Charlie Musselwhite - Geyserville, CA
www.charliemusselwhite.com

The Cruncher is AMAZING!  The tone is amazing! The notes just JUMP out. I just barely hit a note and it’s propelled outwardlike a rocket. It’s as if I’m freeing the notes and they are flying out.

I say the Cruncher offers terrific response to a harp player and that response allows you to play so freely that it’s like magic. I can’t explain what if feels like to suddenly have so much freedom. It has to be experienced to fully understand what I mean. The Cruncher plays like a finely tuned Italian race car that charges ahead with the slightest tap of the gas. The Cruncher is just plain HOT!

Besides the wonderful fat big hot tone, the Cruncher is beautiful to behold with the custom lacquer finish cabinet. Take a look inside and the wiring and the circuitry are a thing of beauty–-way above and beyond anything I’ve ever seen before. You know you’re looking at an intelligent labor of love that is built to play the blues.

And to top it off, Gary Onofrio is a great guy who understands blues and the blues harmonica and its players. He is extremely helpful and sympathetic. I can’t imagine any harp player not being overjoyed with the sound and the quality of the Cruncher.

I was so proud and so happy and so confident with The Cruncher at the recent Blowout.  Every night I got great comments on my tone and how it stood out. I've never felt this good about an amp in my life!!!  Thanks a million. I look forward to a great touring season with it this year.

Gary Smith 

I have been playing blues harp through tube amps for 40 years. Out of the literally hundreds of amps I have used, one occasionally will have that special quality of tone and presence that inspires me to play my best and most soulful. Everyone who has heard me play through the Sonny Jr. Cruncher has been impressed and moved by its sound.

I recently debuted the Cruncher at JJ's Blues Club here in town......got many curious and blown-away harp fans. Dave, the sound guy of some years at the club, was floored. He said it was the best tone he ever mixed and concluded, "this one's got the magic!!" I am proud and enthusiastic to be endorsing this great line of amps!

Pierre Lacocque & Mississippi Heat– Chicago, IL

Delmark Recording Artist
www.mississippiheat.net 

I have been playing with the CRUNCHER for a couple of months now. I took it on the road to places like Buffalo, NY; Mishawaka, IN; and Lawrenceville, PA; as well as within the Chicago area where my band hails from. Everywhere I perform, I meet harp players drooling about the tone I get out of that wonderful amplifier. Even my band mates have commented on how awesome the CRUNCHER sounds. While I have always enjoyed playing through my Fender Bassman and Fender Super-Reverb amplifiers in the past, I must say that the CRUNCHER brings on an even sweeter dimension.

You get an amp that sounds like it came out from the 1950’s….warm and fat tone even at the lowest of volumes. I get virtually NO feedback to speak of. Even when adding reverb and delay. This amp has a unique LINE-OUT option which can be connected directly to a PA system. This amplification process remains faithful to the actual speakers output! I have tried Line-Outs from other amps before – especially the Fender Super Champ (from the early 1980’s) – and I repeatedly noticed that the harp tone and overall tube sounds were never faithfully duplicated. Not true with the CRUNCHER. It is simply an amazing amplifier.

I have found THE ultimate and most versatile amplifier. Never thought I would ever find one that could recreate Little Walter sounds. Yet here it is. I recommend it without reservation! 

Mark Hummel, Oakland, CA

http://www.markhummel.com

Since purchasing my Sonny Jr. Cruncher, I have felt inspired to play my harp through it like no other amp I own. I'd even put it up against my favorite, the ‘59 Bassman. The warmness of tone, edge and bite--when needed--make this amp a must for harp players who enjoy the classic Chicago blues harp sound. I'd say that it's closer to Little Walt's sound then anything I can think of. It makes all my harp mics sound great too!

Kim Wilson

“This is the best amp out of the box”

In 1996 this custom built single 12” Sonny Jr #1 was presented to Kim Wilson, which he used exclusively on My Blues. From reports I get, he still uses it to record or play smaller venues. Thank you, Kim for being  one of the original Sonny Jr. supporters!  

Sugar Ray Norcia endorsement:

I have learned through years of experience, that playing the harp too hard through an amp that doesn’t respond to your efforts does very little to improve your technique and overall sound. The Sonny Jr. Four Ten produces a pure quality of tone and volume that is rich, heavy and fat, which enables me to hear and feel the nuances and subtleties of my playing, and in turn gives me more freedom to play creatively. This exciting and versatile amp inspires me and my band on each and every gig.

Contact: sugarharp@cox.net
Order Sugar Ray and the Bluetones newest CD, My Life, My Friends, My Music where he uses the Sonny Jr 410 exclusively!! 
Email Ray for information about his performing schedule.

Beautifully crafted, the Sonny Jr. 410 is an extremely versatile amp with Big, Fat and Rich tone right out of the box. A privilege to own, Sonny has done his homework. Look no further because this is the ONE! Customer support is A+!

“Westside” Andy Lindermann
www.westsideandy.com
andy@westsideandy.com

Mitch Kashmar endorsement: 

West coast harp monster. I played through the Sonny Jr Four-Ten amplifier once at a festival in Europe: outdoors, high hollow stage, fast band changes, no time for a sound check, alongside Supers and Twins. I’m a real skeptic and I love my old Fenders, so I was surprised to discover that it not only cut the mustard, but truly sounded fabulous. What I first noticed was the full range of response to the high and low registers of the harp; it was so fat down in the low end of the chromatic harmonica that there was chicken grease running and dripping off the stage!!  I saw and listened to Sonny recount his obsessive pursuit of only the absolute best components for his amp, and after playing through it myself, I believe! This just might be an amp that, like the vintage Fenders of the 50’s and 60’s, will actually go up in value through the years.

