kustomhead Messages: 121 Registered: April 2012 Location: Redding, Ca
Senior Member
I have a K200B-4 and use outboard tremelo and reverb pedals to get that CCR sound. I have a K50-2 also and am thinking about running it for the trem-vib and the B-4 for the clipper and boost. Would I just daisy chain the 2 amps? What about mixing hi and low inputs on one of the amps if I do that? (in high and out low on one of the amps to guitar)
I don't think that you can do what you want to do.
If you run the guitar into the high input of the boost channel of the B4 and then take a second cord from the low input and run that to the low input of the reverb channel you can play with all 4 effects in parallel on the B4 head.
If you run the second cord to the K50 you can get the added two effects, but they will only come out of the K50.
If the K50 has a monitor output, you could try and reduce its' output low enough to be able to run it into the input of the B4. But I don't know how good that will sound.
In any case, if you do try and use two amps at the same time be certain that they are both grounded the same and plugged into the same outlet, or you may have problems.
pleat Messages: 1452 Registered: June 2004 Location: Belding, Mi
Senior Member
The main problem with the K200B-4 head is, left bright channel has the reverb and vibrato, and the right normal channel has the selective boost and harmonic clipper. If you were to use a Y Cable or connect the two channels together with a patch cable from one channel to the other channel, you diminish the effects of both channels.
For example if you want reverb and harmonic clipper together, the clipper side channel volume would have to be set higher to have the fuzz dominate, and the other reverb channel would have to be turned lower resulting in less reverb and that channel is still producing the clean signal from the guitar so the harmonic clipper won't sound as good since the clean channel is still active. Since you said you use stomp boxes for tremolo and reverb anyway, I'd just use those effects and plug into the normal channel with the selective boost and harmonic clipper. That gives you, your stomp box effects and selective boost and clipper.
You have the same problem if you add the K50 and hook them together. The K50 is always going to play a clean signal and running the signal from that amp to the clipper channel of the K200B-4 head the only thing you'd be adding is the reverb,vibrato/tremolo of the K50.
The simplest way is to add a distortion pedal along with what you already have, then you don't have to worry all the patching and you can use the three pedals with either amp and get more controlled results from both amps, since your only using them as basic amps and the effects are coming from you stomp boxes.
I run a processor pedal that gives me a world of effects all from the pedal, so my patches are the same regardless if I'm playing my K50 or one of my larger Kustom amps.
I'm not a tech, but I would think it about impossible to convert a K200B-4 head so that all the effects run from a single channel.
That's the reason the K200A-4 heads are more popular since all effects run from the left channel.
sunnhead Messages: 221 Registered: June 2010 Location: Minnesota
Senior Member
I agree with Pleat. I understand what you are trying to do with the effects. I have Both B4 model and A4 Model. The A4 is very unique in my opinion. The tremolo is different then the B series. And the Clipper is slightly different also. They are hard to come by, I'm lucky to own two. I love the mix of all the effects. Funny back in the day they didn't carry on with that. I asked one of the board tech's from back in the day at a Chanute gathering why they did it that way. He simply said that's just what we did. Funny enough they sold plenty amplifiers anyway, then in the 250 series they went back to all the effects on one channel. Those are good amplifiers also. I like how they sound. They do have some issues with the way they connected the boards inside, but nothing fatal.. oh that the blue power switches.... those can be a hazard if they fail. Another thought.. talking about CCR John did play an A-4 plugged into a K400B-4. Im not sure how it all was wired. I assume he had to of took the RCA jack out and plugged it into an input of the 400. I guess unless I meet him ill never get a straight answer on that.
C4ster Messages: 686 Registered: June 2001 Location: Mukwonago, WI (Milwaukee...
Senior Member
I am quite sure that both amps were A4's. The second amp was a spare, just in case. I just checked the video of CCR at Royal Albert Hall and there are great shots of the amp stack of John Fogerty and they are definitely A4's. The top amp was connected to his guitar but the second amp below was not turned on, or the lamp was burned out.
Conrad
pleat Messages: 1452 Registered: June 2004 Location: Belding, Mi
Senior Member
I have an article I cut out of a June 1969 Guitar Player Magazine interviewing John Fogerty. When asked of amps, He states
"I use a Kustom 200A-4 and a Fender Vibrolux." When asked, Do you hook your amps in series or parallel? John then goes on to state, "The 200 and 400 watt amps are hooked in series with a simple bridge connection from (existing) output of the 200 to the input of the 400. Obviously this is only used for concerts."
Which brings up, what does he mean with a simple bridge connection? The speaker output of the K200 would damage the input channel of the K400. There must have been some dropping resistors in the bridge connection to reduce the output of the K200 to keep the K400 from damage.
Years ago, Bob Brinkman the head tech at Kustom told me that adding a line out is a simple 100K resistor from the speaker output in series with a 6.8K resistor to ground. the line out tap is taken between the 100K and 6.8K resistors that allows you a line out to drive another power amp. Maybe John used something like this to keep the tone from the K200 and still drive the K400 for more gain in concerts.
pleat