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Kustom Colors [message #1] Sat, 18 March 2000 12:01 KustomDan Messages: 42 Registered: January 2000 Member I have seen comments from time to time inquiring about Kustom "white" amps; I always thought that these were simply the SILVER amps that tend to look white (if unyellowed) in certain photographs. The RED amps tend to photograph this same way (loosing the sparkle detail). If you have actually seen a "white" Kustom amp, other than the SILVER sparkle, I would like to hear from you. Also on colors, I belived that the the 150/250/500 series was not available in RED or GOLD as it was not featured in the catalog or on the color chart I have. I saw one or two 250 heads advertised on E-bay in GOLD and they actully looked GOLD, not yellowed SILVER. This mystery was solved when PLEAT provided copies of pictures of the Kustom plant (posted on the site) that show both RED and GOLD 150/250 covers. If you know more about the availability of them, I like to hear details. ---Owner, VintageKustom.com Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Colors [message #2 is a reply to message #1] Tue, 21 March 2000 23:20 Anonymous Hey Dan...My compliments on a really cool site. I'm proud to be visitor # 20. On the subject of Kustom colors, does anybody know anything about the early colors (TV Head or Frankenstein era). A couple of years at the Dallas Guitar show I saw a TV Head and Cab that was covered in what appeared to be purple sparkle naugahyde. It looked original and had the slightly narrower cab which goes with the TV series. Also several years ago I was talking with somebody at a guitar shop who mentioned he had seen a head with alternating Red, White and Blue tuck and roll. I also this description on E-Bay a few weeks ago but there was no picture. Anybody know any info on these two? Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Colors [message #3 is a reply to message #2] Wed, 22 March 2000 09:22 Anonymous Have seen Bryn's bicentenial head ...haven't seen flat white kustom...but I have seen one that was kind of a grey / blue grey non sparkle color...I lost the bid on it..but it does exist and was original....I also am in possesion of a large roll of late 70s white naughahyde...so at least I know the fabric existed to do such a rig and I've considered making one myself....btw...can we change the background blue so I can read these posts?...or is the problem at my end?...thanks again for the site...Play Loud!....ET! Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Colors [message #4 is a reply to message #3] Wed, 22 March 2000 22:34 KustomDan Messages: 42 Registered: January 2000 Member I was fortunate enough to acquire the R-W-B Bicentenial head from Brynn and will picture it on the site somewhere. Love to find a matching cab but will most likely settle for a SILVER (white) cabinet if I locate one with no yellowing. ---Owner, VintageKustom.com Report message to a moderator

"TV" model? [message #6 is a reply to message #2] Tue, 28 March 2000 08:11 Anonymous Hey there...you used the term TV when talking about the old "wide panel" series or Frankenstien head..etc...I hadn't heard the TV term before and figured there was some history there that I wanted to learn about...also I've seen an old old old Kustom that was a wide panel head with none kustom style knobs as we know them and it was seated atop what looked more like a bassman or showman size cab..it was a rectangle cab laying sideways...with the long bottom being a straight unpadded bar...and the tuck covering the long top and shorter sides...very much like the new kustom company 2x12 cab only larger I'd guess..this predates anything I've ever seen and I didn't keep a copy of the pic...the color was washed bad..but it seemed to be a champaign or something..definitely not the standard zodiac choices...sorry to be so vague..its been years since I've seen it..but it haunts the old brain cells Report message to a moderator

Kustom care [message #7 is a reply to message #6] Tue, 28 March 2000 10:34 Anonymous During the last year I have bombarded most of you with my questions as I have tried to learn as much as I can about the care and feeding of Kustom amps. First of all...THANKS!....to all of you for your help. Recently I brought home a red 100 piggyback from the Nashville show. This amp was in bad need of cleaning. Had the usual dirt and dust between the folds....the dusty grill cloth and the aluminum Ross ports were multicolored spots over what appeared to be white. After the usual cleaning I noticed the red just did not shine like it should and the ports looked more white than aluminum. I ventured to the garage and found a clear vinyl protectant the "contains no water" and tried it. The shine is far better than anything I have used before and seems to really bring the color out. The stuff I used was a Turtle Wax brand but I know it is sold under other brand names. The ports really looked dull in contrast to the nearby "Kustom" badge in bright chrome. I tried Mothers brand Mag and Aluminum wheel polish on them and what a difference! Now the amp looks as if it was all made in one place at the same time. Looking for other opinions on these lines. Thanks Dan for this great site! Brad Report message to a moderator

