Sunn Model-T

1974 Sunn Model T. One former band member left this amp at the rehearsal room. The old Sunn was hanging around for years. Word was it kept shutting down after a few minutes. Tried it. Discovered the impedence switch was set to a 2 ohm load. Set it to 8 and it has been working great ever since, that was about 4 years ago. Amp is pretty straight forward. Two channels. Volume, treble, middle, bass, presence, Master volume.

This amp gets a sweet "old school" clean sound. If your used to solid state, you may not like it. I use it with my Texas Special Tele and a stock Strat. Overdriven it sounds like ... well just put on a rock album from the mid 70's and you'll know what it sounds like. Beautiful tube sound.

Probably would not gig with this amp without a backup. I have a Marshall JCM900 4102 combo, that I use as my main amp. I run them both through a malange of 2x12 speaker cabs.

God this amp is fun. I have been playing since 1984 and I haven't played through anything else like it. I have played through Peaveys , Crates, and Marshalls. Marshalls are great, but this Sunn amp is different. It amazes me how much it sounds like the 70's. I plug my Strat and MXR flanger into it and I can play Pink Floyd all day and never get bored. Plug in my Kramer Pacer with a DiMarzio humbucker and I can get a ZZ Top/Aerosmith tone that is first rate. It simply has a tone you can't get out of a pedal. Vintage lovely for sure.

73' Sunn model-T : 2 channels normal & bright, 2 volunms & Master volunm,bass,treble,mid,presence; back panel has 2 speakers jacks a ohms switch that goes from 2 to 16 ohms a lineout & utility outlet. Powered by 4-6550's with 2-12ax7's in the pre-amp and one 12ax7 in the phase-inverter/ when using the amp as a Bass amp put a 12at7 in the phase-inverter for a clean sound needed for bass. 150 watts R.M.S. of tube amp Heaven !!! NO channel switch / DPS effects

Been playing in cover bands for 30 yrs, usings fender p-Bass & and a newer p-bass Lyte, I play mostly classic Rock,Blues, some jazz/ country. The sound of this amp is ""THE BOMB"" balls and sustain for miles. it's really quiet and records very nice. Takes pedels very well and because of the impedance switch i can run a lot of diffrent cabinets for whatever venue I'm playing ( 410's for small gigs and studio; 2x15 & 1x18" for bigger venues and a SOUND TO DIE FOR !!!!

Sunn is No longer with us and Fender owns the name, but any good tech can repair one with no problem. Not that your going to need a repair this is my third model-T in 20 yrs. and I spent 40 bucks in repairs about 12 years ago on one of the heads. I wish I never gotten rid of the other 2 heads ( OH WELL) !!!!

Good Stuff ""THE BOMB""

I love this Amp!!! I used a Rack Mounted Mesa Dual Rectifier for the past 8 years until it was stolen along with all of my band's gear last summer. I was really bummed cause it is almost impossible to replace that rack mounted amp. My friend offered to let me try out his Model T and said he would sell it to me if i liked it and i LOVED it! I bought it right away and have had it since sept 06. It is a very versatile amp for rock, blues, metal, etc...I play spacey heavy modern rock similar to Cave In, Muse, Smashing Pumpkins, etc... and it sounds amazing for my style. You can hear samples of my band to hear what we sound like here: www.myspace.com/fightingjacks. The Amp has only 1 Channel, no switching or crappy dist/clean issues. The amp has treble/regular blending knobs so you can dial in your tone. I hate newer multi channel amps, so this is perfect for me. It is 100 watts, all tube, kind of a mix of a Marshall Plexi and a Fender Twin. There is a tone of classic tone and overdrive heavy enough for really heavy rock or metal and has nice midrange. I use this live and in the studio and it is great!

The Model T sounds great! It is an awesome classic rock kind of amp. I would compair it to older Marshall Plexi's and JCM 800's mixed with Fender Twin's. There is only 1 channel, so it does distort at high volumes, but there is actually a gain knob, so it can stay mostly clean as louder volumes. The distortion isnt very brutal. It has great break up and tone and nice midrange. It wouldn't work for Death Metal or Hardcore. It isn't chunky enough for that, but it is perfect for all types of rock. I use a Schecter Tempest Semi Hollow and an ESP Eclipse, both with Seymour Duncan JB's and it sounds great for me. I use alot of delay and whammy pedal and this amp cuts through and the tone is to die for. I have no problems with hum or noise at all live or in the studio.

I havent had it too long and havent had it on tour yet, so i dont know how great it is for heavy touring, but it has been on tour with other bands in the past and was made in the 70's so it has to be pretty good.

I have been playing guitar for 13 years and playing in bands for 10 years and this is the best amp i have ever had. I love the simplicity, tone, versatility, and balls that this thing has! I would totally buy another one of these. The only other amp i would consider would be a Marshall JCM 800, but i dont know if the cost would be worth it. There isnt lacking in my opinion with this amp.

