1 2 0 0 s
Bass Amplifier

Reference and Owner’s Manual for
the Sunn 1200s Bass Amplifier

The sunn Legacy...
In early 1963, a band from Oregon called “The Kingsmen” hit the chartswith a catchy little tune called Louie Louie. The Kingsmen quickly became
household names and Louie Louie the rock anthem of the decade.
With a hit single under their belt, The Kingsmen soon foundthemselves embarking on a 50 state national tour. One of the firstthings bassist Norm Sundholm discovered was that his bass amp,
while fine for hops and school dances, did not have the power
necessary for the larger concert halls to which the band had ascended.
To solve this dilemma, Norm enlisted the help of his brother Conrad
and by 1964 the brothers Sundholm had designed the world’s first highpowered concert bass amplifier.
1965 saw the demand for the Sundholms’ amplifiers increase to the pointthat the family garage would no longer serve as a suitable manufacturing
facility. Thus, the SUNN Musical Equipment Company was born.
As the years passed, countless pioneers of rock would rely on SUNN
amplifiers to carry the weight. The Who, Moody Blues, Cream,Steppenwolf, Kiss, Rush, Queen and a little music festival in up-state New
York all endorsed SUNN equipment.
Today, your new SUNN amplifier embodies this rich tradition andcombines it with a vision for the future ensuring this American institution
known for big sound will continue to be heard.
SUNN® STAGE GEAR... Attitude, Power and Performance for Professionals

SUNN 1200s BASS AMPLIFIER
Congratulations on your purchase of a sunn® 1200s
Bass Amplifier. Built with care and special attention todetail, your new sunn 1200s Bass Amplifier offers
much more than meets the eye. Each 1200s bass
amplifier is crafted from the finest components
available and assembled at the Sunn amplifier
factory in Corona, California, USA.

VACUUM TUBE / SOLID STATE HYBRIDDESIGN EMPLOYS THE BEST OF BOTHTECHNOLOGIESCONSTRUCTED IN AN ALL STEELCHASSIS FOR ENDURING RELIABILITYsunn® 1200s Bass Amplifiers include among their
many features: 1200 Watts of power (2Ω load); active
compression circuitry and a 10-band graphic
equalizer and high and low frequency controls for fullbodied tonal shaping. The two channels are voicedfor both clean and distorted outputs offering theversatility of differing playing styles. The footswitch
circuitry allows for remote selection of the front panel
graphic equalizer, compressor and the channel
selection. Moreover, the rear panel features an effects
loop for the addition of external signal processing
devices or outboard gear, a tuner out jack foraccessing your tuner and both XLR and 1/4 inch line
out jacks and a pass through jack for routing yourbass signal to another amplifier or mixing console.

1200 WATTS OF POWER @ <.2% T.H.D.
TWO CHANNELS WITH CLEAN AND
DISTORTED MODESFOOTSWITCH JACK FOR REMOTE ONOFF SWITCHING OF THE GRAPHIC
EQUALIZER,COMPRESSORAND
CHANNEL SELECTION
EFFECTSLOOPFORPROCESSING DEVICESSIGNALIn order to thoroughly understand the operation,
features and functions of your new sunn® 1200s
Bass Amplifier, please read and refer as needed tothis operation manual. By doing so, your amplifier issure to provide you with years of trouble-free music
making and maximum playing enjoyment.

SPLIT BAND COMPRESSORREMOVABLE RACK MOUNT EARSTake the time to get to know each other... Tune-up,
Plug-in and ... Play On!
WARNING:-TO PREVENT DAMAGE, FIRE OR SHOCKHAZARD, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS UNIT TO RAIN
OR MOISTURE.
-NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE,REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNELONLY.
-ALLOW AT LEAST 3 INCHES (7.6 CM) IN THE
FRONT AND REAR OF THE UNIT FOR PROPER
VENTILATION. DO NOT BLOCK VENTS.
-THIS UNIT MUST BE EARTH GROUNDED.

