Serial number info. Vintage Kustom amplifier Kustom SC series amp. Vintage Guitar memorabilia and music memorabilia for sale at Greg's Vintage Guitars. Kustom began to place a separate serial number on the cabinets about 1969. Ports The trademark. The only vintage Kustom Kombo amp I have. Shop from the world's largest selection and best deals for Kustom Vintage Guitar Amplifiers. Shop with confidence on eBay!
Your fingertips are a great origin. This amp is a great secondary tone control. All the best.
Trouble is we're the same age, so I guess I'll have to murder him to get it:-). Also if you have an unquenchable hankering for a Kustom K200 guitar, Mike Robinson at Eastwood Guitars Custom Shop is doing a limited run of reproductions. Mike's instruments are manufactured in China, but I have a couple and the quality is very good.
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The transformers were made by Enegren or Hisonic in Olathe, KS and were really beefy, the opt was copied from an Acrosound. Old Fenders had Triad OEM or Schumachers that were much less well interleaved and would distort nicely in the guitar frequency band whereas the hi fi ones only distorted with so much overdrive the screens were either clipping or white hot.
I should have the other 15 tomorrow, so I should be able to swap out the speakers tomorrow night. The silver lining in all this is I've had a good chance to get to know the amp and cabinet while trying to track down this rogue package. I've been using it for both guitar and bass, and liking it a lot. I feel like I will be able to make an informed decision as to which speakers I prefer. Zon6c-f: This rig will be gigged. I'm in a 7-piece oldies/covers/few originals band. I can't honestly tell you the last time I saw a full or even half-stack at a gig.
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Junior Member Hi, Les. I just bought the Kustom Amp below at a Guitar Center in Kansas City. It was a one owner and is in great condition and sound. Just want to confirm this was manufactured in the Fall of 1969.
Kustom PA The company was eventually sold to the Baldwin Piano Company of Cincinnati Ohio. At the time Baldwin was venturing into the guitar business by purchasing Burns Guitars and its inventory. Could Kustom amp schematics be the basis of Baldwins amplifiers? I don't know.
Any volume beyond this resulted in distortion equal to Jack Bruce/ Felix Papplardi. I have one cabinet with 2- CTS; total ohmage @ 8 OHMS. Head is rated @100watts R M S; 50WATTS WITH In those days, my Lifetime Waranty was still inm effect; service was completed for free.no questions asked. However, that service tech is no longer around and Lifetime Warnty is no longer in efffect. Questions: 1) Does anyone know which/ what component is at fault in my Brite Switch Section? [ very low volume is discernable when Brite Switch is engaged, BTW] 2) Is there any remedy/ upgrade of component to make my head sound 'better'? I have always heard that Kustom heads were 'loud', but Loud on mine means uncasseptable distiortion levels.
One distributor could sell the Kustom brand and one could sell Kasino without competing with each other. Was an early supporter of the Kasino line.
A little too much if you ask me. Star plus india.
Charles 'Bud' Ross produced the first Kustom amp which comprised two fifteen inch speakers mounted side-by-side in a horizontal white sparkle cabinet with and a non-Frankenstein head. The first amp was built for a member of the Nebraska Hall of Fame and is now a featured display in the collection of Rainbow Recording Studios in Omaha, Nebraska. The company was owned by Bud Ross from 1964 until June 1972, when Ross sold it to Baldwin Pianos. The sale was finalized just prior to the 1972 Summer NAMM show where the metal/slant face Kustom amps were introduced. Later Bud Ross established a fairly lucrative business which manufactured police handheld radars. During the following years the factory in and the associated trademarks would change ownership numerous times.
And Kustom offered this unusual covering with the option of seven sparkly colors: black, blue, cascade (blue/green), charcoal, gold, silver, and red. If you ever have a chance to see a vintage Kustom catalog, you’ll instantly realize why every Kustom amp appears to be different— the company offered nearly every possible configuration you could think of. Endless options are great, but trying to differentiate and identify Kustom amps can be extremely frustrating because three different sets of identification numbers were used: series numbers, model numbers, and catalog numbers. Series numbers are usually found on the front of the amp—under or behind the Kustom logo—and consist of values like 25, 50, 100, 200, and higher.
