Sunn 1200S Head

Nice average responsive Compression.
Tons of Power
Nice tone

This is the best amp for me, I have ever heard. I would describe the
sound to be as brash as a fender and as neat as an ampeg. I have had this amp for 10 years. I have played professionally for 16 years. Over the years I have owned the best of ampeg Fender and Trace Eliott.
Only one amp has survived. My SUNN O)).
I have had to look after it. A good hard case help. Every time I DI the output sound men love it. Frankly I love this thing.
Classic

Only has a few problems. Maqnly the preamp tubes falling out of the
holders after a nasty bump. Easy Fix. Fan packed up one day. Got a shock at the ammount of dust in the thing. The fan in these need to be top notch. The power this thing creates need a reliable cooling fan!!!

Well they don't really exist anymore.

Great for me. I play Heavy rock on a fender P Special Eb tuning. And a roots band with an six string SG6 ibanez. Fantastic sound through good
cabs. I have the original quad for most stuff ,and a huge cab for metal gigs. Heck how many cabs can you plug 4 quads into!!!
I have heard that ampeg cabs work well for these things.
I think this is the best amp on earth. FULLSTOP!

My amp was made in 2002, I bought it for ~860??? (euros, thats the yuropean currency).
As for the features, well, it has a lot. thats why most people have problems with it. It's like a woman. a lot of knobs and switches, literally a minefield. if you dont how to do it right, you'll end up in a nightmare (see some of the other reviews here). but when you know what you're doing you will smile all day long.

I do like the two channels, how you can mix them. the graphic EQ is ok, I'd prefer two parametric ones instead, but it does the job.

I'm not so satisfied with the compressor. I mainly would use it for slap sounds, but only with slight compression. But I don't slap, so...
Theres always a dbx or similar in the FOH siderack so I have no worries about it (my dynamics aint 1 and 0, if you know what I mean).

one thing I also dont like is the factory tubes it comes with. sovtek. I replaced it with electro harmonix 12ax7EH for V2 and teslovak ECC83/12AX7 for the V1.

The floorboard is alright, only the cable sucks. it works, but it's really cheap and will break someday (during a show).

I mainly play rock&roll music, and thats what it is made for (the music, not for DRUNKEN ROCKERS... women dont like drunken rockers ;)). I use the sunn 410H cab or a custom made house of speakers 2*12"+6" cab, sometimes both.

but one thing is missing: SPEAKON. an amp which so much power cant just come with the normal 1/4 inch jacks.... that's stupid.

well, it sounds brutal. I like it.
my "clean" channel really has an edge, not to mention my distortion channel (I replaced the tubes).
you can also get some nice clean sounds out of it, if you want.
I play a Sandberg Basic Ken Taylor 5 string with dual humbuckers.
for the loudness, well yes. it is. my main volume is up between 1.5 and 2.5 on my 212 or the full stack, between 3 and 4 on the 410 (lower efficency than the 212).

built like a tank, nuff said. working for 4 years now.

what I've heard about fender service does sound in a way that I dont want to experience it.

I'd most likely get something with less weight. but I really like it.

I also use a custom made 2 channel tube preamp in a class-d amp module sometimes, but when I need something mighty I use my sunn.

The Sunn 1200s amp has many features, but i do not use them too much.
The 4 outputs inthe back are very nice! Allowing it to 2 ohms for the 1200 watts is great too. Gives you options for speakers!

AWESOME!!!!! The sound on this head has that warm tube tone to it when set right. I used it on a Sunn 4 X 10 cab and it just didnt sound good. But when I hooked it up to a Hartke 2 X 15 cab, I almost dropped to my knees and praised it. I cant turn it up past 3 or I may damage my cab. With this cab its pushing 800 watts and i can still add another cab. I am looking for an 18"c cab to go with it, but the volume with the 2 x 15 cab is great. I would not recommend using a 4 X 10 with this unit...

No problems with this head. Works good even in the Texas heat

web site still up with manuals and Fender owns them so Im sure it wouldnt be too hard to get help if nneeded

God God! The Sunn 1200s Is an amp everyone should have. Ive been playing bass 26 years, and I really enjoy this amp. I have used {and still do on occasion) Fender, Peavey, Trace elliot,Hartke, Galien Krugger, and some others, but the tones I get from this amp is the bestyaet in my opinion. I play a lot of styles of music, (anything that pay) so its usually ecerything from the 30s-90s...country, rock, oldies, etc.... but my favorite is Reggae. This is a reggae bass amp! But remember, with this head, you need more than a 4 x 10 cab. A 4 x 10 is fine for low volumes, but if you like o punch, them use a 2 X 15 cab.... itll do more than punch, it will knock your a$$ out! Its lighter than most of my other amps, and even though I dont like solid state, the pre amp is tube, and you can tell! If you are looking to buy one of these, I reccommend it. The other pople listed above that doesnt like it, are not using the right cabs. They are still selling for $600 or more an ebay, and Fender is selling this exact same head, called the Bassman 1200. This is in their pro-gear section. Its the biggest they make, so you know they still think its good.

Preamp tubes DO NOT WEAR OUT from using them 3-4 times a week for a few years. Good pre-amp tubes last for decades.
I have ALL of the original tubes (except for the 6v6 power tubes, which ARE prone to failure) in my '65 Fender Priceton Reverb. I have owned this amp for twenty years and have used it as my main stage amp the whole time. If I went by what this idiot was saying I would have tossed the finest sounding pre-amp tubes I have ever heard, SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO.
Be careful who you take your advice from. The pre-amp tubes that came in my Sunn were functioning perfectly when I pulled them out and threw them as far as I could.

My amp was built in 1998 (stamped on the pcb inside) Its a really verisital amp, 2 channels, efx loop, tuner out, 4 speaker outs, plenty of power. Compression is cool, but kinda weak, tube preamp, solid state power amp.