Re: "TV" model? [message #10 is a reply to message #6] Sun, 02 April 2000 12:37 Anonymous I was talking with the service manager from kustom who was with Bud from the beginning and just found out that the first 5000 kustoms produced were with the larger knobs. He also told me the very first cabinets had full plastic handles, like you would find on a guitar case. I have pics from the 4 page catalog and it shows a 2x15 cabinet on it's side and plastic handles, no open ports or logo. I did see one for real in charcoal back in 67-68. So I guess there is one here in Michigan. Report message to a moderator

Re: "TV" model? [message #11 is a reply to message #10] Mon, 03 April 2000 09:44 Anonymous Oh Please send me a pic of that catalog...I'm going crazy having remembered seeing a picture of one of these old rigs with the long low cab...its been so many years its like some dream you have where you see rigs that don't make sense at some old pawn shop on a remote caribean island while on vacation and you don't have the money or a way to get them back home...am I making any sense here?... Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Color - GREEN [message #14 is a reply to message #4] Tue, 04 April 2000 23:23 KustomDan Messages: 42 Registered: January 2000 Member Spoke to a Dealer that sells a few Kustoms, Chip Coleman of Coleman Music in China Grove, NC; Chip recalls that when he was growing-up, a friend purchased a GREEN K250 and subsequently a matching power module. I have never seen GREEN (only the blue-green color cascade) and was wondering if others have seen this Emerald Green. The fabric clearly exists today as it can be seen on the naugahyde site for the Zodiac line and was used on Krossroads amps. Let us hear from you if GREEN has been more widely seen. ---Owner, VintageKustom.com Report message to a moderator