3

SUNN 1200s SETUP PROCEDURES
To ensure optimum performancefrom your Sunn 1200s Bass Amplifier,please follow these setup guidelinesand procedures.

From Effects Processor toEffects Loop Return

From Effects Loop Send
to Effects Processor In

PARALLEL SPKR JACKS1200W
2 Ω minTOTAL
Reffects
loop

returntuner
out

footswitch

power amp line out
pass throughsend

From Tuner Out toTuning Device

From Line Out to ExternalPower Amp or Mixer
From Power Amp PassThrough to Effects Loop
Return on another amp
From Footswitch Out Jack to Footswitch

From Speaker
Jacks toSpeaker Cabinets

1. Connect your Sunn 410H / Sunn 215 Bass
Loudspeaker Enclosure or equivalent to the parallel
speaker jacks located on the rear of the 1200s
amplifier. Note: For improved performance, DO NOT
daisy chain multiple enclosures off the same jack. As
a rule of thumb, connect only one speaker enclosure
per output jack and remember the total minimum
impedance load for the 1200s is 2Ω. Remember toconnect or disconnect any speaker enclosure to your1200s with the power off.

3. Connect any effects processing devices throughthe EFFECTS LOOP SEND and RETURN jacks on
the rear of the unit.
4. If sending your 1200s’ signal to an external power
amplifier or main house mixer, connect a cord fromeither the 1/4 inch or XLR LINE OUT jack to yourexternal power amplifier or mixer.
5. Make sure the HIGH and LOW tone controls arein their center notched positions, the Graphic EQ is“flat”, the compressors are OFF and the LOW, HIGH
and MID NOTCH buttons are out.

2. Next, attach the 3-button footswitch and yourtuner to the TUNER OUT and FOOTSWITCH jacks
located on the rear of the amplifier.
4

6. Turn your amplifier ON.
7. Begin playing your Bass as vigorously as youwould during any regular performance; if necessary
engage the -6dB PAD button. In order to obtain theoptimum signal from the preamp, it is important toplay with your maximum performance intensity whensetting up the 1200s.
8. Turn the channel 1 volume control up until theINPUT LEVEL LED flashes red. Next, turn down theCH. 1 VOLUME level until the LED flashes red
occasionally; this will ensure maximum output
without clipping or distorting the preamp.
9. Turn the MASTER VOLUME to your desired
playing level.
10. Next, set your 1200s to your desired tone
settings using the compressors and graphic EQ if sodesired.
11. To use the graphic eq, simply press the graphic
ON / OFF button located next to the EQ watching for
the LED to illuminate. You may use the EQ TRIM tomatch gain levels which may be affected whenswitching in and out of the graphic equalizer.
12. To use the compression circuitry, simply press
the COMP ON / OFF button located between theCOMP EQ BAL and COMP GAIN TRIM buttons.
13. Be sure to check the signal level led during yourtone setup to ensure you are not overdriving or
clipping the preamp. If the SIGNAL LEVEL LED
flashes red after all tone adjustments have been
made, simply turn down the CH.1 VOLUME until thedistorted sound diminishes.
14. If at any time during your performance the 1200s
begins to distort without the CH. SELECT switch
engaged, simply turn down the CH.1 VOLUME until
the distorted sound diminishes.

5

SUNN 1200s FRONT CONTROL PANEL
31.5

63

125

250

500

1k

2k

input

-6dB
pad

volumegain

mix

chselectvolumeA. INPUT - Plug your bass guitar in here.

mix

lowlow

midnotchhighhigh

J. LOW - When this push button is in, it activates alow frequency boost.

B. -6 dB PAD - Sensitivity / gain switch for the input
signal. When this button is in, it provides a 6dB
attenuation useful for reducing input levels on bass
guitars with active pickups or high level outputs.

