Kustom advertised those 15" high frequency horns as "police siren" horns. The capacitors are tantalum; it was a selling point in their catalogs. You couldn't kill those old Kustoms. I had a one piece Kustom 100 amp with a 15" speaker, two channels, and no effects. I ran it wide open all night in a late '60s rock band for over a year. I could not hurt it. It was as faithful as a hound dog.
@@derekkelley7490 I have both tube and solid state amps and the Kustom amps sound as good as tube amps clean. But when pushed, the transistor distortion is much more raspy. Plus power transistors do not like being pushed beyond their limits where as tubes seem to handle that better. For bass, the solid state amps are far superior. They offer a dynamic range and punch you can only get out of a huge tube amp like an Ampeg SVT.
@@jenniferwhitewolf3784 I have an old black face Fender Bandmaster and it has a warmth the Kustom lacks. But the Kustom is a better built amp using higher quality electronic parts. Back in the day, Kustom amps were among the most expensive amps available.
My “first” 200 bass head - hooked up to my 2/12” homemade cab with Radio Shack speakers. I loved how when you power them up they seem to provide full power right up front (no such “soft” start per-say). You can watch (and hear) the speakers pop outward then settle down, upon power down you can see them suck back in. So after my first dozen starts the 2/12 Radio Shack’s popped OUT and stayed out 😳 Shortly afterwards I was off to the local Music Store to pick up pair of 15’s ❤️
You KNOW you're playing when the speaker cones are literally blown out of the baskets :) Be sure to subscribe so you will receive notification of newly-posted videos.
Thanks for the details on this beautiful piece of engineering . I listened to Mr. Ross being interviewed on RUclips. I was exhausted but couldn't turn it off. He tells the entire story of how and why Kustom happened. I really believe that had they not been tuck and roll, they may not have sold that well. Great SS sound but tubes just rock. In todays lingo, they're off the grid.
I don't know how I missed this 10 year old video but I did. It just popped up in my suggestions. I remember seeing these at a S Texas beer joint called the Road Runner Inn. I was just a kid back then, but I remember being in awe of those tuck and roll cabinets.
Great video..and what a clean, clean amp. When the Kustom speakers were first introduced at the NAMM show in Chicago, the young people found Kustom off in a small side room. Pretty soon, the room was crowded and the Kustom gear was a hit.They looked cool, they would play LOUD, and you couldn't hurt the speakers.. and they took off from there.
Tuck & roll upholstery was quite common back in the 60's, in car interiors, diner booths, etc. To us old timers, it's nostalgic, but I can easily imagine that it would not appeal to those who had not lived in that era.
I saw Tommy James and the Shondells in the Jacksonville Coliseum maybe 1966-1967, and they played through these amps before the days of miking. That was a great band and the amps sounded quite tight and professional. Later, we would handle Kustom amps in my brother's Tallahassee music store in the 'early '70s, where we sold a lot of them, especially PA systems. They even had a one-piece self-contained organ with amp and speakers ... that was a load! ROSS also made one of the first compressors which was first class, and emulated by a major company in this day and age.
Nice! I just sold a bottom 3 x 15 Jensen. It was blue speckle but I changed the blue colour to black with vinyl spray black. Came out good. Power was Traynor YB1A . Played bass for years. Imbetween the bass ports should be a metal plate with Kustom on it. The cab did come with those casters and I changed the side lift handles to HD metal. Looks like that grill cloth has been changed. Nice find Uncle Doug. I regret selling mine. To bad about the silicone on the back board. Thanks for the video, brings me back to Suzy Q
Ronald Cairns Thanks, Ronald. I agree that the Kustom plate must be missing, but after searching diligently for the nail/screw holes that held it, and finding none, I can't figure how it was held on. It's great to hear from you....thanks for your input :)
I have three K200 heads from 1969. Two bass heads and one with reverb and vibrato but no harmonic clipper. The one has an original Altec bottom with the two original Altec 15" speakers. These were really nice amps and are still sought after by many guitar players. Only thing is that they do have a lot of transistor hiss due to the old transistors used in these amps. I have ganged two up and driven four 15" speakers for bass and it is quite a system. Power switches like to fail in these and I have no idea who the genius was who put the mains fuse on the inside. Uh, priceless. When I was young, these were the Rolls Royce of guitar amps. Everyone wanted one due to how cool they looked, their power and the quality of these amps.
Super cool, I'd love to hear this on 10 with an extreme metal pedal next to the super dumpster pedal EQed to wake the dead. My neighbors would love it.
I used to collect Kustoms. I'm down to a 200 Kustom head (like this blue one) except in Charcoal with 2 cabinets (2-15s + 1-horn) and a Black 200 w/ JBL's (great bass amp!). I had a Red 200 w/ 2-15"JBLs and a Red 100 w/ 2-12" Altecs that were sold to folks involved with the GLEE musical show as they were looking for "..All Red Kustoms..." for the music room . Guess they realized just how cool they lQQked!
I have a Kustom 250-4 and it literally saved the show tonight because our bass player's amp was DOA. The selective boost is a resonant low-pass filter. I use it all the time on "5" to add a little bite to the bass. As for the noise, I heard it's because the carbon comp resistors don't age well in these guys. I don't have the time or money to put it to the test though. The tone stack is precisely similar to Fender amps as well. Great video as always!
I have one of these. My dad gave it to me and it's sentimental for me. I have the black one and it is so noisy but that right side for a heavier music can be a lot of fun. Wish I had the reverb on that channel too. Thanks for this video. Very informative.
You're welcome, Rene. Yes, most Kustom amps were very noisy, with lots of "frying egg" sizzle and loud pops whenever a knob was turned......but they really can perform, especially when driven hard.
Great to see information on KUSTOM AMPS. I have an original from around the first years with 2 15" JBL D-130's in black. I have never seen one with round cord holders in the back. LOUD AND PROUD.
Reminds me of my 100W SS Fender Montreaux. Huge Capacitors and Transformers. Really clean Fender tone. I've been looking for an original Kustom amp for years. The hunt continues...
thanks for sharing. Back in the early 70's we had a pair of "kustom" PA speakers. two 15inch altec 418b's (I think) plus a horn.I think voice of the theater cabinets used altec 421"s. Gosh that was a long time ago but great memories. We had a "shure" 100 watt rms amp on each one. that's all we could afford. sounded pretty good for back in the day at the levels we played at.
I recently bought an early “silverface” 150w 6 channel kustom K300PA in silver charcoal tuck n roll with the largest accutron reverb tank I’ve ever seen. It’s also a 90lbs amp!! Sounds absolutely fantastic to my ears, which have always loved these old solid state amps. sure enough, there is my exact amp sitting on the front of that catalog along with its speakers and stand (which I would love to have)!
Thanks for the video (all of them!), Uncle Doug. A minor correction to this one. The Kustom 200-A4 by Ross was different from the B4 in several respects. In the A4, all of the effects (reverb, tremelo, selective boost, and distortion) were all functional on the left channel. The right channel on the A series was essentially "dry." The A4 also had a vibrato in addition to the tremelo. The A4 had a 4-button footswitch in domed cast metal enclosure, that plugged into the back with 5 pin connection. I owned both an A4 and a B4. The tone was slightly warmer on the A series, by Ross. (ok, now I'm going back to watch the rest of the video :) ).
That was great.Thanks for a terrific video! Really takes me back to my earliest rock'n'roll days. Reminds me of the "Plush" 2x15 bass amp I had in the first band I was ever in. Later on had a "Kustom" 1x15 combo amp in the exact same blue sparkle covering as this beast ... and man, I wish I still had either one (or both) ... What do they say? "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone!"
+Bruce Jones You're welcome, Bruce.....glad you enjoyed it. I guess we all regret some of the decisions of our youth. I still shake my head over the fact that, married and with a newborn daughter, I traded my 1965 Tri-Power, 4-Speed GTO in on a Toyota Corolla Sedan :(
Thanks, BT. The cabinet is sealed with a silicon-like sealing material and about 50 screws, so it's virtually impossible to open it to check on the wiring first hand, but the resistance at the input jack in the rear measures 12.5 ohms. This would imply three 4 Ohm speakers in series, but I can't be positive since the internal wiring could be adding to the total resistance.
I copped Kasino 220U ‘bass head’ w/2x15” 200 cabinet a few years ago. I LOVE IT! It was basically the same as a Kustom ‘guitar’ amp without tuck-roll upholstery, preferred by the 70s country-western players for more conservative looking gear. It’s loud and clear like a HI-WATT and still louder using my multi-effects DOD pedal. I never got past 4 on volume, here inside the house, using an SG and Strat.
It should be noted that the upper 15" speaker is actually a horn, but as you can see by looking at it, there are definitely three 15" diameter speakers in the cabinet.
