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Help Me ID this Kustom Rig [message #13164]

Mon, 15 March 2010 01:20

JimK
Messages: 8
Registered: March 2010
Location: USA

Junior Member

Some time ago, I got this rig in trade from a friend of mine. I have only a very sketchy idea of what it is. I think it is one of the K200 series amp heads. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to locate the serial number and suspect that the plate has been detached and lost. Furthermore, the knobs look like replacements. Any ideas or information would be helpful.
JimK

http://www.oldsodshanty.com/pix/KustomRig.jpg

http://www.oldsodshanty.com/pix/KustomHead.jpg

Growing older is mandatory. Growing up however, is optional

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Re: Help Me ID this Kustom Rig [message #13167 is a reply to message #13164]

Mon, 15 March 2010 06:21

pleat
Messages: 1452
Registered: June 2004
Location: Belding, Mi

Senior Member

Jim, very cool amp. I'd say it dates from 63 to 65 judging from the knobs. They are original stove top knobs as some call them.
The amp is know as the Frankie since it has a high forehead.
The cabinet is a rare lay down 2x12 and I've only seen one other lay down style in red. A fellow collector has a vertical 2x12 cabinet in red. The serial number tag would be behind the perforated screen on the back of the amp head in the upper right side if it's still there. I'm not a tech, but I'd be interested to see what kind of speakers are in the cabinet and if there is a choke wired in series with the speakers. (I'm not sure if Choke is the right term) but some of the early kustom amp cabinets had a component installed in the cabinets to prevent motorboating sounds.
pleat

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Re: Help Me ID this Kustom Rig [message #13170 is a reply to message #13164]

Mon, 15 March 2010 10:43

JimK
Messages: 8
Registered: March 2010
Location: USA

Junior Member

Thanks for your reply. I had to have one of the speakers replaced when having some rehab work done on it last fall. I had originally planned on gigging with it. However the cab weighs a good 75 lbs., maybe more and the thought of moving that from house to vehicle, from vehicle to stage, and then back again didn't appeal at all to me after the trip to and from the repair shop.
JimK

Growing older is mandatory. Growing up however, is optional

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Re: Help Me ID this Kustom Rig [message #13172 is a reply to message #13164]

Mon, 15 March 2010 11:59

chicagobill
Messages: 2005
Registered: April 2003

Senior Member

Very Kool amp!
I don't know what speakers you have in there, but you could replace them with a set of neos to lighten the load. Maybe Les Strickland will chime in here as he is the master of cabinet lightening.

The original serial number label was a paper tag, that often dried up and fell off.

Pleat, what was the story about the added component/choke that you mentioned?

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Re: Help Me ID this Kustom Rig [message #13174 is a reply to message #13164]

Mon, 15 March 2010 12:09

stevem
Messages: 4733
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

I have a white Horizontal 2-15" version of that cabinet and I have to say that I do not even think my bigger cab weighs in at 75 lbs even in light of its bigger heavyer drivers.

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Re: Help Me ID this Kustom Rig [message #13178 is a reply to message #13174]

Mon, 15 March 2010 12:53

LesS
Messages: 477
Registered: December 2002

Senior Member

From the picture of that cabinet, the cutouts look to be about 13 inches - that would be 15 inch speakers (?)
If you need light-weight speakers - Eminence make several models for guitar or bass that have neodymium magnets. I have Kustom 2x10 and 4x10 cabinets - both have Eminence Basslite tens that weigh 3 1/2 lbs each. The 4x10 is the best speaker I have ever owned. That why I haven't been buying Kustoms lately - I found what I was looking for.
-Les S.

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Re: Help Me ID this Kustom Rig [message #13179 is a reply to message #13164]

Mon, 15 March 2010 15:08

JimK
Messages: 8
Registered: March 2010
Location: USA

Junior Member

Actually, I was thinking of purchasing a new 1X12" cab and using that. This one if the ohms match up might do very well
JimK

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/regular/8/7/5/665875.jpg

Growing older is mandatory. Growing up however, is optional

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Re: Help Me ID this Kustom Rig [message #13180 is a reply to message #13164]

Mon, 15 March 2010 15:13

stevem
Messages: 4733
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

That cabinet is more than likly 8 ohms which will push back the amps output from 100 to 60 watts rms.

