True, they sound better when using an old tape-recorder to record. (Actually, though. Something about the combo of those two cheap-and-dirty pieces of older gear sounds just disgusting, in a cool way)
Another notable user of the Beta Lead, who isn't as often talked about as the Melvins/Nirvana/Red Fang, is founding member and guitarist of the Descendents, Frank Navetta. He's drive tone on Milo Goes to College is the Beta Lead. He had both channels on, one set to a slimy midrange overdriven tone and the other to this broken glass and spiky "clean" tone. Together it 's a unique sound that is thick but also cuts through the mix.
@@tomlang1005 Yeah! I found out from finding an old photo of the Descendents from 1981-82 with Frank in front of his full stack which had the Beta Lead and a rare Acoustic (he might have used as slave for the Beta preamp)
So many good amps out there on the classifieds section, it's totally possible to get a good sounding amp for cheap these days. Solid state doesn't mean that it sucks. 🤘🏻
Hell yea,totally agree.thats an argument easily won with two words.(Dime-Bag)Boom!!! *Mic drop*😜 but seriously,at this state with amp technology,seeing great amp or simulations coming out daily.🤘
Hilbish Design makes an absolutely perfect recreation in either a preamp or full amp setup. I have one and only use my beta bass for nostalgia purposes. Oh and I got that beta bass for 100 bucks 5 years ago.
The combo version has amazing cast frame speakers. Also, the cab has a V-shaped front, with the speakers angled toward each other. Got mine from a going-out-business music store for fifty bucks. Needed $150 of repair. Yeah, they are awfully good.
@@SpectreSoundStudios I been saying for at least 3 years to let me guide you to the best Beta - lead tone, but oh well, dime out the bass, almost for treble, drop out the mid to 0, Drive between 5 and 7 depending on what pedal used for crunch, Boss Ds-1 Tone at 2 o-clock, Level max and Dist max is what I use. I set the drive at 6 on channel A for my setup. Not Ugly or sludgy the way I use it. The only knobs I agree with on your amp is the level and master. Wrong pedal and wrong EQ mix. do the way I said and the results are brutal.
"The Melvins were very fond of them." I think Buzz Osbourne still uses one. Also, the prices for the Sunn stuff have spiked since 2008. The Model T used to be about $1500 on the used market around that same time, and now you're lucky if you can find one for cheaper than $4,000. Sunn stuff as a whole has become more in demand but the Model T and the Beta Lead are usually the two most sought after on the used market.
The Model T is one of those grail amps that you're going to pay too much for now, like an originally modified Dumble or Fortin, et al. I got my pair of Bassman 1200S for more than I wanted to pay but after they're fully restored and tuned up they'd command 1800-2k USD each just sitting there. But it's gonna go GRUNT LIKE HELL when you bang on it.
@@rk28984 That's what I've been saying for years! With such a high demand, Fender could make a good chunk of change off of doing reissues and they just don't.
The guy who taught me guitar back in the early 1980's played through a 212 Beta lead combo. I'm a tube guy, but these things are bad ass, I wouldn't hesitate to play through one if I had too.
In addition to the bands mentioned, I've just become aware of another guy who apparently had one of these: Rick Hunolt (Exodus). In an interview on Zetro's Toxic Vault, he mentioned having a combo version of this amp when he was young. No idea if he ever used it on a recording, but it got me curious enough to check this video out.
Another hidden gem is just about every hiwatt solid state head ever made. Anything from the maxwatt series to the current Crunch series. I personally have a maxwatt g200r half stack that I picked up for about $150 and I LOVE that thing, plenty of cool and crushing sounds in that amp. The new hiwatt solid state heads go for between $200 and $450. Not a lot of demos of these amps online. I think it would make a cool video. Cheers from South Africa!
For anyone wondering where to get a footswitch for these amps my friend dpFx is handmaking footswitches for many popular Sunn models (He also has a Beta Lead preamp pedal available)
My very first amp. 1981! I hated it, it sounded nothing like what i thought an amp should sound like. I sold it for 250 and got a silver face twin and was in heaven. thanks for reminding me that i still hate it. Uber thin, ratty, sterile 2D lol a guess its a sound
When you mentioned blending channels I instantly thought of my Marshall Lead 100 MOSFET 3210 (mouthful I know). It’s an 80s amp, but I reckon you should check it out if you can find one
My first bass amp was a Concert Lead. When my guitar buddy passed in 80s, his family gave me his Beta Lead and Marshall 4x12. I used it. Guitar players used. I just sold it 2-3 years ago.
