BIG Tube Amps in BC

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:38 pm

Greg-

Like everything else that I have unplayed, I'm saving it for a rainy day...

jps · Post by **jps** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:47 pm

...I thought you said it was raining too much over there to do any welding!

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 7:34 am

or playing!

soundmasterg · Post by **soundmasterg** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:16 am

Well if you change your mind on one of the sunny days, I'd be interested in it Jared.

Bob, none of the Sunn tone controls will have asmuch effect as the ones on the SVT since the SVT ones are semi-active. If you're trying to compare the Sunn and other amps and their features to the SVT and expecting similar performance you won't get it. If you take the Sunn at face value, and use it with an appropriate cabinet with some efficient speakers, then it has a good sound both clean and distorted. I think a large part of Geddy Lee's old sound that most of us like was that distorted Sunn on the top.

winston · Post by **winston** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:49 am

Greg,

This may be an odd question. I have a Sunn Model T with a Sunn 610 cabinet as you probably remember that I used for guitar back in the 70's. I believe the speakers are Celestions. Will the cabinet and speakers handle playing a bass through them (for recording purposes mostly) or should I go out and look for a bass cab?.

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 9:58 pm

Do it!

One of my better 'soundin' heads is a JTM45 reissue with a revoice in the front end.

That is if it stops raining...

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 9:59 pm

oh yeah;

soundmasterg · Post by **soundmasterg** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 7:25 am

Brian, I think it should be fine at lower volumes for sure. Whether it works at higher volumes or not mostly depends on the speakers and how robust they are. If those Celestion 10's are what I think they are, then they aren't made anymore so be careful.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 3:02 pm

I'm pretty sure that Squire used SS lead heads for his top end, I know I tried a small 100 watt Sunn SS lead head years ago with Rotosounds strings and it sounded like Squire and I was using a P bass.
Jared, that's a beautiful head. I was at a guitar show 4 or 5 years ago and a guy there had two or three original ones and he wanted big bucks, forgot how much but something like 3 grand or more for each.

soundmasterg · Post by **soundmasterg** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 2:23 pm

Bob, I was talking about Geddy Lee's top end and the use of the Sunn 2000S, and not Squire. I've also heard that Squire used a lot of Fender amps for his sound, but don't know if thats true or not.

That aggressive bass tone that was on an old Rush song like Freewill is where the Sunn comes in. Use the stereo setup and run the bridge through an overdriven Sunn tube amp, and run the neck pickup through something else like an SVT setup for clean. I think if Geddy went back to that combination with even the Jazz bass, it would sound very close to his old RIC tone.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 4:45 pm

SVT's sound great overdriven also, just get out of the way! I love an old straight Marshall for an overdriven tone on both bass and guitar. I gotta get me another Major.

soundmasterg · Post by **soundmasterg** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 5:14 pm

Oh yah, I know what you're saying about the SVT and overdriving it. I do that often with mine. I just like the Sunn on the top for overdrive a bit more as it is more aggressive and less round, and I think that fits that Geddy Lee style sound a bit better. I've never played a Marshall Major before but I usually like Marshalls so I bet it would sound great!

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 7:24 am

Major's are getting scarce-got mine when the seller thought it was just a Lead w/"extra big" 1st stage caps...

Damn!

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 8:28 pm

scarce and expensive you lucky $#%^%^%^

I don't know I've gotten some pretty rude sounds out of my SVT's with my 79 4001 and RW's, rips your head off and makes your ears bleed though. I like them because they never really get buzzy, just on the edge, kind of a very dirty sound and you can control it by how hard you play, Marshall Majors do the same thing.