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.

my 1973 model t fits the bill for this 48 yr old r+b / jazz bassist. it sounds like i'm in bass heaven. the amp is real simple.2 inputs + a bridged input , strightahead tone controls and a real nice presence control.plenty of power from 4 6550 's.

i use a fender bass (p/bass).the amp is quiet and has a punchey yet smooth sound,nice + fat. i use the combination input,w/ the master on 10 and both input volume knobs low (around 2or3) for clean lows and good definition of the notes.this amp cuts through anything.most bass players comment on my sound,not that i'm a monster player mind you,but i've played all these years knowing that solid playing and a good sound brings longevity in the music biz.
do not confuse this amp w/ the new fender/sunn models which are good products but not at all like the older sunn amp(s)

this amp is a tank,i have used this as my main amp for years on countless gigs where (more often than not) it was "rode hard and put away wet". the only thing i find on this amp is when the tubes go they just dump quick.sometimes you start out fine and halfway through a set you sound like freddy fuzztone.i think i've had about $35 in repairs (outside of tubes + biasing) since 1974.nothing major has ever gone wrong w/ this amp. if you find or have a model t look (HARD) for a quad set of n/o/s RCA power tubes or if you really want some tone,i'm talkin to the bass players now, find some old metal grid GE 6550's.both are exspensive but well worth the cost and effort (ebay + the internet have made this real easy)

alas,the real sunn company is long gone,but service is not a problem if you have a decent tech.like i stated before,this is a simple,well made quality amplifier easy to repair,service and modify (if so inclined).just remember to check the bias when you retube.there are plenty of interesting sunn sites on the web (which,if you don't know how sunn started you'll be in for a surprise) plenty of schematics also...

i've been playing + recording for 36 years. i own 2 fender precision basses.an old ampeg b/15 fliptop amp , i bought everything used in the late sixties while in high school w/ $ made playing and i still have it all. i also have a 70's music man bass amp which i like. i use only jbl 15" speakers.
i would scour the earth for another model t if any thing happend to mine.it amazes me people will pay BIG $$ for tiny old amps yet you can still get these at a very un- vintage / working musician
prices.buy one for a couple of hundred bucks, put in new tubes and you'll have a lifelong friend.

No clue when this was made, but it's original (not the Fender reissue). Offers two channels--bright and normal--through seperate inputs (no switching) and a bridged channel input. Seperate channel volumes, shared treble, mid, and bass, shared master volume and presence. 2 12AX7s in the preamp, 1 12AX7 inverter, and four 6550 power amp tubes. Mono line outs (seperate for each channel) are located on the front panel. No effects loop, no headphone out, no half-power switch. 100 watts, solid state rectifier. Best feature was the very nice presence control that REALLy made a difference in sound.

I used a Fender strat, Gibson ES335, and Gibson LP through this baby. This has to be said for this amp: excellent cleans are to be found here. The 6550s add a bubbly, chimming sound not found in other output tubes, and the bright channel makes clean playing lovely. Unfortunately, 6550s DO NOT SOAK. Almost all distortion comes from the preamp tubes, and this was back when preamp distortion technology wasn't very well thought out. Both channels break up at about 7, and bridged they break up at about 4 (on both channels). The distortion is gritty, even with good 12AX7s, and the always chimming-clean 6550s create the perpetual effect of blended clean and dirty channels.
The Gibson 335 got a good shimmery, sustaining BOC tone when the bright volume was full up and all distortion (such as it is) totally compressed out. Fuzz pedals, even cheap ones (DOD American Metal) sounds good through this amp (6550s really make effects warm and lush, the best tubes out there for effects-playing). Too bad the distortion itself is the pits.

I'll say this, though---it could take the worst beating and still sound great.

