Soaking Up The SUNN

A few years ago I was lucky enough to find an old SUNN amp in a pawn shop.  When I first heard it I didn't exactly like it.  But luckily, having a decent ear I could tell that the speakers weren't great and that they were probably wore out.  I liked that the controls (EQ, Drive) were very wide, thereby allowing a wide range of sounds.

For those unfamilar with SUNN amps, here's a great website:

http://www.richbriere.com/The_Sunn_Shack.htm

The back story is really cool.  A true part of rock n' roll history.

So, when I got the amp I decided to replace the speakers.  Long story short, I changed them out with Warehouse Guitar Speakers Veteran 30's.  This was when WGS were relativity new.  Here's their website:

http://www.wgs4.com/

And here's the link to the Veteran 30 speakers:  http://www.wgs4.com/content/vet30

They were great speakers, and the price was right, but they weren't my sound.  They had a bit too much of a mid scoop for me.  And even though I like a lot of treble, with this amp the top end sounded off.  I want to be clear, in that, this was with this amp specifically.  I have WGS V30's in a 2 X 12 cabinet, and they work great with other amps.

I managed to find a guy on Craigslist who wanted to trade a pair of Celestion 75's, for a pair of V30's.  Long story short, we made the trade.  As soon as I put the speakers in my SUNN amp, the sound was "right."  I've always loved the sound of the Celestion 75's, in that, they are the sound of rock n' roll.

They are also great for this particular amp.  The bass is right in-between the point of being full and tight.  It's just perfect.  The mids are also fuller, but that's to be expected with these speakers.  The highs are softer, more relaxed, and don't sound like a mosquito trying to bite me.

Overall, I think it was a great trade for both of us.  Lately I have had some good luck on Craigslist with trading musical instrument parts.  You just have to keep an eye out, and hope you run into someone that's pretty cool to deal with.