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Re: Help Me ID this Kustom Rig [message #13186 is a reply to message #13180]

Tue, 16 March 2010 00:34

JimK
Messages: 8
Registered: March 2010
Location: USA

Junior Member

stevem wrote on Mon, 15 March 2010 14:13

That cabinet is more than likly 8 ohms which will push back the amps output from 100 to 60 watts rms.

Is that destructive? If not, then it wouldn't bother me at all.
JimK

Growing older is mandatory. Growing up however, is optional

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Re: Help Me ID this Kustom Rig [message #13188 is a reply to message #13172]

Tue, 16 March 2010 06:28

pleat
Messages: 1452
Registered: June 2004
Location: Belding, Mi

Senior Member

Chicagobill, I sent you some photo's of the part (choke?) that kustom installed in the cabinets on the early Frankies amps to prevent motorboating sounds. Again I don't remember what the part actually is. Bud said they added the part in the field to fix a problem.
pleat

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Re: Help Me ID this Kustom Rig [message #13189 is a reply to message #13164]

Tue, 16 March 2010 06:28

stevem
Messages: 4733
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

No, the 8 ohm load will not cause the amp any pain at all, in fact very few 12" drivers can take 100 watts RMS so you will save yourself from blowing the speaker.
Do check the fuses on the front and make sure they are the correct amperage and of the fast blow type of fuse, in fact if you will run the amp at a 8 ohm load I would drop that speaker fuse down from 5 amps to a 3 to 4 amp AGC(fast blow) type to keep the amps output stage a bit safer from a shorted speaker cable, and the cable itself should be 16 gauge.

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Re: Help Me ID this Kustom Rig [message #13190 is a reply to message #13178]

Tue, 16 March 2010 06:31

pleat
Messages: 1452
Registered: June 2004
Location: Belding, Mi

Senior Member

LesS, your right it is a 2x15. I counted the T&R on the sides, and was in a hurry, I forgot to count the folds across the top which is 18 or 36" which would be the 2x15 cab. The 2x12 lay down would be 15 folds or 30".
pleat

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Re: Help Me ID this Kustom Rig [message #13200 is a reply to message #13188]

Wed, 17 March 2010 07:17

pleat
Messages: 1452
Registered: June 2004
Location: Belding, Mi

Senior Member

ChicagoBill, here is what Bud sent me on the chokes inside some of the early Kustom speaker cabinets.

(In the summer of 67 we went to a direct output design. Which did not require a transformer to drive the output transistors. At first everything seamed to work perfect. After having shipped product for 2 or 3 days, we discovered that some of the units would----motor boat. The speakers would move in and out at a very low frequencys. JBL speakers would cause this more than CTS. We had the trucking company to return all units in transit. The choke solved the motor boating problem until we came up with a better fix. Those were the days, Bud)
pleat

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Re: Help Me ID this Kustom Rig [message #13201 is a reply to message #13164]

Wed, 17 March 2010 07:35

stevem
Messages: 4733
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

You can make one of these very easy, and its not a choke, its a inductor, and by adding a low resistace in parallel with the inductor you will help to stabize the amp even more.
The parts needed are a 2 ohm 10 watt metal oxide resistor and some #18 gauge enameled wire.

Wrap 40 turns of the wire around the body of the 10 watt resistor and then parallel wire them.
Then solder them in serise with the hot lead going to the amps speaker jack(s).

This up grade can be added to any era solid state Kustom amp, and on the amps that have speaker fuses and or circuit breakers you can add a 1.5 uf 50 volt mylar cap across the breaker or fuse to cut back on the degradation of high frequency responce due to thermal modulation of these two items.

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