When i first hooked this think up, i was stoked because it had tons of power, but i couldnt dial in any kinda tone that was what i wanted to sound like. after switching 3-4 cabs, and playing around i was about ready to give up on it. IT IS VERY TOUCHY, and needs to have a lot of time spent with it to dial in your tone. I found that with my ampeg 8x10 it flat is super mid heavy and honkey. ONE THING I WILL RECOMEND if you pick one up, PUT NEW 12AX7'S IN IT! I opened mine up and it still had the stock fender tubes in it from 1998, and most preamp tubes if used 3-4 times a week will last 3-4 years. The tone improved 1000% after i did that. I play a 4 string srung like a 5 with the low b and no high g and before the new tubes, my B string had NO deffinition and sounded like a fart at best. New tubes and BLAM, clean as you can get. This head can get a little noisy, and mine was a lil beat up when i bought it, but cleaned the pots new tubes and fixed the fan and god damn this thing is rad now.

ONLY complaint is the damn sensitivity on the input, if you use active pickups, you have to set your prevolume at like 1, or lower or it will clip (even with the -6 db pad on)

I have active emg's and I just picked up a MXR m80 DI that rules, and this rig sounds fantastic, even with dead strings.

Never broken down, needed some maintanace when i bought it, the metal shrouding around the fan was bent in and hitting the fan a little so it made a horrid clicking noise until i figured it out, but after that, cleaning the pots, blowing out the rest with compressed air, new tubes, IT should be right on the money. the amp is built extremely well, the transformer in this thing is frigen gargantuin, and large heatsinks right in line with the fan make for a pretty sturdy design. All the solders looked really well done too. I plan on giggin with no back up.

never delt with them, i found a .pdf manual online, and they were manufactured by fender so I doubt support would be a big deal.

I have been playing bass for about 8 years, proffesionally for about 4 years, this head is deffinatly somthing worth looking into, I was attracted to the loads of power, tonal shaping is a little difficult, but you just have to spend time with it and maintain it. I cant stress enough to put new tubes in these becuase if you find one chances are the tubes are 6-8 years old. Adding the mxr m 80 to any rig helps tone ( i like that pedal better than the sansamp)

I got this head from a freind that went to an ampeg head (lower wattage), he sold it to me becuase it kept eating all his cabs for lunch. GOOD CABS ARE A MUST FOR THIS HEAD.

400 bucks was a steal. hehehehe........ bombs away.....

This is the most powerful amp you are likely to use and that is it's best feature, as such it NEEDS a great set up, some great cabs (Sunn 215 and Sunn 410H) If you are not preapared to spend a lot of time with an amp then dont bother.

I play a musicman Stingray and Sterling through this monolith and it can't be beat. It takes time and energy to tweak this amp and it is worth the effort, be prepared to annihilate all.....take the mids out of the EQ (not all the way),never use the mid notch ( the only feature that is useless) set the comp. to your needs and fire away...the master volume rarely needs to go above 3.5, find Sunn 215 and 410H cabs....Sunn amps and cabs cant be beat. Great slap and pop/snap tone, great finger tone provided you boost the treble, I play rock based music (Bob Daisley/Steve Harris style bass lines with some slap Bass)

Had it 1 year solid playing......so far so good, I know Fender have it out also so I dont see servicing being an issue.

Bought mine from the Bass Player in Sydney, wont go anywhere else.

Musicman basses and Sunn amps create headroom, I have played along side of guitarist's using Randall's (pile of shit),Mesa Boogies (great headroom) and Marshall's (won't go there!!!) and it ripped on all occasions, the guitar through Mesa/Bass through Sunn is a killer combo, lots of great compliments from roadies/muso's. Reading all the comments posted I suggest to play one at high volume through YOUR BASS!!!!! Great amps respond to great Basses

It is very versitile, being able to switch between the overdrive, compression and EQ gives you plenty of sounds to dial up. I play in Punk and hardcore bands mainly (but also playing jazz etc...) and the Overdrive and EQ are very usefull. I need quite an edgy sound with a bit of bite from the valves and a scoop in the mids. I havent really got my head around the compression yet but i still use it to tighten up the low end.
Enough power? hahaha! I run it through an SWR 4x10 and hardly ever run the master over 4. I also use it with a custom built 8x10 (built to ampeg specs) and again, no need to push the amp at all.

I use an old Aria Pro II Cardinal series bass (soap bar humbucker) and a Dano DC bass (jazz style lipsticks). In the middle of piecing together a custom built jazz bass. This amp makes any bass sound good.
No extra noise comes from this amp, the dirty channel is even quiet in between phrases. I can go from a heavily scooped crunch overdrive to a warm flat EQ, And then also use the compression as a boost in volume too. You can set the clean channel to push the 12AX7 into overdrive, but it is very crisp normally at high volumes. The valves are getting a bit worn now, but the way the rest of the amp is set up makes for a crunchy overdrive.

I use this amp while touring and find no problems at all, no need for a back up. I have used it at local shows for 4 bands playing 30 mins each and the amp was mildly warm at the end of the night. I think the amps is too heavy and rugged to crap out.

Not sure, havent had to get any repairs done yet. I am looking into replacing the valves though, looking for something with more bite (similar sound to a TECH21 sansamp).

Ive been playing for about 6 years and still have a long way to go (im 20 in a few days). I used to own an Alron Mosfet 1000, my first amp ever. Thing was rugged and basic. pretty loud but started to crap out slowly. I use the SWR 4x10 mainly, i find this the perfect cab for most applications. plenty of low end and great highs. I dont tend to use outboard effects.