GLEN THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I'VE HEARD OF THIS AMP YEARS AGO AND I'VE BEEN LOOKING!!!! THIS IS MY NEXT AMP!! Update: unfortunately to my sorrow I'll probably never find one after doing a casual look, but at least I know what it is I'm looking now
@@jmasson3272 really? You would pick the Quilter over the Orange? I was thinking about grabbing that Orange soon,but maybe that Quilter is worth a look.
@@darklight4815 definitely. This amp with a n old boss sd1 is a hell of an hard rock amp. Maybe not metal but for rock, heavy and hard rock it's a very interesting amp. A friend of mine who has an old jmp super lead was very impressed. The cr120 h is decent but the quilter is by far a better amp. I sold my cr120 h and i don't regret it. I play rock stoner and to play live it's a very reliable tool that sounds very great. Od200 can be found on the used market. I have two oc them and i want to try to play both with two 4x12 for each head. Most of the time i play xith a 4x12 and a 2x12 and one quilter head. No problem to hear me. These amps are loud...I love that brand. I sold all my orange amps ( i had the cr120, a or15, a th30) , now i have several quilter products ( two od200 and my back up the interblock45 that i compared to the stamp terror of orange...i returned the orange the day i received it. What a shitty amp...
Few people seem to take advantage of this sir, but run that thing in series, from the back of the amp. It has a totally different set of tonal possibilities than parallel in the front.
A couple of years ago I brought a WEM ER40 with the matching cab for about £450!! I played my LTD bass through it!! The sound it produced is like nothing I've experienced ever!! And I thought my step dad's Selma amp had a crushing sound!! Keep on doing more shows like this I look forward seeing more!! Coming back at you from Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire!! Rich Oakes.
COMMON MISCONCEPTION The Melvins did use the beta lead early on, but if we’re talking honey bucket Buzz actually used a sunn beta preamp by then and one of those double switch rats and not the beta leads distortion channel. ALSO, the beta lead wasn’t really used by cobain very often, that was used on the tours they did with TAD (amazing band highly suggest everyone go listen to them) and I believe that was theirs, but yeah kurt did use it live a few times. But nonetheless it’s a great amp and I’m very happy we finally get a review, this has been my dream amp since I was 13 but I could never justify dropping $1500 for an amp that’s practically a unicorn on the used market.
one of my fav amps, i love sunns, they're basically impossible to get in portugal tho, so im really out of luck plus its not like these show up for sale all that often
@@litos_mendes They can keep them! Thomann has the stuff, but I'm not putting myself two or three borders away from the nearest rep. Tempting bad luck, that...
People actually buy beta leads for their clean sounds very often, theyre great pedal platforms and also with 2 separate channels with their own inputs and effects loops you can blend multiple distortion pedals and blend them, cool stuff
Straight up doom, love it! reminds me of the band Sun o))) ;). Seriously though very Cathedral sounding tone. amps like this are the rare exception of being super heavy and bassy without being insanely muddy and unintelligible.
Never heard of this amp specifically to be honest, but Sunn Amps I have. The legendary Leslie West recorded a lot of the early Mountain stuff (Mississippi Queen etc) with a Sunn Coliseum PA head. This thing sounds brutal though
One of the best guitar sound I’ve heard you get. The Beta Lead is an awesome amp. A lot of stoner, doom and sludge bands use them. Very reliable and can be found for a great price.
You can use an aby box as a channel switcher. Also this amp really comes alive when you plug into both channels. I use a drive as a drive when I need a more aggressive metal tone, not to tighten up
You should definitely try to get an Orange CR120 for a review. It's kind of a similar style of sound, great for sludge and affordable (around $400). Certainly a hidden gem in my opinion.
They "disappeared" from Reverb years ago. This amp has not been a hidden gem for a decade. The stoner and sludge scene have blown this thing amp to a holy grail and last I have seen a working or non damaged one for 400 $ was about 10 years ago.
You should check out Hilbish Amps. The guy is making a modern version of these with class D power amps. I used to have a Beta Bass and regret selling it but the lower wattage just couldn't keep up.
Yes, I must record it more. I’m rather happy with how that mix turned out!
