The $800 price point on the Betas is the only thing they seem to have gotten right with this relaunch.

This is real news

I've never seen a vintage 100S sell for more than $800 and that was for one in perfect shape incl vintage glass. $3200 is bonkers.

It's cool to see Sunn amps coming back, but I find it a bit odd, because 20+ years ago they were a "budget" high gain/high volume amp. You could get them cheap because guys had them sitting around in the garage gathering dust from the old days. Most people were either looking for really high gain boutique stuff or old fender heads to mod (I had one of those). It's interesting to see the hype go the other way.

Can't wait to see your new pedals hope they're FUQIN BRUTAL!!!

Was waiting 100 days to see all of it and what I have is just a T-Shirt to buy :( I would love to see how these 100S/200S are made.

I have a old sunn concert lead max output400 watts. The thing is a beast. I bought the set for 400$ early 80s?(I had fun back then, my memory is clouded to say the least at times)The 4x12 cabinet I sold off or traded for a old tube screamer and Roland a long delay rack mount and some other crap a long time ago, note still have them lol.. 1 day a got a call from my buddy/bass player and he told me he saw a 4x12 cab getting thrown out. I got in my car drove a bit. Found the cab and brought it home.. not bad shape but old.. I take the back off to see what left inside. Well, since I sign all my equipment in hidden spots. I take a look. And it was my old cab with newer celest speakers . Sweet , got the family back together. Love sunn , over powered , load as fuck on 0. Cool. Old stuff is still cool. Just because it’s new doesn’t make it the best. Shake the foundation. Peace

Epic news, looking forward to getting my hands on a Beta Lead. Leslie West famously played a Sunn Coliseum PA at Fillmore West in 1969. The tone on Mississippi queen was awesome. I'd dig to see your Sunn based pedals and a review of the Beta lead. Thanks for the news! I totally missed this announcement.

Buzz Osborne besides the Beta Leads, he also used a Sunn PB-10. Hilbish Designs has a amp that is modeled after the Sunn PB-10.

I am looking forward to your pedal offering. 🤘

I would love to hear an A/B comparison of the new beta vs. the old and see how they hold up to each other. I am happy that they are kicking again if they hold up and sound like the older stuff. I find it bizarre to not include the model T and or come out in the relaunch with a new design, but hey, maybe it's for the better. Now I won't have to watch knuckleheads trying to get 1,500 $ out of a beat down barely working beta. cheers!

I feel like the big thing that makes no sense for going with a Class D power section is that Class D *does* sound great... at comfortable listening volumes. And by comfortable listening volumes, I mean at levels that you could listen to mid-day in an appartement building without getting a noise complaint. When you push them, they have more distortion, and it's not the pleasant kind of clipping.. I guess some people might be into it, but it's one of those things where if you put an old and new one side by side, same settings, and crank them up LOUD, the new one isn't going to sound quite as good as the old ones. For the preamp pedal, colour me intrigued! I've already got a JFET Model T on my board (the GroundFX Burning Sunn), but I've been really wishing that, with the war between Ukraine and Russia going on, someone would pick up what Correct Sound was doing with the MT Tube Preamp pedal, and make a tube-powered Model T preamp in a pedalboard-friendly footprint..

Further evidence that the barely used Hilbish Beta 200 that I picked up for $700 a few months ago was a good purchase. Thanks for the straight talk Jason!

I'd love to see a demo/review of the Beta Lead. Also, definitely intrigued by the hint of new preamp pedals from Fuzz Lord!

My beef with Class D is they run out of headroom very quickly. For $899 you could get an Orange OB1-500 with is all A/B and an absolute beast.

Best of luck, Sunn. Super niche market for your product.

I would be hesitant about buying these new amps with out hearing an A/B comparison first. It's cool that Sunn amps are coming back, but I worry that this will not end well.

My guess is that the model t will arrive eventually. They probably need to generate some sales, get some cash and help fund the next series of amp re-releases. But I think it's cool that they're coming back. And I'm looking forward to seeing some reviews of these new amps, and hearing some comparisons between vintage and new. Keep it up!

From their FAQ: “Are you making the Model T? The Model T is an iconic Sunn amplifier loved by collectors and enthusiasts. However, it’s also very large, very heavy, and very expensive. We have plans to produce limited editions of the Model T and Coliseum amplifiers in the near future, but we wanted the first new Sunn amps to be affordable and usable by working musicians and fans.”

