Sunn Sceptre

1970 SUNN SCEPTRE; BOUGHT WHEN NEW AND STILL GOING STRONG 30 YEARS LATER; TWO 6550 POWER TUBES; 60WattsRMS, 140WattsPEAK - SOUNDS LIKE A THOUSAND!SUPER CLEAN, PUNCHY HALF-STACK W/4-12 SUNN SPEAKERS(LONG-THROW CABINET: EXTREME PROJECTION!)BRIGHT CHANNEL WITH AN ATTITUDE;MID-BOOST SWITCH AND CONTOUR POT FOR TONE CITY.

THIS AMP HAS A VERY TIGHT, COMPRESSED SUSTAIN THAT SINGS FOR DAYS; ALSO KILLER FOR BASS; LIMITED IN VERSATILITY, BUT WHO GETS FAMOUS FOR THAT! GREAT FOR A SIGNATURE SOUND; NEEDS OD FX PEDAL IF YOU WANT DISTORTION: THIS AMP WILL SOUND CLEAN WAY PAST THE POINT OF PAIN.

THIRTY YEARS AND STILL AWESOME; HAD LIFETIME GUARANTEE THAT OUT LIVED THE MANUFACTURER; TREMELO NO LONGER WORKING, BUT I NEVER USED IT ANYWAY. NEVER NEEDED A BACK-UP; 15 YEARS REGULAR PROFESSIONAL GIGS!

THE ORIGINAL SUNN COMPANY IS LONG-TIME GONE;

NO LONGER USED ON-STAGE; TOO LOUD FOR MOST VENUES; VOLUME ON TWO WILL DROWN-OUT ANY DRUMMER; IRREPLACABLE AT ANY PRICE!

This is a 1970 Sceptre head. 60 watts. Single channel, mono, with tubes.
Controls (L-R): volume, treble, bass,"contour" (read "Middle"), trem rate & depth, mid boost switch,reverb knob. standby, polarity and light-up power switch rounds out the front panel.
back panel: accessory outlet, fuseholder, reverb in & out plugs, footswitch L&R plugs, 2 speaker out jacks. no footswitch , but someone hardwired the 'verb and trem so that both are always on.
This is the first amp I've ever owned that has a mid control, and I'm finding it quite handy, but I'm not thowing away my old fenders just yet. The mid boost switch is also quite usable especially for leads.
the transformers are big and heavy and original.
Tubes: 2-6550s (US), 1-12ax7, 1-12au7, 1-6an8 (warning! oddball tube!), and a GZ34 (5AR4) rectifier.
I'm giving it an 8-it doesn't have a master volume (useless on this amp), channel switching, effects loops, or any of that. I don't care. I don't need any of that right now. what it can do it does well, and that's enough for right now.

First of all, a caveat: IF YOU WANT TO SOUND LIKE JIMMY PAGE, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. This amp doesn't do that. at all. It's equipped with a pair of 6550s (LOTS o'headroom) that are wired in an ultra-linear configuration (to reduce distortion-Late '70s fenders had this, but they did it badly. Sunn did it well). So, clean tubes plus clean-sounding circuitry equals...well, CLEAN. Go get a Hiwatt if you want a more distorted sound. On ten, this amp drops hints that it *might* get distorted someday, but not today, and tomorrow doesn't look good either. I got this amp because I knew what I was getting into, and I wanted to get an amp with a clean sound.
I got it. As a die-hard small amp freak, the first thing I noticed is the bass. It is there even at 1 on the volume dial. the amp really starts to warm up after 4. the bass knob kicks in above 2, but doesn't get flappy until about 7 or 8, and even then it's not as flappy as my larger Fenders. the treble knob isn't as robust as a fender's, and the amp's character generally isn't as bright as a silverface (or even a blackface) fender. Like I said before, the contour/mid knob is quite usable, especially with the mid boost switch in the "on" position.
The trem sounds good, although its range of speeds is slower than a comparable Fender amp, which is not bad. I like my trem slow. It could be a bit deeper, though. At 7 the trem is subtle, and below 6, it is inaudible.
The reverb could be LOTS better(especially since the pot is scratchy) and the send and return wires could be shielded for less noise. Also, the amp has a 2-prong power cord. This is bad, as 120VAC likes to flow through *you* in its search for a ground source, and adds a buzz to the amp besides. In fact, the first thing I plan to do with this amp is to put a 3-prong cord on it. anything less than that is just plain unsafe.
I give it a 7-the basic amp sounds VERY good (unless you like super ditort-o metal. there again, go somewhere else. although it can do country easily, it can do so much more. a good clean tone is SO usable in so many areas that this amp would be a welcome addition to many a backline. Again, the only niggles are the iffy reverb and the unusability of half the trem depth knob's range.