Hey Uncle, I was lucky enough to find a Kustom 100 in Charcoal sparkle in AMAZING condition...the seller dropped his price $100 and then drove 75 miles to meet me for the sale...he even had an inverter in his car so he could plug the amp in and play guitar through it in the parking lot of a Waffle House! I'm in the process of replacing the 2-prong power cord myself ( with help from a Vintage Kustom forum...) but this amp is literally LIKE NEW...everything works except the reverb, and I've ordered a reverb tank that hopefully will work, but I've got pedals for reverb...just stumbled across your video again and wanted to mention the 'new' Kustom! Thanks!
Love your videos, I've learned a lot. I have an older version of this amp with just reverb and vibrato. The modulation circuit in these amps is one of the things that sets them apart, it is a true vibrato that modulates the frequency of the input rather than the volume (tremolo). The Kustom vibrato is almost Leslie type effect but not as pronounced. It's not weak tremolo but a different effect altogether.
Thanks, Jamie. I guess you have the K-200-A, which is supposed to have a much better Tremolo/Vibrato effect than my K-200-B. I would love to hear one in person.
Thanks, Cat. Fortunately, there are only a few small abrasions and tiny little tears, but I'll keep that in mind if I ever do need material for large repairs.
Doug...nice video. I had a green cascade K200B-2 (2 15's) back in the mid 70's that I used for my Wurlitzer 200 electric piano and I loved it. Unfortunately I got tired of carrying the beast around and like a dumb ass sold it. I always missed it. I was fortunate enough a few months ago to find another one exactly like it but surprisingly even in better condition. It is immaculate. I got it for believe it or not $300. Anyway I thought the typical Kustom "hiss" was a little louder than I remembered. Your video reminded me that it is normal for these amps. Thx again for the nice vid. Tim
I think the harmonic clipper is better suited for single notes. I always liked the sound of that effect, the ones I heard were more mellow sounding. That rig is more suited for a keyboard with the horn and all. That being said, the Kustom amps are an interesting piece of history, I have fixed a couple, but I have no desire to have one in my stable. Thanks for giving us a look at this one, the blue sparkle was my favorite color.
I remember back when I started playing guitar in the late 70's you could get a Kustom head and 2x15 cab for around 100 bucks...The Guitar and Drum Center ( my local music store back then ) had a ton of them because they rented them out to kids who took lessons there. Long story short they ended up selling them dirt cheap to get rid of them. My first amp was a Kasino Lounge Bass 25 watt 1x15 solid state combo which was made by Kustom...it was super quiet and still works perfectly today.
+Franklin Wilson Those were the good old days, Franklin. Sadly, however, good vintage amps are getting real scarce and relatively expensive. You're lucky you still have your old Kustom. Thanks for your input.
Loved this video as someone from Kansas (and I know Chanute pretty well) and who admires vintage pro audio. This makes me want to learn how to do tuck and roll upholstery. As a hobby I build vintage-look modern speakers, and this would be a great look to try. Thanks for sharing!
I bought used a 3 x 15 bottom Kustom and same colour (metal flake blue) It had a Kustom metal plaque between the two sound holes Used fine fine steel wool and solvent to clean the vinyl. Used a good black vinyl spray paint. Then a few vinyl repairs tears. Traynor face and speaker botton new black grill cloth. Looked great. I gigged with this unit for 7 years. Made my Fender Precision sound great. Had 3 Jensen 15 speakers. Sold off for 4 times what I paid for it. I miss it.
brings back many memories. used most of times in bar room, lodges, etc. used wuth 1960 telecaster and foot pedals, . had a great reverb. always went back to it , after trying many amps.
I bought my KB200-2 in 1969; it had teal sparkle tuck & roll which was a bit more rare than the blue. That sucker was loud! It lacked the boosts & the harmonic clipper but that didn’t matter to me. I had a Rosac Nu-Wa pedal that provided both fuzz & wah-wah. The amp was equipped with 2 15 inch Jensens & I replaced the horn in the top with a JBL D140F. We placed the horn into a homemade cabinet designed to spin like a Leslie speaker. Sounded pretty good but almost shimmied off the stage it was so unstable! I sold my KB200 just last year (2022). Kinda broke my heart to part with her, but she was too loud & cumbersome to play in the house. Our bass player had a black tuck & roll KB200 with 2 2x15 inch cabs. We also had the Kustom PA with silver sparkle & 2 3x15 inch Jensen cabs. Man those were the days!
Great video. Here are a few notes. The holes in the side of the cabinet is for special brackets that the PA head used. This was to use with the Kustom stand adapters. The filter caps are what was known as computer grade caps. I have never seen one go bad in my 40 plus years of servicing them. The hi and low jacks are probably not hi z and low z but are hi for higher pitched ( less bass) instruments and the low jacks have more low end on them. The special sealant on the back was probably added later I have never seen it on any I have worked on.
I had a black roll & tuck Kustom speaker cabinet with 3 15 inch Altec-Lansing speakers with the silver cones (voice coils). I had a 150 amp head and a '72 Fender Telecaster. I could never turn up the volume past 3 or 4 tops. It would simply blow yer ears off. Wish I still had it. I worked hard as a Marine Sergeant for that gear and sold it all when I got married (dumb me)! I sure enjoyed standing in front of that speaker cabinet and playing the feedback with my fuzz tone. Yep, my cabinet was just as tall as was I. I bought my set up on time at a music store just outside the gate at Cherry Point, NC. I guess it was a '72 or '71 model as I didn't get it until it was completely paid off. I paid on that equipment every week after I got back from Vietnam. My 150 amp head was quiet as a mouse. No hum whatsoever.
This is one of the amps that I kinda dream for. I live nowhere near a place where I can get my hands on that kind of machine (Brazil). The CCR sound was that, a rickenbacker and a Les Paul tuned to D in the middle position.
Thanks, Sunnhead. The speakers are completely original (the cabinet had never been opened until I opened it to inspect the speakers), but there are three Jensen speakers in the cabinet, which complicates the wiring scheme. If they are indeed 16-Ohm speakers, then perhaps they are arranged in a combination of series and parallel to produce a final impedance of 8 ohms, and the extra 4.5 ohms I measured was due to the wiring between the speakers. I have always considered it to be an 8 ohm cabinet.
I still have a few that look like that one except in black; and some od the later ones with the more conventional covering on them.... When I wasn't playing the accordion through a Magnatone 480 doing very loud polkas; I was playing keyboard in a more conventional group. By doing that I was employed every weekend... Thanks Doug.
Hey Uncle Doug I have been watching a lot of your videos they are excellent but I have never came across this one until today. I see it’s 7 years old and you might not get this note but I have an interesting story that I thought you might appreciate about it. Back in the 70s I had the Kustom model 250 head with it’s black padding. I wanted to make it into a smaller and lighter amp for jobbing, so I took an old Peeve bottom that I had with 6 10 inch speakers and removed the 2 top speakers, then remove the amp head from the padded enclosure and mounted it into the bottom where the 2 top speakers were at. It took a little work but it came out great it look like it came that way from the factory with the bottom being covered in its original black vinyl material. I have to assume it’s the only one like it in the world LOL. It was a great sounding amp for doing all different kinds of shows clubs, weddings, even outdoor concerts and I used it to play gigs for over 30 years. I agree the reverb on these Kustom amps are amazing my 250 had a push and pull out knob that turn the reverb into • super reverb “ it sounded twice as good with the really long sustain, and very reliable I never had to repair it once in all the years I used it. Anyway, I still have that amp to this day, once I modified that amp I hardly ever used my Fender Twin reverb amp much. I did not have any 60 Cycle hum problems on it, it was a very quiet and Clean sounding amp even at high volumes. I also had its big brother the Kustom 300 PA amp head also in the black padding, we used that for most of our gigs as well it was another great sounding amp and perfect PA system with it’s two matching padded speaker columns for doing smaller gigs. I hope you find this story interesting, if you want any pictures let me know and I will send you some. Thank You for all of the great videos you post I love all of them. Say hi to Jack and Olly for me. Louie IL USA 🇺🇸
Thanks for the replies.. sorry for my typos, as these handheld devices are none too fitting for my fingers ;-) .I will then just leave the cord as is. Your video was very interesting and quite informative as most videos go. I am love the tone these od these interesting solid states.
Started playing guitar in 1969 and switched to Bass in 73. If you were in a top notch garage band back in the day, the only thing Kustom you would have is their PA System. Everything else was Fender, Orange, Ampeg, HIWATT and acoustic. I kind of considered Kustom as a fancy Peavey. You did a great presentation. I am looking forward to buying a Kustom Bass Head, just to toy around with. I still think they are cool. However, I dont see switching from my current 70s acoustic rig.