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@@SpectreSoundStudios i can not believe that Fender basically destroyed Sunn amps. I had the Beta Lead in my studio and it is such a great concept and tone. Just like the Model-T ( Or the new JPTR Ohmacht ) it is a dream amp ... i hope one day i find one used for a realistic price
@ They improved the thermal solution on the 1200S when they moved it to the Bassman line. I'm probably going to sell off my two, but I'm backed up on projects and they need some detailing/tuning. I was all about tube preamps in hybrid amps until we started seeing plugins and amp makers cutting apart and selling their preamps - and in the past year it's been definitely proven to me in about a zillion YT demos that cab emulation (or lack of it) is the biggest factor in capturing good sound right off the bat and let's face it, not many people can afford to sample the variety of cabinets in their home that they can test drive with "good enough" emulation. The Bassman 1200S are amazing power amps but in all honesty since we can't go to stores I'll probably just dump a bunch of my misc stuff and put the cash into Synergy so I can have an Egnater power section and whatever preamp I want. I would have to sell my redface SWR tho and I am unsure I would do that. It doesn't take up much space and it's kind of the old reliable in the rack as well as suffering both bass and guitar well. On the upside of the Fender acquisition, EVERYTHING they could find is published on the Fender site, including, of course, the schematics and rest of documentation on my 1200S pair of monoblocks so as an engineering technician with over a quarter century bench experience I'm going to make those things like new and flip them for a premium, as gear is still climbing. But yeah, Fender publishes EVERYTHING for all out of production gear, including acquisitions. At least I've been able to find some level of documentation for anything I've looked for and I've been DEEP in their Sunn section. If you want to see something really goofy/epic, Fender worked with FGN to make a Jackson-killer called the Heartfield Talon. It looks like an RG with a Jackson headstock and it says "Fender" on it. Super crazy project but also there are a BUNCH of them around. I'd love to try one out some day. The Heartfield Project is also archived at the Fender site. It's a cool story, actually.
Gleeeeen. I know you've bin running through scales fairly recently but Holy bat droppings whats happen to your right hand. You must of put practice in on that. Well done mate, love it
Sounds like drowning in mollasus- freaking love those Sunn Betas, and that tone you had with the OD would be great for some crusty death. Ever tried blending the Sunn with a tube amp, say that Soldano?
Yeah, I dought Glen will ever see this, but my hidden gem of my own personal choosing is the Vox Pathfinder 15R. A small-ish in size, and with its 15 watts, of pure joy. Sound good with its internal 8 inch speaker, but when plugged in to a cab, like a Marshall MG series of 4X12's. It is a whole other thing when it is being used as a head.
Hey Glenn, yeah you should check out the Quilter Overdrive 200 ss amp. Made in the US but is now discontinued. But there’s also the 202 version out now that has 3 different voices in it. The tone for both is emulating a Dumble Overdrive and a Mark II C+
I was always fond of the beta lead sound. Growing up my father had a tube works rt-2100 which had a similar kind of fuzzy drive sound. Luckily he passed it down to me and I use it ALL THE TIME if I want to play some grungey tones.
I had the 2x12 combo back in the 80's and was my first real amp and used it for years. Weighed a ton. It went to the pawn shop after I plugged into a Marshall half stack.
There are some Sunn Beta Lead pedals out there as well. If you ran one of these through the effects loop of a solid state amp, I should think you'd pretty much have the sound of the original amp--if the pedal is an accurate recreation of the original preamp.
I have a beta bass, which is the same as the lead without the reverb, and yeah I was hunting for one and had to pay about 1k Euro for it, but it was a huge bucket list for me, I love its sound both on guitar and bass soooo much, and for my taste it's also a great pedal platform (for fuzzes especially)!! Not djenty but I like mud lol. These vintage amps nowadays have gone up a lot, my old sound city 120 from 78 for example, I bought it for 800 and sold for 900 but a friend of mine bought TWO for 350€ in 2004. It's crazy but it's what it is. I'll go homeless before I sell my beta.
This is one of the best audio channels. My mom worked in a music store in PA bak in the 70s early 80s and i played tons of these. Concert lead and 4x10. I had an alpha 1x12. They seemed cool bak then but this one is the best
You can buy pcbs and kits to make your own pedal version of these amps. They're not super difficult to make. The diy ones tend to actually be less hissy and noisy than the originals which is nice.
I remember seeing ads for these around 1979 when I was learning to play on an acoustic and dreaming about what my first electric guitar and amp would be. I wanted one because the ads said it sounded like a tube amp due to its CMOS gain devices. I don't think I've actually seen one since 1980.
If you're into Doom, this is THE solid state amp to have. It sounds great when you let those chords breathe. As demonstrated on this vid, the sound all comes from the preamp. You don't have to have it cranked to get that sound. It's great if you want a loose and dirty sounding SS amp.
