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My Amp's Almost as Old as Me- I Think... [message #17828]

Sun, 02 December 2012 20:09

Count Bassie
Messages: 8
Registered: December 2012
Location: Rhode Island

Junior Member

Greetings from the oft-cold north... fun to have found this site, as info on the older Kustom amps is hard to come by!

I recently scored a kustom K 200B from a player I grew up being very influenced by. It was the Miami scene in the 80s, and Ray Harris played bass for Cats on Holiday and Z-Cars, two bands that were the recognized top of the heap on the scene at the time... anyway we recently hooked up on Facebook (yeah it's good for something), and he ended up putting this head up for sale. Naturally I bought it. Here it is:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c179/Sloom/Amps%20and%20Gear/KustomK200B/KustomK200B.jpg

I'm curious as to how old this thing is. From another 'vintage Kustom' site it looks to be a 60s model. I shipped it here from Ray in FL, and put new filter caps in it. It's a little noisy by nature (not the best grounding scenario in there, I'm informed), but it's in otherwise excellent shape. It's got one very small tear in the Tuck n' Roll Naugahyde where you can't see it. It's got no handles at all. The back panel has only 2 speaker-out jacks, and there's a little odd-looking jack, almost like an RCA jack, on the upper right of the back panel near a maker's label. I love the purple jewel-light on the front panel- and I love the front panel- jet-black plexiglass... too funky for 2012... Cool

It's got serial# 52755 stamped onto a metal label, model # K 200B 6. Any info on age and/or pedigree would be fantastic to know about.

Thanks, and it's nice to have found this place. Very cool.

"Whatever we do, it is what it is, and we do it."

-Me...

[Updated on: Sun, 02 December 2012 20:15]

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Re: My Amp's Almost as Old as Me- I Think... [message #17831 is a reply to message #17828]

Sun, 02 December 2012 20:52

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

Senior Member

Your serial number dates it from Jan to March 1970. The 200-6 is a rare model since it is the first kustom to offer the selectone on the left channel. Kasino amps had used the selectone for about a year or so earlier than the Kustom amps.
pleat

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Re: My Amp's Almost as Old as Me- I Think... [message #17832 is a reply to message #17831]

Sun, 02 December 2012 21:02

Count Bassie
Messages: 8
Registered: December 2012
Location: Rhode Island

Junior Member

Interesting about the left channel thing. I had found the Serial Number Chart AFTER I posted- sorry about that! But thanks for the reply and the info on the particularity of this model.

The Selectone is actually a useful idea, I find. And it's a great amp, by the way... it's my amp of choice for our punk band! Actually a real nice sound for most of what I do.

Any reason there are no handles on this one?

"Whatever we do, it is what it is, and we do it."

-Me...

[Updated on: Sun, 02 December 2012 21:06]

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Re: My Amp's Almost as Old as Me- I Think... [message #17833 is a reply to message #17832]

Sun, 02 December 2012 21:38

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

Senior Member

We've seen some with the kustom hanlde on the top and the amp cover has the cutout for the handle. In general Kustom didn't intall handles on the amps. My thought is maybe a really large dealer back in the day required the amps to have handles, and that would account for the head covers being sewn with the handle cut out. Your amp wants to drive a 4 ohm total load speaker cabinet. Not sure what cab your running but a 4 ohm cab will produce 100 watts RMS. Don't run below 4 ohms or you can damage the power amp.
pleat

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Re: My Amp's Almost as Old as Me- I Think... [message #17834 is a reply to message #17833]

Sun, 02 December 2012 22:19

Count Bassie
Messages: 8
Registered: December 2012
Location: Rhode Island

Junior Member

Sounds like I got a nice pedigree here! Fun to find out. I've been running it into a pair of 8 ohm 15s, and would be generally averse to running an additional cab for lower ohmage with any head. So I'm on that page, but thanks for the word. I haven't actually had that much info on this amp up to now though, I appreciate the specifics.

Thanks Pleat. Cool

"Whatever we do, it is what it is, and we do it."

-Me...