Mitch Kashmar
Contact: Mitch Kashmar@aol.com
Current CDs out for Mitch: Nickels and Dimes, Wake Up & Worry

Paul Lamb endorsement:

Fighting a losing battle but having a lot of fun trying to win
SONNY TERRY 1911-1986

Harp players are always fighting battles with amps but with the Sonny Jr. Four-Ten amplifier, you will have a whole lot of fun and you will win, believe me.

It's a fantastic amp, has a full fat tone and from the highs to the lows, responds to me in every way.

A must for all blues harp players.

Paul Lamb

Contact: paul@drath.freeserve.co.uk

I’ve used a bunch of “harp amps” but the Cruncher is the best money I ever spent on an amp! The amp tone is killer with great breakup. It sounds super with/without tongue blocking and it’s possible to dial in the amp or set up the tube combinations so that it's perfect for your own special tone and taste.
As with all amps…you have to be able play and have a good tone to make it work. But I must admit this amp makes it easier because when you play softly it sounds sweet and mellow and when you play real hard you can get it to sound like a thunderous beast! Yes….Sonny has really done his homework to A++++ this time, and brought all of his harp amp knowledge into this thing.

Peter Nande - Copenhagen, Denmark
nande@nande.dk
www.nande.dk
www.myspace.com/peternande (concert schedule)

Ian Collard endorsement:

The Sonny Jr. Cruncher is easily the best harp amp I've played through. Although it has been built with smaller venues in mind, I have used it at outdoor festivals using a combination of micing, the line-out feature and some foldback and had no trouble hearing myself above loud bands. The tone is closer to the classic greasy 50's Chicago sound than I've ever had before on any of the amps I've played through. It is ultra responsive enabling soft playing to jump right out at you with sounding full and rich.

It looks great too with a dark tint in the tweed and great attention to detail. I had this amp shipped to Australia and it arrived fast with no problems at all.  The follow-up customer service from Sonny Jr. has been second to none. I wish I could have had an amp like this available to me when I started playing so that I didn't have to go through all of the time I have consumed buying, selling and trying out amps over the last 25 years of my playing career.

Ian Collard - Victoria, Australia

Mike Crandall – North Stonington, CT

To purchase CDs “Black Rain” and “Just Livin’ the Blues” or to inquire about upcoming gigs

Email: mikecrandallblues@sbcglobal.net, Cell (860) 460-1991 

I recently purchased a Sonny Jr. 410 amplifier. I’ve gone through many vintage amps over the last 20 years, trying to find one that has consistency and monster tone.  My new Sonny Jr. amp more than delivers on this front.  In fact, it has exceeded my expectations. I play a lot of chromatic and, in addition to generating a big fat sound, it also has a warm tone important to this type of playing.    

The first time I used it, my guitar player commented that it was the best tone he’d ever heard from me……and we’ve been playing together for nearly two decades.  I highly recommend this amp for serious harmonica players or those who want to be.  I was so impressed that I am now going to purchase the smaller “Cruncher” amp too. 

David Barrett’s endorsement:

I have used and recommended Sonny Jr. Custom Amplifiers to students and friends for over six years now and have always been happy with the service, high quality of components (custom and rebuilds), and the over-all care that Sonny puts into providing the best product possible. His Four-Ten is the best stage amp I’ve ever played through and I am tickled to own one. The amp sounds great at all volumes and really delivers the tone I strive to achieve on stage and in the studio. Hats off to Sonny for the last amp I’ll ever need to buy.

I just got back from the School of the Blues Student Concert and I used the new Cruncher you just sent. The students sounded great through the amp... I think the amp is a winner. It was loud enough and everyone, even the lesser-experienced players, had great tone. Andy Just sat in as well and he sounded great. Congrats on the new design!

David Barrett
President, Harmonica Masterclass Co.
Founder: School of the Blues
“Leader in Blues Harmonica Education”
www.harmonicamasterclass.com
Phone: 1-877-427-7252 / Fax: 408-224-2938

Joe Mancuso – Albuquerque, NM

Los Albuquerque Blues Connection

jman5279@msn.com

I have had my Sonny Jr. Four-Ten about two years now.  After 30 years and a couple dozen amps I finally found "The Amp"!  Heavy lows, powerful mids, and glistening highs!  

I have used my amp on small gigs, medium gigs and large festivals. This amp immediately brought me up a notch as far as quality and recognition!  

I have had no problems whatsoever playing one - four gigs a week whether In town, out of town, or out of state. Everyone also notices how good it looks.  

Thanks Gary!

Mike Stevens – Ontario, Canada
www.mikestevensmusic.com
mikestevensmusic@gmail.com

I ordered the Cruncher based on my experience with the Four-Ten, which I love. I had not played one yet but I trust Gary's reputation for building great harp amps. I also picked up a Turner shell loaded with a very hot CR element.

The first plug and play was in the studio. I was immediately impressed with how explosive this combination is. It’s exactly like my very favorite tiny amp only loud enough to actually use in many live situations. It has tons of really useful bottom end and a sound that you feel in your chest and in the room.

I'm home for Christmas so I took the amp/mic combination out to sit in with a band that I recently produced a recording for. These guys play insanely loud….very melody-driven songs with quirky arrangements. In other words, it was not a blues gig.

This amp was amazing! I had all the clarity and volume but most importantly, size of the individual notes I played. It’s always a great feeling to have that horn-like size to individual notes so that melodies were really convincing  and sounded right even at a crazy volume. I would recommend propping up the amp up on a chair so it doesn't couple with the floor.

I really love this amp!  It’s not a one trick pony, but really a beautiful instrument.