Thanks for the properly recorded demo of that amp, maybe you could make a short one with a bass guitar ? It seems popular with bass as well but there is no real demo on youtube, please.
Hey, finally a demo of a Sunn that isn't recorded on an old phone in a damp basement!
True, they sound better when using an old tape-recorder to record. (Actually, though. Something about the combo of those two cheap-and-dirty pieces of older gear sounds just disgusting, in a cool way)
Lol...😆 🤣 😂
Well, it might have been in a damp basement.
In hindi "Sunn beta lead" literally translates to "listen to the lead son"
That, Is, Amazing!!
Suddenly I have this strange urge to throw on a robe and play at ridiculous volume in a cave.
That's another Sunn amp, the tube-based Model T. You're not finding one of those for $400. Hell, you're not finding one of those for $1200 these days!
Yeah... That's what I would recommend
@@drpibisback7680 beta lead + Acapulco Gold pedal could probs get you there tho tbf
Another notable user of the Beta Lead, who isn't as often talked about as the Melvins/Nirvana/Red Fang, is founding member and guitarist of the Descendents, Frank Navetta. He's drive tone on Milo Goes to College is the Beta Lead. He had both channels on, one set to a slimy midrange overdriven tone and the other to this broken glass and spiky "clean" tone. Together it 's a unique sound that is thick but also cuts through the mix.
Fuck yeah! I didn't realize that
@@tomlang1005 Yeah! I found out from finding an old photo of the Descendents from 1981-82 with Frank in front of his full stack which had the Beta Lead and a rare Acoustic (he might have used as slave for the Beta preamp)
Right on another reason why I love that thing the everything sux era was on a crate I believe and now he uses black star
So many good amps out there on the classifieds section, it's totally possible to get a good sounding amp for cheap these days. Solid state doesn't mean that it sucks. 🤘🏻
Agreed!!
With no live music, it's really a buyer's market for amps. There's some amazing things out there for much less than you'd pay 18 months ago.
@@richsackett3423 Not everywhere. Guys in Saskatoon want original MSRP or more for their equipment sometimes. It gets ridiculous pretty quickly.
@@richsackett3423 I can agree, a few weeks ago I scored a sweet Laney Made in England 2x12 cab for next to nothing. Was looking for years to find one.
Hell yea,totally agree.thats an argument easily won with two words.(Dime-Bag)Boom!!! *Mic drop*😜 but seriously,at this state with amp technology,seeing great amp or simulations coming out daily.🤘
Okay the amp is nuts but HOLY SHIT THAT SNARE
You're just now getting what I have known for over 2 decades, just a pity getting sunn amps repaired is like the chance of getting a free 59 les paul.
Pretty much perfect.
Bronze free floater maybe?
Hilbish Design makes an absolutely perfect recreation in either a preamp or full amp setup. I have one and only use my beta bass for nostalgia purposes. Oh and I got that beta bass for 100 bucks 5 years ago.
Thanks for the shout out, big fans of the channel!
The combo version has amazing cast frame speakers. Also, the cab has a V-shaped front, with the speakers angled toward each other. Got mine from a going-out-business music store for fifty bucks. Needed $150 of repair. Yeah, they are awfully good.
Saw one in my neighbourhood for sale. 100 Dollars. A guy bought it and now wants 1500 Dollars
This was the fattest mix ever on your show ... and the most brutal tone ... i love it
Yeah, I should probably work with this amp more!
Fk yeah you should 🤘
@@SpectreSoundStudios I been saying for at least 3 years to let me guide you to the best Beta - lead tone, but oh well, dime out the bass, almost for treble, drop out the mid to 0, Drive between 5 and 7 depending on what pedal used for crunch, Boss Ds-1 Tone at 2 o-clock, Level max and Dist max is what I use. I set the drive at 6 on channel A for my setup. Not Ugly or sludgy the way I use it. The only knobs I agree with on your amp is the level and master. Wrong pedal and wrong EQ mix. do the way I said and the results are brutal.
@@myopicautisticmetal9035 it's also a little less hairier than the tube models...NEW C-MOS TECHNOLOGY! lol
@@SpectreSoundStudios Fuckin' right you should.
"The Melvins were very fond of them."
I think Buzz Osbourne still uses one.
Also, the prices for the Sunn stuff have spiked since 2008. The Model T used to be about $1500 on the used market around that same time, and now you're lucky if you can find one for cheaper than $4,000. Sunn stuff as a whole has become more in demand but the Model T and the Beta Lead are usually the two most sought after on the used market.
