Sunn Amplifiers

Introduction and main content: Pete Townshend and Sunn Amplifiers

On the later 1967 and early- to mid-1968 North American tours, Pete (and John) used Sunn amplifiers and cabinets, succeeding the use of U.S. Thomas Organ (Vox) Super Beatles, with Sunn 100S amplifiers and cabinets. The amps, along with Sunn PA gear, were purchaed from Manny’s in New York, likely following the 25 Nov., 1967, Village Theatre date in New York, and prior to the 29 Nov., 1967, date in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. (Pete also purchased Coral Hornet guitars at this time.)

The Sunn gear was abandoned at Canadian customs in July 1968, at which point Pete began using the Sound City gear previously used in the UK/Europe.

The reason for the difference in gear in the 1967 U.S./Canadian shows was that the group could not afford the cost of importing their full gear and, instead, hired or borrowed gear once arriving in the U.S. Because of their financial straits, Chris Stamp, the Who’s manager, signed the group to an exclusive agreement with Vox to use their gear in the States. On the first 1967 U.S. tours, including the March/April 1967 “Murray the K – Music in the Fifth Dimension” shows in New York, and the Monterey Pop festival in June, the Who used rented U.S. Thomas Organ (VOX) V1141 ‘Super Beatle’ 120w solid amplifiers and 4x12 (w/two horns) cabinets. The inferior quality of the gear is evident in the Monterey Pop show, where Jimi Hendrix, who had “learned” his gear setup from Pete and the Who, was able to bring his Marshall 4x12s and 100-watt amps, to great effect.

Following the use of the Super Beatles, Pete and John began using two Sunn 100S 60-watt amplifiers (featuring KT88 valves) powering two or four JBL-loaded 2x15 cabinets. The first documented use of Sunn is late 1967. Pete would continue to use the Sunn gear until July 1968, when they abandoned their gear at Canadian customs in Toronto after Pete and Roger had their passports stolen and were unable (or unwilling) to satisfy a $20,000 customs bond.

Beginning sometime in August 1968, they began using their Sound City gear in North America, with first known date at the Singer Bowl, 2 August 1968.

Sunn 100S amplifier features:

• 60 watts
• Controls (left to right): two inputs, Volume, Treble, Bass and Contour controls, rocker switches for Power, Standby and Polarity
• Two KT88 power valves
• Dynaco transformer
• GZ34 rectifier
• 7025 preamp and 6AN8 phase inverter

Speaker cabinets:

• Most all photographic evidence indicates both Pete and John used the Sunn 200S 2x15 rear-loaded folded-horn enclosures, which would have two JBL D140 15″ speakers. Pete also appears to have occasionally used the Sunn 100S cabinet, which was the same size but featured one JBL D130 15″ speaker and one JBL LE100S midrange driver with high-frequency acoustic lens/horn. Both the 100s and 200s cabinets were 42″ high x 24″ wide x 15″ deep.

Pete used his setup in two basic configurations:

• Traditional piggy-back, with two amplifiers, each sitting on (and powering) one 2x15 speaker cabinet.
• Two amplifiers on a chair, powering two side-by-side 2x15 cabinets or two stacks of two 2x15 cabinets, similar to his “definitive” configuration of two amps and two stacks of two 4x12s.

Borrowed Sunn cabinets – 1971

For a show at the Seattle Center Coliseum in Seattle, Wash., on 15 December 1971, Pete used borrowed equipment from the supporting act, as one of the Who’s equipment trucks had crashed en route from San Francisco.

In the photos below, Pete appears to be using two Marshall JTM100 amps, three Sunn 4x12 cabinets and one Marshall 4x12 cabinet.

Sunn used the opportunity to produce a Sunn endorsement (see photo at right).

Resources and Information

Acknowledgements:

• Dave Goessling

Manufacturer

• Sunn Amplification: sunnamps.com.

Information

• Unofficial Sunn Museum: sunn.ampage.org/site/museum/
  Includes “museum,” schematics and history.
• The Sunn Shack: richbriere.com/The_Sunn_Shack.htm