Thanks for your helpful input, Charles. I think you left out Silvertone 1484's as popular garage gear. God knows they caused plenty of mayhem in otherwise peaceful neighborhoods :)
Thanks for the added info, Steve, and I'm sorry for repeating the false story about Bud.....but you must admit, it was a great tale !! The ability to use all four effects on one channel makes great sense, it bothered me that you can't on the B; and I spent a lot of time and effort trying to improve my tremolo, but apparently the B trem is just not all that great. I will check out your Kustom video's.....Thanks again !!!
Greetings, Matthew. It seems like the Harmonic Clipper is more popular than I might have anticipated. It really does have a strong heavy metal tone, and I guess I should have given it more emphasis in the demo.
John Fogerty legendary amp :) Solid state design! I think maybe germanium output transistors because germanium transistors in clipping sounds like a tube. Silicium no. I made a little 15W RMS solid state guitar amp with 2xAD161/162 in parallel and with Goodmans loudspeaker amp sounds like a 2x6V6 (europian EL84) in clipping. Preamp also with Ge transistors. Si transistors sounds "cold". The Italian factory Montarbo has in early 70's created an excellent 80W amplifier with four Ge transistors (two and two in parallel) in push-pull, with transformer for phase shifter and output transformer, with two channels preamp made as a copy of Kustom amplifier preamp.Thanx for this video.
What was the price of this amp back in 1969, Uncle Doug? I used the normal channel and got good feedback with harmonic clipper. When you turned on the harmonic clipper, you lost volume power though
Great video. Informative, and concise. The only complaint I have is that the intonation on the test guitar is off. You've probably corrected that by now. Nevertheless, keep the videos coming. You do have the knack for teaching. Thanks for posting.
I bought one of those back in 1970, had it for several years until my house was burglarized and it was stolen. I didn't have the 3x15" cabinet though, had 2 of the 2 x 15" cabinets. Mine wasn't particularly noisy though. When turned way up (which I always did at a gig) there was a slight hiss, not enough to be objectionable. It ROCKED!! :-)
@@UncleDoug Yeah, that head was no lightweight. They came in and exited through a basement window, so they couldn't take the speakers, but they wrestled the amp, a keyboard, all my mics and stands out that window. Fortunatley I had taken a Teac 3340 4 track recorder, all guitars and my Arp Odyssey upstairs in the house, so they didn't get those. I think my wife and I returned home while the burglars were still in the basement, probably the only reason they didn't come upstairs for the rest of the stuff.
@@UncleDoug Yes, and it was probably partially my own fault. I was selling off some of my equipment, and had a few prospective buyers show up, showed them what was for sale and they didn't buy. It was probably one of them. Felt like an idiot. In my defense, I was in my early 20's and tended to be too trusting due to youthful ignorance of the ways of the world.
Love it! About 20 years ago, I bought a gold 2x15 version of this cabinet and a Lucky brand tube amp head ( a 2 6L6 and 4 12ax7 bass man kinda thing) for $40. At the time i kinda thought i got ripped off.lol I sold both to a giy for $100 Now, id give $400 to get that rig back.
I feel your pain. Back in the 70's I bought an immaculate 1965 Corvette Stingray for $1500, but didn't like it because it had an automatic transmission and air conditioning.......so, like a complete idiot, I sold it (for about that amount). Undoing my foolishness would probably cost me 40 to 50 times that amount now.
The hissing noise comes from the preamp stages. If no 60 cycle hum don't replace the ps caps..no need. The hiss come mostly from the early semiconductors from my understanding. Have a Blue bass 200-1 and 2 twin 15 JBL D140 bins I use live. Love the sound!!!
hey uncle doug :) i really liked what you said about high dollar amps. i love the old kustom stuff. Their 4x12 PA tall cabs have 4 25 watters. they are a diamond in the rough also. Two other low dollar goodies i would like to see more of are the Traynor mark3 ( 250$ off craigslist in san francisco) and a carvin x100b from the early 80's (200 bucks: cr/lst). Thanks for the great vids :) I bought both of them.
Greetings, Fatz. We share an appreciation for the fact that not all really good amps have to be really expensive. There are some real "diamonds" out there for those who take the time to listen and evaluate them. Congratulations on your two acquisitions.
We all loved reverb back then didn’t we, Uncle Doug? I think you may be stuck in the past. lol Fascinating story about Bud Ross. I saw in interview of him. He seemed like a hard worker, great boss, family man and a reliable business man. I guess everyone has a bit of foolishness in them. Some of us more than others. lol My band had a Kustom PA which I thought sounded great (with the reverb turned up, of course) and was totally reliable after many bumps on the road. I was the singer, so the PA was important to me.
I always wanted a Kustom amp....They were made fairly close to where I live ,Where I live is Chetopa Kansas which is about 65 miles south of Chanute...I might add that these amps had a lifetime warranity on them.It showed pride and confidence in their product.Little good the guarintee does now though.....RIP Bud Ross.
We had a successful Kustom distributor in my area (West Texas) and they pop up here in Craigslist ads from time to time (where I found this one). I think they are among the most impressive and unusual amps you can find. Definitely worth owning......if just for watching the expression on people's faces when they see one.
@@UncleDoug Yeah Doug ,Those amps were beautiful ,The silver ones reflected light which would be really cool with colored stage lights.Very nice amps indeed.By the way Great vid on this.
The Silvertones are good amps. My favorites from the 50's and 60's are the amps that Valco made for Gretsch, Supro, National, Oahu, Airline, etc. Let's face it, any amp with a power transformer is probably going to be better and safer than the "boxes of death" that don't. Other good brands are Premier and Magnatone. All are well made with good components and are reasonably easy to fix.
My two friends had tall Kustoms like this one but I think they were a year or so older. They were both silver flake and sounded pretty bright. I had a '65 blackface Twin Reverb. Those were the days. Hurricane Katrina took it.
Being a bit of a "shut in" due to my health, I greatly appreciate watching your videos....thanks for the time, effort and info. I gotta ask.....what is your guitar? Those pick ups sound vintage no matter what amp you plug into.
Greetings, Dash. Sorry to hear of your health problems, but glad you find our videos entertaining. The shop guitar I always use is a 1979 Matsumoku Vantage Performer V-695 with MMK-45 (very hot humbucker) pickups. I got it, in lousy shape, from a pawnshop, for less than $200 (with case !!) and fixed it up for use in the workshop. You can see it in the opening scene of the Shock Hazards video.
It's been many months since I worked on this amp and I don't recall the exact location of the connection, but I don't believe it matters, since virtually any point on a chassis makes a good ground. The schematics for this model (pre-amp and power amp) are readily available on the Internet. You can download a set for future reference.
Greetings, MIJ. I have never seen this model, but it appears to be very compact and it offers both reverb and tremolo, so it seems like a great amp.......Congratulations !!
I also wonder how the thick, padded covering affects the resonance of the cabinet. If people agonize over the difference between nitrocellulose and polyurethane coatings on guitars, you would think that an inch-thick layer of foam and naugahyde would have a much greater influence on the speaker cabinet. Whatever the effect, it seems quite positive, because this speaker cabinet is one of the best I have ever heard.
My brother was a dealer for Kustom in the early '70s ... we sold a bunch of them. I have to say that I doubt the external cover had much to do with the sound quality of the speaker cabinets. Cannot remember ... but they might have been made from pressed wood, which has no resonant frequency, from what I have read. Kustom also used some pretty good speakers, as I recall, and the cabs had sufficient air space. The early amps were pretty flat sounding electronically, as in not much interesting tone, IIRC. But the electronics got better and better. I saw "Tommy James and the Shondells" in the old Jacksonville Coliseum, and they used all Kustom, maybe around 1966-67? Have to admit, the band sounded fabulous and those amps were running quite loud. Their amps were particularly good for bass. The bassist in my band back then had a charcoal sparkle head and TWO 3X12 cabs, and that thing covered everywhere we played in Tallahassee, including some outside jobs. Kustom also made a real fine sounding PA system that competed well with the Shure Vocal Master, and was more reliable. And BTW, I have three Stratocasters with nitro, and one with polyurethane, and it is my considered opinion, that the urethane finished Strat (a beautiful piece of ash) is just lifeless compared to the three nitro guys. But poly is great if you want a guitar that stays new all of its life and never ages!
Yes, and the materials would have cost a lot more.....not to mention the (literally) hundreds and hundreds of staples that had to be put in individually. Having removed the back door of this cabinet (a tough job) to inspect the speakers, I can attest to the excellent workmanship that was readily evident, even inside the cabinet where it would probably never be seen.