I bought this amp in the late summer of 2001. My first impression of it was that it was built like a tank and had a ton of controls. At first I hated this amp and wished I had never bought it. I had just come off playing a G&K 1001 RB. I love the tone but I blew the amp up playing it to hard. So I figured I would try this one out for some more head room. After a few months I had my friend who does pro sound see if he could help me set it up to sound better. Since then and a little more study and playing with it I love it. I think it has great features but it just takes a little time to set it up right. The my only complaint is the compression is a little weak on the low end.

I play through a Music Man Stingray Five and I play a variety of styles ranging from Hardcore to Jazz and Funk. I use a very heavy tone with the mids cut out. The mid cut button does do the trick but maybe a little to well. You really have to be carefull with the distortion channel to get it to sound good. Mix it just enough with the clean to give it a good edge. The only things it, I have to agree with every one on the power issue. YOU MUST HAVE A GOOD CAB! This thing will rip speakers to shreds if you give it the chance. Right now I am in the process of looking to buy some new cabs to replace my blown ones as a result of turning this amp up. If you ever need some good volume you have to make sure your speakers can handle this kind of power. All and all this thing sounds amazing if you take the time to set it up right.

I have not had a single problem with mine. Like I said before, it is built like a tank.

Never delt with any repairs but since sunn is no longer around and I don't really want to deal with Fender I would just take it to a trusted repair man.

Overall I really like this amp. If you have one and are having problems getting the sound you need, don't give up on it just yet. More powere than I need but I don't think you should have to crank your amp to 10 to get a good sound. If you are thinking about this amp I would say make sure you have a strong cab. If so, keep this in mind.

The 1200s has more features than you could possibly need, but it's better to have everything rather than be missing something, so I see the bells and whistles as a big plus - it's all about versatility.
I use a LTD Edition Musicman Stingray bass and I play rock, funk, punk & heavy stuff and with it's many features, this amp can cater for the lot!
My SUNN1200s was built in 2000, and the previous reviewers have explained pretty much all the features, my favorite being the ability to 'mix' the compression threshold into your channel

Well this is the main reason I bought this amp - I originally wasn't interested in the SUNN before I tried it out. I'm very fussy about sound and in the store, I tried out SWR, Gallen, Trace, Ampeg, the lot and nothing really compared to the SUNN. Being a hybrid solid state/tube amp you get the best of both worlds.

I have found sound techs and engineers love this thing - no need to DI your bass while playing live, you can get the tube sound from your amp out the front by connecting a lead to the back of the 1200s to the desk - the sound contunes to amaze everyone I have worked with.

The sheer 'LOUDNESS' of this amp defies belief - You would almost believe it's powered by a nuclear reactor.

My tip to new buyers is to remember that the SUNN 1200s is a far from your average amp - you have to remember that this monster dishes out 1200 watts from 4 separate outputs. I can't stress enought that you need some 'monster' cabinets to be able to handle it's power, and i've also found it's an absolute MUST to use 12 guage (or thicker) cable to hook it up to your cabinets.
The reason why a few of the reviewers on here have had trouble with distortion and bad sound is because they are trying to push well over 700 watts plus into their cabinets that can only handle 600/650 - of course it's going to bottom out and distort and sound awful, it's like trying to run your lawn-mower on aviator gas! - also using a guitar lead to hook up your cabinets is going to cause this too!

It is my only amp and my work horse! it's as tough as nails, though it's as about as heavy as a tonne of nails! (that's understandable)

Five year warranty - I can't really comment on customer support because I haven't had any problems.

A powerhouse of a bass amp. Total bliss if you have powerful cabinets to suit. I use two Classic series AMPEG SVT410HLF cabs and I'm very happy with it

Made in about the year 2000. I play heavy rock/groove in full D tuning. Been playing about 8 years, my favourite recorded bass sound is Timmy C on Rage Against The Machine's Evil Empire, just so you know where i'm coming from.
It is a 2 channel amp, 1 clean, 1 overdrive - 1 12AX7 for each channel. Solid state (not mosfet) power section. 9 band eq with level. 4 parallel speaker outputs, mono only. 1200 watts RMS @ 2 ohms. This is more than enough, even at 4 ohms. Effects loop, tuner out, power amp out. Preamp volume (seems like a gain to me though...) for channel 1 (clean), channel 2: gain, volume and blend (of clean signal). Deep, mid and bright switches. Low and high shelving, split band compression (high and low) and compression blend, post compression gain. Unusual for such a high powered amp not to have bi amp ability, not that it makes a huge difference i suppose. I rarely use the overdrive channel cause it gets too mushy if you crank up the gain. It can be useful if you blend in enough clean signal to keep it defined.
Use this amp without a backup at gigs and rehearsals. 2 rehersals a week and 1 gig on average.

Instrument is a Warwick Thumb 4 Bolt On. (Previously Jazz 4).
I would say that the sunn has an ampeg flavour to the sound, though it won't give you as much of a "clean with a hint of overdrive" as an ampeg will. Overall a more "hi-fi" sound than an ampeg.
Most of the other reviews seem to be polarised - you either love it or hate it. Admittedly, i've managed to get some shocking sounds out of it, and some really good ones. People complain about it clipping out at high channel volumes (gain), i can confirm this. I use the channel volume at about 2, any higher than this and it will give a horrible distortion off (not a nice musical one). Don't know why this is, but the pre-amp tubes just don't like to be pushed for some reason.
The way to get around this is to crank the compression gain up to get a bit more bite and grit out of the amp. However, you need to have the compression engaged for this control to work. Don't stress though, because you need compression on this amplifier. Otherwise it sounds lacklustre.
The graphic is very useful, as long as you take the time to play with it. The deep and bright enhances are excellent too, but i find that the mid notch sucks all the punch and life out of the instrument. Useful though if the mids on the bass are ugly. Low and high shelving are ok but use only in moderation, too much knob-turning sounds unnatural.
I find that as long as the channel volume is kept down, you can turn up the master volume and get as much clean power as your cab will handle. Another warning here though, you'll need some serious cabs to handle it's power. At the minimum i would say a loud 15 and 4x10. I use an SWR workingmans tower 8x10 and the head could really damage the speakers if turned up too loud. The master NEVER goes over 5 otherwise it'd be newcabsville.
All in all, there are some really great sounds in there, but you have to take the time to find them, heaps of versatility in the controls.