Traded a Roland GP8 processor for it. Even trade--felt no better or worse off. Both pieced of gear were crap with one or two good sounds. I would buy one of these again for $100 for bass, putting in some very low-gain preamp tubes, but never again for guitar. If you have a really powerful and noiseless compressor (Carl Martin or TC Elec), and get your tone strictly from effects and external distortions (preamps or pedals), this might work well, providing you put in preamp tubes that don't distort themselves. The tubes REALLY warm up effects and external distortion, and would serve as a great power amp for a rack. Barring that, say away from this amp.

two channels. input for each and also a imput that conbines channels. both share eq. Ie- bass, mid, treb, presence, master. each have own volume contro. both share a 3 way mid switch. Amp is powered by 4 6550s and 3(I think) 12ax7's. rated at 100 watts with a rotary ohms selector on back.

I use mainly A les paul classic and a les paul studio through this. Amp is quite loud..louder than my 100 watt 6550 powered 74' marshall super lead. The sunn has tons of head room and being a 6550 powered amp results in very gritty "overdrive" with volumes cranked. I use the term overdrive due to it not breaking up much. amp is very booming and thick. nice and tight with edgy presence. great for being heard through a thick mix. I usually use a boss overdrive or a old big muff for lead stuff. I play it through a old krebs 4-12" cab from the 70's that I recently put naylor 50 watt speakers in. sounds good.
I orig. bought this amp for a bass amp, and yes folks..does make a hell if a bass amp AS LONG AS YOU HAVE MILDLY RATED TUBES. I say this because before I had this retubed it sounded like a lower powered vintage svt. I got it back from being retubed and it didnt have nearly as much headroom as before. Overall the tube swap was for the better, now it breaks up better for guitar. I rate this a 8 due to it being unique and kool sounding

Its a work horse. huge transformers = alot of weight. this this is rock solid and put together for the long haul

Sunn isnt around anylonger, fender brought back supposed "sunn" reissues but no relation.

Amp is great. Dont plan to ever get rid of it. It is part of my ever growing collection and I plan to cut some tracks with it in the studio next month. great amp, great price. If it was stolen I'd be upset and look for another.

This amp has a ton of features- actually USEFUL ones, not the bells and whistles that come on many amps nowadays. Most of these are actually on the back panel, and include a bias adjust screw, polarity switch, speaker impedance switch, and- thank goodness- a circuit breaker switch. On the front panel, you get volume controls for both normal and bright channels, as well as global 3-band EQ for the preamp section, a presence control for the power section, and a master volume. Each channel has its own input and output so you can jump the channels. There is also a "bridge" input in the middle, so you can run both channels in parallel.
As for power, I play clubs that use ~1,000-1500 watt PAs, and the master volume has never been over 6 1/2.
How old? Well, the serial number is #034405. Send me an email if you know what year it is. I hear the later models are similar to the Fender reissues, with only one input and an actual "hot" channel.

I have gone through my Gibson phase and am currently playing a Telecaster. My style is eclectic and ranges from jazz and blues through MBV-style "shoegazer" music through hardcore punk, "post-punk," and loads of experimental styles. Sometimes I play extremely dry; other times, I use a very effected tone. Distortion tones run the gamut. It all depends on the gig.
Most of us have played through amps that get every sound but the right one. Well, this one gets only one basic sound, but it kicks ass. Any distortion box kicks ass through this amp. A Tube Screamer is a natural, and with a Fuzz Face or a Bee Baa- whoa! Even those shitty "metal distortion boxes" put out a convincing growl through this. Zoom or Boss digital effects sound almost analog here. If you must use digital reverb, go for the hall programs- they're actually useful here!
The natural amp crunch is very warm and bluesy, but needs a little compression to kick it in the ass. Jumping the channels in either sequence seems to be of little consequence, and I prefer the tone from the bridged input. I set the gain so the amp is on the verge of breaking up, so that when I kick in the fuzz or overdrive, the volume boost gooses the amp into its own overdrive- and I get compliments on my tone on every gig.
FYI, I use the Sunn 4x12 that came with the amp. It is less brittle and has more thwunk than a straight Marshall cab with greenbacks in it.

I have had this amp, tubes and all, since 1994, and all it needs is a polish. I want to find another old one like I have now, but only so I can run stereo. Backup? This thing has never failed me.

I have never called Fender for customer service. If I blow a transformer somewhere down the road, I'm not sure if the "new" Model-T's parts will work. I'd rather not think about it.

