Sunn T50C 112 Combo

I won't go into all the specifications on this amp since there are already good descriptions below. But I will say that the bias adjustment and power tube failure features are great! Also, if you plan on using the 2nd channel overdrive, it's got a pretty heavy gain structure, you would be best to play around with some lower gain tubes to knock it down a bit (at least for my musical tone tastes). I don't feel to bad about having to do this since I only paid $600 new for the amp, however if I had paid the $1000+ that it originally went for, I would expect not to have to do this. And yes,it looks great on stage!

I have to agree with the fact that the preamp gain structure is way too heavy. I have put a 5751 in V1 & V2 with a 12AT7 in V3. This has made the amp much cleaner sounding. Before doing this, it was impossible to get any kind of clean sound from the amp. It definitly has a mixture of British and Fender sounds, it really stands out with the preamp tube changes. I tried changing the speakers to Vintage 30's(I use it with the matching extension cabinet $250, OW! But just try to find one now), but found it to be too midrangy. After reinstalling the original G12T-75 Celestions, I started to like them quite a bit. I don't use the overdrive section of the amp, I depend on my pedals for that. The reverb on this amp is pretty strange, it's O.K. but it really seems to sit in the background of your sound, not like a Fenders usual lush reverb. This is a loud beast, especially with the extension cabinet. My goal was to have an amp with enough power to play outdoor gigs, and something different sounding then my Fender amps, this amp has accomplished that goal. I use a THD hotplate when playing the small clubs (I play classic rock).
I rate the amp a 6-7 before the tube changes, an "8" after.

I have had this amp for 2 years now, I have gigged with it 4 or 5 times. It seems rock solid, I have had no problems whatsoever.

Haven't had to get support. The Sunn has set....

For the price it was a very good deal, a real "sleeper" bargin. I like to try as many different amps as possible. I am glad that I got this one. I have enjoyed the amp very much. But, I wouldn't hesitate to sell or trade it for something new since I really have no use for the overdrive channel (contact me if your interested in buying it). Would I buy it again, yes if I had never tried it, no if it were stolen or lost/damaged.

This is a follow up of my 3/31/03. Features haven't changed since then.

Here is where I wanted to comment. I have continued to play with different tube arrays. The problem with the stock recommended battalion of 12AX7s is that they just push too much gain. In one of my T50Cs, I decided to put an NOS GE 5751 in V1, a JJ ECC83S in V2, and JJ ECC 81s(12AT7 equivalents) in V3 and V4. If you follow, this set up is pushing less gain through the circuit but more output. Since you are driving multiple gain stages, I thought this might be a good idea. I love how this amp sounds with this set up.

A second thought was to do what I mentioned in the earlier review - to stick a 12AU7 in V3. I've tried this with Mullard and with JAN Philips tubes and was very happy with it.

My third effort was to use a good 12AT7 in V1. A JJ ECC81 did not quite do it. Something sounded a bit dull. On the other hand, some JAN Philips 12AT7s and some Mullard types sounded fantastic.

The bottom line with the pre-amp stage is that I think you get a bit of warmer, fuller tone if you tame the gain structure just a bit.

As for power tubes, I have tried: Svetlana 6L6GC, Sovtek 5881, JAN Philips 6L6WGB, JJ 6L6GC, Shuguang 6L6GC, Groove Tube 6L6GE and a few others. The JJs worked real well with the stock set up of 12AX7s in the pre-amp positions. The Shuguangs were cheap and sounded surprisingly good. The JAN Philips 6L6WGB gave the best sounds - clean or overdriven. The stock Svetlanas were #2.

No problems yet with either of my two.

Not needed to date.

I love these amps. They sound fantastic.

This amp has everything a tube amp lover wants, plus a few more extras. Two channels and 50 watts worth of all-tube tone into a single Celestion 12 inch speaker. This amp absolutely gives 'er! It features a 1/4 power wattage switch that allows you to use only 12.5 watts, and even then, it's pretty darn loud. This feature is great for in the studio or in the practice room, when you want all that delicious tube tone, but not quite all the ear-splitting volume. Flip the switch to 50 watts, and you're roaring like a lion. This baby can hold it's own in small to medium sized venues, UNMIKED!!! I play a lot of all-ages and indie shows. Quite often you show up and there's just barely enough of a P.A. system to handle the vocals. With this amp, I no longer fear that situation, as it can totally compete. Other features include extension speaker outputs, switchable 4, 8 and 16 ohm load, not one but TWO footswitchable effects loops that can be set up without anything plugged in to give you alternate volume settings for each channel. The included footswitch also allows the standard remote A/B channel switching and reverb ON/OFF switching. All this comes in an attractive combo in black with silver mesh grillcloth. They even threw in removable swivel castors, which makes it a breeze for loading or unloading at shows, as well as moving it around within a room to find that "sweet spot" when recording. I really wish it came with a cover, because I just don't want to mark it up. They could have also put a headphone jack in there too, but it's hard to be picky about this beauty. Overall, you get all the features you could possibly need, plus a few more, for a pretty decent price.

