Although previously never widely distributed throughout Britain, Sunn amplification is a brand which many musicians over here will recognise as having been behind some of the 'greats' from time to time. Probably the most notable of these Sunn users was (is) John Entwistle, who has regularly used this U.S.-based maker's bass amps to considerable effect.

Now Sunn has a new importer - H.W. International; the people who also distribute Shure mikes - so Sunn should be fairly easily available in the U.K. as of about now.

From a wide range of different products (especially in the P.A. field) we chose Sunn's SB 160 bass combo to review - reckoning that bass players (if only from the Entwistle connection) may be one of the first groups of musicians to be attracted by the name.

For a combo with a power rating of only 60 watts RMS, the Sunn isn't exactly small - nor is it light in weight. It measures almost 23" high by 11 1/4" deep by just over 23" wide, making it quite a substantial looking unit - especially as it weighs just over 55 1/2lbs. Compounding this impression is the provision of just one top-mounted carrying strap.

Whether such a cabinet size is really justified in a 60 watt rated bass combo is a moot point - especially as an equal sound quality could almost certainly have been produced by a smaller cab, ported to handle bass frequencies. Sunn's preference, however, appears to have been to opt for a traditional sealed enclosure, within which lies a 15" speaker protected by a sturdy metal grille.

Nicely constructed, the Sunn SB 160 features very straightforward controls and facilities - a full complement of them. The back panel offers a captive mains lead and a set of four jack sockets, covering extension speaker(s), headphone output (390 ohms), 'Accessory' send (150 Ohms, line out) suitable for linking the Sunn's preamp stage to most mixers, as part of an effects loop or to a recorder etc., 'Accessory' return (ie power amp input at 12 kOhms) - and that's your lot, although it's all you're ever likely to need.

The Sunn's front panel shows equally easy to grapple with controls. Twin inputs provide high and low sensitivities, following which there's a pre-amp level pot, a comprehensive (5 control) Eq stage, master volume output and a standard on/off switch.

A carefully evolved tone (equalisation) section is one of the vital keys to getting a good bass sound and, judging by the frequency ranges chosen, it seems obvious that Sunn have thought hard about how to offer a wide tonal range from their combo.

Each of the SB160's tone controls functions in an active 'cut or boost" fashion. The first (Bass) offers cut and boost from 40Hz to 160Hz by up to +/- 15dB, the mid range section being a two-control type, with cut and boost on the first pot (+/- 12dB) across frequencies governed by the second control - from 200Hz to 850Hz. As midrange sounds are vital to bass guitar, this is a very sensible provision on Sunn's part. Treble control comes last in the line, comprising a rotary pot offering +/-15dB on frequencies from 750Hz upwards (no ceiling is quoted by the manufacturer on this tone stage). Finally a 'bright' switch adds an optional 10dB boost on frequencies above 1kHz - a useful extra.

Soundwise, the Sunn performs very cleanly, unless you get over-ambitious with the output level. At any volume below the point where distortion sets in (quoted as being 60 watts by the makers) the sound is surprisingly warm for a transistor amp, and when you push either pre-amp gain or the master vol. up, the tone stays harmonious - devoid of the worst excesses of tranny amps, where typical solid state clipping so often sounds very objectionable.

For an amp which is rated at 60 watts before distortion, the Sunn is both pretty loud and usefully clean. It also offers an impressive tonal range with a lot of 'punch' from its 15" speaker. With such a wide-ranging tone stage, you can get a good selection of usable bass sounds from this combo - from a funky 'middle' tone (using the two-stage mid-frequency control to 'fine tune' the sound), through a bright, hard-edged effect to a deep bass. Impressively, the sound is always warm, however - and if you do decide to use a bit of bass distortion, then C-MOS stages - present in both the pre and power amps, apparently - enrich the harmonic content of your note, giving a rounded-off effect to the expected square wave signal which is (presumably) why the Sunn sounds better than many other tranny bass amps when it"s driven into heavy overload effects. Mind you, how many bass players today want overload sounds?

There's no doubt that the Sunn SB160 is a very carefully thought-out bass combo, from a maker who knows a great deal about what works and what doesn't with bass amplification. Undoubtedly it has a fine, wide-ranging, sophisticated bass sound: but the problem with it is the current price. The level of the U.S. dollar is so high against the pound at the moment that (almost without exception) American-made equipment is beginning to look like increasingly poor value for money against its U.K.-produced counterparts. This is neither the fault of importers nor manufacturers - it's caused by the vagaries of the international money markets, and there's absolutely nothing that anyone can do about it (except possibly Mr. Reagan or Mrs. Thatcher - if they chose to). Until this relationship between the two currencies changes (if it ever does) then most American gear is going to look relatively overpriced compared with U.K-built equipment.

A 60 watt rated bass combo (however good) is at a tremendous disadvantage with a price of £378. There are so many good home-produced bass combos around today which perform as well as the Sunn, but which cost considerably less. If the pound's level against the dollar was more sensibly rated then this combo would compete, quality for price, with far fewer problems. At the pound's current level, though, the Sunn doesn't seem competitive for what it offers. If, however, the oddities of the international currency market allow the dollar to fall, then maybe the Sunn will seem like better value for money. A nice amp - it's a pity about the price!

RRP £378 Inc. VAT

More details on Sunn products from H.W. International Ltd., (Contact Details).