I play blues gigs as well as my own completely arch, experimental gigs. This amp is perfect for everything. It is the ultimate "dry signal" amp, which you can pump any dry or effected tone through with fabulous results. I get compliments on my tone every night.
If you are sick of gratuitous knobs and B.S., look for one of these amps. A bass player found this amp at a flea market for $250, and I haven't found any since, so these may be rare nowadays. However, I still think this is one of the most underrated guitar amps in its class.

The amp has three inputs (normal, bright, and channel-bridged modes), and a seperate line out for each channel. The controls are bright volume (channel 1), normal volume (channel 2), bass, mid, treble, presence (true presence, in the power amps control loop, not just a forth band of EQ) and master volume. On the back there is a knob for changing the ohm load to the speakers from 2, 4, 8, or 16 ohms, very useful. There is no recording out or reverb, unfortunately. Both normal and bright channels can take seperate guitars simultaneously. I use this amp for recording, in my bedroom, and for performance. It's plenty loud enough for any of those applications, though if I was going to do a stadium show, I'd need to buy a second one. It used four 6550 power tubes (rather quite expensive) and three 12AX7s, though from time to time I think about trying 12AU7s, but never get around to it.

When I first got it, I used a Gibson Professional 335-S Deluxe (an old solid-body I had beaten up quite severly over the years), as well as Fender strats, Les Pauls, etc., but now I use a custom John Suhr Purple Haze strat as my sole instrument (when not playing acoustic). I play the psychedelic Texas blues (Hendrix, Doors, SRV, etc.) as well as some jazz and modal rock, and this amp smokes for those styles! That seems to be where the distortion is focused, a greasy grind that sets off blues perfectly (sounds exactly like Stevie Ray Vaughn). I let a friend use it for a punk set, and it sounded terrible...this is a blues/rock amp only. Its not very noisey, but when the master is maxed out, there's a notible ambient noise when the channel volume is also all the way up. Each channle begins to distort at about 3, and goes up from there, however, even when the distortion and master are all the way up, kicking in a compressor cleans it right up, almost like channel switching (I use a T.C. Electronic Sustain+EQ). The sound is grinding to glassy, and the clean sounds are otherworldy breathtaking. Definitly the best tube clean I've ever heard, soft and full and round, with a fair amount of bite when the presence is up. This is a rocker's amp, for those who dig classic rock, blues, or some alternative...it's not a high-gain metal amp, if you want to play heavy power chords, don't get one of these, you'll hate it.

Apparently it's hel up since the late '60s with no problems at all...I don't know if these are the original tubes, but I doubt it. I use it without a backup, and don't ever see myself needing another one.

They no longer exist...bought by CBS Fender and discontinued. Fender has recently reissued the Sunn Model-T, claiming it's a faithfull reproduction of the original. It isn't even remotely the same amp, and it costs about four times as much as an original '60s Sunn.

I use this amp with a '60s strat and several select pedals (T.C. Electronics Sustain, Fulltone Fulldrive 2, Fulltone Dejavibe, Colorsound SupaFuzz/Wah, and a Boss Flanger) though two hardwood custom monitors (each has a 12" full range and four 5" tweeters). I also use a Johnson Millenium for some recordings, but this is my main amp. I wish it had reverb, but beggars can't be choosers. This is by far the bast amp I've ever used (Fenders, early Marshalls, etc.), and for blues nothing except for REALLY high-end Fender amps compare (VibroKing, for instance is possibly the best out there, except for botique amps, but it costs more than six times as much). I bought it because I love glassy blues, and I needed a ballsy amp to go with my new custom 60s-model John Suhr strat. I knew Hendrix used a Sunn, along with Marshalls and Fenders, and this definitly screams Jimi. I'd buy one again, if only for the beautiful sparkly clean. I'm thinking that when the power tubes finally do fail, I might have a bias switch added for subbing KT88s, but that's a decision for the future. The reason these aren't two-thousand dollar collectors items is because nobody knows about them...the fucking Fender reissues might draw attention and drive up the price though.