K. LOW - This knob adjusts the amount of increase or
decrease in the low frequency content of your 1200s.
In its center notched position, the low frequency
control is “flat” with none of the corresponding
frequencies increased or decreased.

C. CH 1 VOLUME - This knob adjusts the overall
loudness of channel 1.

L. MID NOTCH - This push button reduces the“muddy” mid-frequency tones found in most bass
guitars. By utilizing the mid notch button, your bass
guitar and amp should have a more “natural” toneand timbre.

D. CH 1 LED - This LED illuminates when only
channel 1 is active. (Channel 1 is active even if theLED is not lit.)
E. CH 2 GAIN - This knob adjusts the amount of gainor distortion in Channel 2.

M. HIGH - When this push button is in, it activates ahigh frequency boost.

F. CH 1 / 2 MIX LED - This LED illuminates when
the CH SELECT button has been pressed indicating
the Ch. 1 / Ch. 2 mix is active.

N. HIGH - This knob adjusts the amount of increase ordecrease in the high frequency content of your 1200s.
In its center notched position, the high frequency
control is “flat” with none of the corresponding
frequencies increased or decreased.

G. CH 2 VOLUME - This knob adjusts the overall
loudness of channel 2.
H. CH SELECT - This push button selects Channel
1 / 2 mix. When this button is in, both Channel 1 andChannel 2 are active. This button is used inconjunction with the CH. 1 / 2 MIX knob (item F).
Using the footswitch overrides the front panel
channel select switch.

O. LINE OUT - This push button switch is used inconjunction with the line out jacks on the rear of the1200s. When this push button is in, the signal sentfrom the 1200s is post frequency shaping, channel
switching and compression. The line out signal does
NOT include any effects which may have been added
via the effects loop. If the button is out, the bass
guitar’s signal is passed through the 1200s without
any tone shaping or enhancement.

I. CH 1 / 2 MIX - This knob mixes the channel 1 andchannel 2 output levels. When the knob is at “1”,only channel 1 is in the output mix. When the knob
is at “10”, only channel 2 is in the output mix. By
rotating the knob, an optimum mix of both channels
may be obtained.
64

250

500

1k

2k

4k

8k

16k

eq
trim

power

graphic

midnotchline out
highhighpost
prelowcomp

input
levelhigh
comp

comp

comp
eq bal

comp
onoff

comp
gain trimtuner
onlymastervolumeP. LOW COMP - This knob adjusts the compression
ratio at 420 Hz and below. Rotating the knob
clockwise increases the compression rate at 420Hzand below.

V. COMP GAIN TRIM - This knob adds gain to make up
for any level lost once the compression circuitry has
been engaged. Rotating the knob clockwise
increases the amount of gain.

Q. INPUT LEVEL LED - This LED illuminates GREEN
once the threshold of the compressor has beenreached. When a RED light is displayed, thisindicates clipping and your 1200s is being
overdriven. When the compression circuitry is notengaged, the LED will still indicate signal level.

W. TUNER ONLY - This push button mutes all
outputs and sends your bass guitar's signal to yourtuning device (not included).
X. MASTER VOLUME - This knob adjusts theoverall volume level of the 1200s. Rotating the knob
clockwise increases volume with “1” producing novolume and “10” producing maximum volume.

R. HIGH COMP - This knob adjusts the compression
ratio at 420 Hz and above. Rotating the knob
clockwise increases the compression rate at 420Hzand above.

Y. GRAPHIC EQ - This 10 band graphic equalizer
consists of active band pass / band reject filters
spaced at octave intervals. Moving the sliders up or
down boosts or cuts the gain at the indicatedfrequency. The EQ Trim slider provides a gain or
decrease of the bass’ signal through the graphic EQ.
When the slider is at it’s centered notched position,
the input signal is neither boosted nor cut.

S. COMP LED - This LED illuminates when thecompression circuitry is active.
T. COMP EQ BAL - This detented knob mixes thelow and high compressor outputs. When the knob isat “1”, only the low compressor is in the output mix.
When the knob is at “10”, the high compressor is in
the output mix. By rotating the knob, an optimum mixof both compressors can be obtained.