I owned one in the early 70’s. Wish I still had it! I got my EE in 76 and went to work for TI as a circuit designer/test engr. So with my new engineering knowledge, it would’ve been fun to go thru the circuit & see how much hiss could be removed. First thing I’d try is swap those noisy carbon resistors out for quieter metal film ones, especially the hi value resistors in the preamp section. Swap out some of the preamp section caps for too. I don’t remember what transistors were in my Kustom head, the preamp section, but knowing the improvements made in transistor design & in the fab process over the years, I’m sure much quieter ones could be substituted for those old 60’s bipolar transistors. I wouldn’t touch the output section.
Hi..just watched this Kustom amp video..a previous comment mentioned the overdrive would be for single notes..I would suggest further that this feature used dynamically and consistant is a very good feature..a guitarist with vision & good ear will really make these Kustom amps howl..beautifull in appearance as well..I mistakenly thought the older models were tube units based on the groups of the times..circa late 1960's..early 1970's that used them..they held a visual and occular presence unmistakably unique to a stage set up...over the years solid state amps have come into their own niche..still..tube amps are known for the edge they have for cut through presence..these Kustoms , however..are kick ass good
My first guitar amp was the PA version of this amp with the 2 COLUMNS WITH 4 TENS stacked together it was cool looking ,sounded ok if you turned it up to 10 or 11.When you are 16 looks are everything
@@UncleDoug Hi ya Pard , Just jogged past this post from you again and wanted to say hello and just for the sake of convenience ,how simple would it be to drop that 28V down to 12 V so you could Auto Zone that pwr lite bulb
doug i knew the man that engineered the amps at kustom.he was a good friend of mine.his name was bob brinkman.he worked for kustom for 16 year.and also engineered the casino amps too.he also engineered for dean markley amps and spent a lot of time with him when did the dr. fong amps.
You're welcome, Shane. Rusty and I like your icon pic. Sadly, I did not get the pedal with the amp. I hate discussing prices because each deal is unique, but I will say that if you get lucky and find one of these in a garage like I did, and the owner just wants to get rid of it (nagging wife), it might only cost a (very) few hundred dollars. In a vintage guitar & amp store, all spruced up, I would imagine well over $1000. They are gaining in popularity and the prices are escalating.
Oh, a lot of those orange capacitors are NOT orangedrops as in many tube amps but, rather tantalum types that are actually low voltage but rather high capacitance. My K200's have no 60 cycle hum since I replaced the power supply capacitors. But, even before replacing them, the amps did not have a lot of AC hum. Back when I was a teen, these amps were the amps to have. They were really reliable but very expensive. The amp in this video would have set you back around $1,500 back in 1969. That was a lot of cash back then! The reverb / vibrato model is an excellent surf guitar amp. Probably among the best since surf guitar is all about clean tone with lots of reverb and at times vibrato. Their biggest competition was from Acoustic. Acoustic amps were a little louder then Kustom amps and were a quasi-complimentary design where as the Kustom was a fully complimentary design. I have both Kustom and Acoustic amps and they are great sounding and are not all harsh and mean sounding like a lot of tube amp snobs would have you believe. (I also have several tube amps I love as well).
Uncle Doug Yeah I remember visiting a music store on 10th or 12th avenue in Portland OR in 1971 seeing a bunch of Kustoms.. I was really happy with my blackface Fender Vibrolux Reverb with 2 10s,( still have it) but I was really impressed by the reverb sound of the Kustoms.. of course, the covering was incredible.. I should also point out that Sunn were made here in a Portland suburb so we saw lots of them around here. Kustoms were not in every guitar store.. they were more exclusively marketed.. They were quieter when new.. probably as transistors and caps age and got leaky... meaning more noise. Thanks again for posting this..
Memories of long-past visits to local music stores are fond indeed, JW. If I only had access to lots of money and storage space, there is no limit to the collection of vintage guitars and amps I would now own. Your final comments about Kustoms being noisy is valid.....they do tend to pop and sizzle quite a bit. Hopefully, this was not the case when they were new :)
Greetings, BG1. If you are speaking of the RCA-style outlet on the right side of the rear of the amp, near the ID Tag, I understand that it is an output "for recording purposes"......i.e. it must bypass the speakers, so you can access the signal without the noise.
You had to have real dough to buy one of these. Back in the '60s, they looked terrific, sounded terrific and were insanely loud. When your band showed up sporting these amps, (I'd seen as many as three on stage) it sent the message your band was in the game for keeps and the crowd knew it. You still had to deliver the goods, however.
+oldjohn1951 An excellent analysis of the value of not only looking good, but sounding good. To me the best possible example would be CCR.....with a wall of Kustom amps behind them. They definitely delivered the goods :)
+Uncle Doug Love the amp reviews. The one amp that got away from me was a Mosrite Award. From the reviews I've seen, I'm glad it did. Keep going. Best always
Kustom advertised those 15" high frequency horns as "police siren" horns. The capacitors are tantalum; it was a selling point in their catalogs. You couldn't kill those old Kustoms. I had a one piece Kustom 100 amp with a 15" speaker, two channels, and no effects. I ran it wide open all night in a late '60s rock band for over a year. I could not hurt it. It was as faithful as a hound dog.
They are rather unique and interesting amps, Lawrence. Thanks for your input :)
Correct.. When they opened a dealer in my city, that was part of the pitch when I went to visit. I was happy to keep my Fender though..
Did you like the solid state sound vs the deeper base and growl of tube amps?
@@derekkelley7490 I have both tube and solid state amps and the
Kustom amps sound as good as tube amps clean. But when pushed, the
transistor distortion is much more raspy. Plus power transistors do not like
being pushed beyond their limits where as tubes seem to handle that
better. For bass, the solid state amps are far superior. They
offer a dynamic range and punch you can only get out of
a huge tube amp like an Ampeg SVT.
@@jenniferwhitewolf3784 I have an old black face Fender Bandmaster and it
has a warmth the Kustom lacks. But the Kustom is a better
built amp using higher quality electronic parts. Back in the day,
Kustom amps were among the most expensive amps available.
“9 furlongs of power cable,... plug into the next county...” you gave me a lovely chuckle, Doug!
I'm glad, Vince. Thanks for watching.
My “first” 200 bass head - hooked up to my 2/12” homemade cab with Radio Shack speakers. I loved how when you power them up they seem to provide full power right up front (no such “soft” start per-say). You can watch (and hear) the speakers pop outward then settle down, upon power down you can see them suck back in. So after my first dozen starts the 2/12 Radio Shack’s popped OUT and stayed out 😳 Shortly afterwards I was off to the local Music Store to pick up pair of 15’s ❤️
You KNOW you're playing when the speaker cones are literally blown out of the baskets :) Be sure to subscribe so you will receive notification of newly-posted videos.
😂 I went through a s load of those Radio Shack 12" speakers with the silver cones!😂
Thanks for the details on this beautiful piece of engineering . I listened to Mr. Ross being interviewed on RUclips. I was exhausted but couldn't turn it off. He tells the entire story of how and why Kustom happened. I really believe that had they not been tuck and roll, they may not have sold that well. Great SS sound but tubes just rock. In todays lingo, they're off the grid.
You're welcome, CH. That's a good way to describe SS amps....."off the grid" :)
I am still playing those 1971 Kustom 250 amps, bass and full range models in my band, they last forever
I don't know how I missed this 10 year old video but I did. It just popped up in my suggestions.
I remember seeing these at a S Texas beer joint called the Road Runner Inn. I was just a kid back then, but I remember being in awe of those tuck and roll cabinets.
We're glad you found this old video, Randy. Kustom's were definitely unique ;)
Great video..and what a clean, clean amp. When the Kustom speakers were first introduced at the NAMM show in Chicago, the young people found Kustom off in a small side room. Pretty soon, the room was crowded and the Kustom gear was a hit.They looked cool, they would play LOUD, and you couldn't hurt the speakers.. and they took off from there.
Thanks for the nice comments and information, Craig :)
Turn one up to 8 or 9 sometime! I think you will be pleasantly surprised!
Tuck & roll upholstery was quite common back in the 60's, in car interiors, diner booths, etc. To us old timers, it's nostalgic, but I can easily imagine that it would not appeal to those who had not lived in that era.
I saw Tommy James and the Shondells in the Jacksonville Coliseum maybe 1966-1967, and they played through these amps before the days of miking. That was a great band and the amps sounded quite tight and professional. Later, we would handle Kustom amps in my brother's Tallahassee music store in the 'early '70s, where we sold a lot of them, especially PA systems. They even had a one-piece self-contained organ with amp and speakers ... that was a load! ROSS also made one of the first compressors which was first class, and emulated by a major company in this day and age.
Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, TT.
