New Sunn Beta Bass

Corey Y · August 29, 2011, 02:28:55 PM

The postman just dropped it off. It looks pretty clean and powers up, but no chance to plug my bass in and make sure it works properly yet since I'm still at work. This will be the third Sunn solid state bass amp I've owned. Hopefully the first that doesn't explode. I'm considering getting a power amp and just running the preamp out, so I don't have to worry about that.

grimniggzy · August 29, 2011, 02:43:36 PM

nice, awesome amps

Slow · August 29, 2011, 02:52:41 PM

you got broken betas, with poweramp issues? but working preamps?

Me, me, me, me, me, SEND THEM TO ME.

Corey Y · August 29, 2011, 03:09:58 PM

No, this is the first Beta I've owned. I have a Concert Bass with a blown power section and had a Coliseum Bass with the same issue. The Coliseum was part of a trade though, happened within a week and the same thing happened to the amp I traded it for, so we just swapped back and fixed our own amps.

Slow · August 29, 2011, 03:15:41 PM

Damn. This is my only chance at getting a Sunn preamp for a poweramp I have.

damn it. hahaha.

Corey Y · August 29, 2011, 03:19:56 PM

You can have the Concert Bass preamp if you want it. I was considering having it turned into a pedal, because it's on it's own modular PCB in the amp, but it's been broken for probably 5 or 6 years and I've never done anything with it.

bitter · August 29, 2011, 03:29:41 PM

Slow, didn't monolith come out with a beta preamp clone thingy??

http://www.monolith-loudspeakers.com/magma-10-bass-preamp.html

Slow · August 29, 2011, 03:51:42 PM

750 dollars puts that sombitch out of the running.

Hemisaurus · August 29, 2011, 03:52:59 PM

Wasn't there a Sunn pedal, I posted before?

Hemisaurus · August 29, 2011, 03:56:43 PM

That was it, Muff and Sunn in one pedal.

bitter · August 29, 2011, 04:41:15 PM

Wow, that was something. ~$350 USD.

Corey Y · August 29, 2011, 04:47:13 PM

The Monolith Magma sounds petty badass, but I would just judge it on its own merits as a "boutique" preamp instead of stacking it against a Beta. If you just wanted a Beta preamp the amps themselves have a preamp out feature and they go for far less than the Magma any day of the week. I know it's based on that design, but he's done his own modifications to it based on what he felt the strengths and weaknesses were and it appears to be a very well built product. Plus it has all the customer service benefits of an actual running company. Buyer beware with anything Sunn of course, since they're purely a used market product at this point. I guess we'll see how well the Magma holds up over time, whether it becomes something really sought after or just a curiosity. I think it's cool as hell that he made it period though, honestly.

bitter · August 29, 2011, 05:05:57 PM

I like the fact that there are options available out there. I'd personally be more comfortable going that route than say that cool mad hatter effect. Yeah there's a monetary difference, but I'd buy from Portland over Russia any day!

Slow · August 29, 2011, 05:35:23 PM

The pedal is cool and all, herbie, but it defeats the purpose. I want to MAKE something, Frankenstein, mad scientist some shit. Buying the pedal isn't as fun as spending 250 dollars on parts and having it still not work, then coming back in a week and finding a rookie mistake, and having it work. I just wanna build shit, for experience.

justinhedrick · August 29, 2011, 05:36:14 PM

Quote from: Slow on August 29, 2011, 05:35:23 PM
The pedal is cool and all, herbie, but it defeats the purpose. I want to MAKE something, Frankenstein, mad scientist some shit. Buying the pedal isn't as fun as spending 250 dollars on parts and having it still not work, then coming back in a week and finding a rookie mistake, and having it work. I just wanna build shit, for experience.

build me one too!

Slow · August 29, 2011, 05:38:58 PM

If Corey's isn't TOTALLY fucked, I can make it work.

How'd it die, big guy? BALL OF SMOKE? I won't gut it before I check it out, maybe it's somethin' easy to fix... then I'll just send it back to you...

yesca · August 29, 2011, 05:43:56 PM

nice! makes me wish i bought a sunn beta lead i saw at GC for $189

Corey Y · August 29, 2011, 06:02:23 PM

The Concert Bass died with a pop and a fizzle, not a bang. Turned it on..."Crack...PFFT...BUZZZZZZ"...dead. It might be something really easy to fix, but even if not I do know the preamp is in working order. At least it was years ago, when I plugged the preamp out into a power amp and played a few notes.