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Overall, this amp is built fairly well... same as all production line Fender PCB amps. BUT... Removing PCB on this model is NO SMALL TASK. In addition to removing pot hardware, screws, etc. (standard fare), one has to literally unwire the tube socket leads, remove back panel hardware, switches & deal with countless other obstacles to free the PCB. All this to change an input jack or pot... I work on amps for a living, & still blew a couple hours just to replace the jack. WHY DO THESE COMPANIES INSIST on making this way? Do they think the 50 cent plastic jack wont break?? Have fun working on this baby...

It's Fender...

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This amp was made in 1972. I know because I took it apart and found the inspection sticker. I wouldn't say this amp is super versatile, but it's definitely suitable for Doom metal. In fact it's supposed to be the most sought after Doom head. I think it puts out 150 watts, but I've heard from other people that it's 100. It's definitely LOUD. It has some features that most amps don't have. How many heads have you seen that have a speaker cabinet impedence switch? You can safely use a speaker cab that's rated at 2, 4, 8, or 16. It also has a polarity switch, a circuit breaker, and an accessory power outlet.

This amp sounds great clean, if you use some good speakers. I play it through a 4x12 Celestion Gk85 cab, and it sounds very nice. It doesn't have built in distortion, so you have to use a pedal. The "Metal Zone" works well for me.

It's a tank. I took it to a tech once because it cut out at practice, and I frieked out because I was going on tour in a few days and I didn't even try to diagnose it myself. Turned out it was the speaker cabinet that blew, but the tech actually found that someone had changed the pot for the bass control with an incompatible unit, and the bass was not really adjustable, so he put the correct pot in. That's it! I've owned it for 6 years, used it at hundreds of shows, and toured with it, and never had a problem!

Find a good amp tech, or learn how to solder and read wiring diagrams, and work on it yourself. It's a pretty simple design, and everything is easy to see. Do some reading first, because messing with tubes can kill you if you don't know what you're doing.

I've been playing for 13 years, and this is the best amp I've ever used. If it were stolen, I would die. I got lucky when I bought it for $150 from my friend, because he didn't have any use for it anymore. These days, they're going for around $1000 if you can even find one. They're so hard to find because most people who own them either don't know what they have, or don't want to give it up for anything.

74'Sunn Model-T sunn's answer to the marshall major. Great for guitar /or bass; Front panel: two channels, Bright and normal, Two volume, bass, middle, treble, and presence and master volume, On/off, standby, rearpanel: circit braker, lineout, two speakers outputs, and a impedence switch from 2 to 16ohm's ; 150 watts R.M.S. 3-121ax7's & 4-6550's ""loud"" punchy & sustain ""very sweet"" all a real play needs!!!

Sounds rich like a tube amp is supposed too!! I played with two Marshall half stacks on and off for 12yrs and never had a problem, mostly two to three nights a week. Used a 74' P.bass, a ampeg dan armstromg and a gibson explorer. The sound was so fat and punchy and sweet, PRETTY MUCH THE SAME SOUND and all REALLY GOOD!!very quite,No noise and loved peddles I've been playing bass in cover bands for over thirty years and they where the best amps I ever owned besides a Ampeg 70' SVT only the SVT wieghed 40 more pounds see where I'm comming from !!!

Owned 2 heads 74' and a76'/77' and had one service in 15yrs. at a cost of $40. Of course new tubes where $150 each a year, I never had a problem at a GIG. bullet proof !!!!

Well SUNN has gone the way of the doo doo and Fender ownes the name. So you can still get a service manuel and any tech can work on them thats worth a _hit not that there going to need it !!!!

Overall in My humble opinion if you like KICKASS tube amps and play BALLS To the WaLLS the Model-T is for you. If you need a bunch channel switching with bell and all [ BUY NEW ]

Mine is a '74. 4x6550 power tubes and 3x12AX7 preamp tubes. Normal and Brite channels (not switchable, has separate inputs for both), a bridged input and outs for each channel. Front panel has Brite volume, Normal volume, Bass, Mid-Range, Treble, Presence, Master, Standby switch and Power switch. Back panel has Polarity switch, Circut Breaker button, Accesssory outlet, 2 speaker outs, 2,4,8,16 ohm selector knob and a Line Out. It's 150 watts RMS and all tube, so plenty of power.......VERY LOUD.

I use an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, the Model T, a Matamp Black 4x12 with 100 watt Celestions and a vintage '76 Big Muff fuzz. I play loud, dirty stoner/doom type of stuff and this amp does the job. All the volume and tone I need. The amp is not that noisy if you don't want it to be. The amps clean sounds very warm and rich. The preamp is really responsive, so there are alot of tone options. The overdrive is pretty good. It's not a super high gain overdrive like many new amps, but a good pedal with a little amp overdrive will sound brutal. My Big Muff sounds killer with this head. This amp is very loud, so playing live with it is no problem at all.

