Sundown Artist 112

Walter Glockler · Post by **Walter Glockler** » 28 Oct 2016 4:26 pm

I have a Sundown Artist 112 combo amp, 100 watts.
So far I have found only very little about this amp online. I know they were built by Dennis Kager in NJ from 1983 - 1988.
Does anyone know anything about the value of this amp?
Thanks in advance.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 28 Oct 2016 4:39 pm

Dennis was my amp tech for a good number of years. Great guy, very knowledgeable--worked with Jess Oliver at Ampeg.

I see these amps come up for sale every now and then and they are usually priced in the $450-600 range. I remember when John Scofield used one of these for a few years in the 80s at local gigs. They have a feature called The Governor, which is sort of like a power scaling feature.

The last time I was shopping for an amp, I was seriously considering one of these, but I decided for lap steel and the sound I'm after that it probably wasn't the right choice for me.

Walter Glockler · Post by **Walter Glockler** » 28 Oct 2016 4:47 pm

That helps a lot - thank you.

Jeremy Steele · Post by **Jeremy Steele** » 31 Oct 2016 6:48 am

I own 2 Sundown 100 watt amps and use them both for steel frequently.

One is the original combo with 2 6550s and the other is a head with 4 6L6s...they sound great (especially on the "green" channel), more headroom than you will ever need but they are HEAVY.

BTW Dennis Kager is now working out of his house and will always give priority to one of his "babies" if they ever need servicing.

I recommend both the amps and Dennis very highly.

Walter Glockler · Post by **Walter Glockler** » 31 Oct 2016 8:29 am

What are your combo's settings? Setting the highs to 1 1/2 it sounds ok, at 2 it peels the paint off the wall.

Jeremy Steele · Post by **Jeremy Steele** » 31 Oct 2016 8:36 am

I usually set the treble and bass both at around 4 or 5...the gain never goes above 2.

If you are getting too many highs make sure the Presence control (on the back) is not dimed..if it is, it will definitely peel paint.

Walter Glockler · Post by **Walter Glockler** » 31 Oct 2016 9:52 am

Thank you, I will give it another try.

Jack Stanton · Post by **Jack Stanton** » 31 Oct 2016 10:46 am

Denny was also responsible for the Pignose tube series amps. I had one, I think it was the GS-40, 40 watts with a 12" speaker. On paper it should have been a great moderate volume steel amp, but it just didn't have the headroom.. He's really a great tube amp guru, but he kept my Nashville 400 roadworthy for years.