i believe that my model t was made in the late 70's, i am still researching to find a way to accurately date it. i have only had this amp for a couple of weeks, but it has already impressed me with it's versitile tones. this amp allows guitars to keep thier personalities, without over-coloration of tones. it has two seperate channels which can be bridged for a fatter sound. features include: master volume, treble, middle, bass, presence, 100 watts of all tube power and swichable ohms (2-4-8-16). the thing weighs a ton, can push two speaker cabs, and seems to sound good even at lower volumes.

so far i've used this head with a marshall 1960a cab w/ the modern lead speakers, and a 1974 sound city 4x12 w/ fane speakers. both cabs sounded great but the marshall seemed to give more definition to both highs and lows. i'v plugged in pauls, sg standards, danelectro u-2s and lace sensor strats, and every ax kept it's vibe. there does seem to be a squishy feel to the notes, but maybe that's how gt 6550 tube are. this amp is for pedals, processor cats move on. you can go loud and clean, or get dist by cranking the norm and brite vol. and using the master vol. for control. rumour says its a hell of a bass amp. i normally don't dig master vol. amps, but in this case i think it allows for better tones at lower volumes. get a nice thick clean sound and use a fuzz or dist. pedal in front and you're there. mine seems to be very quiet for a tube amp, virtually little noise. no reverb, oh-well.

not much to add here, the musician i got it from just had it retubed with groove tubes. he claimed to have had no big problems with either of his 2 model t's over the years, other than he could no longer stand the weight of them. tube amps in general are very organic, as you can replace and change things as necessary (as long as parts and money are avalible).

the sunn has set, get a serviceman to help if you need it.

i have been playing guitar for about 12 years or so, and work at a guitar shoppe in columbus, ohio. i am exposed to great gear on a daily basis, and have a modest collection of goodies myself. i would say that for the money these amps are going for used, they are a great value for a working musician who wants true tube tone in a 100 watt package. it can peel the paint off of the walls, and still work out in a smaller club. i am curious as to how the model t sounds as a bass amp. it would be a coup for the money if it could serve me in 2 seperate ways. it could work as a backup amp for a touring band, optimizing van space and functionability. i'd buy another if the price was right.

Simple features: Bright Vol, Normal Vol, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, Master Vol. Line out, 2 spkr. outs, 2-4-8-16 ohm select.

I play Fender Precision basses thru it. It delivers a fat, round tube bass sound. Since I want it clean, I run the Master Vol at 10 and set the Brite & Normal Volumes (I plug into "Both") at 3 or 4. It's a LOUD amp with tons of pure tube sound. I run it thru a pair of EVM 15s.

It's very reliable, with the tubes being the only "replacable" parts. I use the Tung-Sol 6550s...but they are quite expensive.

There is none! Find your own tech...in case you need one. I have 2 of these heads and I've never had any thing I couldn't fix myself.

The sunn model-T is an all tube head rated at about 100W. As far as features go, it's pretty simple. There are three inputs (one for the normal channel, one for the bright, and one for both). It also has two outputs (one for each channel), but the outcoming signal is exactly like the input (it just sends it back out again without doing anything to it). It also has a line out. No reverb, which is my biggest problem with it. Each channel has a drive control. One main volume. Bass, mid, and treble controls (I've seen a model-T with a three position switch for the mid eq). Plus it has a very nice prescence control that adds a certain....something. Right now I'm using a sunn beta lead as a speaker cabinet (sunn made completely enclosed amps even for it's combo amps). I just unplugged the beta lead, stuck the model-T on top and plugged it in. The impeadance is adjustable (2,4,8,16), maybe more, because i remember having more than 4 clicks on that knob. Anyway, it's a 2X12 converging speaker cabinet.

This is diffinately one of the strangest sounding amps I've played with. Very bluesy, but with a strangeness to it that I can"t quite put my finger on. The bright channel is definately the best sounding one, very clean when strummed lightly, but breaking into a nice mellow roar when strummed hard. I play a Fender Jaguar in many different tunings, most of them based around A or B. That combined with a sharkfin pick makes some of the coolest sounds I've heard. The presence control is pertty dramatic. Turned all the way down mellows out the sound a lot, turned all the way up it will bite your head off.