I would like to comment on the new Beta Lead however, a schematic of the new release would be required to compare to the early Beta Lead. I do agree with your statement of the output power maybe being boosted. I enjoy listening to the Melvins and Buzzo demonstrates the capability of the early Betas... The early Sunn Beta published a proper shop manual, detailed, including circuit descriptions...a great help to the service technician; I hope they continue that with the new models.

I'm still playing a Sunn Alpha 112r (1x12" with built-in reverb) I got in the early 90's. These things get LOUD (I can't go above volume level TWO in the house) and the distortion is fantastic.

I get all my amp sound from preamp pedals, so I'm very much looking forward to seeing what you've got :D

Can't wait to see what you've been cookin

Bassist for Elder still rocks his ModelT live. Awesome.

On the Guitar Geeks channel, he's got an interview with the guys who make the new Sunn amps. The class D thing and Model T get addressed, very informative and actually answers loads of the complaints

I love Goatsnake and when I seen them in SF at Three Days of Darkness fest I went on eBay and scored one for $350 in 2004 also read in Guitar World he used a RAT doom 101

I have a 79 beta lead,,, I love it I look forward to the relaunch honestly

I'm new to all of this. I may be odd but I'm just curious to finally see what the fuss is about. Just excited to see this happen.

Hey, Jason. I'm happy to see Sunn back but I'm not sold on them right now. They seem to be going for boutique prices for their valve amps & from what I can tell, they don't look like anything special on the inside, PCB layout etc. There's no sound clips, no videos on a KZfaq channel they really ought to have in this day and age especially for a name that big, where are the live Q&A videos, a launch stream, an introduction even. There's literally nothing other than a website that seems to be second guessing itself, but what stood out was the investment page on the website. To me that screams "We don't really have much money despite two huge companies running things, so we want you to pay for stuff.", that's really not something I would like to do while people at "Sunn" don't seem to have much of an idea of the market. I hope they do well, but I'm sticking with Stoneham Amplification for my Model T.

I'm hoping for a reissue of the concert bass mainly for easy replacement. The biggest thing I want though, is a reissue of the Sunn 215bh. That is just an amazing monster of a cab. I have one of my own , but could always use another and they're hard to come by.

I love my 200s. I bought it for $600 in great shape. That's how much they're worth. I trued to get it to break up. The posters started rattling on the walls before I played anything and everyone got scared.

Other than Sunn O))) themselves, my favorite artists who use(d) the amps are Buzz from Melvins, Red Fang, Dixie Dave from Weedeater. Aaron Turner and Mike Gallagher used Model Ts around In The Absence of Kings, Mike Sullivan from Russian Circles used a Model T on earlier Russian Circles stuff too. As for Kurt Cobain, yeah, there's some photo evidence of Kurt using Beta Leads at some point after the release of Bleach but they wouldn't have made it on to any records before Kurt started using the Mesa Boogie Preamp + solid state poweramp rig.

Glad to see Sunn in some form or fashion back up and running. Personally a solid state guy so more the merrier. For 800 new you could pick up used both the Orange Crush and Super Crush. Different vibe I guess but for touring folks. That feels like the better option to me.

Sunn needs to be back on the market! It simply does. Hopefully whoever's making them will get it right. The market will be there if they do! I have a mid seventies Coliseum Bass and it's fantastic!!

the random yelling guy clip is my therapy

I used to have a beta lead, loved that amp. I'd buy the preamps, or even possibly plugins to emulate them, as my studio is too small for the full amps. Very touchy amp, but it could scream.

I want the Model T back ! A second hand one, the reissue made by Fender in the 90's, is around 2500 bucks today.

My favourite SUNN guy has to be Andy from Palm Reader. Never seen a hardcore-adjacent band make such tasteful use of a SUNN with really weird effect choices. Also shout out to Stephen Brodsky of various bands and Dan Briggs of BTBAM for using a Model T for bass

if you want a good beta style amp, just get a hilbish design beta200 or one of their higher watt models. i use it as my main bass amp, but it also absolutely rips on guitar. The distortion is thick and fuzzy. I have it running through a 1x12 black shuck, but I might get a bigger cab to let it soar.

I like this news. I will playtest the preamps, if my FLGS gets them. And I echo your design opinions!