Re: "TV" model? [message #15 is a reply to message #11] Tue, 04 April 2000 23:26 KustomDan Messages: 42 Registered: January 2000 Member Thanks to the generous nature of Don, we will be posting a scan of the 1965-1966 "wide panel", "TV", "Frankenstein" models on the site . . . look for it within a week. ---Owner, VintageKustom.com Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Color - GREEN [message #17 is a reply to message #14] Wed, 05 April 2000 13:09 Anonymous When I saw your green post I instantly knew Chip was involved...he is just an hour up the road from me and we have dealt several times...he always mentions the green kustoms and I have never seen one..although I have no doubt that the later 250 series years would have made some..if not for a special endorsement customer... I do have some Krossroads brochures with the amps in the green and regret not having gotten one. If Andy gets involved with this site he can confirm or correct me but I thought they had to use Goodyear fabric for the Krossroad series rather than the actual Uniroyal so the colors are not exactly Zodiac..I know the blue is different..I've had both..close..but...I stil lhave the sample chain of fabric squares that Andy sent me when I bought my Krossroads and the green is on it. IF I ever fund a green kustom I'll be sure to get it so I'll have something serious to horse trade with Chip...he's fun that way.....ET! Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Colors [message #35 is a reply to message #1] Thu, 27 April 2000 15:19 Anonymous I use to live in Harrisonburg Virginia and a good friend of mine had a Kustom 200 bass head that he used with two 100 bass cabs loaded with Altec Lansing speakers. The rig sounded great and all three components were in the original Kustom White. Yes, there was a white and I have a 1970 200 2-15C in charcoal grey - I know the difference :-) This is a great site !!!!!!!!! Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Colors [message #36 is a reply to message #35] Thu, 27 April 2000 20:47 KustomDan Messages: 42 Registered: January 2000 Member Hey, Thanks for the compliment on the site. I agree totally about Charcoal not being white; If you have a chance, take a look at the color charts posted on this site (look at the icon "Literature"; then the icon "More" and then the icon "Kolors"). On those color charts you will see a sample titled 'Silver" as well as the one for Charcoal. The Silver one is the one I referred to in my original note and it often appears "white" if it has not yellowed and is shot in bright light. Let me know if this could be the white you saw ? One last question, was the "white" that you remember a SPARKLE finish or non-sparkle? KustomDan ---Owner, VintageKustom.com Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Colors [message #42 is a reply to message #1] Fri, 05 May 2000 00:26 BC Messages: 583 Registered: March 2000 Location: Kentucky Senior Member If anyone is interested in either of the two silver amps listed in the classifieds by Player Guitars....I have seen and heard both of them. The 100 guitar head sounds great...I have two of them and this one sounds better than either of mine. The burn mark is the only major flaw. The PA head has yellowed some...the picture is an accurate representation. The real beauty of this amp is the tone. I played guitar through it and the tone is very thick and rich. If you need a great sounding amp this is it.....my favorite 200 head ( I have 7 ) is an old K200A PA head.....works good for guitar bass or PA. No guys ..I do not get a cut of the sale of these amps...I just had first hand experience and wanted to share it! BC! Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Color - GREEN [message #62 is a reply to message #17] Thu, 01 June 2000 10:05 Anonymous Many years ago (late 60's), we used to go to Guitar Gallery on Wabash in Chicago. A couple of floors above Guitar Gallery, Kustom had their own "salon". A real fancy, glitzy place. I could have sworn seeing green sparkle Kustoms there. Over the passing years I just assumed my memory served me wrong. But now that some of you guys mentioned it, I probably did see some green ones in the 100 and/or 200 series. Definitely no 400's that I have ever seen. Art Kulak Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Colors [message #219 is a reply to message #1] Fri, 15 December 2000 15:35 Anonymous Hi, A guy who works at a music store around here told me that Bud Ross made a few pink tuck and rolls very early on. He didn't mention if they were sparkle or not though. Does anyone know about these? -Dusty Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Colors [message #220 is a reply to message #219] Fri, 15 December 2000 22:04 Anonymous I'd check back with your pal a tht emusic store and look to see which side he wears his ear ring on ...seriously though...if you are..had a lot of questions for Bud last week...but colors oddly enough didn't come up...there is a current sparkle pink naughahyde being offered by Uniroyal and I've heard rumors of a champagne color used on kustoms...but each time I think we've found them...turns out to be a turned charcoal...btw...welcome to the site....just started noticing you here and the 4 knobs on the amp are just to balance the look...it really doesn't matter where you turn em..or if you even turn the amp on...you'd still be the koolest thing on stage.... Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Colors [message #221 is a reply to message #220] Fri, 15 December 2000 23:45 Anonymous Thanks Man! I appriciate it. Right now, I have a Kasino Klub 50 watt PA head, a Sparkle Blue Kustom 300 PA head, and a gloss black Kustom by Ross 3x15 that someone painted silver in the 60's. I'm also within driving distance of Chanute. Me and a buddy are gonna go down one day and look around. I'm only 17, and I have the coolest gear collection around here. Dustin (the guy who told me about the amps) seems to know what he's talking about with other stuff, so I figured he was right about the pink amps. Richard, his boss, either knows, or has contacted Bud Ross, because he has a few rare Kustoms. He recently sold one to Fogerty too. I'll get more info on the pink ones next time I go in. -Dusty Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Colors [message #222 is a reply to message #220] Sat, 16 December 2000 05:05 Anonymous Actually - colors DID come up! At one point I cornered Bud and asked him if they ever strayed from the 7 colors we know and love. He said they had produced short runs of "Christmas Green" as well as a BROWN! jimm Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Colors [message #223 is a reply to message #222] Sat, 16 December 2000 23:06 Anonymous yeah Chip Coleman is always on the prowl for a green kustom...and we have had on ebay a very rare non sparkle light blue/grey kustom 2x12 that the seller swears he went to the factory with his dad to get brand new...the head was black but and didn't match the cab at all...but I saw the pic of the cab and actually bid on it...but it went way high...I meant to ask Bud about that one as well..but with all that was going on... I'm not sure he had room for a single more story...he was still telling us cool stuff as we pulled up to the airport...what a great time with him...still walking 2 ft off the ground... Report message to a moderator

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