Z. GRAPHIC ON/OFF - This button activates theGraphic EQ. When the button is in, the Graphic EQ
is active. Using the footswitch overrides the front
panel graphic select switch.

U. COMP - This push button switch is used toactivate the on-board compressors. When this pushbutton is in, compressors are active. Using thefootswitch overrides the front panel comp selectswitch.

AA. GRAPHIC EQ LED - This LED illuminates when
when the Graphic EQ is active.
BB. POWER - Turns the AC power ON and OFF.
When the rocker switch is is down, the amplifier is
OFF and completely shut down.

7

SUNN 1200s REAR PANELPARALLEL SPKR JACKS
1200W
2 Ω minTOTAL

effectsloop

returntuner
out

footswitch

send

D. SEND - This 1/4 inch, unbalanced, TS, output
jack is designed to send a signal to an external signal
processing device, such as a digital delay or a chorusunit.

A. SPEAKER JACKS - These are the plug-in
connections for your speaker enclosure(s) and are
wired in parallel. For improved performance, DO NOT
daisy chain multiple enclosures off the same jack. As arule of thumb, connect only one speaker enclosure per
output jack and remember the total minimum
impedance load for the 1200s is 2Ω. Remember toconnect or disconnect any speaker enclosure to your1200s with the power off.

E. TUNER OUT - This 1/4 inch, unbalanced, TS,
output jack is designed to send your bass guitar's
signal to your tuning device (not included).
F. FOOTSWITCH - Plug-in connection for thefootswitch (P/N 053895) used to remotely turn on
and off the graphic equalizer, compressors andchange the channel selection. Using the footswitch
will override the front panel graphic equalizer,
compressor and the channel selection buttons.
NOTE: Any good quality patch cord will work with theremote footswitch, however an unshielded speaker
type cord is preferable to a coax guitar cord.

B. LINE CORD - This amplifier is equipped with agrounding type supply cord to reduce the possibilityof shock hazard. Be sure to connect it to a grounded
AC receptacle. The line cord should be connected toa suitable power source in accordance with voltage
and frequency as shown in the power rating on therear panel. If the 1200s is plugged into an outlet
rated at 15 amperes, dedicate this circuit solely to the1200s. DO NOT ALTER THE AC PLUG.
C. RETURN - This 1/4 inch, balance / unbalanced,
tip-ring-sleeve, tip-sleeve, input jack is designed toaccept signal from an external processing device,such as a digital delay or a chorus unit. The effects
loop will not operate without a plug inserted intothis jack.

8

SUNN 1200s REAR PANEL, CONT.
G. POWER AMP PASS THROUGH - This 1/4 inch,
unbalanced, TS, output jack is designed to send apreamp line level signal from your “Main” 1200s
amplifier to another amplifier. This jack is used forchaining multiple 1200s amplifiers together andincreasing your on stage volume. Do so by insertinga 1/4” cable from this POWER AMP PASS
THROUGH jack into the RETURN jack in the effects
loop section of another 1200s.

power amp line out
pass throughH. LINE OUT - These transformer balanced, XLR
male and 1/4 inch, tip-ring-sleeve, line level output
jacks are designed to feed the 1200s’ signal to an
external power amplifier or main house mixer. Thesignal from these output jacks include all tone
shaping done by the 1200s.

IKJ

I. CH SELECT - Allows the remote ON / OFFswitching of the Channel 1 / 2 mix.
J. GRAPHIC - Allows the remote ON / OFF switchingof the Graphic EQ.
K. COMP - Allows the remote ON / OFF switching ofthe compression circuitry.