Hmmmm. About 4-5 months after i bought it (new), the high compression chip went no-workies. Now, i live in australia, and trying to get fender to send over a new chip took weeks - almost 3 from memory. Once that was fixed it has been fine, though by looking at it the construction is B grade at best.

I didn't deal with them personally. Sunn is (was) owned by fender, they've got a bad rep for reason.
Surprisingly, the warranty is for 5 years. As long as the place you bought it from is cool, you should be fine.

I really like this amp, but frankly if it were stolen i wouldn't rush out and buy another one. So much gear, so little time. There are many amps that will do a similar job to this one. I tried out a trace 400smx (i think - the one with the tube in the preamp), and the sunn left it for dead for the sound i was after (i used to own a trace combo). Also tried a hughes and kettner bassbase, which was not good at all.
The reason i bought it was partly to do with headroom, and it has more than enough of that. This is a very, very loud amp.
Like i said, with tweaking, you can get some great sounds out of it but it may take a fair bit of experimentation.
Overall, i give it the thumbs up.

I'M A PRO BASSIST OF 26YRS WHO CONSTANTLY GIGS & NEEDS A RELIABLE BASS HEAD
SUNN U SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THE SHIT U HAVE CREATED
I HAD A 10 MONTH LONG SLOG OF REPLACEMENT AFTER REPLACEMENT
NOTHING BUT COMPLETE BREAKDOWS WITHOUT ANY ANSWERS AS 2 WHY THE AMP WOULD NOT PERFORM
BUT HEY I'VE JUST PURCHACED A SVT4PRO AMPEG NEW IN A BOX & WHAT GRUNT AND RELIABILLITY NOT 2 MENTION SOUND QUALLITY
ANYONE OUT THERE WHO IS THINKING OF THE SUNN 1200'S DONT BOTHER
U ARE ASKING FOR TRUOBLE IT LOOKS GOOD HAS ALL THE BUTTONS BUT IS ONLY SHIT IN A BOX!
I HOPE U INEXPERIANCED BASSIST'S LATCH ON 2 MY ADD AS I WOULD HATE IT FOR YOU TO BE TRICKED INT LOOSING YOUR MONEY
CHEERS PETE!

I'M A PRO BASSIST OF 26YRS WHO CONSTANTLY GIGS & NEEDS A RELIABLE BASS HEAD
SUNN U SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THE SHIT U HAVE CREATED
I HAD A 10 MONTH LONG SLOG OF REPLACEMENT AFTER REPLACEMENT
NOTHING BUT COMPLETE BREAKDOWS WITHOUT ANY ANSWERS AS 2 WHY THE AMP WOULD NOT PERFORM
BUT HEY I'VE JUST PURCHACED A SVT4PRO AMPEG NEW IN A BOX & WHAT GRUNT AND RELIABILLITY NOT 2 MENTION SOUND QUALLITY
ANYONE OUT THERE WHO IS THINKING OF THE SUNN 1200'S DONT BOTHER
U ARE ASKING FOR TRUOBLE IT LOOKS GOOD HAS ALL THE BUTTONS BUT IS ONLY SHIT IN A BOX!
I HOPE U INEXPERIANCED BASSIST'S LATCH ON 2 MY ADD AS I WOULD HATE IT FOR YOU TO BE TRICKED INT LOOSING YOUR MONEY
CHEERS PETE!

I'M A PRO BASSIST OF 26YRS WHO CONSTANTLY GIGS & NEEDS A RELIABLE BASS HEAD
SUNN U SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THE SHIT U HAVE CREATED
I HAD A 10 MONTH LONG SLOG OF REPLACEMENT AFTER REPLACEMENT
NOTHING BUT COMPLETE BREAKDOWS WITHOUT ANY ANSWERS AS 2 WHY THE AMP WOULD NOT PERFORM
BUT HEY I'VE JUST PURCHACED A SVT4PRO AMPEG NEW IN A BOX & WHAT GRUNT AND RELIABILLITY NOT 2 MENTION SOUND QUALLITY
ANYONE OUT THERE WHO IS THINKING OF THE SUNN 1200'S DONT BOTHER
U ARE ASKING FOR TRUOBLE IT LOOKS GOOD HAS ALL THE BUTTONS BUT IS ONLY SHIT IN A BOX!
I HOPE U INEXPERIANCED BASSIST'S LATCH ON 2 MY ADD AS I WOULD HATE IT FOR YOU TO BE TRICKED INT LOOSING YOUR MONEY
CHEERS PETE!

I'M A PRO BASSIST OF 26YRS WHO CONSTANTLY GIGS & NEEDS A RELIABLE BASS HEAD
SUNN U SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THE SHIT U HAVE CREATED
I HAD A 10 MONTH LONG SLOG OF REPLACEMENT AFTER REPLACEMENT
NOTHING BUT COMPLETE BREAKDOWS WITHOUT ANY ANSWERS AS 2 WHY THE AMP WOULD NOT PERFORM
BUT HEY I'VE JUST PURCHACED A SVT4PRO AMPEG NEW IN A BOX & WHAT GRUNT AND RELIABILLITY NOT 2 MENTION SOUND QUALLITY
ANYONE OUT THERE WHO IS THINKING OF THE SUNN 1200'S DONT BOTHER
U ARE ASKING FOR TRUOBLE IT LOOKS GOOD HAS ALL THE BUTTONS BUT IS ONLY SHIT IN A BOX!
I HOPE U INEXPERIANCED BASSIST'S LATCH ON 2 MY ADD AS I WOULD HATE IT FOR YOU TO BE TRICKED INT LOOSING YOUR MONEY
CHEERS PETE!