Nice! I just sold a bottom 3 x 15 Jensen. It was blue speckle but I changed the blue colour to black with vinyl spray black. Came out good. Power was Traynor YB1A . Played bass for years. Imbetween the bass ports should be a metal plate with Kustom on it. The cab did come with those casters and I changed the side lift handles to HD metal. Looks like that grill cloth has been changed. Nice find Uncle Doug. I regret selling mine. To bad about the silicone on the back board. Thanks for the video, brings me back to Suzy Q
Ronald Cairns Thanks, Ronald. I agree that the Kustom plate must be missing, but after searching diligently for the nail/screw holes that held it, and finding none, I can't figure how it was held on. It's great to hear from you....thanks for your input :)
I have three K200 heads from 1969. Two bass heads and one with reverb and vibrato but
no harmonic clipper. The one has an original Altec bottom with the two original
Altec 15" speakers. These were really nice amps and are still sought after by many
guitar players. Only thing is that they do have a lot of transistor hiss due to
the old transistors used in these amps. I have ganged two up and driven four 15"
speakers for bass and it is quite a system. Power switches like to fail in these and
I have no idea who the genius was who put the mains fuse on the inside. Uh,
priceless. When I was young, these were the Rolls Royce of guitar amps. Everyone
wanted one due to how cool they looked, their power and the quality of these amps.
Thanks for all the interesting information, A1. You make me proud to own one :)
Super cool, I'd love to hear this on 10 with an extreme metal pedal next to the super dumpster pedal EQed to wake the dead.
My neighbors would love it.
The structure of your house might not appreciate the seismic disturbance, N.
I used to collect Kustoms. I'm down to a 200 Kustom head (like this blue one) except in Charcoal with 2 cabinets (2-15s + 1-horn) and a Black 200 w/ JBL's (great bass amp!). I had a Red 200 w/ 2-15"JBLs and a Red 100 w/ 2-12" Altecs that were sold to folks involved with the GLEE musical show as they were looking for "..All Red Kustoms..." for the music room . Guess they realized just how cool they lQQked!
Thanks for sharing, xP.
I have a Kustom 250-4 and it literally saved the show tonight because our bass player's amp was DOA. The selective boost is a resonant low-pass filter. I use it all the time on "5" to add a little bite to the bass. As for the noise, I heard it's because the carbon comp resistors don't age well in these guys. I don't have the time or money to put it to the test though. The tone stack is precisely similar to Fender amps as well. Great video as always!
Thanks for sharing this with us, Stephen. I am definitely a Kustom fan.
I love these tuck n roll amps so much. I have a combo with the bright switch reverb and tremolo in my room.
Thanks for sharing, WE.
I have one of these. My dad gave it to me and it's sentimental for me. I have the black one and it is so noisy but that right side for a heavier music can be a lot of fun. Wish I had the reverb on that channel too. Thanks for this video. Very informative.
You're welcome, Rene. Yes, most Kustom amps were very noisy, with lots of "frying egg" sizzle and loud pops whenever a knob was turned......but they really can perform, especially when driven hard.
This is one of the best reviews I've ever watched.
Thanks, TD. Please watch our other 250 videos :)
@@UncleDoug I will !
Great to see information on KUSTOM AMPS. I have an original from around the first years with 2 15" JBL D-130's in black. I have never seen one with round cord holders in the back. LOUD AND PROUD.
Greetings, Marcos. I'm glad you liked the Kustom amp video.
That blue sparkle is a knock-out!! Love the tuck and roll.
+Marc Roberge Thanks :)
Thanks for the kind words, Travis, and you're very welcome.
Reminds me of my 100W SS Fender Montreaux. Huge Capacitors and Transformers. Really clean Fender tone. I've been looking for an original Kustom amp for years. The hunt continues...
Good luck with the quest, David.
cute tuck and roll arrangement, no one else does that~
Kustoms are awesome! I’ve owned several of them thru the years and they have all sounded magnificent.
Thanks for your input, WS. I agree ;)
thanks for sharing. Back in the early 70's we had a pair of "kustom" PA speakers. two 15inch altec 418b's (I think) plus a horn.I think voice of the theater cabinets used altec 421"s. Gosh that was a long time ago but great memories. We had a "shure" 100 watt rms amp on each one. that's all we could afford. sounded pretty good for back in the day at the levels we played at.
You're welcome, Paul. Glad you enjoyed it :)
I recently bought an early “silverface” 150w 6 channel kustom K300PA in silver charcoal tuck n roll with the largest accutron reverb tank I’ve ever seen. It’s also a 90lbs amp!! Sounds absolutely fantastic to my ears, which have always loved these old solid state amps. sure enough, there is my exact amp sitting on the front of that catalog along with its speakers and stand (which I would love to have)!
That sounds like quite an acquisition, Grant. Best of luck with it.
Thanks for the video (all of them!), Uncle Doug. A minor correction to this one. The Kustom 200-A4 by Ross was different from the B4 in several respects. In the A4, all of the effects (reverb, tremelo, selective boost, and distortion) were all functional on the left channel. The right channel on the A series was essentially "dry." The A4 also had a vibrato in addition to the tremelo. The A4 had a 4-button footswitch in domed cast metal enclosure, that plugged into the back with 5 pin connection. I owned both an A4 and a B4. The tone was slightly warmer on the A series, by Ross. (ok, now I'm going back to watch the rest of the video :) ).
Thanks for the helpful info, Michael.
That was great.Thanks for a terrific video! Really takes me back to my earliest rock'n'roll days. Reminds me of the "Plush" 2x15 bass amp I had in the first band I was ever in. Later on had a "Kustom" 1x15 combo amp in the exact same blue sparkle covering as this beast ... and man, I wish I still had either one (or both) ... What do they say? "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone!"
+Bruce Jones You're welcome, Bruce.....glad you enjoyed it. I guess we all regret some of the decisions of our youth. I still shake my head over the fact that, married and with a newborn daughter, I traded my 1965 Tri-Power, 4-Speed GTO in on a Toyota Corolla Sedan :(
+Uncle Doug ... Raise a cup to days gone by! Cheers, Uncle Doug.
Likewise, Bruce :)
Thanks, BT. The cabinet is sealed with a silicon-like sealing material and about 50 screws, so it's virtually impossible to open it to check on the wiring first hand, but the resistance at the input jack in the rear measures 12.5 ohms. This would imply three 4 Ohm speakers in series, but I can't be positive since the internal wiring could be adding to the total resistance.
I copped Kasino 220U ‘bass head’ w/2x15” 200 cabinet a few years ago. I LOVE IT! It was basically the same as a Kustom ‘guitar’ amp without tuck-roll upholstery, preferred by the 70s country-western players for more conservative looking gear. It’s loud and clear like a HI-WATT and still louder using my multi-effects DOD pedal. I never got past 4 on volume, here inside the house, using an SG and Strat.
Thanks for sharing, Keith.
Those are some cool looking amps. I have always wanted to try one of them out.
+BenG76MDguy You might check for vintage guitar and amp shops in your vicinity, Ben. They will generally let you try out the merchandise.
3x15 cab ! That's unbelievable. GREAT-looking rig.
Thanks, GW :)
It should be noted that the upper 15" speaker is actually a horn, but as you can see by looking at it, there are definitely three 15" diameter speakers in the cabinet.
John Fogerty had a black one, it produced a very 'rock' tone, clean yet distorted, I had the opportunity to hear it in action live, quite a sound!
Fogerty has a K-200-A4.
Hey Uncle, I was lucky enough to find a Kustom 100 in Charcoal sparkle in AMAZING condition...the seller dropped his price $100 and then drove 75 miles to meet me for the sale...he even had an inverter in his car so he could plug the amp in and play guitar through it in the parking lot of a Waffle House! I'm in the process of replacing the 2-prong power cord myself ( with help from a Vintage Kustom forum...) but this amp is literally LIKE NEW...everything works except the reverb, and I've ordered a reverb tank that hopefully will work, but I've got pedals for reverb...just stumbled across your video again and wanted to mention the 'new' Kustom! Thanks!
Thanks for sharing, BLG. Your seller was certainly more accommodating than most I have encountered. Best of luck with your new amp :)
I have wonderful Kustom bass head and nice knowing the card loss story and the decal details that help determine the year of origin.
+James Hurley We're glad you enjoyed the video, James. Best of luck with your Kustom bass.
My professor for studio guitar has a small one and it's so damn cool
Thanks for the post. I remember back in the late 60's a high school band called Captain Zero and The Bushmen using these amps. Great memories!
With a name like that, they HAD to be good !! Thanks for the input, Paul. I'm glad the video conjured up some long-lost memories :))
Love your videos, I've learned a lot. I have an older version of this amp with just reverb and vibrato. The modulation circuit in these amps is one of the things that sets them apart, it is a true vibrato that modulates the frequency of the input rather than the volume (tremolo). The Kustom vibrato is almost Leslie type effect but not as pronounced. It's not weak tremolo but a different effect altogether.