The Model T is one of those grail amps that you're going to pay too much for now, like an originally modified Dumble or Fortin, et al. I got my pair of Bassman 1200S for more than I wanted to pay but after they're fully restored and tuned up they'd command 1800-2k USD each just sitting there.
But it's gonna go GRUNT LIKE HELL when you bang on it.
A sub for the beta lead is hilbish pre amp and a 200 watt amp...also the sol invictus is a pedal preamp and is really great
Beta Basses are also very similar. Not sure if it's true, but I've heard that minus the reverb it's the same circuit.
I don't get it why Fender doesn't reissue those two amps. They hold the rights to Sunn and don't do anything with it. I guess they don't like money.
@@rk28984 That's what I've been saying for years! With such a high demand, Fender could make a good chunk of change off of doing reissues and they just don't.
that intro riff was heavy asff :O!!!
The correct response to that price is "Tell him he's dreamin"
^ How to tell everyone you are an Aussie without saying you're an Aussie hahha
Less speed, more riff!! Love the sound you got out of the beta lead.
The guy who taught me guitar back in the early 1980's played through a 212 Beta lead combo. I'm a tube guy, but these things are bad ass, I wouldn't hesitate to play through one if I had too.
In addition to the bands mentioned, I've just become aware of another guy who apparently had one of these: Rick Hunolt (Exodus). In an interview on Zetro's Toxic Vault, he mentioned having a combo version of this amp when he was young. No idea if he ever used it on a recording, but it got me curious enough to check this video out.
im sorry that i've been the guy asking for this for years lol. glad to hear you do it justice !
Another hidden gem is just about every hiwatt solid state head ever made. Anything from the maxwatt series to the current Crunch series. I personally have a maxwatt g200r half stack that I picked up for about $150 and I LOVE that thing, plenty of cool and crushing sounds in that amp. The new hiwatt solid state heads go for between $200 and $450. Not a lot of demos of these amps online. I think it would make a cool video. Cheers from South Africa!
For anyone wondering where to get a footswitch for these amps my friend dpFx is handmaking footswitches for many popular Sunn models (He also has a Beta Lead preamp pedal available)
Glenn! Your playing is getting better and better! So awesome to see!
Saw Melt Banana live and he was using a Beta Lead. Went out and got one immediately.
You mentioned Kobain, then when you hit those first notes... Ooh yes, there's that crunch from "Blew". Killer tone, man.
The 70’s are back, with their amp! I remember .........
My very first amp. 1981! I hated it, it sounded nothing like what i thought an amp should sound like. I sold it for 250 and got a silver face twin and was in heaven. thanks for reminding me that i still hate it. Uber thin, ratty, sterile 2D lol a guess its a sound
When you mentioned blending channels I instantly thought of my Marshall Lead 100 MOSFET 3210 (mouthful I know). It’s an 80s amp, but I reckon you should check it out if you can find one
My first bass amp was a Concert Lead.
When my guitar buddy passed in 80s, his family gave me his Beta Lead and Marshall 4x12.
I used it. Guitar players used. I just sold it 2-3 years ago.
I could listen to a full song version of that mix WOAH. THICC SLUDGY SOUND
I like my guitar tone how I like my women.....thicc with lots of bottom end
GLEN THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I'VE HEARD OF THIS AMP YEARS AGO AND I'VE BEEN LOOKING!!!! THIS IS MY NEXT AMP!!
Update: unfortunately to my sorrow I'll probably never find one after doing a casual look, but at least I know what it is I'm looking now
I think the melvins used a boss bass overdrive for boosting those amps
Interesting! Thanks for the tip, I’ll check that out!
@@SpectreSoundStudios Yeah, PL20s with a Boss ODB3
Here's Buzz running through the rig.
th-cam.com/video/mmn647WzLlY/w-d-xo.html
You're making me go back into the 80's, I used to have a Sunn, I think it was two angled 12' speaker combo!
Man, that rack preamp beta clone made by Hilbish Design... you may enjoy having that in your studio.
You should make a guitar pedal out of that sound. I'd buy it!
Hell to the yes.
Red Fang, the band Glenn mentioned in the video, did just that!
th-cam.com/video/iG01sVJArgQ/w-d-xo.html
Hilbish
Hilbish Sol Invictus
earth quaker made one....cant remember the name ...black and yellow tho.
theres lots of sunn beta pedals but everyone wants big $$ for them
Definitely stands out with doom/stoner metal...
I can’t express enough how god damned long I’ve been waiting for this review
That fucking tone is Sludge metal HEAVEN. I fucking need it. NOW.
