zombiewolf Messages: 12 Registered: January 2008 Location: New England
Junior Member
happy holidays to all,
Hi, just a few questions,comments from a relativley unschooled, amp user. I hope someone could make a few suggestions and comments. i have a charcoal k-150 combo that I am using for jam practice. the sound is really sweet, to me anyhow, and was just wondering if I am using my effects to their best capabilities. I am running a cheap fender dist. box, soon to be replaced, into an Electro-harmonix english muffin tube pre amp pedal, then into the left side lower input jack on the amp.This set up lets me get a warmer tube sound but also a smoother driven sound with out too much squeal that a SS amp emulating a valve amp can make.A few questions, am I best off turning the Muffin up all the way and adjust the volume on the amp to the desired level or would it be better to lower the volume on the pedals and turn the amp up? Is anyone else us using a tube pedal to "warm" up their Kustom? Any recommendations on a dist. pedal that works best with a Kustom amp? Any info appreciated for sure. Thanks, Rick
stevem Messages: 4728 Registered: June 2004 Location: NY
Senior Member
Hi.
Over driving a SS amps preamps sounds like crap when they start going into clipping, this is why when distortion became a very popular guitar sound, kustom added distortion circuits to the K200/150 and 250 serise amps so they could make it sound good.Good at least for back then.
To make good use of a stomp box in front of your amp you just need to make sure that your distortion setting is not much louder than the guitars setting when striaght into the amp.
This means you will have to back down to your clean playing volume with the volume on the guitar or a volume pedal.
pleat Messages: 1452 Registered: June 2004 Location: Belding, Mi
Senior Member
I run a Digitech RP1 with input and output settings at 10 O'Clock. I use a kustom K50 and with the volume setting at 9 if you were looking at the volume control as the face of a clock, and it is enough gain for any medium size club. I back off the volume control on the guitar for rythms and leads the volume is on 10 on the guitar. My band covers everthing from AC/DC to Gretchen Wilson and the Kustoms are great sounding amps with a extra boost of effects the pedals provide.
pleat
BC Messages: 583 Registered: March 2000 Location: Kentucky
Senior Member
I have heard Pleat play.....he speaks the truth. He can make the guitar "cry and sing". Kustoms work great with your favorite pedal(s) as they do not seem to color the sound like tube amps do. I have also heard ET and Roy use pedals with vintage Kustoms and have tone most guys wish they could get! BC
pleat Messages: 1452 Registered: June 2004 Location: Belding, Mi
Senior Member
BC, your much too kind, but I think you put it best that the Kustoms don't color the sound, just lets the true sound come through. Your right again, ET and Roy do use pedal boards and quite well at that.