If you want it, just pay for shipping and you can have it Slow. If you don't want the whole thing I could remove the head case or even just gut the preamp circuit. I think most of the connections are clips instead of being soldered, so it can just be removed, but it's been a while since I looked inside. It's just gathering dust, so I don't passing it on for a little good gear karma.

Slow · August 29, 2011, 06:16:21 PM

I mean, I'm always looking for projects, and if I do indeed fix it, pay the return shipping, and it's yours, man. I've offered this to all you'se before, if you have broken shit, that didn't die in FLAMES or something, guitars with issues of any type, you can send them here to me and I'll (try to, with no guarantees) fix 'em. I'm all over strangelight's muff, and Ziggy's muff is already fixed, I'm just a loser and only go to the post office once a month.

so, that service is out there. Just sayin'. I need all the free experience I can get, if I'm ever going to get good at doing this type of work.

Cheapest shipping, and a little bubble wrap will go a long way since it's already broken. Lemme know how much it weighs. In the 25-35 range... thats what my CL weighed..

Corey Y · August 29, 2011, 07:00:28 PM

I'll check out the weight, shoot me a private message with your shipping info man.

Corey Y · August 29, 2011, 08:02:11 PM

Just plugged my Precision bass into the Beta for a test run. Also tried it out with my SG for shits and giggles. Purchase justified, sounds meaner than fuck.

SpaceTrucker · August 29, 2011, 10:01:23 PM

If you pay shipping I have a peavey musician 200 that is broke, it works but has Horrible Oscillations. well It did Till I opened it up and gutted some things. Jacks and tried to de solder some things. I will tell you it has the BEST Vibrato I have EVER heard In my fucking life. But the design is shit, I think I might still have the schematic for it. If not peavey might send it to you.

I tried to do what you are trying to do. It also has a fuzz in it with a clean blend.

Hemisaurus · August 30, 2011, 11:32:23 PM

Quote from: Slow on August 29, 2011, 05:35:23 PM
The pedal is cool and all, herbie, but it defeats the purpose. I want to MAKE something, Frankenstein, mad scientist some shit. Buying the pedal isn't as fun as spending 250 dollars on parts and having it still not work, then coming back in a week and finding a rookie mistake, and having it work. I just wanna build shit, for experience.

I thought you wanted me to make it? Nothing stopping you from making it, I already gave you a schematic for a single channel beta, and if you want the switching dual channel, it's in the service manual

As I recall the main bugbears were the 1M pot and the inverter chips

VOLVO))) · August 30, 2011, 11:53:50 PM

Quote from: Hemisaurus on August 30, 2011, 11:32:23 PM
Quote from: Slow on August 29, 2011, 05:35:23 PM
The pedal is cool and all, herbie, but it defeats the purpose. I want to MAKE something, Frankenstein, mad scientist some shit. Buying the pedal isn't as fun as spending 250 dollars on parts and having it still not work, then coming back in a week and finding a rookie mistake, and having it work. I just wanna build shit, for experience.
I thought you wanted me to make it? Nothing stopping you from making it, I already gave you a schematic for a single channel beta, and if you want the switching dual channel, it's in the service manual

As I recall the main bugbears were the 1M pot and the inverter chips

You were gonna build one anyways! I just wanted to see if you'd do two, hahaha. The logic switching chips are the hard part, if that's what you're referring to? Wade from monolith said he has them for the Magma, but he won't tell me where he gets them.

Hemisaurus · August 31, 2011, 08:27:08 AM

Yeah, I thought about it, then I spent $25 CDN on a practice amp with a headphone jack, and liked the sound of it so much I used that instead. It appeals to me to run a 5W practice amp (or whatever it is) through a 3000W power amp

Plus I said Anderton has already done a hex drive pedal, so what's the point re-inventing the wheel?

If you go single channel you don't need logic switching, I don't recall them being that unique, you can probably find them at larger parts places like Newark or something? Weren't they just 4000 series CMOS chips? Rather than buggering about with CMOS logic, a couple of LDR switches are probably cleaner and easier, or even one of those channel switching modules you can buy.