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Re: My Amp's Almost as Old as Me- I Think... [message #17835 is a reply to message #17834]

Sun, 02 December 2012 22:44

Count Bassie
Messages: 8
Registered: December 2012
Location: Rhode Island

Junior Member

I was 8 1/2 years old when this amp was produced- I lived in Miami on Key Biscayne, was in 2nd grade. I had a drum set, an old Kent. I had some cool old records, mostly from my old man, including a Booker T and the MGs album, "Back to Back" with the Mar-Keys. I knew who Duck Dunn was, and had The Beatles, lots of Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin under my belt, as well as a mess of Dylan at the time... wasn't a bass player for another 8 or so years.

I used to see little reggae/calypso bands in FL once in a while back in the 70s, and they often used these Kustom rigs.

"Whatever we do, it is what it is, and we do it."

-Me...

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Re: My Amp's Almost as Old as Me- I Think... [message #18119 is a reply to message #17828]

Fri, 01 February 2013 09:14

Count Bassie
Messages: 8
Registered: December 2012
Location: Rhode Island

Junior Member

I wasn't going to ask, but it enters my mind just by way of curiosity: What is the value of this old head on the used vint' market, I wonder?

"Whatever we do, it is what it is, and we do it."

-Me...

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Re: My Amp's Almost as Old as Me- I Think... [message #18121 is a reply to message #17828]

Fri, 01 February 2013 09:39

stevem
Messages: 4733
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

The amp does have a RCA jack on the back as you have noted, it was labled as a recording output jack but can be used to drive a power amp should you ever want to power another cabinet.

I do not know if the amps right and left channels are out of phase with each other, but if you plug another cable into the other jack of the channel your are in and then jump that into eitheir input of the other channel you can have more tonal range at your disposal.
If you do this and find that your tone thin`s out and you lose punch, than the two channels are out of phase and it will not work, not that it will harm the amp mind you, but you get a sound like the out of phase pickup position on a Fender Stratocaster.

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Re: My Amp's Almost as Old as Me- I Think... [message #18122 is a reply to message #18121]

Fri, 01 February 2013 09:43

Count Bassie
Messages: 8
Registered: December 2012
Location: Rhode Island

Junior Member

stevem wrote on Fri, 01 February 2013 09:39

The amp does have a RCA jack on the back as you have noted, it was labled as a recording output jack but can be used to drive a power amp should you ever want to power another cabinet.

I do not know if the amps right and left channels are out of phase with each other, but if you plug another cable into the other jack of the channel your are in and then jump that into eitheir input of the other channel you can have more tonal range at your disposal.
If you do this and find that your tone thin`s out and you lose punch, than the two channels are out of phase and it will not work, not that it will harm the amp mind you, but you get a sound like the out of phase pickup position on a Fender Stratocaster.

My question was actually about the value in US dollars of this head, just because I want to know all about it I can find out. What you mention there however is interesting, and might be fun to look into! AND I didn't realize the RCA jack could drive an external amp...

Got a band practice tonight, we'll check that out... thanks!

"Whatever we do, it is what it is, and we do it."

-Me...

[Updated on: Fri, 01 February 2013 09:45]

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Re: My Amp's Almost as Old as Me- I Think... [message #18124 is a reply to message #17828]

Fri, 01 February 2013 10:29

stevem
Messages: 4733
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

The jack will drive a power, if used into another amp the signal level will be near 3 times too hot and will need to be paded down.
You can go to ebay a see what these amps are going for, but I would say that 300 would be about top buck unless someone had a bad burn to add a -6 to there collection.

[Updated on: Fri, 01 February 2013 10:30]

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Re: My Amp's Almost as Old as Me- I Think... [message #18127 is a reply to message #18124]

Fri, 01 February 2013 23:46

Count Bassie
Messages: 8
Registered: December 2012
Location: Rhode Island

Junior Member

stevem wrote on Fri, 01 February 2013 10:29

The jack will drive a power, if used into another amp the signal level will be near 3 times too hot and will need to be paded down.
You can go to ebay a see what these amps are going for, but I would say that 300 would be about top buck unless someone had a bad burn to add a -6 to there collection.

Thanks for the gain/level advice- I get the difference in applications there. Thanks for the 'value' insight as well.

"Whatever we do, it is what it is, and we do it."

-Me...

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