I'M A PRO BASSIST OF 26YRS WHO CONSTANTLY GIGS & NEEDS A RELIABLE BASS HEAD
SUNN U SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THE SHIT U HAVE CREATED
I HAD A 10 MONTH LONG SLOG OF REPLACEMENT AFTER REPLACEMENT
NOTHING BUT COMPLETE BREAKDOWS WITHOUT ANY ANSWERS AS 2 WHY THE AMP WOULD NOT PERFORM
BUT HEY I'VE JUST PURCHACED A SVT4PRO AMPEG NEW IN A BOX & WHAT GRUNT AND RELIABILLITY NOT 2 MENTION SOUND QUALLITY
ANYONE OUT THERE WHO IS THINKING OF THE SUNN 1200'S DONT BOTHER
U ARE ASKING FOR TRUOBLE IT LOOKS GOOD HAS ALL THE BUTTONS BUT IS ONLY SHIT IN A BOX!
I HOPE U INEXPERIANCED BASSIST'S LATCH ON 2 MY ADD AS I WOULD HATE IT FOR YOU TO BE TRICKED INT LOOSING YOUR MONEY
CHEERS PETE!

this is probably a 1999 model sunn 1200s bass head. it has been sitting in a display rack in my local music store for a few years. list price is $1300, i bought it brand new for $699. if you don't know the story, fender bought sunn, ran new products for 4 years, then killed the whole brand. sunn was well known in the 70's for making concert series amps which had tons of power. i guess no one noticed these amps when fender released them. it is a chame as fender only has the 350 watt bassman as its top-gun bass head. this amp is tube preamp/solid state power section. 1200 watts @ 2 ohms mono only(no biamp)with 4 speaker outs! true channel switching via 3-function footpedal(compressor, EQ, and channel). this head eliminated the stompbox i had used for years to get distortion. plus, the distortion is actuaally created by a tube, and the lows remain in the drive channel. it has all the pro stuff, xlr out, -6 db input pad, EQ, hi/lo compressors, mid notch, etc. if you set everything on the amp at 5(except master volume!) you can get a good sound to start with. you must have a big time speaker cabinet for this amp. i run a custom ATA road case with a pair of 12" JBL's and an 18" black widow. i also have a 2-15" black widow cab i run as well. i've read some other reviews of this amp where there were complaints of clipping, etc. if you don't have the power handling capacity, it will exploit the weak drivers and hurt your sound. the input is very sensitive as well and i use the active setting on hot passive pickups for clarity.

i play song oriented metal. like pop songs, but crunchy drop tunings(D standard/drop C) and slower. i guess the name for it these days is emo metal, but before that is was new rock, and before that it was alternative. i play several basses....'86 rickenbacker 4003(duncan pickups), 1977 fender jazz bass(wow, original pickups), fender '62 reissue jazz bass(duncan pickups), 1977 fender p bass(active bartolini p/j). if you have the speaker to handle it, this amp is great. stupid power. you can't imagine the shock when i tried this thing. i've been playing hartke(3500, then the 5000) for years and will never go back. the excess power really does something for your tone-super vintage thump. clean and clear sound with just the right amount of tube warmth. nice or nasty overdrive which retains low end, something i always lost with my boss pedal. lots of controls to mess with, just getting used to the dual band compressor. i was looking hard at the amp BSP preamp fpr $500, plus a power amp, or the SVT 5 pro, which is dual channel. or, better yet, the SWR mo' bass. the problem is, i paid half for this amp. there is just too much amp here to justify $1500 for an ampeg.

can't say. just bought it. heavy as a cinder block. if you don't put this amp right into a quality rack, you are asking for trouble. i think if you take care of your gear, it will last. don't be the guy with the rackmount amp just laying on top of your cabinet. get a damn rack! if i break something, i take it to a repairman i trust. it has a 5 year warranty, but who can wait for fender to repair it? looks pretty simple inside. i changed the tube in the hartke amps before, looks much simpler.

hope i never have to...........

i've been playing for about 10 years now. i've owned lots of gear, an played in lots of different bands. i've had a hartke amp for all of that time, and can't complain about them. i just wanted a more organic sound and more power. i love the sound, power, and price of this amp. it is a litle noisy when close to it, and not so great for funk or slapping, but acceptable with the right bass and the mid notch engaged. it doesn't have the presence of the hartke, but it has more earthy sound than anything i've tried-the ultimate rock or blues amp. i would buy another one if stolen.

THE AMP IS VERY LOAD
NO PROBS DROWNING THE GUITARISTS
I DO LOTS OF BIKERS GIGS
MIDDLE NOTCH IS USELESS
CH SELECT IS OK

SAMMICK 6 STRING BASS
WITH 2 SOAP BAR EMG JASS PICKUPS
2 TONES & 2 VOLUME CONTROLS USED
AND ALSO A BOOSTER CONTROL FOR BASS & TREBLE
THE AMP HAS A 10 BAND EQ WHICH GIVE LOTS O SOUNDS
BOTH CHANELS SEEM CLEAN
but the sound always fluktuates
I think the amp is faulty
maybe some help with the controls from someone would help i dont know