The optional speakers were the aforementioned JBL D140 F's and the Altec 421A's. I personally like the Altecs a little more than the JBLs.
Mesa Boogie 'Mark' series amplifiers appeared in the late 1970s generating a huge impact. Everyone wanted to clone the popular design, including Kustom Electronics. Kustom's answer to the Mark series was a hybrid amplifier series called 'K-Studio.' The K-Studio was among the last traditional Kustom products, as subsequent Kustom trademark owners no longer had any affilition with the old Kansas-based company. Today, Kustom amplifiers are considered fairly collectible and are preferred by some vintage enthusiasts for their solid-state tone.
I'm considering selling mine. Thanks for all the effort and research you put into this entry. My jam buddy/songwriting partner has a black K200 with two 15' JBL's which he bought new back in the day.He says he's leaving it to me in his will.
BACKGROUND: In mid 80's I took my head in for service. The 'Brite' side would go dead when I engaged the 'brite' switch. Ths was my fave tone; Brite-side: Brite switch: ON. Bass: Full, Treble: Full. Volume between 2-4.
2 Plugs, vertically aranged, top high, bottom low; volume; middle; treble, which can be pulled out to make a bright sound. Next channel: same plug set; volume; bass; same thing with the treble knob (I know there is no middle); and Master Voicing, which affects everything; and then a power switch which goes up, middle, or down. Both up and down turn it on. That help at all? Oh yeah, the big K looks like this, but it is White and Filled In.
Altec Lansing no longer manufactures guitar speakers. These new version amplifiers use Eminence speaker which are made in Eminence Kentucky about 100 miles south of Cincinnati Ohio. Let's get back to the Ross Kustom line. In the 1970’s Kustom came out with a product line under the Kasino name that produced guitar/bass amplifiers and P.A. Shortly after losing the Kustom Company, Ross moved to Los Angeles and started Road Electronics which manufactured Road Amplifiers. These are fairly obscure, but they were definitely made by Bud Ross. For a brief while Kustom produced a line of it’s own guitars that were also made in Chanute Kansas.
The most notable merger happened with Gretsch, which at the time was owned by Baldwin. Aside from the Kustom brand, Kustom Electronics also began to manufacture an amplifier line called Kasino. The brand was established in 1972. These were internally the same as Kustom amplifiers but were covered with traditional material as seen on style amplifiers. Kasino amps were used mainly by country music performers who felt the regular Kustom Tuck-And-Roll Naugahyde models were too flashy. Another reason for establishing a parallel brand was simply to gain a greater share of the amplifier market.
Guitars As noted above, Kustom also produced a line of guitars in the 1967-1969 designed by Doyle Reading who also designed guitars for Wurlitzer. Model numbers were similar to the amplifiers of the time, with the K-200 being a semi-hollow body instrument with a cats-eye sound hole giving it a somewhat Rickenbacker-style look.
Hot Rod Cars are still a focus here, but the situation has changed dramatically. And yes the same man is responsible for both product lines.
S Tuck-and-Roll S.N. Senior Member If anyone wants the exact production date of your Kustom amp, please let me know the following info: Required 1) Serial number 2) Model number 3) Production code on top front frame of amp chassis - it is hard to read so please give me the different versions of what you think it says if you are not sure.
Check out the site here Bill in B.C. Custom53 said. I have a '66-'67 Kustom 'Frankenstein' era Amp. With 3=15' Speakers. I have owned this amp for over 20 years and just took the back cover off and found 'Realistic' Speakers. So I am assuming they have been changed sometime in the past.
Also his son lives in Tennessee, has his own archery line (Maximum Archery) and is also in a southern rock band which I don't know the name of. I do know he doesn't pay his debts if he can get away with it. His name is Andy Ross. He did spend $110k on a Corvette that Counts Kustoms built.
And police radar guns? Yes folks it’s all true.
