Commodore 64 Messages: 4 Registered: September 2012 Location: Kent, OH
Junior Member
My wife checks in at the ReStore periodically. Yesterday they had a Kustom 200 Tuck N' Roll for $250. It looked so cool, but the last thing I need is another amp. (I just bought a Kustom KBA100 a couple weeks ago on CL for $75). I told my wife to offer them $150, which as luck would have it, they took.
Plugged it in last night, took the back cover off the cab (a TON of screws). It looks like I have the CTS speakers in there. Two 15" with big square magnets in excellent condition. There's definitely a few squealies, so I'll probably recap it and it also needs a proper power cord. But it seems to be in pretty fine shape for a 35 year old amp.
stevem Messages: 4733 Registered: June 2004 Location: NY
Senior Member
tremendous find at that price!
The best thing you can do for these amps that have sat unplayed for a long time IS to play them as it will help the two big main filter cans to reform themselves, and hence work as intended.
Good luck with the baby.
Commodore 64 Messages: 4 Registered: September 2012 Location: Kent, OH
Junior Member
I've been playing it quite a bit. I do have to put a proper power cord in there so I'll have it open again soon. If everything appears to be working well with no issues, I assume it's safe to just play it and wait for the amp to tell me it needs something replaced then?
Also, if I only plan to use the 1 cab, should I consider replacing the CTS speakers with 8-ohm versions? And if so, any comments on these woofers from parts-express?
Kustom_Bart Messages: 601 Registered: October 2010 Location: Greenville, MichiGUN
Senior Member
I can tell you from experience not to wait more than 5 minutes to order those or they will be sold out. But, I would use something from the Eminence Legend series if it were me as they will take the abuse and are about 110.00 ea.
stevem Messages: 4733 Registered: June 2004 Location: NY
Senior Member
Speaker wise if the amp is providing you with enough clean head room and tone to your liking, then you are good, but thats not to say that the amp will not sound puncher and louder with a more efficient set of 8 ohm drivers wired for a 4 ohm load.
Commodore 64 Messages: 4 Registered: September 2012 Location: Kent, OH
Junior Member
Thank you for the replies. I'm having trouble logging into this site from work. I just now realized that I could log in from home (and that's where my previous posts had originated).
Anyways, I have been getting to know this amp over the last week or so while waiting for my 8-Ohm replacement speakers. I am really enjoying the amp. I'm not sure I need to replace anything on it at this point, really. I've been using it for both guitar and bass, and with a good dirt pedal (keeley DS-1), I don't feel like I'm missing out on a whole lot by not using my 5E3 project amp--at least in the area of home practice and rehearsals.
So...I like this amp enough that I plan to gig it, and use it for the long term. Should I replace the caps just because they are old? What about the rectifier. I'm keenly interested in the diode rectifier stevem described. I used diode rectification in my 5E3 build, and am quite happy with the results. Stevem do you have crude drawing or anything detailing the diode rectifier replacement? I can muddle my way through schematics usually, but perhaps you have a crude layout or even just a quick pic.
Should I replace the tantalum caps as a matter of course, too? Are they known to go bad commonly? I assume the film caps are probably OK, but have not use tantalum caps before.
I do need to make a mouser order, so I just want to make sure I order stuff now, rather than make several orders.
Also, assuming I use this for bass and guitar, I would probably go with 5k uf caps if I did replace the electrolytics.
Another random thought: I'm considering running a single cab at 4-ohm and passively looking for a matching cab in the meantime.
stevem Messages: 4733 Registered: June 2004 Location: NY
Senior Member
In regards to recto`s I use uf5408 types that a get from Mouser, I use two 5 terminal solder type strips to mount them to and you wire them up in a bridge rectifier pattern just like the orignal round type that is in the amp.
While you are in there , yes you might as well replace all the tantalum type caps that the amp has, as besides out and out failing they drift in value and can add un-needed gain and hiss to the amps idle noise.
Get yourself a good solder plunger type solder sucker and it will go much faster. It also helps to have some solder wick on hand.