Sunn guitar

[gweimer]

I need the experts here.  I'm helping my girlfriend clear out her basement of her late husband's stuff, including 17 guitars/basses, a number of amps, telescopes and camera gear.

Among the guitars is a Sunn plexiglass guitar.  She thinks there were very few of these made.  What can anyone tell me about these?

[Granny Gremlin]

Gotta be rare.  You can try asking on the Sunn forum, but it's pretty ghost towny over there lately (like 1 post per week).

http://sunnforum.ampage.org/

I'd try selling it to the Sunn o))) dudes (band)

[Pilgrim]

I'd proceed slowly on that one and do a lot of searching. I've never seen a Sunn plexi bass before - I've seen some other makes.

I'd be surprised if it weren't worth more than $1000...perhaps twice that.

[Dave W]

From an article in Vintage Guitar about a Lucite guitar called Renaissance.

"John Dragonetti's efforts actually briefly looked like they might be successful. At the summer NAMM show of 1980, Sunn amplifiers, enamored of Renaissance basses, approached him about building a line of guitars. Just at that moment, another company's sales rep knocked a bass over and broke it, pointing out how poorly made it was. Sunn got spooked and backed out. Which probably was okay, because they promptly went out of business. And Renaissance's number finally came up at the I.R.S. By the fall of '80, Renaissance guitars were no more."

Maybe Sunn didn't back out and a few were made, or maybe this is a prototype. Must be very rare.

[gweimer]

Excellent!  Thanks.  She told me that she had heard that only 3 of these were ever made, and the Sunn connection to Renaissance makes sense.

[D.M.N.]

I'm one of the few active members over there, and I don't think I can recall ever seeing anything like this. I know there were some Sunn branded guitars made post-Fender buyout, namely the Mustang, which was a cheap Strat variation. Never seen anything like this. Given the red logo, it definitely fits into the Hartzell-era, and the 80s. Best of luck with the search for info, let me know what you manage to find out. It's a rare one if it's legit, that's for certain. Whether that make it valuable or not is hard to say.

[chromium]

Cool find (both the guitar and article!).  Wouldn't have made that connection to Renaissance visually...

17 guitars and basses... amps?  Maybe share a FS list here as you get things sorted

[gweimer]

Cool find (both the guitar and article!).  Wouldn't have made that connection to Renaissance visually...

17 guitars and basses... amps?  Maybe share a FS list here as you get things sorted

They will be going up for auction on EBTH next week.  There's a cool Samick Greg Bennett a/e bass in the bunch.  Here's a crude copy/paste from the list

Taylor 
910 (made in 1994)
Taylor
XXMC (made in 1994)
Ibanez Classical six-string acoustic
AE450 (1983)
Ibanez Artist  electric semi-hollow body
AM255 (1983)
Hohner 12-string acoustic
HG731
National Estralita resonator
Made in 1999
Ventura Bruns 12-string acoustic
7390  (needs neck adjustment)
Ibanez Artist 6-string acoustic w/star inlay
2603 (mid '70s)
Samick Banjo
(very heavy)
Charvel by Jackson – 4 string electric bass

Samick – 4 string electric/acoustic bass (Greg Bennett designed)
S00105414
Epiphone 6 string acoustic/electric
PR7E
Taylor – Baby Taylor acoustic  (signed by Sonny Landreth)
301
Gibson Les Paul Studio electric guitar – black no binding
Studio (1990)
Danelectro – 6 string electric
Dual pickups ('98-'01)
Charvell – 6 string electric – w/Floyd Rose tremelo bar
Charvette model 4 ('81-'86)
Ibanez Talman – 6 string electric w/three lipstick pickups
Talman
Samick – 6 string electric Telecaster copy – Gregg Bennett design lipstick S-S-H

Fender Stratocaster 6 string electric w/whammy bar
Stratocaster ('92 made in Japan)
Fender Stratocaster 6 string electric hardtail
Stratocaster ('92 made in Japan)
Fender Telecaster 6 string electic
Telecaster ('95 made in Japan)
Ibanez Flying V 6 string electric
Flying V copy (Korina)
Sunn plexiglass 6 string electric w/two humbucker pickups, probably designed by John Dragonetti  – EXTREMELY RARE
Possibly a prototype.  From Vintage Guitar Magazine (Feb 2009) in an article about Renaissance guitars:
"John Dragonetti's efforts actually briefly looked like they might be successful. At the summer NAMM show of 1980, Sunn amplifiers, enamored of Renaissance basses, approached him about building a line of guitars. Just at that moment, another company's sales rep knocked a bass over and broke it, pointing out how poorly made it was. Sunn got spooked and backed out. Which probably was okay, because they promptly went out of business. And Renaissance's number finally came up at the I.R.S. By the fall of '80, Renaissance guitars were no more."

[gweimer]

I'll post the list of amps, and a list of pedals later.

[chromium]

Thanks, Gary.  I signed up there- neat site!

[Granny Gremlin]

Oh man, teenage me wanted one of those earlier Ibanez Talmans so bad. Especially if hard tail.

[gweimer]

Amps

Univox combo amp  U-45B (and includes an extra amp for the cabinet)
Tube Amp Factory (still checking the model)
Fender  Pro Junior
Fender  Champion PR723
Revenge  L'il Rock 5 Head 30 watt
Reverend  King Snake 20 watt (2005)
Kustom  Defender power head

[gweimer]

And pedals/effects....

Digitech RP12
Ibanez  ECC83/12AX72
Ibanez Tube King
Boss Harmonist
Boss RT20, Dimension C (DC-2), Chromatic Tuner (TU-2) in a 3 pedal carrying case
Boss Octaver (OC-2), Tremo Pan (PN-2), Auto-Wah (AW-2)f in a 3 pedal carrying case
Usual Sound Open Road
Garage Tone Drive Train
RotoVibe JD-4S
Mackie 1202 Mixer

Dan Electro Shift Daddy
Dan Electro Dan O-Wah
Dan Electro
10 – small pedals
Corned Beef, BLT, Tuna Melt, Pepperoni, Hash Browns, Milkshake, T. Bone, Grilled Cheese, Pastrami, Surf&Turf
Extra knobs

Snarling Dogs

Boss Enhancer (EH-2), Noise Suppressor, Hyper Fuzz (F22), Bass Limiter (KN2B), Line Selector (LS2), Power Supply (PSM5) in a 6 pedal carrying case

Boss Duel
Electro Harmonix Octave Multiplexer
Tech 21 XXL
Garage Tone Axle Grease
Octavia Roger Mayer Zoom 9002 Advanced Guitar Effects

Boss Micro Rack Series -

• RCL-10 Compressor
  ROD-10 Overdrive
  TU-50 Tuner
  RCE-10 Chorus
  RPH-10 Phaser
  RPW-7 Power supply

Assorted patch cords and power jumper

Boss Micro Rack Series

• RBF-10 Flanger
  RPS-10 Pitch Shifter
  RSD-10 Sampler/Delay
  RDD-10 Digital Delay
  RGE-10 Graphic Equalizer
  RPW-7 Power Supply

Assorted patch cords and power jumper

ART FXR Elite

[gweimer]

Thanks, Gary.  I signed up there- neat site!

cool.  Make sure to list me as your reference.  I get money apparently when my friends log in.   

[Dave W]

Hardtail Strat? Interesting.