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Sunn 4x15 cab

#141
Marko 1 said:
As a person who likes big cabs, it had better at least perform better than a smaller/lighter cab.

If I were lugging around some old 175# cab, and there's a 75# 2x15 that would perform better, I'd feel like a dang fool.
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Yup, I use to rock this pile of...stuff

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True my taste in music and the bands I play with have changed since I got that stuff. Now it's this that I use.

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It's gets me the tone,, volume, and feel that I like. Does it sound as big as the other stuff? No but I don't need it to, yet it sounds better, more low end without all the work in a small package. Clearer mids and highs not a boxie mess.

It is a result of science.

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:)
 
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#142
Ok, let me give the perspective as someone who ACTUALLY USED this cab for a number of club gigs BITD.
In the mid’70s Sunn made at least 3 cabs with this crossfire design, 6x10, 6x12, and 4x15.
As has been pointed out, this was in the era of zero reinforcement of stage amps in clubs.
I also often did live sound (vocal mics only!) from stage.
This meant I would routinely go out front while playing, and check overall stage sound and mix.

I had used one of the V-style Sunn 610s for guitar and was pleased with its relatively broad horizontal dispersion.
Closed back, flat baffle multi-driver guitar cabs (looking at you, Marshall 4x12) were notoriously beamy. Killed you directly in front, inaudible off-axis.

So when I joined my next band as bassist, I picked up a Sunn 415 like the one in the OP. What I found was that for bass, the cab threw very well to the back of the room, and sounded great, but was virtually inaudible on stage over drums and other amps.

We switched to the SVT cab and solved that problem. Not too loud in the house, easily heard on stage.
 
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#144
If this old beast is local and cheap, give it a try. That’s how I ended up with my Sunn 2-15. It came, it went, no harm, no foul, (minor hassles and muscle strains) and I learned a lesson.

The last old Peavey 2-15 cab I sold for $100. And I would have gone lower in a second, plus the buyer got to carry it up the stairs from the basement. Thought that was going to kill the deal, so I helped him get it to the truck. Bye, bye!

Today we can have all those amps, cabs, fx, mikes, ect is a nifty software package. If the goal is recording, go digital and go direct. Same for live, if there is solid FOH, let them do the heavy lifting.

Want that wall of sound look from the old days? Get it printed on a scrim and hang a backdrop.
 
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#145
Aussie Player said:
The OP simply asked if anyone knew this cab and had experience with it.
Only 2 or 3 had first hand experience, mostly favourable, which has been challenged thereafter by those who had none.
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I disagree, my experiences with it weren't favorable mixing a band. At FOH, by itself it was a mid bass kind of mud machine, but it was raw and loud (which was very much important back in the day with 200 watt amps). It was also pretty big and VERY heavy. This is consistent with others who posted similar experiences.

It may have been favorable for the time, but so were the early steam tractors compared to plowing with horses or mules. Please try to understand the context that these posts are being made in. Times change, music evolved, so did the gear.
 
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#147
Aussie Player said:
The OP simply asked if anyone knew this cab and had experience with it.
Only 2 or 3 had first hand experience, mostly favourable, which has been challenged thereafter by those who had none.
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This is an odd interpretation of this thread: OP is interested in it to sound like Lemmy or Jason Newstead(!!).
Would you seriously recommend this cabinet for that purpose? Or really would you recommend this cabinet over most any modern cabinet?

I completely understand your point about it being the best available at the time: I’ve mentioned playing through an 18” Peavey folded horn. It did some things well. If someone was interested in buying one to use in 2024, I would almost certainly discourage them unless there was a very sound reason to use that particular design.
 
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#148
InkCow said:
This is an odd interpretation of this thread: OP is interested in it to sound like Lemmy or Jason Newstead(!!).
Would you seriously recommend this cabinet for that purpose? Or really would you recommend this cabinet over most any modern cabinet?

I completely understand your point about it being the best available at the time: I’ve mentioned playing through an 18” Peavey folded horn. It did some things well. If someone was interested in buying one to use in 2024, I would almost certainly discourage them unless there was a very sound reason to use that particular design.
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I would use the Peavey 18 as the bottom end of a bi-amp system. That's how I rolled about 10-20 years ago. Still have some of it left that has to go. Need the room.

:)
 
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#150
DJ Bebop said:
I think his point was, as good as the now vintage stuff was back in his day. He wouldn't insist on using it today like people do now. He prefers the advancements that has been made since.that time.

:)
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So true! I have turned down vintage stuff because modern equipment is less costly, reliable, lighter and easily serviced or replaced.

When I recently returned to bass, I thought I needed a tube amp to replicate what I had back in the 60s. I bought an Ampeg 20T, only to find that the tube sound doesn't necessarily carry over into the mix. In addition, since I was mainly playing into a DAW, I could get very close with some plugins in Reaper.

As I got more into my return to bass, I found that technique and EQ played a very important part in my sound.

Long story short, I sold my 20T and am very happy with my DAW and the Fender Rumble 100 Combo. If I can't make good noise with that, I am hanging it up for good :laugh:.
 
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#151
InkCow said:
This is an odd interpretation of this thread: OP is interested in it to sound like Lemmy or Jason Newstead(!!).
Would you seriously recommend this cabinet for that purpose? Or really would you recommend this cabinet over most any modern cabinet?

I completely understand your point about it being the best available at the time: I’ve mentioned playing through an 18” Peavey folded horn. It did some things well. If someone was interested in buying one to use in 2024, I would almost certainly discourage them unless there was a very sound reason to use that particular design.
Click to expand...

I'm interested in a 4x15 cabinet. Wether this is the one or not is a different story completely.
 
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#153
InkCow said:
Why though? You’ve said you want to sound like three bassists with pretty different sounds. Is it just for aesthetics?
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The aesthetics is part of it, both my guitarists play tube heads with 4x12s, making my 1x15 ashdown combo, (although a KILLER amp) looking puny in comparison.
Tone is also part of it; I've always preferred 15" driver amps (and apparently, so did Lemmy)
Finally it's the OCD part of my mind that say you're "supposed to" have 4 drivers in a "propper" cab (and I honestly can't stand the thought of assymetric mounted drivers, even if it isn't visible trough the grill cloth)
 
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#154
The_Conqueror said:
The aesthetics is part of it, both my guitarists play tube heads with 4x12s, making my 1x15 ashdown combo, (although a KILLER amp) looking puny in comparison.
Tone is also part of it; I've always preferred 15" driver amps (and apparently, so did Lemmy)
Finally it's the OCD part of my mind that say you're "supposed to" have 4 drivers in a "propper" cab (and I honestly can't stand the thought of assymetric mounted drivers, even if it isn't visible trough the grill cloth)
Click to expand...
Is there any other interesting cabinets also available used?
I'm always looking even if I think I've found something.

Would you use the Ashdown to run the Sunn cab?

:)
 
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#155
DJ Bebop said:
If that is your tone goals, I would get it.
I had the 6x12 variant and had played through the 4x15. They weren't my tone goals.
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I don't get this concept of achieving tonal goals through cab selection. I get it, in the past, limited options meant choices based on what cabs could reproduce. But why now? It seems to me like the best way to go would be to get a cab(s) that would reproduce everything clear and uncolored, and shape your tone however you like with your bass, amp, and effects.
 
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#157
I’ll respectfully submit that two 215s might do what you think you want while still being physically manageable.

This touches on a big issue with the 415 concept: if the enclosure is to be an effective bass cab, it’s going to be big. Likely too big to be easily manageable. This may be why there aren’t too many offered in the market.
 
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