NO WAY HAVE I EVER GONE TO A GIG WITHOUT A BACKUP RIG
MY FIRST 1200'S SHIT ITSELF AFTER 2 WEEKS IT WAS REPLACED
NEGLECT OF THE AMP WAS NOT THE ISSUE THE AMP WAS
NOW MY NEW 1200'S SEEMS TO FLUCTUATE UP & DOWN IN VOLUME
A MAJOR PROB MAKES ME THINK I'M LOOSING MY HAERING
THE TECH WANTS ME TO SET UP IN THE SHOP & PLAY THE SUNN HE THINKS I'M LYING ABOUT THE FLUKTUATING SOUND
I'DE LOVE TO REPLACE IT WITH A NEW ONE

LIVING IN AUSTRALIA IS TOO FAR FOR FENDER TO WORRY ABOUT ME
I HAVE EMAILED THEM A NUMBER OF TIMES BUT THEY TEND TO IGNORE ME
SERVICE CENTER IS NOT A PROB
WARRANTY IS FOR 5 YRS
I AM A PRO BASSIST MAKE MY LIVING FROM PERFORMING SO I NEED A RELIABLE AMP THE SUNN 1200 'S IS'NT

PLAYING FOR 26 YRS 18 YRS PRO
i HAVE A SUNN CONCERT BASS AMP ITS STILL KICKING & ITS STILL A HOT AMP ALSO I HAVE 2 CUSTOM MADE BOXES WITH 2 K140'S IN THEM AUSOME BOXES
HEAPS OF GRUNT BUT THE TONE AS IN TREBLE COULD BE HEAPS MORE
IT IS THE NEW AGE BASSIST DREAM AMP IF IT WORKS PROPERLY
MINE GOES UP AND DOWN IN VOLUME I TUNE THE BASS e a d g b e AS A GUITAR WHEN IT BEHAVES IT IS GREAT WHEN IT FLUKTUATES IN VOLUME YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN I LOOSE THE g b & e STRINGS
FOR ME THIS IS A MAJOR PROB
I DIDNT COMPARE IT TO ANY OTHERS I WENT FOR SUNN BECAUSE OF THE RELIABILATY 25 YRS THAT MY OLD 200 WATT SUNN CONCERT BASS AMP STILL GIVES ME SO I UPGRADED
ANY HELP WOULD BE APRECIATED

This amp is a newer model similar to the ones you see now in music catalogs. It has been versitile enough for my playing styles and listening pleasure(friends have used it). I play jazz and am in an emo rock band. I use a lot of chords in my style of play and it has done nothing but satisfy my ears. It has two channels, eq, and compression. A footswitch also is included and makes the versitility the amp has much more practical durring gigs. I have not used the compression all that much in gigs, but I am always trying new things at home. It is a lot of fun but I don't neccessarily see the purpose in it. It allows people to be too sloppy. I say just work on your chops. To give you an idea of it's power I played a show with a friend's musicman(sterling) and the classic ampeq 8x10 let alone another cabinet, and I had the amps vollume on 1&1/2. After the show I felt bad because my friends told me I was too loud (keep in mind the active bass also had a lot to do with that). Many guys have seemed to complain about the preamp clipping in their reviews. What I have found to work the best when it does clip is simply to turn down my bass(vollume) and turn up the amp. This lets the amp do all of the work and lowers the amount of signal that the preamp was choking on. It hasn't failed me yet.

I use a fender precision bass and the two have jelled together quite well. I have played this amp in all kinds enviorments and it has held up very nicely. The amp's fan is very quiet; with a cab it all depends on how high you want your horn to be. I have no complaints about the noise. This amp can make awful sounds if you want it to. Of course, I do not so I choose to play smart and and give the amp what it want; A cabinet that can handle massive amounts of wattage. I have played the amp through several good quality(efficiant) cabinets and some of them just can't take the 1200 watts(the preamp clipped and the speakers distorted). That is not the amps fault. Many of these gentlemen are right when they say it sounds like crap because no doubt it does with their speaker cabinets. If you buy this amp you had better not just have an average cabinet because it won't handle it. Take my word for it. I thought it sounded like crap too until I heard it in a great(usually means expensive) cabinet. This amp has great solid state sound and the tube preamp has done nothing but impress me. The overdrive that I have been able to get out of the second channel has just blown me away. It is not grungy by any means like I had expected. It is rather a deep and rich slight overdrive. It goes perfect with the jazz influenced songs I play and the harmonics just sound amazing. This amp is very powerfull and very loud. I am 18 and in a rock band, and I don't think anyone would argue that us young guys don't rock out louder than most. With that said, I have never turned my amp(master vollume) past 3 at any shows. My speakers(David Eden 4x10 xlt) have yet to distort simply because of vollume. The amp has really made my gear sound great. I gave it a 9 because a 10 would perfect and if it were perfect everyone would have it. Obviously everyone doesn't have it.

It has been great for me. No problems. I have a rack case for it because I read it wouldn't handle a drop on the ground. Otherwise I keep it clean and some-what dusted. I don't see why anyone would need a back up(amp) with this amp unless they are just super cautious people. I simply give it a 9 because I haven't had the amp for more than a year to know for sure. (I am still using the same tubes it came with)

This amp is a great value if you find one in good shape and don't have to spend a whole lot to get it. Once again I encourage anyone who is interested in this amp to get a serious cabinet that can handle it. 1200 watts is so much more than you think, especially in one bass amp. Other gear I use that compliments the amp very nicely is the Sans Amp basss driver. I can't recommend it enough, especially if you have a passive bass.

I purchased the 1200s Sunn Amp Head for $900.00. It does have a lot of bells and whitstles, more than I'll ever need.