Thanks, Jamie. I guess you have the K-200-A, which is supposed to have a much better Tremolo/Vibrato effect than my K-200-B. I would love to hear one in person.
thanks a couple of bass players in the 70's used the fuzz to great advantage one that brings to mind is "dance to the music.
Thanks, Cat. Fortunately, there are only a few small abrasions and tiny little tears, but I'll keep that in mind if I ever do need material for large repairs.
Doug...nice video. I had a green cascade K200B-2 (2 15's) back in the mid 70's that I used for my Wurlitzer 200 electric piano and I loved it. Unfortunately I got tired of carrying the beast around and like a dumb ass sold it. I always missed it. I was fortunate enough a few months ago to find another one exactly like it but surprisingly even in better condition. It is immaculate. I got it for believe it or not $300. Anyway I thought the typical Kustom "hiss" was a little louder than I remembered. Your video reminded me that it is normal for these amps. Thx again for the nice vid. Tim
You're welcome, Tim. Kustom amps tend to be very noisy, at least the ones I've encountered.
I think the harmonic clipper is better suited for single notes. I always liked the sound of that effect, the ones I heard were more mellow sounding. That rig is more suited for a keyboard with the horn and all. That being said, the Kustom amps are an interesting piece of history, I have fixed a couple, but I have no desire to have one in my stable. Thanks for giving us a look at this one, the blue sparkle was my favorite color.
You're welcome, Mike.
I remember back when I started playing guitar in the late 70's you could get a Kustom head and 2x15 cab for around 100 bucks...The Guitar and Drum Center ( my local music store back then ) had a ton of them because they rented them out to kids who took lessons there. Long story short they ended up selling them dirt cheap to get rid of them. My first amp was a Kasino Lounge Bass 25 watt 1x15 solid state combo which was made by Kustom...it was super quiet and still works perfectly today.
+Franklin Wilson Those were the good old days, Franklin. Sadly, however, good vintage amps are getting real scarce and relatively expensive. You're lucky you still have your old Kustom. Thanks for your input.
+Uncle Doug ...sure thing ...enjoy your videos....if I would have known then what I know now !
Yep.....I think we can all agree with that sentiment :)
Yes, those big 15" Jensen's have wonderful bass response.
Loved this video as someone from Kansas (and I know Chanute pretty well) and who admires vintage pro audio. This makes me want to learn how to do tuck and roll upholstery. As a hobby I build vintage-look modern speakers, and this would be a great look to try. Thanks for sharing!
You're welcome, E39. Best of luck with your projects.
Looking at these remind me of going to Quarte singings in South Carolina
Nearly every band would use these until Peavey became popular.
They must have had some husky roadies, MC :)
@@UncleDoug Nah ,No roadies . Just some strong Black Men. This was the 70's
I bought used a 3 x 15 bottom Kustom and same colour (metal flake blue) It had a Kustom metal plaque between the two sound holes Used fine fine steel wool and solvent to clean the vinyl. Used a good black vinyl spray paint. Then a few vinyl repairs tears. Traynor face and speaker botton new black grill cloth. Looked great. I gigged with this unit for 7 years. Made my Fender Precision sound great. Had 3 Jensen 15 speakers. Sold off for 4 times what I paid for it. I miss it.
They're great speaker cabs, Capt'n......mine was missing the Kustom plaque, but there were no holes where one was ever mounted (?)
brings back many memories. used most of times in bar room, lodges, etc. used wuth 1960 telecaster and foot pedals, . had a great reverb. always went back to it , after trying many amps.
Glad you enjoyed it, Maynard :)
I bought my KB200-2 in 1969; it had teal sparkle tuck & roll which was a bit more rare than the blue. That sucker was loud! It lacked the boosts & the harmonic clipper but that didn’t matter to me. I had a Rosac Nu-Wa pedal that provided both fuzz & wah-wah. The amp was equipped with 2 15 inch Jensens & I replaced the horn in the top with a JBL D140F. We placed the horn into a homemade cabinet designed to spin like a Leslie speaker. Sounded pretty good but almost shimmied off the stage it was so unstable! I sold my KB200 just last year (2022). Kinda broke my heart to part with her, but she was too loud & cumbersome to play in the house. Our bass player had a black tuck & roll KB200 with 2 2x15 inch cabs. We also had the Kustom PA with silver sparkle & 2 3x15 inch Jensen cabs. Man those were the days!
Thanks for sharing with us, Mr. M :)
Great video. Here are a few notes. The holes in the side of the cabinet is for special brackets that the PA head used. This was to use with the Kustom stand adapters. The filter caps are what was known as computer grade caps. I have never seen one go bad in my 40 plus years of servicing them. The hi and low jacks are probably not hi z and low z but are hi for higher pitched ( less bass) instruments and the low jacks have more low end on them. The special sealant on the back was probably added later I have never seen it on any I have worked on.
+neutrodyne Thanks for your knowledgeable input, Neutro :)
I had a black roll & tuck Kustom speaker cabinet with 3 15 inch Altec-Lansing speakers with the silver cones (voice coils). I had a 150 amp head and a '72 Fender Telecaster. I could never turn up the volume past 3 or 4 tops. It would simply blow yer ears off. Wish I still had it. I worked hard as a Marine Sergeant for that gear and sold it all when I got married (dumb me)! I sure enjoyed standing in front of that speaker cabinet and playing the feedback with my fuzz tone. Yep, my cabinet was just as tall as was I. I bought my set up on time at a music store just outside the gate at Cherry Point, NC. I guess it was a '72 or '71 model as I didn't get it until it was completely paid off. I paid on that equipment every week after I got back from Vietnam. My 150 amp head was quiet as a mouse. No hum whatsoever.
That sounds like quite a rig, Rusty. You were fortunate that it was hum-free.....many aren't :)
This is one of the amps that I kinda dream for. I live nowhere near a place where I can get my hands on that kind of machine (Brazil). The CCR sound was that, a rickenbacker and a Les Paul tuned to D in the middle position.
I hope someday you can get one, Joao :)
Thanks, Sunnhead. The speakers are completely original (the cabinet had never been opened until I opened it to inspect the speakers), but there are three Jensen speakers in the cabinet, which complicates the wiring scheme. If they are indeed 16-Ohm speakers, then perhaps they are arranged in a combination of series and parallel to produce a final impedance of 8 ohms, and the extra 4.5 ohms I measured was due to the wiring between the speakers. I have always considered it to be an 8 ohm cabinet.
I still have a few that look like that one except in black; and some od the later ones with the more conventional covering on them....
When I wasn't playing the accordion through a Magnatone 480 doing very loud polkas; I was playing keyboard in a more conventional group. By doing that I was employed every weekend...
Thanks Doug.
I can just visualize the "very loud polkas", Dennis. The things we do to make a living ;)
if nothing else there is no cooler looking man cave corner decoration....
I agree, Len. One glimpse of a 6' tall, tuck & rolled Kustom amp lurking in the corner, and you instantly know that you're in the right place :)
Uncle Doug I have learned so much from you.. I think you are an amazing super smart individual..your Kustom amp is beatiful..
Best reverb I’ve ever heard..
I have to agree, CG......No wonder John Fogarty liked these amps :)
Hey Uncle Doug
I have been watching a lot of your videos they are excellent but I have never came across this one until today. I see it’s 7 years old and you might not get this note but I have an interesting story that I thought you might appreciate about it. Back in the 70s I had the Kustom model 250 head with it’s black padding. I wanted to make it into a smaller and lighter amp for jobbing, so I took an old Peeve bottom that I had with 6 10 inch speakers and removed the 2 top speakers, then remove the amp head from the padded enclosure and mounted it into the bottom where the 2 top speakers were at. It took a little work but it came out great it look like it came that way from the factory with the bottom being covered in its original black vinyl material. I have to assume it’s the only one like it in the world LOL. It was a great sounding amp for doing all different kinds of shows clubs, weddings, even outdoor concerts and I used it to play gigs for over 30 years. I agree the reverb on these Kustom amps are amazing my 250 had a push and pull out knob that turn the reverb into • super reverb “ it sounded twice as good with the really long sustain, and very reliable I never had to repair it once in all the years I used it.
Anyway, I still have that amp to this day, once I modified that amp I hardly ever used my Fender Twin reverb amp much. I did not have any 60 Cycle hum problems on it, it was a very quiet and Clean sounding amp even at high volumes. I also had its big brother the Kustom 300 PA amp head also in the black padding, we used that for most of our gigs as well it was another great sounding amp and perfect PA system with it’s two matching padded speaker columns for doing smaller gigs.
I hope you find this story interesting, if you want any pictures let me know and I will send you some.
Thank You for all of the great videos you post I love all of them. Say hi to Jack and Olly for me.
Louie
IL USA 🇺🇸
Thanks for sharing your interesting experiences with us, Louie.
