Steveng Messages: 4 Registered: January 2015 Location: Georgia, United States
Junior Member
Hey everyone! I recently was given a Kustom 300 PA system from a friend. He said he bought from a guy in the 70's and it pretty much stayed in his attic with a sheet over it since then. Everything works great although it is missing the power button cover. I wanted to see if any of you can help put a value on it so I can sell it to raise money for my mine and my wife's adoption. It's not letting me post pictures so let me know what info you need or tell me how to post pics of it. It has the tube amp and 2 tower cabinets containing what looks like 2 12's and 3 10's in each. Made in Chanute, KS. The amps model number is K300-5 and the cab's number is 302-PA. Any help would be much appreciated!! Thank you!!
A lot depends on a couple of questions: what color is the tuck & roll; are the speakers functional and original with the aluminum dust caps; does the reverb still work; is the amp quiet when powered up and idling or do you hear a popping, crackling or hissing sound? If you have the chrome stand, that alone is worth more than your entire system.
Basic black is so common and really is not of much interest to collectors. I have two amp head like yours and paid $100 for each; a guy on Craigslist in Kansas City Mo. had two amps that were listed for $300 each. After a couple of months and no takers, he finally sold the pair 2 weeks ago for $65 for the pair. Sad but true. I follow the market here in the Midwest watching Ebay, Craigslist, Guitar Center and Music-Go-Round. Systems like yours I have seen listed from $600 to $800. But, they are listed for months and just keep getting relisted over and over. A conservative estimate would be around the $300 amount. A lot would depend on the condition of your equipment, the market in your area, and your motivation to sell it.
There just doesn't seem to be much of a demand for Kustom PA systems. Freight is a killer since shipping on the speaker cabinets is more than they are worth. The head alone won't be cheap either.
Hopefully you'll find someone in your area that really appreciates Kustom and you'll be able to make a deal that everyone is happy with. Good luck.
Steveng Messages: 4 Registered: January 2015 Location: Georgia, United States
Junior Member
I just figured it was a tube amp as heavy as it is. The condition is really almost perfect. Just a few small cosmetic things and the power button is missing. It all works though. The color is charcoal. It's been sitting in an attic with a sheet over it for years. And I don't have the amp stand or covers. Thanks for the input guys!
Well charcoal to me is worth a little more than basic black providing it still is charcoal and not sea weed green like my two cabinets. Red, blue or even that teal color would make them more of a collectors item. Silver would be great too except I've never seen silver yet that still looked silver. More of a yello color and I'm pretty sure Kustom never offered yellow, but I could be wrong.
Take the front off and you might be lucky enough to still have the rest of the switch inside the cabinet. Replacement switches are not available and a damaged switch does decrease its value.
I also don't recommend pushing on whats left of the switch. Turn it on and leave in the on position. Unplug it to kill the power. If the switch craps out in the off position, then your going to have fun doing a rewire and when you see all those wires, you'll wished you'd pulled the plug instead.
twault Messages: 13 Registered: January 2015 Location: belmont, oh
Junior Member
I just bought a gold 300 head and another head (which may or may not be working)..no power cord for $125. Plus, the guy threw in a Peavy 8 Channel mixer (unpowered).
I'm here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I'm all out of bubblegum.
pleat Messages: 1452 Registered: June 2004 Location: Belding, Mi
Senior Member
Sounds like a good deal if the 300 is working. Gold is a rare color, If you remove a handle or a metal glide from the bottom of the amp will tell you if it is real gold or a yellowed out silver.
My money says its a silver and not gold......and I'll bet anything that since the cord is gone on the other amp, it was blowing the house circuit breaker every time it was turned on. That's the first think I do when I get pissed when something starts blowing breakers and I finally give up or the cost to repair it is too high......I cut the cord.
By any chance was it listed on Craigslist? I saw two 300's listed there last week and one that supposedly worked and the other for parts and it was missing input jacks and some knobs?
twault Messages: 13 Registered: January 2015 Location: belmont, oh
Junior Member
You are probably right, I bet it is a yellowed-out silver, based on pictures I have seen. I just haven't had time to mess with it too much. I get a few minutes here and there to try this or that, then I have to tend to other duties. The non-working one did not have any tnr covering and was listed as not working.
It was listed on Craigslist near Columbus, Ohio. I think the ad is still up.
However, upon closer inspection, the input jacks are not missing. They were inside the unit. Just missing the washer on the outside that holds it in place. It is missing 2 knobs, but the shafts are there. The wiring looks complete. I haven't looked inside the reverb unit. I plan on putting an end on the cord tonight. Should I plan on having a flashlight ready to head to the breaker box?
I'm here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I'm all out of bubblegum.