I use a variety of basses, Fender Jazz, Telestar doubleneck, Danelectro longhorn--they all seem to make a very distinct rotten sound on certain notes. Low G for example. It sounds as though its clipping and can't clear it up. I have a small peavey tko150, that sounds great compared to this heavy weight. I bought the 410h speakers that are supposed to be "tuned" with the set, but still get terrible alien noises from it. Can't turn up the volume when needed because of the "clipping noises"

I can't say its reliable, wish I never bought it. to many dials and much to sensitive to run.

Tried numerous times to contact Sunn. Terrible service, Tried getting the manual from sunn,I did download it from their website, but the manual is very vague and not discriptive enough. I'm not even sure if the download is the same as the original manual, and if it is I feel sorry for the next person that tries to get any info out of it.I bought it out of impulse---BIG mistake, thought I had a great set-up, but was wrong again. Its actually embarassing to use on stage. Anyone out there with the same problems???

i've been playing on and off for about 30 years. If it sere stolen I would never buy SUNN again. I've been playing a Peavey with 2 x 10's + horn that sounds just great and for most club venues its perfect.

if this amp were at all usable at all, its features would be useful. The fact is that this is the WORST excuse for a bass amp ever.

I play a fender jazz bass in a band requiring standard volume levels of any band playing with a drummer. turn this amp up to compete with a drummer and you will find that (despite wrestling with the pesky input (pre-amp) volume) it AWFULL distortion results. play below volume level 4 and you are ok. anything above and this amp is completely unusable. this amp has two settings crap and crap.

i havn't gotten myself to throw it out my window yet. i'm sure that would fix it.

have yet to contact fender/sunn about their atrocious product.

when i purchased my 1200s i played it at a volume of 4 at the store where i bought it. this was a very small room and the volume was more than substantial. i had previosly been playing with an underpowered gk 400 rb and felt that i needed a serious power upgrade because i am in a touring band playing clubs with sub-par sound systems. my gk always behaved well in terms of volume and pre-amp sensitivity, speaker control, etc. i was wrong, wrong, wrong to think that these attributes of my old underpowered but faithfull gk applied to other amps out there. upon geting the 1200s home and playing with my drummer, i found that the sunn has awful problems. i can't discern if the distortion i am hearing is pre-amp overload or speaker bottoming, but either way this amp has SERIOUS design flaws worthy of a recall. basically it doesn't like to be turned up past 5. anything louder than this sounds like completely unusable crap. do not buy this amplifier. should have stuck with gallien krueger.

I bought this 1 month ago from a large chain in NJ. The salesperson did not want to sell me the amp because he thought that there were better amps out there for the money and sound. He said that there were lots of bells and wistles but that the head did not sell inspite of it. Anyway, the features on this amp are awsome!!! Dual compressor with balence control between the high and low (called Comp EQ Balence), a compresser gain control so that you dont loose volume when turning on and off the compressor, tuner only switch, switchable graphic EQ, low-mid-high notch swithes, low and high knobs, 2 channels-one solid state and one tubes both with volume controls, a blend switch and knob between the two channels!!! A direct line out switchable to include the tone shaping controls or with out, (except for the effects loop, which is not included in the sound of the direct out--a flaw in the design I think). Four 1/4 inputs for speakers out, effects loop, footswitch.

Great sounding head. I mostly use the clean channel since that I get classic sounding bass sounds out of it. The tube channel is not that much different sounding from the clean channel. I play in a band that doesnt mike the amps because they are only operating with 50-60 watt combos. So I leave it on 1 because it would be too loud elsewise. Nice deep tone. I bought this bass head because of the write up in Bass Player Magazine, they were right, a very good sounding head. I like the separate volume control for the second channel, great for soloing or when you need to have the bass sound louder than the guitars like in Aerosmiths "Sweet Emotion" and Nirvana's "Come As You Are". The cabinate I use is the Sunn 2-15, a classic 70's sounding cab.

Except for the 2 tubes, it's mostly solid state. I can't see too much that could go wrong with it.

I havent contacted them yet.

Great piece of equipment. I've been playing bass for 6 years now (15 years on guitar), the last year gigging in a local classic rock band every week. I can tell you after having played in lots of professional rehersal studios and open mikes, on top of the line and bottom line equipment, that this bass head is for professional bass players. If it was stolen, then I'd buy another one. Email me if you have any questions.

1200watt @ 2ohms, tube pre-amp, effects loop, 2 rack space unit that is simply a large, 55 pound paper-weight. Yes, it could be put to better use as a doorstop. Whoever designed this amplifier must not be able to distinguish tone from noise. If your into useless power with no control, this is the amp for you. Try to find a speaker cabinet that can accomodate a 650 watt, 4 ohm load. I purchased an ampeg pr410hlf cab and even with its(ampeg) built in attenuator, the horn will still pop, and the cones will flap...and their is no way to control this phenomenon aside from not using the amp at drum kit levels. In short, beyond its steroid induced muscle(may point out that steroids kill), this amplifier has no features. If your into heavy metal, this is what it is, literally, a heavy chunk of metal.

I play a fretless American Jazz and a Chapman Stick, truthfully I play all styles of music and have not found one that this amplifier is good for. Their is an unbelievable hum and hiss, and when the amp is powered up it honks through every note. I have had technical training in sound reinforcement as well as being an intern engineer in a recording studio in Las Vegas along with playing in a local blues-rock-jazz band, I know a thing or two about sound, anyone who is not deaf will dislike this one.

Unfortunately, this is my back-up. I primarily play through my portaflex that puts this piece of garbage to shame. The amp hasn't been given the chance to break down, because my portaflex IS reliable.

Fender now operates Sunn, nice guitars, terrible for service. I wanted to find the ohm load breakdown, thank god for local repairmen, because fender never gave me an answer.