Well, it's lasted 30 years, so it must not be too bad, reliability-wise. Still, if you can affortd it, it's stupid to gig without it. I trust the amp, but gigs are money. And audiences tend to hate a band where they can't hear the guitar playing.

the Sunn that made this amp is long gone. As you now know, Sunn has been bought out by Fender, who has schematics of the old amps available through www.mrgearhead.com/ If I were you, I would get a schematic of my Sunn amp and keep it with the amp. You never know when you'll need it, and how familiar your local repair tech will be with these things as they weren't made by Fender or Marshall. But Fender is good at customer service. Use it and get a printing of your amp's schem and keep it with your amp. I can't say it enough.

As a player of 5 years and a staunch Fender devotee, this is a definite change of pace for me. But it's not a bad one. Its sound is, again,very clean, but not harsh to the ear, even though it is loud. And while this amp isn't the Be-all or end-all for me, I have a feeling that this is the kind of amp whose sound grows on you as the years go by and it still sounds great.

The Sceptre was built in 1969. I bought it for $200, and it has been worth much more than every penny to me. It is definitely my primary amp, and at 140 watts rms, is well suited for gigging. I play from hendrix to hardcore, and this amp does both very well. It is very warm, and has a deep and trippy 12" spring reverb. What is odd is that it has a "reverb loop" for linking spring 'verbs. I tried this with the reverb from my univox head and it sounded remarkable, but its not at all practical. It has four inputs, two bright and two normal. if you want to call this two channels, go ahead, but there is only one master volume. i wish it had an fx loop, but i am happy with the 4 and 8 ohm output jacks. the front consists of the usual volume, treble, and bass. it also has an awesome contour control. when playing heavy stuff, cut it all the way and you suck the mids out for killer hardcore rythyms. there is also a mid-boost switch. when cut, this will provide a solid state tone, but i never use it and you wouldnt either, after hearing this amp. when boosted, its seventies flashback happy hour. amazing. this warmer than the sun itself. there are also rate and depth for tremolo, and reverb knobs. it has enough power for me alright, in fact ive never turned it all the way up- not even on stage. i give it a ten because anyone would love this amp- despite playing style.

i use a jackson randy rhoads and a strat, but i run bass through this amp without a problem (when using a 15" speaker) its also good for 'vintagizing' your sterile digital synths and keys. my strat is loaded with a silver lace sensor at the neck, a duncan hotrail in the mid, and a super distortion humbucker at bridge. Even when the amp is at full bassey tone with all the sound rounded off, the hotrail can cut through for some distinguished lead work. for this, i wish the amp had a footswitch for the midboost- it would allow me to use the lace sensor all the time. for chording, i can use any pickup from any guitar and it sounds phenomenal. when contour, treble and reverb are all the way up, and mid boost is cut, the amp sounds a bit harsh. good for country, but i'm not garth brooks. if you cut the tone dials on your axe, however, you can manipulate some interesting tones with the amp at this setting. the amp alone cannot give you the world as far as different sounds, but with just about any fx processor or pedal, you can get a kick-ass sonic color from the sunn. i run the amp through an old 2x12 univox cabinet. i never even bothered to check what speakers are in it, because they sound so great. when i put even a natural overdrive pedal on, like a boss sd-1, i get a gorgeously broken up fuzz, and i love it. normally i run a digitech rp-5 with a crybaby. most people hate the rp-5's distortion, and i agree through any practice amp, but this amp turns the digitech into an eventide gtr4000!!! with no outboard gear, the amp is clean all the way up. with no gain control, you'd need to blow your ears out to overdrive this amp.

the sceptre never broke down, and i've never needed to replace a tube. mind you- this thing sounds good with rca tubes, imagine sovteks! i have played live with no backup, and i gave my fellow guitarists' marshall preamp a scare...

R.I.P, Sunn.

i've been playing for 6 years now and i have what harmony central's writers would call gear acquisition syndrome. if this was stolen i couldn't replace it, as the one i bought is the only one i've ever seen. but i would if i could. i love this amp to death, but i would sell it if something else just struck me with awe and i had to have it. i would compare this amp with a fender princeton reverb, but obviously this amp is a 140 watt halfstack, and in my opinion sounds even more pristine. That is the closest match i have ever heard. with this amp along side a boogie preamp, there is no tone imaginable that a guitarist cannot get. i only wish it had line out, for recording. i mike this amp and go straight to hard disk. its that superb.