Glen! Props for having the confidence to do all the guitars and bass on this demo. You're absolutely killing it! Keep pushing and fyg! Love it!
Thanks man!
Great amp review Glenn, id suggest you also consider the Orange CR120 amp head for a next hidden gem episode
That's not a so interesting amp. I had one for 2 years. Then i bought a high end solid state amp, a quilter od200. It smokes the cr120 h
@@jmasson3272 really? You would pick the Quilter over the Orange? I was thinking about grabbing that Orange soon,but maybe that Quilter is worth a look.
@@darklight4815 definitely. This amp with a n old boss sd1 is a hell of an hard rock amp. Maybe not metal but for rock, heavy and hard rock it's a very interesting amp. A friend of mine who has an old jmp super lead was very impressed. The cr120 h is decent but the quilter is by far a better amp. I sold my cr120 h and i don't regret it. I play rock stoner and to play live it's a very reliable tool that sounds very great. Od200 can be found on the used market. I have two oc them and i want to try to play both with two 4x12 for each head. Most of the time i play xith a 4x12 and a 2x12 and one quilter head. No problem to hear me. These amps are loud...I love that brand. I sold all my orange amps ( i had the cr120, a or15, a th30) , now i have several quilter products ( two od200 and my back up the interblock45 that i compared to the stamp terror of orange...i returned the orange the day i received it. What a shitty amp...
@@jmasson3272 ok..cool...right on man...thanks for your input.
@@darklight4815 I've never heard anybody get a bad sound out of a Quilter
Amp sounds killer! Also, that snare sound/the mix in general is probably my favorite featured on your channel yet!
COC back in the 80's woody used beta lead
damn this amp sounds big, like HUGE. I imagine pairing one of these with any scooped high gain tube head would yield some phenomenal results.
I must try that!
Best snare sound I've heard you pull on these demo's, of yeah and that guitar sound, legit awesome!
Few people seem to take advantage of this sir, but run that thing in series, from the back of the amp. It has a totally different set of tonal possibilities than parallel in the front.
One of my favourite amps of all time! Nice to see it on your show, Glenn!
A couple of years ago I brought a WEM ER40 with the matching cab for about £450!! I played my LTD bass through it!! The sound it produced is like nothing I've experienced ever!! And I thought my step dad's Selma amp had a crushing sound!! Keep on doing more shows like this I look forward seeing more!! Coming back at you from Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire!!
Rich Oakes.
Red Fang also commonly use an Orange Tiny Terror when tracking overdub guitars in the studio. Live, its all Sunn baby!
COMMON MISCONCEPTION
The Melvins did use the beta lead early on, but if we’re talking honey bucket Buzz actually used a sunn beta preamp by then and one of those double switch rats and not the beta leads distortion channel. ALSO, the beta lead wasn’t really used by cobain very often, that was used on the tours they did with TAD (amazing band highly suggest everyone go listen to them) and I believe that was theirs, but yeah kurt did use it live a few times. But nonetheless it’s a great amp and I’m very happy we finally get a review, this has been my dream amp since I was 13 but I could never justify dropping $1500 for an amp that’s practically a unicorn on the used market.
Man that is all kinds of sludgey... totally a stoner rock/metal amp... love it...
This amp is mental. I almost shit myself when the intro riff started.
The best damn sounding non tube amp you got there man....Killer tone and Production!
one of my fav amps, i love sunns, they're basically impossible to get in portugal tho, so im really out of luck plus its not like these show up for sale all that often
True. Peaveys are also hard to get here, or am I missing something?
@@luisnunes2010 and when they apperar (peaveys) its ridiculous ... there is a guys selling a ultra plus foir 1100 euros
@@litos_mendes They can keep them! Thomann has the stuff, but I'm not putting myself two or three borders away from the nearest rep. Tempting bad luck, that...
Pera lá, se vocês são os 2 tugas tao a falar inglês para que? XD
@@franciscoadonis1068 1. Canal de língua inglesa.
2.O nome do comentador original pode ser de um estrangeiro residente em Portugal.
$400 for this amp is a literally steal, reverb has them $1000+
People actually buy beta leads for their clean sounds very often, theyre great pedal platforms and also with 2 separate channels with their own inputs and effects loops you can blend multiple distortion pedals and blend them, cool stuff
Straight up doom, love it! reminds me of the band Sun o))) ;). Seriously though very Cathedral sounding tone. amps like this are the rare exception of being super heavy and bassy without being insanely muddy and unintelligible.
