Chapter 1: The Signal Never Stopped
By the early 2000s, Sunn had been officially dormant for years.
The factory was long shut. No new products. No ad campaigns. No artist relations. But the amps themselves? They were still playing.
In studios. On small stages. In rehearsal spaces filled with sound, smoke and stubborn dreams. Sunn never disappeared—it just went underground again.
The gear wasn’t being promoted, but it was being worshipped. And more than ever, it was being passed between players who understood what it meant.
Chapter 2: The Rise of the Devotees
It’s hard to name another amplifier company that became an actual band name. But in 1998, Sunn O))) formed, and they didn’t just name themselves after the brand. They built their sound, aesthetic, and stage presence around it.
With cabinets stacked like monuments, and Model Ts pushed to their breaking point, Sunn O))) helped elevate the amp from equipment to icon.
But they weren’t alone.
Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, artists kept the Sunn flame alive:
- Red Fang swore by their Beta Leads and Model Ts, making Sunn core to their tone.
- Boris, High on Fire, and Thou joined the legacy.
- Entire subgenres—sludge, doom, drone—were built on the honest, uncompressed tone of Sunn amps.
The gear had outlived its own company. And its sound had outgrown it.
Sunn O))) setup
Chapter 3: Fender’s Holding Pattern
Meanwhile, the trademark sat with Fender.
They had acquired Sunn back in 1985, but hadn’t done much with it. There was a short-lived Model T reissue in the early 2000s, but it didn’t hit the mark. It lacked the original soul—and the production methods that gave Sunn its edge.
Fender had the name. The market had the interest. But the stars never aligned.
So Sunn waited. In quiet reverence. For someone to bring it back the right way.
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Chapter 4: The Rebirth Begins (2023)
In 2023, the silence broke.
A new team of Music Industry Vets who worked at or with Fender, Bose, Mission Engineering, Source Audio, Strymon, LR Baggs, BandLab, JamHub, Teisco, Harmony and more) secured the rights to revive Sunn through a licensing agreement with Fender. They didn’t want to slap a logo on new gear. They wanted to rebuild Sunn with the integrity it deserved.
The plan was simple: bring Sunn back with no shortcuts, and do it entirely in the U.S., just like the Sundholm brothers did in the beginning. They connected with fans of the business, friends of the brand and even put together an Advisory Board of old Sunn employees, Steve Sundholm (Conrad’s son) and even Bob Heil joined before he passed.
Production moved to Petaluma, California, for amps and St. Louis, MO, for cabinets with a small, expert team focused on one goal: build amps that musicians could believe in again.
Chapter 5: A New American Legacy
The revival wasn’t just about nostalgia. It was about tone. Culture. Craft.
The new Sunn amps weren’t just reissues. They were reconstructions—modernized with better components, but faithful to the sound and feel of the originals.
And just like before, the gear found its way into the hands of musicians who mattered. Red Fang returned, loud as ever. New players in heavy, experimental, and indie scenes discovered what legacy artists had always known: Sunn is its own sonic category. More than beta testers, they feel the Sunn vibe in their souls (and ringing ears).
Built to move air. Built to stay clean when others break down. Built to get loud and mean it.
Chapter 6: Built Here. Built for Loud.
Today, every Sunn amp is still built in the USA.
Not because it’s trendy, but because it matters.
The team in Petaluma & St. Louis isn’t just making gear. They’re carrying a legacy—a sound that shaped American music across six decades, from The Kingsmen and The Who to Tool, Nirvana, and beyond.
And they’re doing it slowly, methodically and by hand. One amp at a time. Always checking in with the Advisory Board and key musicians.
The Sound of Independence
Sunn’s story has always been about freedom. Freedom to be heard. Freedom to get loud. Freedom to find your sound and stand behind it.
In 2025, we celebrate 60 years of that freedom. And we invite anyone who believes in real tone and real craftsmanship to join us.
Sunn is back.
Still American.
Still powerful.
Still loud.