I Scored Last Night!

[selloutrr]

HOLLY SHIT THIS IS AWESOME!

I openned up the amp. It's not a PCB! I've never seen a sundown that was not PCB. Prototype? or at least very very early production run.

I've attached pics of the 6550 label + two versions of Sundown and the new "Score" gut shot.

[Bob S]

You Lucky B***tard. You Lucky, Lucky B***tard.
Well Done. Bet it kills after a check up.

[KT66]

Lucky dog. Sweet score - can you tell us what the search engine is that searches Craig's List and Ebay ?

[David Root]

Wow, that does look like a prototype.

[selloutrr]

Lucky dog. Sweet score - can you tell us what the search engine is that searches Craig's List and Ebay ?

http://instrument.jaxed.com/cgi-bin/music.cgi

It has to search by a brand name that is predesignated.
You often have to sift through a lot of "other" items that share a keyword in order to not miss an item.

[selloutrr]

Just got off the phone with Dennis.

The amp predates the SD1000h or SD1012c later known as the "Artist"
Is was just known as the Sundown amp. FWIW, he said this was his favorite model.

Born in June of 1984 the 8th amp produced. 100% original spec.

Tha later PCB production sundowns were still a very reliable amp due to the heavy single sided PCB.

[Structo]

Very cool!

I was wondering if it was a prototype because of the back panel labeling.

Glad Dennis could tell you it's history.

By all accounts he is a nice guy and will happily discuss his amps.

[selloutrr]

Dennis gets very excite to talk about his amps. He is very happy to share knowledge and tech on his amps.

Central Jersey Music Service
1627 State Route 27
Edison, NJ 08817-3475

(732) 572-1911

Dennis Kager
Sundown Technology, INC.

[Structo]

Are those relays on the main board?

What is in the white braided material?

[Reeltarded]

Are those relays on the main board?

What is in the white braided material?

.. uhh.... parachute pants.

[selloutrr]

I'm considering making a tribute website for Sundown amps.
make a Bio for dennis links to his other products and his contact information for service, links to each amp("the sundown", SD1000/1012, artist, rebel 50/100, A36, A50, Rocky, & tracer 150 a SS bass amp), pics, specs, history, tech information, etc. production numbers, serial number dating, manuals, tube data, transformer data. schematic archive.

I'll need to mock up a site and get dennis's approval, but the schematics are available on various websites, the tube and transformer data are available from the manufactures. so the manuals and pics would be the only things in question.

When i first came across sundown all i could find on the amps were 3 maybe 4 posts and a single picture, It's become very difficult to find information do to the sundown name also being used to make car audio products and the amplifier model not being labeled on all products

I've since collected as much sundown information as I can get my hands on: Amps, Cabinets, side projects (pignose, Moog, Reverend) etc.

[selloutrr]

yes two relays one for Ch switching the other for LED switching (closest to the power supply)

I'm not sure about the giant braid Grounding bus? I haven't poked around inside the amp yet.

[selloutrr]

ok - the braided cable is a shield covering the Ouput Transformer push pull wires running to the output tubes. The braid is covered in clear heat shrink to prevent shorting / cross talk with the fiber board.

The OT iron is labeled Fender.

I just got it all cleaned up. pots lubricated, tubes biased, sockets cleaned. It came right back to life!

The clean ch. GREEN Sounds very much like a warmly driven fender deluxe. not quite clean but not pushed to distortion just warm, a clean raw. All notes are easily defined.
The distortion ch. RED sounds like a bandmaster with a Master Volume pushed but with better clarity. Very similar to a Mesa Mark II.

The amp is overall a bit on bright side, though all controls can be heard as you turn them and you can darken and mud up the amp. leading me to think it's tube or speaker related more then circuit. It's not a bright in a bad way. in a full mix it would be the cut you need to stand out without having to boost the overall level and change the feel of the mix.

[martin manning]

Do you know what the seven-legged thing on the back of the pot is? Some kind of pre-packaged filter network?

[selloutrr]

I think you are correct. I'm not 100%
I was just glad it worked since I've never seen one before, I assume locating one would be a hastle.

Im not sure if this amp is 100% correct to the schematic. I worked through the amp based on the parts used not the schematic since it passed signal.

that filter thing is located on the back of the clean GREEN ch. bass pot.

EDIT: I think it's CR-01 The dotted line around the Bass Pot on the schematic