Ooh preamp pedals? That caught my attention real quick 😏

When it was announced Sunn amps were coming back I was intrigued. Beta Lead & Beta Bass at the price point their offering is good, didn’t think much about the class d power until you mentioned it in this video but yeah 200 watts would have been better. Thought & still think it’s odd to launch with the 100 S & 200 S. To not include the Model T at the start of this relaunch is strange. The prices of the 100 & 200 S amps compared with other amps on the market, you could get a Mesa Dual Recto, a hand wired Marshall Plexi reissue, a Soldano SLO 100 or 30, a Marshall Silver Jubilee or JCM 800 reissue, Orange OR 30, Rockerverb etc. for that price & some of those options are bit less even. I’m nervous to see what their new Model T will cost when it comes out.

Im going to get a 2x12. Laney aor 50 on top, just for the look

The good point is that thoses prices made me serioulsy concider to buy an ural tone model T kit and build it with the help of my local amp tech hahaha

Hey Jason, nice video. I believe that with current approach to launch, market research and choices of amps we might be seeing the "sunnset" quite soon :) By the way.... that drone music in the background really doesn't work. First I was not sure if there is some humm going on in my room, then I figured out it is comming from the video, then it was quite hard to focus on what you are saying :) Looking forward to another video from you!

I’m divided on it. Some of the models are a bit steep price wise, at least for me, but I was really hoping they’d bring back the Model T, just as you said. I want to be more excited about it, but I feel a bit schnookered by the whole thing. (For me, Melvins/Red Fang are at the top of the list. I know Buzz loves Hillbish stuff and they make a great Beta Lead clone.) Appreciate your take on the whole situation! Cheers!

It's great they're coming back... but it all just seems so out of touch with their main consumer base. Where is the promotion, clips etc though? It's all seems super weird. I agree with all the points you brought up too. I'm really excited to see what you're cooking up as I've been exploring the high-headroom-platform amp method for low tuned doom and sludge with preamp pedals like the EAE Model FeT and Kuro T120 for a few years now.

If they did a plug in Model T that'd be awesome!

The Beta Lead looks good, and I like Class D in the past but I agree that it deserves more power. And I kind of like the 100s but not for that price. Is Sunn their own thing again or is this Fender relaunching the brand is a thing I'd like to know.

I agree Jason. They should have modified them to have more headroom like the Hilbish Design clones (while pricier) are made at 200 watt head rooms and class D. I noticed the beta bass just has a bit more frequency response in the low end but not more head room? If I was a guitar player and was serious about buying these, I would get the beta bass just because it will hit all the same range as the guitar and lower at the same head room. Everything else seems meh, but the speakers could be cool depending on build/cones. And yeah.. hoping for Model T’s at a fair price.

so i held off for 6 months to buy a new bass amp and soon as i saw it was still 100 watts i went and got a 1000watt terror bass. i think ill be sitting this revival out

The new Beta has my attention. I would rather have the concert lead be in a head format rather than a amp/speaker combo. However, I'm always down for an amp in a box, so I'll wait and see whats coming. 😉

go SUNN

On the topic of old brands coming back, has anyone got impressions of the newer Hiwatt amps? There are only a few videos or reviews out there. If it's legit, I would be tempted by a super clean, loud pedal platform.

The Sunn site now shows the Beta Lead at 200 watts on the pre-orders. Not sure when this changed...

what's the song in the background? 😊

My life is nothing i thought it would be and everything i was afraid it would become because for 50 seconds i thought there was model t’s on the world. Dope vid, all things considered hopefully these things will give a new generation of stoner/doom kids affordable access to the sounds we all aim for.

I agree , at least 200 watts. But i will wait and see. Is it cheaper to make class D ?

I'm totally down with a beta lead my friend used a beta lead two twelve combo for years and it was keeping up with marshall stacks the class d thing I'm not worried about the sound but I've had more problems with class d amps than class ab amps and I'm not about to spend 3 grand on a 60 watt amp if I want an ultra clean amp I'll spring for a hi watt

If they are using the original dynaco transformers and the original resistors and capacitors and hand wired, I could understand why they are asking so much for the 100s & 200s amps. But $3200 is boutique amp prices. It would be interesting to see the internals. Myself have owned the 100s&200s also the spector. They ran through 8-12" ev12l speakers. The 100s alone through ev12l speakers will compete with any 100 watt tube amp on terms of volume. What an incredible sounding amp. Especially when I got the 100s with a 4-12 ev loaded bottom with 2in the cab for $130 also the cab was said to have been used at Woodstock,it was labeled #4. God I miss that rig 😢