I been gigging for the past three years, playing for six. As I mentioned earlier, I play Stick. If it were stolen, I'd want my money back, so I could purchase a decent amp. I hate this amplifier. I wish that I could get a refund. I bought it on sale at guitar center, no refunds, I am an idiot...never make this mistake, stay away from guitar center, mars, musicians friend...buy from the little guy, they care. I am now forced to find space for a two space box of manuer. Just because it looks and sounds good in the store doesn't mean that when its put to the test it can compete. If you have the money, think about saving a little more and getting an ampeg, they are the greatest amps in their league.

Well, if you've read Nate's review below, I'm the new owner of that same amp. It looks like you weren't stuck with it forever afterall. The old SUNN has a new, loving home. The amp needed a little TLC....clean out the pots, a little armour-all on the tolex....replace the rusting screws, etc. Looks like booze or coke was spilled around the power tube sockets and i'll have to work on cleaning the chassis. It could of been cared for a little better, but i'll admit i'm a bit fussy. And it's an old amp. No back cover. Nicely re-tubed with 4 new 6550's. Who knows how old the GZ34 rectifier tubes are. Looks like the original power cord was replaced with a white refrigerator or air conditioner cord, kinda shoddy, could of done better with that. No features....who cares. If you want features, go get one of those fancy effects racks.

Well, Nate pretty much nailed it, it's a killer. And I happen to own a Junior, so yeah, I can nail Mississippi Queen. With an Iommi pickup-loaded SG, the sound is savage, crushing. My cheap home almost crumbled. No master volume....Starts to break up at around 5 or 6...then it's sheer destruction.

Considering my failing health as I enter middle age, will probably outlast me.

I don't know anything about fixing amps. Tried it once and accidentally touched a cap...ouch!
My guess is the new Fender-owned SUNN will have nothing to do with the old ones.

Well, i've been looking for an old SUNN for a while (a HIWATT, too).
When I saw this one at the villa, I had to have it. It's not for everyone. New age metallers would probably hate it. Doesn't have 20 gain stages. I guess it's primarily for old- school rockers like myself. Pure power tube raunch. Not practical for home use, but who cares? Is a Lamborghini practical? I'll still take one. Most cool things aren't practical. Just the pleasure of every so often letting it rip at full volume, it's a joy to behold. And with the rest of my life in the shitter, i'll take what little enjoyment I can get.

1200 watts @ 4 ohms, 650 @ 8 ohms, 2 space rackmount bass head. Solid state and tube preamp channels, footswitchable and blendable, footswitchable split band compressor, footswitchable 9 band EQ, low and high shelving knobs, mid-cut switch 20db @ 700hz, XLR and 1/4" out, effects loop, tuner out, post/pre EQ switch for line out, four speaker jacks and a built in coolong fan.
The only thing I would change would be to replace the mid-cut switch with a knob. I would also like for the tuner mute switch to be on the foot pedal, but then the pedal would have 4 swithes on it.
This amp has plenty of power. I play this amp through a SUNN 410h (4x10 + horn) cabinet with a country and rock band in the local bar scene, sometimes through a PA, sometimes without. Lack of power has not been a problem

I play a '78 Fender Precision with EMG pickups and GHS Boomers 50-115. This amp setup sounds really good. It is very clear and very deep, and it doesn't overpower the keyboards or guitar, even though it seems very loud.
I use the solid state channel most of the time, and switch to the tube channel for rock songs that I play with a pick. The overdriven bass sounds on this thing are great.
I haven't completely figured out the split band compressor, but it seems to work just fine.
The bass boost is huge, a little goes a long way. I always use the mid-cut, it seems to really clear up the sound, I just wish it could be tweaked.
By setting the EQ, and the tube preamp carefully, you can get several good, useable sounds that are only a footstep away.
This amp does buzz when I get the pickups to close to it, but is otherwise fairly quiet.

I don't have enough experience with the new SUNN stuff or had this amp long enough to comment on reliability. It is built by Fender, so it should be close to their quality

It comes with a 5-year transferable warranty.

I have been playing for 15 years, my last rig was a Peavey MK VIII, a Peavey 210tx and a Peavey 1x15, it sounded good, but the SUNN rig sounds a lot better.
If it were stolen I would replace it.
I love that it is so easy to get a good tone out of it. It looks cooler than the Peavey stuff, also.

Features? We don't need no stinkin' features! 120 watts RMS (conservatively rated, I assure you)when run at 4 ohms. no master volume. bright/normal inputs. trable/bass/contour(sorta like presence) knobs. Reverb AND tremolo. and a mid-range boost switch that really works. 4 x 6550's, built like a tank, looks cool, never needs winding. Free hernia included. It's big, just plain big. and loud. I run it through an 8 ohm 4 x 12 Sunn cab with the original CTS/Sunn drivers still working.

I set the volume between .5 and 1 for superclean archtop jazz sounds. It breaks up nicely at 5 - 6, and gets into the Mississippi Queen thing beyond that. I may have to gain 200 pounds and buy a Junior soon. This is an in-yer-face rock amp. A fighting amp. I get variety using the tone knobs and the mid-boost, because there's not much else to play with. Basically, it's a one-flavor amp, at volume. Honest American distortion.

The reverb tank has a lock, which is nice. It's highly reliable and has never failed to start, even in rough weather. I have used it without backup for years.

Mr. Sunn, he dead. The company somehow ended up making those incredibly stupid Alpha and Beta amps before its acquisition by Fender. Oh, the ignominy of it all. Service should be no problem: a monkey could repair this thing, it's so simple. A monkey could live in it too, for that matter, given the room inside it.

The only useful comparison would be to Marshall, Hiwatt or Ampeg(V4) gear from the same era (@1970-1972) and it half-stacks up quite favorably. I'm amazed that these amps have virtually disappeared and that when they do surface, they are so cheap. And it's just too big and heavy to steal, so I'm stuck with it forever, I guess.