9TROUBLESHOOTINGSURFACE CARE

If the 1200s is set up but does notfunction, check the following items:

Your 1200s is covered in a rugged
finish for long life and lasting goodlooks. To clean the chassis, use asponge and all purpose glass cleaner
or equivalent solution. Avoid spilling
liquids on the operating surfaces, grill,
volume and tone controls andswitches. Be careful not to let any liquid come incontact with operating surfaces or seep into any ofthe vents. REMEMBER TO UNPLUG THE POWER
CORD BEFORE CLEANING AND WAIT UNTIL
THE UNIT IS COMPLETELY DRY BEFOREPLUGGING IT IN.

• Is the power cord properly plugged into anelectrical outlet?
• Is there power at the outlet?
• Is the instrument properly plugged into theamplifier?
• Are the control knobs turned above 1?
• Is the volume control on your bass guitar turnedup?
• Is the tuner out button disengaged?
• Are any cords cut or frayed?
• If using the effects loop, is the effects unit(s)properly plugged into the amplifier?
• Is there power to your effects unit(s)?
• Is the amplifier properly plugged into yourspeaker cabinet or enclosure?

RACK MOUNT EARSThe rack mount ears on your 1200s
offer the flexibility of carrying youramplifier in a flight or other rack
mount carrying case. In the event
you wish to remove the rack mountears from the chassis, use a 7/16
inch nut driver to remove the bolts on
the side of the rack mount ears. When replacing therack mount ears, be sure to use these same bolts.
ALWAYS USE BOTH FRONT AND REAR RACKMOUNT EARS WHEN CARRYING YOURAMPLIFIER IN A FLIGHT OR OTHER RACKMOUNT CARRYING CASE. FAILURE TO DO SO
MAY
RESULT IN SEVERE BENDING ANDDAMAGE TO THE RACK MOUNT RAILS.

Eliminate any effects pedals, disconnect any
effect devices from the effects loop and try
another guitar cord.
FYI: Attenuating low frequencies may cause thepreamp to distort and this may not cause the INPUTLEVEL LED to flash red. If this is the case, simply
turn down the CH.1 VOLUME until the distortedsound diminishes.
If after checking all of the above your amplifier is still
not performing correctly, consult your nearest
authorized Fender Service Center.

10SUNN 1200s SPECIFICATIONS
TYPE:PR 348PART NUMBER:

21-3300 (120V)
21-3330 (240V) Aust
21-3340 (230V) UK
21-3360 (230V) Eur
21-3370 (100V)

POWER REQUIREMENTS:

100V AC, 50/60 Hz 1800W
120V AC, 60 Hz, 1800W
230V AC, 50 Hz, 1800W
240V AC, 50 Hz, 1800W

PREAMP SECTION
INPUT IMPEDANCE:470kΩ

FULL POWER SENSITIVITY :12.75mV

TONE CONTROLS:

Treble: +/-15 dB @ 3kHz
Bass: +/-15 dB @ 40Hz

GRAPHIC EQUALIZER:+/-12 dB @ 31.5Hz, 63Hz, 125Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz, 1kHz, 2kHz,4kHz, 8kHz, 16kHz.

MID NOTCH:LOW BOOST:HIGH BOOST:-20 dB @ 700Hz+10 dB @ 40Hz
+10 dB @ 6kHz

POWER AMPLIFIER SECTION
INPUT IMPEDANCE:10kΩ

POWER OUTPUT:

1200W R.M.S. into 2Ω @ <0.2% T.H.D.

SENSITIVITY :1V R.M.S. (0dBv)

SPEAKER COMPLEMENT:

Designed for use with the Sunn 410H or Sunn 215 Bass
Loudspeaker Enclosures

DIMENSIONS:Height: 3.5 in
Width: 19.0 in
Depth: 15.0 in

8.9 cm
48.3 cm
38.1 cm

35 lbs15.9 kg

WEIGHT:

SUNN is a registered trademark of Fender Musical Instruments
Corporation.
®

Product specifications are subject to change without notice.

A PRODUCT OF:
FENDER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS CORP.
CORONA, CA 91720 USA

P/N 053904 REV B