So, throwing this out there but I think one of the main reasons they are going with a lower power out put is just that. . .who owns a house anymore where you can use that (if you're not a Blues Lawyer), and what venue that isn't some crust punk barn is going to let you actually use the full output of something that loud? There's a reason why 30w to 50w amps and amp-less rigs are so big right now and it's down to the fact that so few can make use of anything larger. As for the Model T situation. . .eh, it kinda makes sense. Scoping The FAQ on the page they make note of just how much a USA made tube amp of that caliber costs (not to mention weighs) so a limited run sounds right, largely because once again, if only Blues lawyers and dentists can afford it, just how many are they going to sell? While Sunn O))) Remains my favorite band to use these amps, I don't think I'm mistaken that Earth also used them well in the early years on "Earth 2" and "Sunn Amps and Smashed Guitars"

Love how the Beta amps are solid-state. Fitting! lol

I have 3 Sunn amps, Model T, Concert Lead, and Spectrum (same as the 100S). So I love Sunn and happy to see them back and that they will be USA made. The tube amps are way overpriced though. Definitely interested in checking out the Beta Lead, I think the price on that is reasonable and old Beta Leads can be a bit difficult to repair and often have issues due to their age. I used to have a vintage Beta Lead, loved the sound but was worried about reliability so sold it. I probably shouldn't have because my solid state Concert Lead has never had a problem and is even older. IF they could have made a Model T around $2000 they would have to work overtime 24/7 to produce enough of them! I was even considering selling my vintage Model T if they had pulled that off. Doesn't look like my Model T will be going anywhere anytime soon.

Fender repurposed the 'Model T' circuit for some of the amps in the protube series after Sunn production was shut down 2002-03(?), and who knows what else they used it for down the line. thats probably why they aren't rushing to make Sunn Model T's now.

I’d love a video on the Beta when it comes out. I’d love to see it compared to some other sub $1k solid state amps as well.

Good fukin luck with that

The 100s is attractive to me as a bass player being 65watts it wont take much to get it to overdrive and at a lower volume. The bigger problem is the price and construction for that $$ . You can get an SVT OR V4B for way less so most will just wish these were cheaper & not buy them for 3k

Their website says they will be reissuing the model T down the road.

Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females uses a Concert Lead

Even regarding the Betas, it wouldve been fine if it was 150 watts class D instead of 100 watts. The original class AB are 100 watts and therefore do not have a huge drop off in power over higher speaker impedances. If they could give us like 100 watts at 8 ohms then it wouldve been an improvement

for me, I'm happy with my line 6 head simulation. I'm more interested in their cabs - I'd like to see bigger powered cabs, like a 4x12 or 4x10, personally.

I play and gig with an original beta bass and I really hope they at least try to fix some of the issues they have. The main one I can think of is how hot it gets, even after an hour it noticeably heats up bedroom. Also the poor thing can barely handle pedals at gigging volume* without feedbacking. I dont really use them because I love the amp distortion but it makes it that I dont feel good about adding a delay or reverb pedal into the signal chain. *tbf gigging volume for a stoner doom band but who else is going to buy this

the only thing about the Betas i’m curious about is if that 100W is “100W Class D” or “Class D, but comparable in every way to 100W tube power”. If it’s the former, fair, if it’s the latter, i think it’ll be appreciated more. edit: i would love to try the speaker cabs though. That’s where i’m most interested.

R they still owned by fender?

I managed to grab an OK Doomer from Audio Surplus Effects a few weeks ago so I'm good. Thanks for asking though.

200-300 watts is the minimum requirement for bass with a class D amp. 500+ if you want to power a 4x10 or 8x10 cab. Seems like a big miss for a reissue lineup with so many other brands already meeting this requirement at lower price points.

I have an Electronic Experiments Model FeT so I am pleased with the No Model T and it cost me a fortune. People who paid a lot and people who want a lot for their originals not best impressed, I imagine.

An Orange super crush 100 watt SS head brand new, runs for $500 usd at retail. $300 cheaper compared to the 100 watt beta lead. The Orange is made in china, and these sunn amps are in the usa (what sunn's website claims). To some, having something not made in china is worth that extra few bucks. Also, it might be worth noting the last sunn model t's to come out were done by fender in the early 2000's. Maybe using the "sunn" logo and name is where this price spike really takes its shape. And on another note (lol), when those last model t's came out a lot of people disliked them, so maybe it was seen a "safer" option not to build a model t, and to go with these other heads.