GNP of Peru! Thanks Doug.. I am bidding on one right now in Japan.
Good luck with the bidding, VW :)
Thanks for the replies.. sorry for my typos, as these handheld devices are none too fitting for my fingers ;-) .I will then just leave the cord as is. Your video was very interesting and quite informative as most videos go. I am love the tone these od these interesting solid states.
Why do you literally have the best amp videos?
+GracefulSnowTiger Thanks so much, GST. I give Rusty most of the credit :)
Lots of Naugas gave their lives for that covering! :)
Good riddance.....they are annoying little critters :)
David Perkins ii
Whatever you do, don't feed the Naugas after midnight!
Started playing guitar in 1969 and switched to Bass in 73. If you were in a top notch garage band back in the day, the only thing Kustom you would have is their PA System. Everything else was Fender, Orange, Ampeg, HIWATT and acoustic. I kind of considered Kustom as a fancy Peavey. You did a great presentation. I am looking forward to buying a Kustom Bass Head, just to toy around with. I still think they are cool. However, I dont see switching from my current 70s acoustic rig.
Thanks for your helpful input, Charles. I think you left out Silvertone 1484's as popular garage gear. God knows they caused plenty of mayhem in otherwise peaceful neighborhoods :)
Thanks for the added info, Steve, and I'm sorry for repeating the false story about Bud.....but you must admit, it was a great tale !! The ability to use all four effects on one channel makes great sense, it bothered me that you can't on the B; and I spent a lot of time and effort trying to improve my tremolo, but apparently the B trem is just not all that great. I will check out your Kustom video's.....Thanks again !!!
Greetings, Matthew. It seems like the Harmonic Clipper is more popular than I might have anticipated. It really does have a strong heavy metal tone, and I guess I should have given it more emphasis in the demo.
John Fogerty legendary amp :) Solid state design! I think maybe germanium output transistors because germanium transistors in clipping sounds like a tube. Silicium no. I made a little 15W RMS solid state guitar amp with 2xAD161/162 in parallel and with Goodmans loudspeaker amp sounds like a 2x6V6 (europian EL84) in clipping. Preamp also with Ge transistors. Si transistors sounds "cold". The Italian factory Montarbo has in early 70's created an excellent 80W amplifier with four Ge transistors (two and two in parallel) in push-pull, with transformer for phase shifter and output transformer, with two channels preamp made as a copy of Kustom amplifier preamp.Thanx for this video.
You're welcome, Pero. Thanks for your very knowledgeable input :)
Thanks....and congratulations on your acquisitions.....they are wonderful speakers !!
This is great and had that amp as a teenager
Glad you enjoyed it, James.
What was the price of this amp back in 1969, Uncle Doug?
I used the normal channel and got good feedback with harmonic clipper. When you turned on the harmonic clipper, you lost volume power though
@@jameskessel5138 I have no idea, James. Perhaps an internet search would reveal the original price.
Great video. Informative, and concise. The only complaint I have is that the intonation on the test guitar is off. You've probably corrected that by now. Nevertheless, keep the videos coming. You do have the knack for teaching. Thanks for posting.
Thanks so much....glad you enjoyed the video :)
I bought one of those back in 1970, had it for several years until my house was burglarized and it was stolen. I didn't have the 3x15" cabinet though, had 2 of the 2 x 15" cabinets. Mine wasn't particularly noisy though. When turned way up (which I always did at a gig) there was a slight hiss, not enough to be objectionable. It ROCKED!! :-)
Your burglars were more energetic than most.....unless they came specifically for the Kustom amp.
@@UncleDoug Yeah, that head was no lightweight. They came in and exited through a basement window, so they couldn't take the speakers, but they wrestled the amp, a keyboard, all my mics and stands out that window. Fortunatley I had taken a Teac 3340 4 track recorder, all guitars and my Arp Odyssey upstairs in the house, so they didn't get those. I think my wife and I returned home while the burglars were still in the basement, probably the only reason they didn't come upstairs for the rest of the stuff.
Sounds like a group of penniless, dastardly musicians who knew you and where the gear was stored. @@jpdenk
@@UncleDoug Yes, and it was probably partially my own fault. I was selling off some of my equipment, and had a few prospective buyers show up, showed them what was for sale and they didn't buy. It was probably one of them. Felt like an idiot. In my defense, I was in my early 20's and tended to be too trusting due to youthful ignorance of the ways of the world.
That's one of the major drawbacks of garage sales, Craigslist, and FB Marketplace......you actually play host to the thieves. @@jpdenk
The blue finish has always been one of my favs...
#kustom #vintage
Mine too, Sammy. I'm glad you liked it :)
Wow! I love this guy!! Kustom amps are very unique to say the least.. Not my cup of tea but fascinating.. Good job!!
Robby Fair Thanks, Robby.....glad you liked it :)
Love it! About 20 years ago, I bought a gold 2x15 version of this cabinet and a Lucky brand tube amp head ( a 2 6L6 and 4 12ax7 bass man kinda thing) for $40. At the time i kinda thought i got ripped off.lol I sold both to a giy for $100 Now, id give $400 to get that rig back.
I feel your pain. Back in the 70's I bought an immaculate 1965 Corvette Stingray for $1500, but didn't like it because it had an automatic transmission and air conditioning.......so, like a complete idiot, I sold it (for about that amount). Undoing my foolishness would probably cost me 40 to 50 times that amount now.
The hissing noise comes from the preamp stages. If no 60 cycle hum don't replace the ps caps..no need. The hiss come mostly from the early semiconductors from my understanding. Have a Blue bass 200-1 and 2 twin 15 JBL D140 bins I use live. Love the sound!!!
Thanks for the helpful info, Craig.
hey uncle doug :) i really liked what you said about high dollar amps. i love the old kustom stuff. Their 4x12 PA tall cabs have 4 25 watters. they are a diamond in the rough also. Two other low dollar goodies i would like to see more of are the Traynor mark3 ( 250$ off craigslist in san francisco) and a carvin x100b from the early 80's (200 bucks: cr/lst). Thanks for the great vids :) I bought both of them.
Greetings, Fatz. We share an appreciation for the fact that not all really good amps have to be really expensive. There are some real "diamonds" out there for those who take the time to listen and evaluate them. Congratulations on your two acquisitions.
Great vid! I love the Kustom sound. Thanks for posting this.
+Mike Haskins You're welcome, Mike.....glad you enjoyed it :)
We all loved reverb back then didn’t we, Uncle Doug? I think you may be stuck in the past. lol
Fascinating story about Bud Ross. I saw in interview of him. He seemed like a hard worker, great boss, family man and a reliable business man. I guess everyone has a bit of foolishness in them. Some of us more than others. lol
My band had a Kustom PA which I thought sounded great (with the reverb turned up, of course) and was totally reliable after many bumps on the road. I was the singer, so the PA was important to me.
Yes we did and still do, Dan. Thanks for sharing :)
I always wanted a Kustom amp....They were made fairly close to where I live ,Where I live is Chetopa Kansas which is about 65 miles south of Chanute...I might add that these amps had a lifetime warranity on them.It showed pride and confidence in their product.Little good the guarintee does now though.....RIP Bud Ross.
We had a successful Kustom distributor in my area (West Texas) and they pop up here in Craigslist ads from time to time (where I found this one). I think they are among the most impressive and unusual amps you can find. Definitely worth owning......if just for watching the expression on people's faces when they see one.
@@UncleDoug Yeah Doug ,Those amps were beautiful ,The silver ones reflected light which would be really cool with colored stage lights.Very nice amps indeed.By the way Great vid on this.
Thanks, Mike :)
@@UncleDoug Youre welcome Doug.
That amp sounds amazing
Thanks, AW :)
@@UncleDoug the guitar playing and amp settings certainly helped🎸
The Silvertones are good amps. My favorites from the 50's and 60's are the amps that Valco made for Gretsch, Supro, National, Oahu, Airline, etc. Let's face it, any amp with a power transformer is probably going to be better and safer than the "boxes of death" that don't. Other good brands are Premier and Magnatone. All are well made with good components and are reasonably easy to fix.
My two friends had tall Kustoms like this one but I think they were a year or so older. They were both silver flake and sounded pretty bright. I had a '65 blackface Twin Reverb. Those were the days. Hurricane Katrina took it.
Thy may have been K200-A models.....the first ones made, and supposedly the best. Ugh.....losing a BFTR would be hard to live with.
these were the standard in the 70s...remember seeing them everywhere
They made a nice display on stage, and were definitely loud enough to be heard in the back row :)
Being a bit of a "shut in" due to my health, I greatly appreciate watching your videos....thanks for the time, effort and info. I gotta ask.....what is your guitar? Those pick ups sound vintage no matter what amp you plug into.