Never heard of this amp specifically to be honest, but Sunn Amps I have. The legendary Leslie West recorded a lot of the early Mountain stuff (Mississippi Queen etc) with a Sunn Coliseum PA head. This thing sounds brutal though
One of the best guitar sound I’ve heard you get. The Beta Lead is an awesome amp. A lot of stoner, doom and sludge bands use them. Very reliable and can be found for a great price.
Thanks man! Very pleased with how it turned out!
You can use an aby box as a channel switcher. Also this amp really comes alive when you plug into both channels. I use a drive as a drive when I need a more aggressive metal tone, not to tighten up
Didn't Adam Jones mix it in his sound on "Lateralus"? Along with other things.
Absolutely love these amps. Awesome demo Glenn!🔥🤘🔥
TY Jason!
You should definitely try to get an Orange CR120 for a review. It's kind of a similar style of sound, great for sludge and affordable (around $400). Certainly a hidden gem in my opinion.
🎯
Hmm, it seems like they have all disappeared on Reverb. The power of TH-cam 🤣
They pop up here and there, just keep your eyes open.
They "disappeared" from Reverb years ago. This amp has not been a hidden gem for a decade. The stoner and sludge scene have blown this thing amp to a holy grail and last I have seen a working or non damaged one for 400 $ was about 10 years ago.
I highly recommend the Hilbish Designs clone.
Red Fang and (the) Melvin's are now using Hilbish designs version of these.
That Distortion is so nice that I’d use this amp with an ABY pedal with a clean amp
You should check out Hilbish Amps. The guy is making a modern version of these with class D power amps. I used to have a Beta Bass and regret selling it but the lower wattage just couldn't keep up.
I just reached out...we'll see what thye have to say...
dude this thing is so gross sounding I freaking LOVE It. sludgy thick man its a beast. great stuff Glenn
FINALLY!!! This amp is just epic
Yes, I must record it more. I’m rather happy with how that mix turned out!
@@SpectreSoundStudios i can not believe that Fender basically destroyed Sunn amps. I had the Beta Lead in my studio and it is such a great concept and tone. Just like the Model-T ( Or the new JPTR Ohmacht ) it is a dream amp ... i hope one day i find one used for a realistic price
@ They improved the thermal solution on the 1200S when they moved it to the Bassman line. I'm probably going to sell off my two, but I'm backed up on projects and they need some detailing/tuning. I was all about tube preamps in hybrid amps until we started seeing plugins and amp makers cutting apart and selling their preamps - and in the past year it's been definitely proven to me in about a zillion YT demos that cab emulation (or lack of it) is the biggest factor in capturing good sound right off the bat and let's face it, not many people can afford to sample the variety of cabinets in their home that they can test drive with "good enough" emulation.
The Bassman 1200S are amazing power amps but in all honesty since we can't go to stores I'll probably just dump a bunch of my misc stuff and put the cash into Synergy so I can have an Egnater power section and whatever preamp I want.
I would have to sell my redface SWR tho and I am unsure I would do that. It doesn't take up much space and it's kind of the old reliable in the rack as well as suffering both bass and guitar well.
On the upside of the Fender acquisition, EVERYTHING they could find is published on the Fender site, including, of course, the schematics and rest of documentation on my 1200S pair of monoblocks so as an engineering technician with over a quarter century bench experience I'm going to make those things like new and flip them for a premium, as gear is still climbing.
But yeah, Fender publishes EVERYTHING for all out of production gear, including acquisitions. At least I've been able to find some level of documentation for anything I've looked for and I've been DEEP in their Sunn section.
If you want to see something really goofy/epic, Fender worked with FGN to make a Jackson-killer called the Heartfield Talon. It looks like an RG with a Jackson headstock and it says "Fender" on it. Super crazy project but also there are a BUNCH of them around. I'd love to try one out some day. The Heartfield Project is also archived at the Fender site. It's a cool story, actually.
Gleeeeen. I know you've bin running through scales fairly recently but Holy bat droppings whats happen to your right hand. You must of put practice in on that. Well done mate, love it
The power of the SUNN!!!!
I’d like to hear that thru my Sunn 412 cab 🤘🏽
Sunn, first gear on the Moon
Wait what???
Thanks for the full mix demo, I really enjoyed it! I think the amp sounds interesting in a good way
Sounds like drowning in mollasus- freaking love those Sunn Betas, and that tone you had with the OD would be great for some crusty death. Ever tried blending the Sunn with a tube amp, say that Soldano?
You're the second guy to ask that... guess I'm going to have to try that out!
