reliable early on and it took them many years to solve that problem. Moreover, they are only rated for 525v, and the amps are often more than that with the higher wall voltages that we have these days. Can caps are expensive also. On the 200S I had, I left the can in place but disconnected it and installed discrete caps internally. It was cheaper, and replacements will be available when it needs a recap in 25 years whereas multi value can caps will probably not except on a custom basis. I used JJ KT88's in the 200S and that is what I have planned for the 2000S also. They have been extremely reliable and sound fantastic in Sunns. I do have some used GE 6550's in the 2000S now but not sure what I will do with them after I rebuild it.They still test out fine and sound good.
Greg
I knew this kid that played through a set up like that or, maybe it was a Traynor top, through a 200S bottom with a Pelham blue EB-0. Man, now that was a killer tone.
Well lots of history with the 200S, i wasn't around in 67 or so, was pooping my diapers in the 70's....
But, still huge fan of The Who, even more so Blue Cheer, Mountain, MC5, heck even Buffalo Springfield.
and i loved the over the edge everything is going to explode sound and the clean tones that many famous, timeless artist have used the 200S for.
Heck dude take it back to Woodstock there was no SVT...yea no SVT magnavox at Woodstock. Sunn, Acoustic Control and Fender ruled that stage in the bass department.
So yah we are way past woodstock, maybe a 60 watt 6550 pair aint enough for the "Modern" player........
But when i plug this old dinosaur P bass into this old dinosaur 200s it sounds like a truckload of Mountain pounding my ears, heck with just a little more cowbell my brain might explode.
Reliability ? you ask
I ain't going to tear apart my 200S to show you but i wish you could see these rusty old krusty transformers, all original electronics, and still running the original dynaco silver caps.....
yes i need to upgrade the caps....sure i can yank the tube rectifier for 80 watts......but heck ...it still works! it still freakin works !
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- Feb 16, 2008
- 21,240
- 23,638
- Disclosures
- John K Custom Basses
maybe so, but i've always had very good results with the sprague atoms, and who cares about space in that chassis anyway?
i've never had a CE fail on me either, so i'm happy with the stock appearance inside the amp too. 
Yeah Sprague Atoms have traditionally been good caps, but they are just so overpriced now, and aren't even the same thing that they have been over time since they are just a modern cap inside that huge shell nowadays. But yah the 2000S has all kinds of room so its no worry in that amp. In the 200S space is a bigger concern if you try to use those 600v Spragues. I'll be going with the Solen caps which are HUGE but again that chassis has the room. I don't mind changing from the stock setup as I will get better perfomance and sound (in my opinion and on paper) with the poly caps and larger first two caps. Also I will never get rid of the amp. I'll share pics whenever I finally get around to rebuilding it.
Greg
Greg
- Feb 16, 2008
- 21,240
- 23,638
- Disclosures
- John K Custom Basses
yeah im up in the air how i want to recap my 200S to.
I just want to really keep it original i think, im still rolling with the tube rec too.
I always think about adding some more caps in series with bleed resistors like a somewhat more modern amp. and then pulling the tube rec for more watts. My chassis has some unused pre drilled holes in a big empty section under the chassis. i could just pop rivet some tabs to them and build a whole new power section right there. its almost like Sunn designed these things to be upgraded....but then i say nahhh i'll keep it original. and just build my own hot rodded kt88 pair if i really need a hot rodded 200S...and then the answer is...Noel Redding....2000S need more watts just step up to bigger brother.
I just want to really keep it original i think, im still rolling with the tube rec too.
I always think about adding some more caps in series with bleed resistors like a somewhat more modern amp. and then pulling the tube rec for more watts. My chassis has some unused pre drilled holes in a big empty section under the chassis. i could just pop rivet some tabs to them and build a whole new power section right there. its almost like Sunn designed these things to be upgraded....but then i say nahhh i'll keep it original. and just build my own hot rodded kt88 pair if i really need a hot rodded 200S...and then the answer is...Noel Redding....2000S need more watts just step up to bigger brother.