What will the band SUNN do from now on, change their name?

Please do a/b comparisons when they finally release! I bet a lot of people will be glued to the search bar looking! I love that “wtf!” soundbite very appropriate here 😂

I think it's nice and refreshing considering most players are going more for digital and FRFR type stuff that Sunn are going against the grain and doing what they do best.

You got a Misfits pedal?

When I was younger (and still had all my hair,) I remember somehow learning about the model T and Beta Lead from BUZZO and Boris. At the time in college, I was like “2k for an amp from the 70s? Yeah right!” I had so many in my cart and never pulled the trigger. Maybe it was a sign lol.

I am baffled they didn't release the model T it's like if orange shut down and then came back exclusively selling the super crush and the tremlord.

Good stuff Jason!!! It seems to me that these guys didn’t read the room real well. Most of the bands that seem to be using Sunn amps are doom, sludge and stoner rock bands. Only a few can afford those prices and even fewer want the tube amps they’re coming out with first. Leaving out the Model T seems like a rookie mistake. The Betas seem reasonable, but what I’ve heard is that they are only pushing 100 watts at 4 ohms. From my feeble understanding of that stuff, it seems to mean at 8 and 16 ohms it will only be pushing 50 and 30 watts respectively. That feels a little low. Again, I’m no expert. Anyway, cool video Jason!!!🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼

I mean, you can always get an OhmMachT but...for that price I'll sell you a pair of Bassman 1200S (1200W Sunn monoblocks, the thermal improved Fender version) and you'll get change back as well as level the neighborhood.

I'd love to have a Sunn amp, but $800 for 100-watt class D I'd rather stick with my Orange Pedal Baby because it’s class A/B, and if that's the case, you could also get a Seymour Duncan PS700 (700 watts) for $700 plus a Sun preamp pedal, and you get the best sound for the buck.

what´s with the background noise ???

The tube amps prices are ridiculous, I get if it's a high quality amp it's expensive to make but I don't think people wanted a boutique Sunn amp, they wanted an affordable reasonable priced one. They especially didn't want a 65 watt 1 channel boutique amp that's straight clean. The 100s is a great amp but not what people wanted, especially not at that price point. Just going off what we've seen I've lost all hope for a Model T people can afford. If the reissue costs the same or more than a vintage one who is gonna go for that 😂

Dixie Dave of Weedeater is playing a Beta Lead too

They don't mention Doom or even the Band Sun o)), dude they named their band after these amps lol I like the tube one though

The last release of a Model T by Sunn put the company out of business. Maybe that’s why they stayed away for now? I think they’ll bring something interesting to the table on it later. I personally am moving towards solid state and the Betas are a favorite of mine. 100 watts will never do it for me, but I can and do play as loud as I want. I’m going to buy a Beta Bass preamp and use it with a Crown power amp and I’ll be able to get where I want to go. I might buy a Model T later if it’s interesting. I doubt I’ll spend $5,000 on one and I do not see how they can produce one for less than that. I’m moving away from tube amps overall. There’s a few of them I’m interesting in but there all over $3,000. I can’t justify that. I may take the dive on a GT120NMV which isn’t a bad price for what you get but still, it’s a lot.

Damn, I really want a 2000s model t reissue. I really doubt anyone at sunn has ideas, Fender has owned them for 31 years ish

I'd be surprised if they released a Model T. Why? High wattage amps are not really the fad right now. I am seeing a lot of 30-50 watt amps and not a lot of 100 watt amps. Maybe they'll produce a short run of these as a special offering if the market responds to this initial offering. I am 100% going for at least a Beta Lead preamp in the short term.

Haha I love the inclusion of a little “I think you should leave” content

I take amps like people, one at a time. That said Quilter amps are class D, sound great, and are much much lighter than even my old Peavey solid state amps. I'll hold my opinion until I get to play one. 🤔

I have a feeling they may be coming out with other amps. Maybe Fender owns the rights to a Model T? Don't know how that works. It's been awhile. Or is Fender behind this relaunch? I can't imagine SUNN not coming out with a Model T if there wasn't some legal reasons behind it?

I don't understand why they are remaking the Tube one, but using a Class D for the OG Class A/B one. Making Tube amps is way harder than making transistor based ones.

no surface moun circuts

Class D power on the solid state is a mistake. A lot of people are using 8 or 16 ohm cabs. That 100 watts is going to drop a lot.