Gee, what a surprise…people on here whine about Fender shutting Sunn down, and now they’re bringing it back and getting even more whining about it.
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Return of Sunn?
- Thread starter FirewalZ
- Start date
WOW..
I could buy one of those,...or a car.
I could really use a car
.
I could buy one of those,...or a car.
I could really use a car
.
Doug Parent
Supporting Member
I’m interested in this. I am not in the camp of people who are gonna pay $3200 for a 65w tube amp, but I am actually fine with the Beta Bass pricing and pretty excited about the prospect of owning a new, reliable Beta for a reasonable price!
It does seem a little odd to stick with the 100w rating when class D power is so easily expandable beyond that. But… I ran a Sunn Coliseum 300 for years as my main rig, and it was 100w at 8 ohms. Granted, I did use it with an Ampeg 810, but I never once felt like I lacked power from it, and I ran that thing pretty loud at times. I’ve heard a lot of things said about the solid state Sunn amps, but complaints about lack of volume hasn’t really been one of them.
It does seem a little odd to stick with the 100w rating when class D power is so easily expandable beyond that. But… I ran a Sunn Coliseum 300 for years as my main rig, and it was 100w at 8 ohms. Granted, I did use it with an Ampeg 810, but I never once felt like I lacked power from it, and I ran that thing pretty loud at times. I’ve heard a lot of things said about the solid state Sunn amps, but complaints about lack of volume hasn’t really been one of them.
I have the Beta Bass Combo with a 15" I bought in 1981(?). I love this amp, but it does need some cleaning on some contacts, etc. I think I paid $400 for it. $800 for the head only? I guess that makes sense, figuring in inflation, etc.
I play my 4001 through it, the neck pickup to one channel and the bridge to the other, with a bit of increased gain to get some growl.
Apart from all the price/value discussions, the fact that they are using tube rectification for a 65-watt amp sounds interesting. I really wonder how it would affect the final tone of the amp, particularly at relatively higher volumes. We had already discussed the tube rectification in bass amps at the following link…
Tube rectification in bass amps?
Tube rectification in bass amps?
Bashing Fender is as much fun as firing a drummer on the spot or searching for the best bass for metal!
And Rickenbacker, and SG guitars, and MOOG synths...
But it won't work for Marshall 4x12 slanted cabinets forever.
A few 17 year olds move Marshall stacks for a dozen pay to play shows and they're going to be shopping for neodymium cabs.
If you have any experience running FOH, you don’t have to ask that question - the answer to why amps on stage are usually a bad idea is pretty obvious.
Welcome to "Made In the USA".
I had a Sonaro head back in the 80s, same as the 200s...I think Sunn just used to name the same head differently when sold with different cabs. Mine had EL34s in it when I got it. I paid $100, sold it for $150. Those were the days
Then…why would 100 be considered not enough by some? Anything less than 300 scoffed at? It didn’t seem like a bad idea over a very long period of time; in ear tech has been around for years.
Amps on stage is still the default that I encounter, from festivals where it’s obviously in the PA, to smaller joints where it isn’t, just vocals.
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The practice room?Well, where do you put the amps if they're not on stage?
the 200s bass head
$3200. 32lbs.
100 bucks a pound. is that really what people are clamoring for these days?
and 65 watts? what can you do with that?
and a 100 watt cab, thereby eliminating virtually any possibility of running most other heads into it.
I know they were legendary and important, but times have changed.
$3200. 32lbs.
100 bucks a pound. is that really what people are clamoring for these days?
and 65 watts? what can you do with that?
and a 100 watt cab, thereby eliminating virtually any possibility of running most other heads into it.
I know they were legendary and important, but times have changed.
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huh, I ran sound at major market clubs for local and international touring rock bands for many years. Amps were used for most primary stringed and keyed instruments as a primary monitoring source for the players AND definitely as sound shapers.
these amps were in no way a bad idea and not a problem for me, or the audience who came to see these acts.
side note, the best cellist I ever worked with (who toured and recorded with Nirvana land others) very effectively used a small Roland guitar amp to effectively “pass band” her cello into a very useable signal that could plug right into a rock mix - this amp was a great example of how simple low tech can work nicely.
Turn it up to a point where it sounds cronchy without getting fired.
