1979 Sunn Alpha 112p Combo Amp

Vintage amp from a classic name, still looks great and in perfect working order

 

The Summer of Amps has spilled over into Fall and the latest find is particularly sweet. The first bass amp that I ever owned was an old Sunn combo with a 15" speaker and I would bet that it was built around the same time as this beast.

I knew nothing of the Alpha series when I saw the ad for this one, but I know that Sunn is highly regarded and jumped on it just about as soon as it was posted. I got it home and plugged the Ibanez Iceman IC-50 into it and was immediately happy. The previous owner showcased the Mid Freq knob, which works like an EQ and the natural overdrive it produces is super dirty.

This amp is popular with the stoner rock and doom metal scenes and its easy to see why. You can get nice, clean overdrive sounds with this amp at most of the dial and when you crank the drive knob, it really starts to break up, especially at higher volumes. The Mid Freq and overdrive combinations makes for the ability of a wide range of sounds. With this and the Ibanez GX-60 that I scored earlier in the year, I have two great options for anything that requires a hard rock/heavy metal sound.

Thanks for looking, more high resolution photos here.

1985 Ibanez Roadstar II RB850 Bass Guitar

Vintage Japanese double humbucker bass, in immaculate condition, inside and out

The last few months included a quest for a bass with a humbucking pickup and after considering more recent Korean models from Schecter, Kramer and a Peavey Grind Bass that was made in Vietnam, this vintage beauty just appeared out of nowhere. I've now had 3 Roadstar guitars and basses over the past few years, two of them came from the Goodwill and both have incredibly been in impeccable condition.

I had no idea that Ibanez made a humbucker bass as part of the Roadstar series, so the ability to fill a need with my favorite brand and era of electric guitars make this an even sweeter find. This neck is super thin, even for an Ibanez and of course, it plays incredibly fast. The body also sports a sleek and slim design.Other features that stand out are the headstock and truss rod cover, which are reminiscent of the older Roadster series.

Also of note on this beauty is that it included both the original boomerang strap holders and odd-shaped, brown leather hardshell case. On the technical side, the bottom two knobs seem to control the two pickups and both are push knobs that turn them off and on. I haven't spent too much time messing around with this one yet, as most of my recent free time has been spent building some pedalboards and playing the Peavey Deuce tube amp and another sweet vintage amp that will be featured tomorrow.

Thanks for looking, more high-resolution photos here.