This thing is built to last. The amp is 30 years old and is in great shape. It weighs about 60 pounds. If you don't run over it with a truck or drop it out of a 4 story window, it should last forever with standard maintenance like replacing tubes and shit. I would gig without a backup.

Sunn is long gone, so no help from them. Any good amp tech could work on it with no problems.

Been playing about 16 years. If it were lost or stolen, I would be pissed. I would definitly buy another one. Great amp.

'74 T.... Definately not for the weak hearted. 1 channel is all I need. It is good for bass also...reminicent of old '70's SVT.

With hot tubes this thing will melt concrete...If you like heavy music (i.e. Melvins, Kyuss, Tool, Dozer, etc.) hot 12AX7's will bring the beef. Colder tubes or bias will give you the cleanest loudest bass or guitar amp ever built. The re-issues (with 6L6 can't quite hang)

A Tank...say no more

Know a good amp repair guy...get a schematic-you're good to go.

If you can find an old one...get it. It won't let you down...it's a sunn

Not much. Vol, bass, mid, treb, presence, bright, normal and bridged. 100 watts clean power. No bells and whistles but that is the beauty and charm of this machine.

This is the most rip you head off, feel it in you chest clean. Set the preamp for some not a lot but some break up. But it really shines with clean. I use the bridge input. It sounds great with all my effects. I run a deluxe strat--RMC1 wah--Fulltone DV2--Snarling Dogs Blue Doo--Jacque Stompboxes Mercer Box Fuzz--Model T. I love the master on 10 and adjust the pre amp to desired volume. It is loud and balls out clean. Since I use the Mercer Box fuzz, I set the Model T for slight break up to smooth out the fuzz. I miss having that clean when I turn off the fuzz though. That is why I bought a Model T RI. I will run both amps the 73' for clean and the RI for dist and fuzz. I dig this amp. Don't by this if you want high gain tube distortion get a Mesa or someting. If you want straight ahead no frills killer tone find one of the originals.Sunn 0))) IT'S LOUD

It is almost 30 years old. I changed the tubes and my amp tech changed 1 resister that has gone bad. Thats it. It is point to point hand wired so it is real easy to work on.

Sunn has set Fender dropped them also. Too bad great product. I think gearhead.com has some stuff

I have tried going to fenders andhave tried out Marshalls I always come back to the Sunn. If It was stolen I would definatly try to find another. Cool tone Cool Vibe!

I don't know what year mine was but it was definitely not one of the newer Fender made reissues. It had three inputs on the front (normal, bright and bridged). It also had a shared three-band #Q, master volume, presence, and a preamp volume control for each channel. On the back there was a polarity switch, circuit breaker, impedance knob, and two speaker outs. Inside there was 3 12AX7's, a solid state rectifier, 4 6550's and a bias adjust screw. The only thing it that was noticeably missing was reverb. Basically it has everything you must have, but nothing more.

This amp had the best clean sound of any amp I have ever owned. It was very full and warm and the lows stayed nice and tight even when pushed at high volumes. The distortion was very weak by today?s standards and not as smooth as I like it. Some reviewers have compared it to the Fender clean, and in terms of quality I agree. But the character of the sound is quite different. I find the Fenders to be bright with very little low-mids. The model-T on the other hand is very heavy in the lows and low-mids. This frequency response makes it a good match for traditional single coil guitars giving them a fullness that they don?t normally have.

Modulation effects work well with this amp, but if you?re using them to thicken up a weak or thin sound you wont need them. This amp does that for you. I also tried numerous distortion units with this amp and was very pleased with most. My favorites were a tube screamer for mild overdrive or a Big Muff for raging fuzz. Someone once referred to it as Dr. Jekyl (clean) and Mr. Hyde (with fuzz added). Standard distortion and metal type pedals like the DS-1, Rat and MT-2 sounded good, but seemed to rob it of some of it?s warmth. Overall I preferred to avoid distortion with this amp because the clean sound alone was so incredible.

My favorite setup for this amp was Strat -> Vox wah -> tube screamer -> Big Muff -> Univibe -> Deluxe Memory Man -> Model T (bridged input). It had a great blues/classic rock sound.

The only problem I ever had with this amp was a burned out preamp tube. Considering all of the glass inside and it?s age I think I was pretty lucky.

Sunn isn't around anymore.

Overall I think this was a great amp. It was basic with extremely good tone. It sounded good with all types of guitars, pickups and effects but I found it particularly good with a strat and a clean signal. It had a very warm and rich sound that I have not found in another amp. On the down side it had no reverb or effects loop and was extremely loud. I finally got rid of mine because the only place I had to store it was in the garage and it got very little use out there. If need a loud amp that doesn?t break up at high volumes and has great tone do yourself a favor and find an old model T head.