Sunn Model T (1st Gen) Preamp

For those that don’t know I’m a huge lover of low end, and a worshiper of all things Sunn, in fact I’ve designed a turretboard layout to build a 1st Gen Sunn Model T ready to go as soon as I have the time to build it, which since I’m getting my Doctorate won’t be for 3yrs.

But, I digress. With all these new FET amp in a box pedals out now, I’ve yet to see any that are based on the amps I’ve lusted after. So, with the help of Ciaran, who did the majority of the grunt work, I bring you the first in what will be a series of amp preamps converted to FET pedals that he and I are going to be working on.

Unlike, the Earthquaker Acapulco Gold, which falsely claims to emulate the Model T, this monster is a true Model T preamp, minus the presence pot. You get both the Normal and Bright channels, as well as the ability to jumper both together just like the real deal.

The 1st gen Model T was based on the old Fender Bassman, but has much more low end, and nice tight focused grit. It’s never truely clean. Now the real magic happens when you put the right booster in front of it, or a fuzz/distortion pedal like a rat or big muff.

Example of someone just messing around, low gains too. 🙂

Example of one Hovercraft did a tube job on with a Catalinbread Manx Logathian (BMP Variant)

Example of the amp with Distortion Pedals

For those curious what the peamp itself sounds like as opposed to the original amp, here’s a really short video of this preamp in a home built 100watt solid state mini model t I built. The preamp is being run at 24V, and both channels simultaneously, so there’s no switch between channels. The gain for both channels at noon, master volume at like 2 o’clock, then used a modded Ross distortion I make that’s heavily modified for
more low end, and an active Bandaxall tone stack. I ran it through my Ampeg SVT210AV (2×10 bass cab), and audio & video from my iPhone. I’m playing my Les Paul tuned to C-Standard with a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates in the neck and JB in the bridge, but using the neck pickup only.Ignore the crappy playing I’m a bassist not a guitarist.

Layout 1:

Layout 2: 2nd tonestack wiring, exactly as the amp. note that both wiring options will act the same as it’s a modified fender/marshall/vox tonestack