The T-50 works equally well with single coils as it does humbuckers. I use a '62 Jazzmaster that sounds great on the clean channel, and nice and growly on the dirty channel. With the clean channel, you can hear echoes of that classic Fender clean sound, while the dirty channel can give you anywhere from a dryish Marshall type overdrive, to a sweet Vox vibe. It is a great combination of classic American and British tones, a nice blend of the two. I also use a '75 SG and have found that with the right settings on the EQs, I can switch back and forth between guitars without having to change amp settings. It truly is a balanced sounding piece of work. I have also plugged my Fender Rhodes into it, and have been able to get some pretty fat sounds. Basically, you can't get a bad sound out of this amp. But with some tweaking, you'll find that it has many tonal colors to explore.

I can't really rate this category, since I just recently purchased this amp, and have not yet had a problem with it. It seems to be a very solid performer, and I don't anticipate that I will have any performance issues in the near future. The construction of the cabinet is very sturdy, and can withstand the punishment of extended road use. Very solid unit, for sure. The only thing that worries me is that the tubes sit on a circuit board, rather than point to point wiring. It leaves me to wonder how long it will take for heat from all those tubes(and there's a lot of 'em - 2 6L6's, 7 12AX7's and one 12AT7 for a grand total of ten very hot pieces of glass) to cause warpage of the board and be an issue? Hopefully it won't be an issue for quite a while, or maybe even not at all (but I kinda doubt it). Such is the nature of electronics - they gotta break sometime. The amp comes with a 5 year warranty, so at least you're covered for a little while.

I've never had to use the warranty, as I've not yet had any problems. However, as Fender is handling all warranty claims (Fender now owns Sunn)I'm not too worried. Fender service centres are practically everywhere, and they have a reputation to uphold. I had a Fender Blues Junior before this amp that needed a warranty repair, and I had it fixed within 10 days, so I have good faith in Fender.

I've been playing for 15 years now, and this is my favorite amp I've owned to date. I would probably replace it with another T-50 if this one got lost or stolen, as I have grown quite used to the sound of it.
I love the no-compromise, no-bull, just straight-up tone of tube amps, and this amp is no exception. It delivers classic tube tone at a great price, is solidly built and looks good to boot. I compared it to a 40 watt Rivera Chubster Combo, and found that for my tastes, the Sunn T-50 had way more tonal options, and was priced way better. The Rivera is a hand built amp though, and as such, can't be compared in price anyhow. I had the money for either, and I chose the T-50 based on straight tone. I also was won over by the 1/4 power switch and the dual effects loops/volume controls. I would like to hear it through a 4x10" cabinet someday, or perhaps a 2x15". Also, I am anxious to try out some different brands of tubes, to taste the subtleties that custom valve combinations can offer. This amp will be my faithful servant for many years to come.

The amp itself has two channels and a boost ability. Each channel has its on seperate EQ but the EQ's to me don't seem to have a lot of tweaking capability. The tones are pretty straight forward. Seeing as Fender owns this company its clean tone is pretty gosh darn close to them thar fenders. Its clean channel either shimmers or gets a smooth not dirty low end tone. The clean channel isn't why I bought the amp though. My main line amp up to this point has been a Sovtek Mig-100, That amp has a high gain jcm-800 tone to it, and this sunn amp has that really heavy korn type distortion to it. The perfect combination. The distortion can be set to get that high gain distortion too but i love the heavy tone it has. Its boost more or less is actually controlled by volume on the back of the amp.. you can adjust how loud you want it to be when you boost it... very cool indeed. As for a 1-12" combo.. 50 watts definately kills this thing. It pushes air like you wouldnt believe. Its definately a killer amp. Oh by the way.. Tube amps rock and this thing has tubes up the wazoo... 2 power tubes.. 6L6's and i believe 6 or 7 12ax7 pre-amp tubes.