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If not, someone on the Kustom site will probably have some. If you have access to a fax, PM me the number and I'll send you what I have. If you're a bit of a purist like me, I can direct you to a Bissel site that has the exact 3 prong cord 'storage' clip just like Kustom. A bit pricey, but. There are also directions for replacing the cord on the Kustom site using the search function. As original owner of 1971 K 200-B, I have some questions.
They still sound great but I don't believe they are original to the amp. I am trying to find a value for this amp.
Also, if I make my single 2x15 cab run at 4-Ohms, will the amp output properly, just to that 1 cab? Well C-64, you've surely had the crap on that second speaker. Over soon maybe. Zon6c-f I've completed the rehab and posted some pics of the Kustom X1-18B folded horn cab on the Acoustic site. Back to C-64 Yea, I normally look at the Kustom site once daily and post as needed. I just visited and didn't have any problems. I even started a thread last night.
Tuck and Roll custom hot-rod upholstery Interesting how well the Rock-Music/Hot-Rod connection worked in the 50s/early 60s. Consider the Gibson Firebird and Fender Stratocaster guitars, both of which had direct aesthetic relations to youth-favored automotive designs of the times.
Woodson Electronics, Inc. From was an independent business entity founded by Mike Woodson in the early 1970s (around the same time when Kustom was acquired by Gretsch). Mike was Bud's brother-in-law and all amps and P.A.
4) Color Optional (these can be used to verify that the production date is reasonable.) 5) Transformer date code 6) Pot codes - all of them, as the most recent date is the most important. 7) Date codes of any other parts that are more recent than the transformer or pot codes. I can identify about 80% of the production dates.
Even resetting my password, it doesn't seem to take. I want to ask stevem about his rectifier diode set-up. I have the diodes and tag strips, and I'd like to recap it, as well, since I plan to gig this puppy. THis may be a dumb question, but I have come across people 'jumpering' the channels on these. Does that involve putting a pigtail in the inputs on one channel to the other?
The 12th fret had 3 position marker and subsequently there were 2 markers at the high G and high A fret, then one each at the B fret and C sharp fret. The neck was bound and had a steel nut. I agree 100% with 'car amplifiers' comments.excellent information. I have been researching the Kustom 200 guitar.
The transformers were made by Enegren or Hisonic in Olathe, KS and were really beefy, the opt was copied from an Acrosound. Old Fenders had Triad OEM or Schumachers that were much less well interleaved and would distort nicely in the guitar frequency band whereas the hi fi ones only distorted with so much overdrive the screens were either clipping or white hot.
Kasino amps were discontinued in 1975 when Kustom Electronics once again changed ownership. Other parallel brands of Kustom Electronics were Klassic and Camco. Klassic was a brief venture that reputedly fell into trademark disputes with Peavey Electronics who happened to own the 'Classic' trademark. Camco was a brand used for drums. Amplifier component, two channels Some affiliated companies and trademarks were Woodson and Legend.
Vintage Kustom Amp Parts
The car radar units had tuck and roll covering too when they were dash mounted. I used to calibrate and fix police radar. Police radar was nothing but a revenue generator and Kustom’s salespeople sure as hell played it up to departments. That’s why I never had any moral compunction against building a police radar defeater that would make the radar read 30 or 50 when I powered it up. Every sales rep showed every department how to make a radar read whatever a cop wanted it to so as to stop anyone at any time on a speed pretext.
Download the twelve-page 1972 Kustom Electronics, INC catalog for their 150, 250, and 500-series guitar and bass amplifiers. DOWNLOAD: Kustom amps, with their ‘tuck and roll’ sparkle-Naugahyde upholstery covering, are a true icon of the rocknroll amplifier. Bud Ross took the idea of RocknRoll=hot rods to its logical conclusion with these things. Tuck and Roll custom hot-rod upholstery Interesting how well the Rock-Music/Hot-Rod connection worked in the 50s/early 60s. Consider the Gibson Firebird and Fender Stratocaster guitars, both of which had direct aesthetic relations to youth-favored automotive designs of the times. At right: the 1953 Buick Wildcat (). Below that, the Fender Stratocaster, designed in 1953 ().
It's good enough for a small or midsize club gig. It's a great origin for a fat tone. Well, I take that back.
