| UNscientific Experiment-Kustom wins! [message #1298] |
Mon, 25 February 2002 23:55  |
Country_Gene
Messages: 42
Registered: December 2001
Location: Northwestern New Jersey
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Please bear with me folks.....I will get to the point (eventually).
I've been playing guitar through my K200-B1 2x15 bass amp (with Radio Shack speakers). I use a Dan-O reverb, DanO Eq, and Boss DS1 distortion pedals. I've been alternating between that and my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe combo. I play the Kustom mainly when my wife & kids are out. As you all know, we all play our Kustoms LOUD! Usually I use my Epi Dot through the Kustom.
Anyway, I recently got a Marshall combo. Mainly because I always wanted a Marshall and their new AVT line is "reasonably" priced. I thought the Marshall would go really well with my Epi Dot (335-style). You know - humbuckers and all.
So I tried it (the Marshall) first with my Strat. It sounded great. Actually, the Strat sounds great no matter which amp I use. Then I tried it with my Dot. To my surprise, it sounded horrible! (muddy). Then I tried a little experimentation.
I tried the Dot through my Fender. Sounded better than the Marshall for this guitar. But not quite "right". I tweaked and adjusted the amp. Sounded pretty good, but nothing to write home about. I think you all know where I'm going with this......
When all is said and done, My Epi Dot sounds best through my Kustom rig. Hands down!
With all the new amps with various bells and whistles, my 30 year-old Kustom outperforms them all. Even with 20 year old Radio Shack speakers and inexpensive pedals. In fact, half the time I don't even use the EQ pedal at all. The sound is full and rich with great sustain, and we all know - LOUD!
Just thought I'd share this with everyone.
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| Re: UNscientific Experiment-Kustom wins! [message #1300 is a reply to message #1298] |
Tue, 26 February 2002 19:51  |
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uh huh....another one comes to the light! glad to have you Gene...and yer right..some of my best tones come from my kustoms... like you I tried most everything on the market... I've brought home Marshall Valvestate, Fender Hotrods,PV classics (which I do like btw), I've used all the latest Fender gear from the Princeton on up, the johnson Mil 2x12 and the Roland rigs....many of these have gotten a side by side comparison to my kustoms and yes i did consider gain structure changes etc, to account for the particular amps...coolness factor aside, and in spite of a real desire to own some of these other amps...most of em went back out the door. I have kept the following... a PV classic30..just a great little amp..retubed, but otherwise stock.. it is my TV studio rig, quiet and doesn't project too much off stage, and if someone stole it I could get another no problem... i also have a first issue JCM900 2x12 combo..the 100/50watt switchable one... I've got some sweet ol NOS tubes in there and GTs in the preamp...I'm not real fond of most JCM900s but I've got this one where i like it and it is an important part of my arsenal...and last of all... a '64 Fender Showman head 85 watter..totally refurbed inside, mint out...strong strong amp... but i play it thru my kustom 4x12 ported cab and life is good! I did have a 67/68 super Reverb for a while and it was a great amp..but somebody wanted it more than me and so I sold it and bought a kustom 3x12 cab, matching 200 head, 100 frank head and K100 head to complete other rigs that I had cabs for...all for what I sold the ragged out super for..go figure...other than these...my life is filled with nuttin but tuck n roll! every sound guy and player in this town knows i'm up when they see the amps come out on stage...and I always get great comments on the nostalgia along with amazed jaw drops when they hear how these amps respond to today's pedals...ok... I feel better now..thanks for letting me vent...ya'll Play Loud! ET
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| Re: UNscientific Experiment-Kustom wins! [message #1301 is a reply to message #1298] |
Tue, 26 February 2002 20:24 |
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Hey Gene! I had a Kustom 200 Bass rig when I was in high school 30+ years ago. Before the days of the big PA.....my Kustom did not have what I needed to play bass behind a Marshall stack. SO I sold it! (Still hurts to say that) Then I played Sunn,Acoustic,Traynor,G-K...Tried Hartke, Trace Elliott, Eden, SWR and others in the stores through the years.I just could not find the tone I wanted. Then...in 1999 I came back to Kustom....found the sound I lost so many years ago. I know how you feel. I still keep my G-K around in case someone wants to borrow a bass rig....but when it comes down to it.... I should really sell it and buy a Kustom loaner.....then they will know too!
BC!
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| Re: UNscientific Experiment-Kustom wins! [message #1302 is a reply to message #1301] |
Wed, 27 February 2002 17:50 |
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hey BC...I had just the opposite problem during my years as a bass playing lounge lizard.. I would run a pair of 2x15 cabs with my 200B head...our guitar player typically ran a small combo mic'd into the PA which was mostly a pair of Yamaha big folded horn PA cabs..single 15 with horn..and a huge box...you remember those?..anyway...the poor sound guy was constantly yelling at me to turn down my bass cause his PA couldn't keep up with me in the small clubs..frankly I thought it was fine so I ignored him like I do all sound guys..... I placed a cab on each side of the stage so the keys and guitar could hear me and I'd get better coverage since I was not running into the meager PA..black kustoms backlining my all too worn black tux..and I wore a brim hat and played a black bass...the boy was just bad!
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| Re: UNscientific Experiment-Kustom wins! [message #1304 is a reply to message #1303] |
Wed, 27 February 2002 23:45 |
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The key thing to remember about my first Kustom is that as a 17 year old kid I was sold a bass amp with Jensen 15s in a 2x15 cabinet! This is a big NO NO for bass players! If my cascade rig had been loaded with CTS 15s I would probably still have it! Youth is a lot like love.....not only blind...but deaf and stupid as well! BC
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