I play a Fender fat strat. Its very thick and has a ton of crunch while muffling.. not that thumpy beating mashed potatoes sound. I play emo/punk styled music with some hardcore and this amp would be a great main line amp. Like i said earlier, its an addition to my half stack to get more tonal diversity... but even still if i had to just use this amp.. it would get the job done amazingly. It gets that fender rock tone all the way to a mesa tone.. not exactly rectifier but pretty close. I haven't cranked the clean tone.. nor will i probably ever.. simply because i dont use clean tone.. im not a clean player.

It hasn't broken yet.. I've noticed a few shorts in the nobs in the back.. but i have everything set so i dont need to bump those nobs anymore... i just control volume on the front of the amp now. But everything else checks out perfectly.

I dont know if fender will help with that at all.. i've never had any problems with any of the fender gear i own so i dont know to tell the truth.

Overall.. in my 7 years playing experience.. soon to be 8, I'd say this is one of the better sounding amps i've played. My friends call me the tone God.. i know good tone, and this amp definately has to be good, otherwise i wouldn't buy it. I've played just about every brand of amp.. fender, marshall, peavey, mesa, trace elliot, ampeg, the list goes on.. i have to say i hate crate.. never buy a crate please if you dont get anything else out of this. I wish they made in a 2-12 combo... i think 50 watts is a bit much for 1-12 to handle.

I have two of these. I play mostly power pop, classic rock, some punk and some Brit pop. No country music. Features are adequately covered in the other reviews, so no need for me to repeat. I do not want an amp that requires an engineering degree to use - especially on stage. Give me decent features that allow me to shape the tone to where I want it. This amp does that wonderfully. The attenuator is a big plus. The balance pot along with the bias pot is also another great plus. Excellent features without that overkill today's digital fiends have fallen victim to.

I have about 20 different guitars accumulated over about 25 years of playing. Flexibility is important, but my #1 goal with any amp is to find settings where it will give its best tone.

SPEAKERS: Because of the damage done to tubes from the vibration generated by an internal speaker, I like to avoid using internal speakers on tube combo amps. The stock Celestion G12T-75 speaker is a great match for this amp. I also found that Eminence Legend V12s sound great. This amps tends to be a bit bright, and both of these speakers tend to tame that with a bit of bottom end. I actually took out the G12T-75 that came in my amps and used them for a 2 X 12 cabinet. I them run a second 2 X 12 cabinet, usually one with Celestion Blue Alnicos. The amp drives the 4 speakers beautifully.

TUBE SUGGESTIONS: This amp's clean is very usable. It is definitely not a chimey, Fender clean. It sounds more like VOX clean. It has a tendency to be bright, but I toned that down a little by using a Mullard 12AU7 equivalent in the V3 slot. In the second amp, I achieved a similar tonal effect by using an NOS GE 6072/12AY7 in the V2 slot. Both had a similar impact on the clean channel - more warmth. Both pre-amp tube offerings did a great job of toning down the extreme highs this amp was putting out and in adding some warmth. The drive channel is the best onboard drive I have ever heard out of any amp. No effect pedals for me. Its guitar - cable - amp.

POWER TUBES: These come stock with Svetlana 6L6GCs. They sound good, but can be a little bit bright and shrill. JJ 6L6GCs helped give the sound a fuller tone. They definitely give more bottom end than any other 6L6GC experimented with. Groove Tube 6L6GEs were fine - better than SOVTEKs - but they did not provide a distinct advantage over the tone given by the JJs or the Svetlanas.

No problems yet with either. It is a PC board amp, not a point to point. The concern here is that the heat will eventually warp or damage the board. I can't assume that the problem will come, so I am going to give high marks based on performance to date.

The sun has set on SUNN, but they most recently were really just a branch of Fender. Hope Fender backs them up. I give no opinion here because I have had no experience with either Fender or SUNN regarding these amps.

Playing about 25 years. Other amps include Fender Hot Rod Deluxes, Crate VC 50 Head, various solid state amps. This amp is built like a tank. It weighs about 75 pounds. I had long been wanting a tube amp that would allow me to sound great overdriven without the need to use pedals. That search brought me to these, which I had admired for a while before they went on sale. I also looked at Crate Blue Voodoo series amps, Mesa, Marshal TSL line, Rivera, and just about everything else out there. The SUNN had as good an onboard overdrive as any other amp I heard. I really did not think I could justify spending $1700 for one. But at $499.99, I picked up two. They are no longer made, so replacing them might not be possible.