Kustom Amplifiers Vintage
The original Kustom amplifiers will say Kustom by Ross. Bud Ross with Kustom Kat In an original promotion Kustom gave away 'Kustom Kats' with the purchase of an amplifier. I had one of these and gave it away to my girlfriend.
( Since Kustoms are so iconic, there is a ton of information on the web regarding these artifacts and their very colorful and storied creator Bud Ross. Ever wonder what the connection was between Kustom and Kasino? And a gambling addiction? Promo branded halter-tops? Unsavory-looking plush toys?
Long answer as to why that is. Bottom line - on the smaller powered heads, you want every bit of it used, so make sure you put 4 ohms to it.
At right: the 1953 Buick Wildcat (). Below that, the Fender Stratocaster, designed in 1953 (). I wonder why no one has made a Honda Civic or Subaru WRX flavored guitar (or beat-making software interface WHOA maybe getting too far out there) The 1940 Chrysler Windsor, designed by Ray Dietrich () The 1963 Gibson Firebird, also designed by Ray Dietrich () ************* ******* *** From: “ and musicians originally used (Kustom) amps. Other artists known for using the Kustom brand for live applications are,,, and.
Some of the most famous Kustom P.A. Users include Creedence Clearwater Revival,,,,,,Alun Tan Lan(Y Niwl) and.” All of the original 1960s and 70s Kustoms are solid-state amps, so their appeal nowadays is mainly for their cosmetic a(e)ffect. These things were no slouches in the technical department, tho – the 250 and 500 lines shipped with optional JBL or Altec speakers (look for the silver dustcap on the drivers); furthermore, when you come across one of these things nowadays, they generally work well, which is more than can be said for most 40-year-old solid-state guitar amps. Pictured above is a German 1972 pricelist for the entire Kustom line. If there is enough demand I will scan and upload the entire thing. () ( A Kustom-Brand Police Radar gun.
And a gambling addiction? Promo branded halter-tops? Unsavory-looking plush toys?
No, it says underneath a big K Kustom III Bass. As for the other stuff, it has 2 channels. On first channel, I am going left to right.
And police radar guns? Yes folks it’s all true. This is an American Epic.
Kustom Amp Parts
And musicians originally used these amps. Other artists known for using the Kustom brand for live performances are,,, and. Some of the most famous Kustom P.A. Users include,,,,, and. CCR toured from mid-1969 - 1972 using their own massive Kustom 400 PA system due to a lack of quality backline PA systems in venues at that time. As a result, CCR concerts were superior in sound quality, but the cost of transporting the equipment made touring a money losing deal for the band. Hanser Re-issues Hanser Holdings, Inc.
ALSO ANY DEFECTS NOT MENTIONED BUT VISIBLE IN THE PICTURES WILL BE CONSIDERED AS DESCRIBED. For sale now we have a Kustom K150-7 2x12 Guitar amplifier. This amplifier is vintage and very rare to come. The serial number for this unit is 79642 as advertised. The amp comes with the original Kustom black amplifier cover. This amp has been tested and it is in working order.
Generally speaking, these numbers indicate the amount of power multiplied by two. For example, a 200 series amp means 100 watts of power. Model numbers are normally found on the serial-number plate located on the back of the amp, and they range from 1 to 8. The model number indicates the chassis used—with a higher number denoting more features—and repairmen relied on these numbers to know what chassis they were working on. Lastly, the catalog numbers were used in price lists and catalogs so a customer could order the exact amp he or she wanted. These catalog numbers typically followed a number/letter format of X-XXL-X.
If there is enough demand I will scan and upload the entire thing. () ( A Kustom-Brand Police Radar gun.
Also, any chance a spec sheet or manual could be found online for this model? I am thrilled to have found this amp in such great condition. I had a Kustom 200 Bass amp in 1970 that I wished I had never sold. I feel like I got a piece of my youth back today.
I see that you found your way to the Vintage Kustom site. Lots of good folks there and information. Serial #37067 indicates a build time between April and June 1969. If you can give me the numbers on the frame from the speakers, I can tell you when they were made too, and confirm the rig as a matched pair.