Greetings, Dash. Sorry to hear of your health problems, but glad you find our videos entertaining. The shop guitar I always use is a 1979 Matsumoku Vantage Performer V-695 with MMK-45 (very hot humbucker) pickups. I got it, in lousy shape, from a pawnshop, for less than $200 (with case !!) and fixed it up for use in the workshop. You can see it in the opening scene of the Shock Hazards video.
I just one of this just the head. Thank you for share!
You're welcome, MJ.
It's been many months since I worked on this amp and I don't recall the exact location of the connection, but I don't believe it matters, since virtually any point on a chassis makes a good ground. The schematics for this model (pre-amp and power amp) are readily available on the Internet. You can download a set for future reference.
Greetings, MIJ. I have never seen this model, but it appears to be very compact and it offers both reverb and tremolo, so it seems like a great amp.......Congratulations !!
I remember those. They were beasts! That reverb tho!
John Fogarty liked them too :)
I love these amps.... For a Solid State they are great!! I have owned
I agree, Bob. I think they are under-appreciated.
I also wonder how the thick, padded covering affects the resonance of the cabinet. If people agonize over the difference between nitrocellulose and polyurethane coatings on guitars, you would think that an inch-thick layer of foam and naugahyde would have a much greater influence on the speaker cabinet. Whatever the effect, it seems quite positive, because this speaker cabinet is one of the best I have ever heard.
My brother was a dealer for Kustom in the early '70s ... we sold a bunch of them. I have to say that I doubt the external cover had much to do with the sound quality of the speaker cabinets. Cannot remember ... but they might have been made from pressed wood, which has no resonant frequency, from what I have read. Kustom also used some pretty good speakers, as I recall, and the cabs had sufficient air space. The early amps were pretty flat sounding electronically, as in not much interesting tone, IIRC. But the electronics got better and better. I saw "Tommy James and the Shondells" in the old Jacksonville Coliseum, and they used all Kustom, maybe around 1966-67? Have to admit, the band sounded fabulous and those amps were running quite loud. Their amps were particularly good for bass. The bassist in my band back then had a charcoal sparkle head and TWO 3X12 cabs, and that thing covered everywhere we played in Tallahassee, including some outside jobs. Kustom also made a real fine sounding PA system that competed well with the Shure Vocal Master, and was more reliable.
And BTW, I have three Stratocasters with nitro, and one with polyurethane, and it is my considered opinion, that the urethane finished Strat (a beautiful piece of ash) is just lifeless compared to the three nitro guys. But poly is great if you want a guitar that stays new all of its life and never ages!
Yes, and the materials would have cost a lot more.....not to mention the (literally) hundreds and hundreds of staples that had to be put in individually. Having removed the back door of this cabinet (a tough job) to inspect the speakers, I can attest to the excellent workmanship that was readily evident, even inside the cabinet where it would probably never be seen.
That harmonic clipper is awesome!
Glad you like it, Alex :)
I owned one in the early 70’s. Wish I still had it!
I got my EE in 76 and went to work for TI as a circuit designer/test engr. So with my new engineering knowledge, it would’ve been fun to go thru the circuit & see how much hiss could be removed. First thing I’d try is swap those noisy carbon resistors out for quieter metal film ones, especially the hi value resistors in the preamp section. Swap out some of the preamp section caps for too.
I don’t remember what transistors were in my Kustom head, the preamp section, but knowing the improvements made in transistor design & in the fab process over the years, I’m sure much quieter ones could be substituted for those old 60’s bipolar transistors. I wouldn’t touch the output section.
Thanks for your knowledgeable input, A. It would be great if you could quiet one of these beasts down and document the process on YT.
Hi..just watched this Kustom amp video..a previous comment mentioned the overdrive would be for single notes..I would suggest further that this feature used dynamically and consistant is a very good feature..a guitarist with vision & good ear will really make these Kustom amps howl..beautifull in appearance as well..I mistakenly thought the older models were tube units based on the groups of the times..circa late 1960's..early 1970's that used them..they held a visual and occular presence unmistakably unique to a stage set up...over the years solid state amps have come into their own niche..still..tube amps are known for the edge they have for cut through presence..these Kustoms , however..are kick ass good
I am not familiar with any tube-containing Kustom amps, James. I agree that they look and sound great :)
My first guitar amp was the PA version of this amp with the 2 COLUMNS WITH 4 TENS stacked together it was cool looking ,sounded ok if you turned it up to 10 or 11.When you are 16 looks are everything
So true, EJ :)
@@UncleDoug Hi ya Pard , Just jogged past this post from you again and wanted to say hello and just for the sake of convenience ,how simple would it be to drop that 28V down to 12 V so you could Auto Zone that pwr lite bulb
What an awesome video! thank you. I love these amps and I always wanted one of that series.
forgot to mention...i believe the castors are original.
+HalfLifeAMD You're welcome, HL, and thanks for your nice comments. I share your enthusiasm for the vintage Kustom amps.
+Uncle Doug thanks for taking the time to do an indepth video!
You're welcome, HL. Glad you enjoyed it :)
doug i knew the man that engineered the amps at kustom.he was a good friend of mine.his name was bob brinkman.he worked for kustom for 16 year.and also engineered the casino amps too.he also engineered for dean markley amps and spent a lot of time with him when did the dr. fong amps.
Thanks for sharing this with us, Jesse. Kustom amps were a part of rock music history and Bob deserves plenty of credit for making it happen.
I have the same 3-15 cab that has been fitted with a Peavey 4-10 and Fender 4-10 for a total of 8-10's. I would love to have the matching head.
Wow.....Eight 10's.....like a double tweed Bassman :)
You're welcome, Shane. Rusty and I like your icon pic. Sadly, I did not get the pedal with the amp. I hate discussing prices because each deal is unique, but I will say that if you get lucky and find one of these in a garage like I did, and the owner just wants to get rid of it (nagging wife), it might only cost a (very) few hundred dollars. In a vintage guitar & amp store, all spruced up, I would imagine well over $1000. They are gaining in popularity and the prices are escalating.
Oh, a lot of those orange capacitors are NOT orangedrops as in
many tube amps but, rather tantalum types that are actually low voltage but rather high capacitance.
My K200's have no 60 cycle hum since I replaced the power supply capacitors. But, even before
replacing them, the amps did not have a lot of AC hum. Back when I was a teen, these
amps were the amps to have. They were really reliable but very expensive. The amp in this
video would have set you back around $1,500 back in 1969. That was a lot of cash back then!
The reverb / vibrato model is an excellent surf guitar amp. Probably among the best since
surf guitar is all about clean tone with lots of reverb and at times vibrato.
Their biggest competition was from Acoustic. Acoustic amps were a little louder then Kustom
amps and were a quasi-complimentary design where as the Kustom was a fully complimentary design.
I have both Kustom and Acoustic amps and they are great sounding and are not all harsh and mean sounding like a
lot of tube amp snobs would have you believe. (I also have several tube amps I love as well).
Thanks for all the great info, A1. I agree that a K200-4 is about as good a surf amp as you will ever hear.
a fun blast from the past!
Glad you enjoyed the video :)
Uncle Doug
Yeah I remember visiting a music store on 10th or 12th avenue in Portland OR in 1971 seeing a bunch of Kustoms.. I was really happy with my blackface Fender Vibrolux Reverb with 2 10s,( still have it) but I was really impressed by the reverb sound of the Kustoms.. of course, the covering was incredible.. I should also point out that Sunn were made here in a Portland suburb so we saw lots of them around here. Kustoms were not in every guitar store.. they were more exclusively marketed.. They were quieter when new.. probably as transistors and caps age and got leaky... meaning more noise. Thanks again for posting this..
Memories of long-past visits to local music stores are fond indeed, JW. If I only had access to lots of money and storage space, there is no limit to the collection of vintage guitars and amps I would now own. Your final comments about Kustoms being noisy is valid.....they do tend to pop and sizzle quite a bit. Hopefully, this was not the case when they were new :)
Greetings, BG1. If you are speaking of the RCA-style outlet on the right side of the rear of the amp, near the ID Tag, I understand that it is an output "for recording purposes"......i.e. it must bypass the speakers, so you can access the signal without the noise.
You had to have real dough to buy one of these. Back in the '60s, they looked terrific, sounded terrific and were insanely loud. When your band showed up sporting these amps, (I'd seen as many as three on stage) it sent the message your band was in the game for keeps and the crowd knew it. You still had to deliver the goods, however.
+oldjohn1951 An excellent analysis of the value of not only looking good, but sounding good. To me the best possible example would be CCR.....with a wall of Kustom amps behind them. They definitely delivered the goods :)
+Uncle Doug Love the amp reviews. The one amp that got away from me was a Mosrite Award. From the reviews I've seen, I'm glad it did. Keep going. Best always
Likewise, John :)