This is my second product review of this amp, i've been using it on stage and in the studio for six months and the story only gets better. I no longer miss the fact that it dosn't have a recording out because in the low power setting it records BIG at low volumes.

I agree with Tom (last entry) that it has a bit 'O British tone, but it's kind of an Americanized British tone. That Bassman meets Vox in a crowded room full of Marshalls tone that this amp NAILS with any guitar you plug in.

Still solid as a rock.

No problems yet. Not lookin' like it's gonna give me any. I've been using it non-stop since I bought it.

I am just logging in to say that, like others that bought this amp, It sounds so good, I think it's a sleeping CLASSIC.

I'm a rock and pop guitarist. I've been playing since the early Sixties. I've owned a lot of amps. Recently, I began searching for an amp for my studio, a Pro Tools room where I daily work on many different styles of music. As a composer and music producer, I never know what I'm going to be called on to do next, and though a lot of work I do involves composing music for TV spots that might have no guitar at all in them, many other projects I do uses many tracks of guitars, in everything from clean to heavily distorted tones.

Growing up with The Beatles, and Beach Boys, then later all the hard rock groups, I always found great things to like about the Fender sound, and wonderful but different things to like about the Vox, and Marshalls.

I recently read some reviews (up here, in fact) on the Sunn T50C, now no longer made (Thanks Fender!) and decided to go check out one at my local Sam Ash. I played a number of amps there, a Blues Junior, a Super Reverb, a Marshall DSL 401, and even an "out of my price range" Fender Vibro Verb.

My requirements were simple. I wanted as close to everything in a small, all tube package that I could get. The Sunn did just that. While the Fenders had various things about them I liked, this amp was the only one that really gave me the best of both worlds....a Fender-like clean channel, and a overdrive channel that had gain for ages. All in one in amp. And what was really cool about the clean channel is that it wasn't a 100 per cent Fender clean channel...because of the Celestion, I suppose, the amp has a bit of British, dry character to it....it's not all "bubbly" like the Fenders. I know that's a odd description...but what I'm saying is...it's a little British, and a little US. You could play country, pop...anything clean and be very pleased. The overdrive channel sounds great when you back off the volume a bit and play "half-clean."

This amp's greatest strength is it's versatility. You can get a lot of different sounds out of this. And it's hard to get a bad one. It's a heavy amp, but since I only keep it in my studio, that's not a factor for me. It's also a very classy looking amp.

It has effects loops, a standby switch, and a pretty decent reverb as well. I don't use reverb on a guitar amp much unless I'm doing a surf thing. I use the studio reverb.
This amp was 1200.00 street price a year ago. I bought it for 399.00. It's the steal of the century at twice that. If you can find one, don't even think about it...it's a wonderful amp.

This is a GREAT amp for recording. I play a PRS standard...which I normally find a little dark when playing clean tones, and the clarity of the SUNN balances things out perfectly for me. I have a feeling a Tele or STRAT will sound a bit on the bright side through this amp...but that's nothing a great set of tubes wouldn't solve. I'm still using stock everything, because I've only had the amp a week.


As I said above, this amp is the perfect amp for those who want to cover pop of US AND British origin. It isn't a Marshall....but it's some kind of odd cross between a VOX and FENDER.

Looks like it is built to last a long time. Very solid.

Never dealt with them.

I would buy this amp again. In fact, the only amp I really would love to have is that Vibro King, for its truly thoroughbred Fender vintage tone and tremelo. But I'd still keep the SUNN for the overdrive, and the brilliant clean sounds as well. Fender made a huge mistake in pricing this amp too high I guess. They should have done great at a lower price...maybe about 799.00. But it's build quality and versaitility make it worth much more, so I can understand why it was introduced at such a high price point. If you are looking for a studio amp, this is a great bargain, if you can still find one around. I have a feeling ten years from now this amp is going to be worth a bunch.

This is an update to my original review on 04/01/02...

I've had the amp for about 5 or 6 months now and thought I'd post my feelings about the amp with more mileage under my belt.

I don't gig, yet, but plan to in the coming few months. I play in a rock/blues band with 5 other players, including another guitarist who uses a Johnson JM-120, a bassist who uses a PV 210W 15" amp, singers/harp player mic'd through a 1200 watt head, and a dummer.

In a few words, the Sunn T50C is a gig-rig. The sound cuts through everything with or without a pedal. The power of 50WRMS is plenty to overwhelm everybody else. Add the ext cab on and you might as well have a full stack!

