Help! need someone to help me identify my Sunn amp

[fatherg101]

Bought a Sunn bass amp a few weeks back, just got it yesterday. rough to look at but i was shown that it was given a clean bill of health (repair mans receipt). but once i plugged it in it blew a fuse and im real sure its a power tube. so i made some calls and found someone to repair it. but i since the front was in such rough shape it has no model name. i can list off any of the specs on the back of the amp. and i have some pic's as well. shes kickin in at 8 ohms with two tung sol 6550 tubes, one gz 34 s that you can see in the picture and a 6AN8A.

 

[fatherg101]

more pics

 

[BigHandsOT]

Sunn's are almost impossible to accurately date. About the best you can get is an era range. This one looks to me to be 70's era.

 

[dhsierra1]

odds are in favor of it being a 200S.

 

[fatherg101]

Years between 69-71 since they only started using 6550's post 69. 200s is what i thought as well but secondary opinions give me some confidence and excitment.

 

[dhsierra1]

someone like JohnK_10 would be your best bet for positive ID.

Regardless, that's a nice amp, hook it up w/one or more efficient 15s for righteous vintage tone

 

[fatherg101]

Thanks man i appreciate it keep on

 

[JxBass]

200S is what came to my mind as well. I owned one briefly in the late 60's and I recall it being like this one, feature wise. But it was a loooong time ago and I could be wrong.

 

[Jeff Scott]

It could possibly be a Sonic or Spectrum, they and the 200S all looked the same.

 

[Bassquest]

The Sonaro, Sorado and 100s also had similar fronts but I'm not sure what tubes were in them. My main rig for years was a 200s with 2 x 15 cab (JBL D140's).

 

[fatherg101]

It's proving most difficult to find information online that may help me identify the head because of the similarities between some of Sunn's models.

 

[dhsierra1]

yeah, there were a few models that looked the same and had similar features.

Is there a serial number somewhere on the amp? Maybe that could help?

 

[johnk_10]

it could be a 200S, a Sonaro, A Sorado, or a Sonic II. all of those amps are basically identical- 1-12AX7, 1-6AN8, 1-GZ34- 2-6550/KT88's.

to date it, just look at the date codes on the caps or the pots. it's also usually written on a sticker inside of the chassis.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I have a feeling some of the amps were identical but had different model names depending on the speaker cabinet they were paired with.

 

[edbass]

I have a feeling some of the amps were identical but had different model names depending on the speaker cabinet they were paired with.

Yes, that is correct. Until the '71 model year you couldn't buy an amp without the matching cab, and the name of the amp was for the pair.

I think it's from '69 possibly '70, and it's a 200S, a Sorado, or a Sonic I-40 head. Since they are in fact identical, it's pretty much a moot point.

As BigHandsOT posted, accurate Sunn dating is difficult unless, as John posts, you can find an inspection sticker inside the chassis. Sometimes instead of a sticker, there is a grease pencil date scrawled somewhere inside.
Serial numbers are of no use in dating Sunns.

Even catalogs don't help a lot, as there were also a lot of anamolies; for example for 1970 the tube amps were converted to SS rectifiers, however I have a tube rectified '71 200S, and the 2000S was renamed 350B in '72, yet I have a '72 dated amp that's labeled 2000S.

 

[Kirk Bryant]

Simple ..go to the source. Conrad Sundholm. He is available at his website.
And I will say he is very accessable and loves to talk about all his amps. He now is into build ing some awesome lower wattage Blues/Rock amps.
He also is now making a Tube Bass preamp. I have heard it a couple of times and played through it once a year or two ago when he was dialing it in and bringing it around to the local Blues Jams. It sounded VERY good every time I heard and played it.

C4 Tube Bass Preamp

Sadly I think he is under the radar of most people since he's more into the word of mouth groove.
A LOT of local Excellent Blues guys are using his guitar amps. All very high quality hand made stuff.

Welcome

Email or call he's a great guy!

peace Kirk