Hi there! i'm looking to replace a couple control knobs on an older Kustom head I have, anyplace that sells them reasonably? I can find them on eBay for ridiculous prices!
What style knob are you looking for? The earliest heads had something like stove knobs, with a raised center section. Most of the heads have the black, double dot knobs with the aluminum insert.
The stove knobs are sometimes available in larger hardware stores. The double dot knobs are available from Small Bear Electronics for about $1.50 each in small quantities. They have set screws just like the earlier version of the knob that Kustom used.
Thanks, this has the double dot with the aluminum inserts, thanks so much!!!!! But I have a feeling they aren't original, this is an early "Frankenstein" model, which I would assume had the other knobs originally.
stevem Messages: 4743 Registered: June 2004 Location: NY
Senior Member
What year was the amp made?
I have had a late 66 and a 67 model and they both had the latter type knob.
You can find the top hat type knobs at the flip tops site as the Ampeg B series and many other Ampeg Amps of the 60s used that type.
I'm not sure of the year, the label is missing from the back. But you are right, these may very well be original, I've seen other photos of similar heads with these.
Steve- I don't think that the ones that Ampeg used were the same, as the center section on the Ampegs were shaped on one end to form a pointer. The ones I've seen on Kustoms were just straight across.
Gary- You can look at the parts inside the amp and see if you can read any of the date codes. They will not give you an exact date, but at least that will get you in the ballpark.
On the front panel of the Frankies in the center, there is a Kustom logo and a byline. What does yours say there?
There were three different markings on the Frankie heads. The first was "by Ross and Myers Inc", followed with "by Ross (Space) Inc" and finally with "by Ross Inc".
If there is a space between Ross and Inc, the amp is an earlier one, if there is no space then it is a later one.
Early on Bud Ross had a partner named Myers, so the first few runs were marked with the Myers name. There was a falling out between the two men and then the Myers name was removed from the amp.
To do this the silkscreen was just modified to remove the Myers name, leaving a gap between the words Ross and Inc. Later on the screen artwork was changed and the space between the words was removed.
THere is a large space between Ross & Inc......they are each kind of under the two pairs of input jacks. Thanks so much for all the info, I love learning about the Kustom line!
Hey,
I just checked out Small Bear and they have several that look like they would fit. Which one works best for vintage Kustoms? I have a gold K100 on the way that needs some attention. I was going to contact them, but the actually state on their FAQ section that they don't really know about amps.