I had toyed with selling the amp due to it's weight, but for gigging - which is what we plan to do soon, the Sunn T50C is here to stay. I had used my Fender Princeton Chorus in practice, but it had a hard time keeping up, even when plugged into the PA. I don't even have to plug the T50C into the PA to be heard.

When I listen to the naked, low volume tone of the T50C in my practice room, I wonder if it is the right amp for me, but when I hit practice and crank her a bit, everybody remarks on the great tone of the amp.

I wouldn't suggest the T50C for low volume practice as it is not a practice amp. The T50C is meant for gigging with tone and volume that cuts through easily.

50 watt 2 channel all tube amp, with power selection from 50 watts to 12. I play blues and rock music and i couldnt have found a better amp. The effects loop can be used as alternate channel volumes which is good for rhythm and lead work when playing live.

i use a Gibson BluesHawk with P90s and a Fender Cyclone with both a single coil and humbucker. The reverb isnt as strong as the Fenders i am used to but i am satisfied with it. Drive channel sounds incredible and very well balnced for low crunchy blues to high gain Slash type solos. The clean channel I found to be VERY bright but keeping all the EQ settings below 5 solves the problem. Fortunately the 2 channels have sepeate EQs. Usually when I get an amp I find one good setting and use it extensively through out home use, band practice and on stage, then simply adjust the gain when necessary for different songs. With the Sunn though I love how many great settings I can find because it always sounds good.

Ok Ive only a it a few months so far and already there is a complaint. Someties the reverb will suddenly short out on me and make quite a bit of buzzing noises, my father suggested I bang gently on the the top and side of the amp thinkng it might have somethign to d wih the tube. Surprisingly whenever the reverb cuts out and creates fuzz i only requires a few taps and it works. I am going to get this serviced while it is under warranty but havent been able to get ahold of the technician yet. Its not a serious problem thankfully so I continue to use it with my band and on stage.

lol I've dealt with Fender before but never Sunn... however I believe Sunn folded or downsized or however they want to word it and I think if something were needed I would have to deal with Fender. Ill soon find out thoufh when I go to get the reverb fixed. I may talk to SamAsh to see if they will do anything to cover this problem because I really dislike working with Fender

All in all I love this amp, I was in the market for a tube combo around 50 watts and under $1,000 to use with my band. I compared this too the Peavey Classic 50, the Marshall DSL401, the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, and the Rivera Chubster. I chose this one for the following reasons: the Fender didn't have enough drve, the Marshall not enough clean, the Peavey simply... not enough, and the Rivera was too hard to find to compare adequetly. I tried the T50C several times in stores but was never impressed enough to consider it with a $1,000 price tag. When I saw SamAsh had them on clearance for $500 I ordered it as soon as I could. It was a real find so I'm very pleased with my purchase. If Sunn sold this amp at around $600- 700 reguarly they probably would still be in competition and blown Marshall and Mesa out of the water.

This amp has so many options and features it would be hard to address them all, but the coolest are the following:
two channels-classic clean and drive/dirty
tube driven reverb and effects loops (LOOPS!)
full or 1/4 power switch
three way speaker empedence switch (4,8,16 ohms)
The only thing I wish it had is a recording line out! (I would sacrifice one of the effects loops for this!)
The amp has plenty of power in both power modes, the 1/4 power mode is perfect for rehearsals, for gigs just go to full power.
This amp is 100% all tube, which is amazing for the price I paid!

I use Teles and Strats most of the time and I find the best settings on ALL tube amps including this one is with the EQ knobs low (5 or below) and volumes high. This is because the single coil pickups are very bright. The two channels offer a lot of different tones, it was hard to find a bad setting. The clean channel does distort at higher volume, but does so like an old Deluxe. In fact, I think a good way to describe the tone of this amp is like a Blackface Deluxe on steroids.

No problems yet, I've only had it six months!

Over the years I've dealt with Fender support many, many times and never had a bad experience. The only problem I might forsee with this amp though is the higher the parts count, the higher the odds that somethings going to go wrong, and this thing has A LOT of parts!

I've been playing professionaly for 20 plus years and I own alot of old Fender amps that are just too clean and collectable to be shlepping them around in Bars. I bought this Sunn amp because one, it was a closeout sale and an incredible deal for the money and two, it has all the sounds of most of my old amps in an almost indestructable package. It is built like a TANK!