@@SpectreSoundStudios Do it!
I run a Hilbish pb-10 pre through a Fryette ps-100. Sounds gnarly and checks all my boxes.
Yeah, I dought Glen will ever see this, but my hidden gem of my own personal choosing is the Vox Pathfinder 15R. A small-ish in size, and with its 15 watts, of pure joy. Sound good with its internal 8 inch speaker, but when plugged in to a cab, like a Marshall MG series of 4X12's. It is a whole other thing when it is being used as a head.
Hey Glenn, yeah you should check out the Quilter Overdrive 200 ss amp. Made in the US but is now discontinued. But there’s also the 202 version out now that has 3 different voices in it. The tone for both is emulating a Dumble Overdrive and a Mark II C+
You could use an A/B/Y box if you want an easy way to change channels or even play through both of them.
I was always fond of the beta lead sound. Growing up my father had a tube works rt-2100 which had a similar kind of fuzzy drive sound. Luckily he passed it down to me and I use it ALL THE TIME if I want to play some grungey tones.
I had the 2x12 combo back in the 80's and was my first real amp and used it for years. Weighed a ton. It went to the pawn shop after I plugged into a Marshall half stack.
I've had a pristine SUNN Concert Lead with 412L cabinet for over 20 years. Time to play with it all more.
There are some Sunn Beta Lead pedals out there as well. If you ran one of these through the effects loop of a solid state amp, I should think you'd pretty much have the sound of the original amp--if the pedal is an accurate recreation of the original preamp.
i hated how this thing sounded until you threw it in the mix. Holy shit that's chunky! love it
You're on a mix! It's about frickin' time
I love the part at 6:40, reminded me a lot of Mastodon
If you want something cheap for mastodon tones, get a peavey windsor
you gotta show us how you mixed the drums on this song!
Didn't Sunn O))) love them so much, they named their band after them?
Yep, pretty much.
I have a beta bass, which is the same as the lead without the reverb, and yeah I was hunting for one and had to pay about 1k Euro for it, but it was a huge bucket list for me, I love its sound both on guitar and bass soooo much, and for my taste it's also a great pedal platform (for fuzzes especially)!!
Not djenty but I like mud lol.
These vintage amps nowadays have gone up a lot, my old sound city 120 from 78 for example, I bought it for 800 and sold for 900 but a friend of mine bought TWO for 350€ in 2004.
It's crazy but it's what it is.
I'll go homeless before I sell my beta.
Fun fact, even though they're super loud and nasty all gained out they are surprisingly super quiet on the noise front.
Noice man, awesome vid.
Killer riff there.
sick tone mate, love those Sunn amps
This is one of the best audio channels. My mom worked in a music store in PA bak in the 70s early 80s and i played tons of these. Concert lead and 4x10. I had an alpha 1x12. They seemed cool bak then but this one is the best
That sounds fucking massive. Killer video man! Looking forward to seeing more hidden gems.
Just today i was watching the Melvins guitar rig videos and knowing about those solid state beasts.
Picked up a sunn beta lead last October for 370 cuz it was missing a bit of tolex but it rips!!!!!! Truly a gem of an amp
Also that guitar tone in the mix was THICCC.
I love how it sounds like it's breaking apart
this amp is giving me stoner/doom/sludge vibes. very very cool sound. digging the demo track, and your guitar playing is getting better \m/
You can buy pcbs and kits to make your own pedal version of these amps. They're not super difficult to make. The diy ones tend to actually be less hissy and noisy than the originals which is nice.
I remember seeing ads for these around 1979 when I was learning to play on an acoustic and dreaming about what my first electric guitar and amp would be. I wanted one because the ads said it sounded like a tube amp due to its CMOS gain devices. I don't think I've actually seen one since 1980.
Glenn you play bass pretty well. I guess doing it on everybodys albums has made you a good player. Keep killing it Glenn!
I just pulled my Sunn Concert PA and put it into my captor. Woah… that was something to behold.
Great intro!
Way cool to see the gems you bring out!
All the best!
M
If you're into Doom, this is THE solid state amp to have. It sounds great when you let those chords breathe. As demonstrated on this vid, the sound all comes from the preamp. You don't have to have it cranked to get that sound. It's great if you want a loose and dirty sounding SS amp.
Thanks for the properly recorded demo of that amp, maybe you could make a short one with a bass guitar ? It seems popular with bass as well but there is no real demo on youtube, please.
Would love to here the comparison with the pedal !
4:00 "ohh that's fucking goooooood", I could feel that, bro. I could feel that....