This is the most reliable amp I have ever owned. My sunn beta lead broke, so did a Crate that i bought NEW. (And both of those were solid state!). I've played at gigs, I've hauled it around countless times in the trunk of my very bumpy VW Scirocco, and it has never failed. I've had it for more than three years and have only replaced the driver tubes (three 12AX17's, or something like that), and i play it nearly every day. I plan to change all of the output tubes soon, but it doesn't seem to need them. It's a rock!

Sunn is no more, and i can't tell you about repairs because it has never needed them.

I love it. I will buy it again and again. If only it had reverb. I saw a sunn 100S with reverb for $150.00, but all of the tubes were loose and the reverb didn't work (which was the only reason i would have bought it). Has anyone ever seen another all tube head this good for $125?! My bandmate's $1500.00 Vox broke down, and it still didn't sound as cool as my good ol' sunn! Come to think of it, i had better stop praising it before you all go out and buy up all of those dusty sunns and drive up the price!

I bought my Sunn model T four years ago and it has never let me down. I recently had to drop a couple of hundred for some new caps and a retubing, but it was still working fine . The 6550's are a little pricey, but they have alot of low end (I use it for guitar, but the only other person I've ever seen use one was a bass player). It definitely doesn't rage like a Marshall, but it has an ability to be heard over other musicians (I am in a very loud band that sometimes gets into volume battles). By this I don't mean that it is loud, it just has a meaty sound. I use it in conjunction with a Musicman HD65 because it doesn't do channel switching. I am very happy with this set up. It was one of the best $150 dollars I ever spent.

The sound is very seventies as far as the overdrive goes. It has a bright and a normal input and another jack that allows you to use both channels. I use the two channels and then use the individuals knobs to control which one is dominant. The sound works for me in playing loud rock, and then pulling back to quieter stuff. The Amp is very responsive to the attack on the strings. I generally use an Gibson SG or an Ibanez Artist with it, but I once used it with a Strat and it was very reminiscent of Deep Purple's old Super Lead 100 Marshall sound.

Very Reliable.

N/A

Love it.

I bought my 100 watt Model T amp and 4x12 Lab Series cabinet in 1990 for US$125 to use with my Farfisa organ because I wanted something loud. Well there is more than that I guess. It has two channel inputs "bright" and "normal" with a master volume. The inputs can be used separately or together via a 1/4" jack that feeds to both. It has the usual bass, treble, and mid with some units having a three-way band select for the mid (mine does not have this.) It also has "presence" which a former band-mate of mine and I dubbed "disruptor" (you can guess) anyway, turning up the "presence" has some sort of weird hi-mid boost that does radically different things depending on the type of signal is going into the amp. Its 100 watts are from a quartet of 6550's (which are not cheap) with the pre-stage being taken care of w/ 2 12AX7A's. No reverb. No tremelo. If it could have one of these effects in it I would choose tremelo. Use as a keyboard amp didn't last long and I have been using it live and for recording ever since. This is a very powerful amp that sound good at high and low volumes

I am not a "tone purist" or whatever you want to call that sort of Stevie Ray Vaughn worship stuff, but I can say that this amp has got soul. It lacks in the upper highs but gives it all back in the power of the lower midrange and the sustain. I think Blue Cheer used Sunn amps if that tells you anything. As far as distortion goes this amp has a sort of "poor-man's Marshall" overdrive when you turn up the pre- stage, that again I say, gots soul. As far as "styles" I have used it with I guess the rock and psychedelic pigeonholes will do.

This amp has never broken down.

When DID Sunn stop making guitar amps?

I want another one. It is big and it is heavy. I'm glad I sold my Twin. The model-T is also an excellent bass amp. I still see these amps in the paper for US$150-250 but remember you will probably have to re-tube it which runs around $150 just for the tubes. I recommend Jim Flynn at Entertainment Electronics in Portland Oregon as he has done excellent work on my "T" as well as other gear I have brought him.