kustomhead Messages: 121 Registered: April 2012 Location: Redding, Ca
Senior Member
Hi everybody! I've been a member since 2004 under the handle kustomise but could not log in for the life of me. I ended up signing up again. I have a question about the K150 heads. Is there a vertical face K150 head or were they all slant face? I've seen pics of what looks like a K150-2 with a vertical metal face. Also, some have the 4 pin foot switch connection and what I think are the vertical face models have a 1/4" foot switch connection. If there are to different models of K150 heads then are there any other differences between the two? Thanks for your help Kustom fans!
Kustom_Bart Messages: 601 Registered: October 2010 Location: Greenville, MichiGUN
Senior Member
No plexi or what you call straight face, only slant face heads in K150. K150's in combo amps in straight. I think what you are talking about with the 4 pin connector is for the reverb, trem, fuzz, and I can't remember the other effect.
pleat Messages: 1452 Registered: June 2004 Location: Belding, Mi
Senior Member
Kustom only offered the K150-2 in the slant metal face. Some did have the XLR jack for the effects pedal and then changed to the 1/4" stereo jack. That would be the only differences. Kustom reserved the XLR plug for the K250-2 and K250-4 heads, lighted footswitches in the early versions and later changed the K250-2 heads to the 1/4" stereo footswitch that they had used for years in older models.
pleat
Yes, its as simple as installing a 1/4 stereo jack and moving the brown and gray wires from the old XLR jack to the 2 positives (Tip for brown and ring for gray). Then any standard 2 switch pedal should operate it. If the pedal you use is labeled you may half to switch the wires to accomodate which switch operates what. The switches work by connecting the brown or gray wire to ground to shut off the effect and open the connection to turn it on. Hope This Helps. Steve C
pleat Messages: 1452 Registered: June 2004 Location: Belding, Mi
Senior Member
The red wire would the positive voltage wire that powered the lighted footswitch. I'd tape off the red wire. The black would be the ground wire. The brown and gray wires are the effects wires that short to ground to turn off the effects.
pleat
Kustom_Bart Messages: 601 Registered: October 2010 Location: Greenville, MichiGUN
Senior Member
Correct, black is ground and brown and gray are your wires for different effects. It doesn't really matter what goes to what as long as you just wire them up, once you plug it in and use it, you will know what button works each effect.
pleat Messages: 1452 Registered: June 2004 Location: Belding, Mi
Senior Member
I think it should be sleeve ground, tip and ring would be the effects wires. Once the jack is installed, it will make it's ground through the chassis, so all that is really needed is to wire the brown and gray wires to the tip and ring tabs on the jack.
pleat
kustomhead Messages: 121 Registered: April 2012 Location: Redding, Ca
Senior Member
I used a stainless fender washer on the outside and a thin piece of sheet metal on the inside of the back panel. Just enough diameter to cover the large hole where the XLR was. I got it wired up and it works right with my vintage Kustom verb-trem foot switch. I soldered the black wire to the ring but I guess that wont hurt anything. It ended up looking pretty clean. Thanks again for everybody's help. If I can figure out how to upload a picture it might inspire others to make the switch-Jim
Sounds like a good job. You really only needed just the two wires like I mentioned earlier, brown and gray. One going to the tip and the other going to the ring. The ground is the sleeve and it will ground to the chassis when you plug it in. I've done the install before and I left the XLR intact in case I ever came by the correct pedal for it. I mounted a 1/4 stereo jack next to it and jumpered the brown and gray over to the new jack leaving the wires all connected to the XLR. This was a K150-2 and it worked great. Never found the lighted pedal for it though. Must be a rare item. Steve C