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K400 in need of columns [message #7749] Tue, 17 October 2006 17:15   Wattsyurz Messages: 16 Registered: July 2005 Location: SC Junior Member Hey all. Need some decent 3X columns, black is good. With or without horns. I'm in the Carolinas. Report message to a moderator

Re: K400 in need of columns [message #7750 is a reply to message #7749] Tue, 17 October 2006 21:55   edforgothispassword Messages: 202 Registered: July 2004 Senior Member hey there....did you snag that big black 400 on ebay?...and more importantly...where in the carolinas...this is ET..ed taylor I live in rock Hill SC...just across the border and 15 mins out of Charlotte...always looking to hook up with another kustom nut....and my cell phone..704.575.9020...give me a shout.. I've got the 3x15 siren cabs and 2x15 bass cabs..but they aren't up for sale...I still use them occasionally as my band PA.. I have the 3x15s loaded with jensons and I put some new horn drivers behind the sirens...the 2x15 bass cabs are loaded with eminence bass on top and some poly cone subwoofers in the lower half..then I've added a set of the 200 head housings that I gutted the amps from and loaded PV 22T dispersion horns in them by making a baffle to mount them and grilling the front to match the other cabs..makes a nice look...recently I acquired a set of the old kustom horn cabs..I need to load new drivers in there..then I'll have some serious outdoor throw ability...I also have a pair of the 4x10 columns that came loaded with the 8s..they are great for mid vocal range and side fill....most of the time my little band just uses our Mackie system..couple powered tops and subs and a mackie 16 ch board...but on days when I can get away with a bit more conage..yeah..the big rigs come out. I drive them with current amp technology in a triam situation and use electronic crossover etc...I do still have a couple 400 heads..both the mono and stereo...work great..strong amps..come see me! ET Report message to a moderator

Re: K400 in need of columns [message #7751 is a reply to message #7749] Tue, 17 October 2006 21:56   edforgothispassword Messages: 202 Registered: July 2004 Senior Member oh and here's a link to my yahoo photo album...the kustoms on the lawn..represent my black collection so you can see how I've got those heads modified as horns...check out the pics...ET http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tabands/album?.dir=31a0&.s rc=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.ya hoo.com/ph/tabands/my_photos Report message to a moderator

Re: K400 in need of columns [message #7752 is a reply to message #7749] Wed, 18 October 2006 14:19   Wattsyurz Messages: 16 Registered: July 2005 Location: SC Junior Member Hey Ed! I am in Columbia,SC (803) 926-0798. I'm interested in the larger amps, because drums have their way otherwise. My guitar rig is a K250 with the 2X15 and horn. It's almost mint - perfect naugha but the casting on the horn looks a bit weird/faded. I've come close to getting my 3X15 cabs, but they are too expensive to ship that it's been tough. I'd also love to get a Kombo like yours! My girl plays keyboard and has a portable Yamaha. Gary Report message to a moderator

Re: K400 in need of columns [message #7758 is a reply to message #7749] Thu, 19 October 2006 09:53   edforgothispassword Messages: 202 Registered: July 2004 Senior Member hey Gary...was great to hear from you...very very sorry to have to cut the call short last night..was right smack in the middle of a "babies R us" expedition with wife and daughter..gonna be a first time grandpa come this January and we were out baby shower shopping last night (I'm getting queezy just talkin like this)..jeesh...fact is, the whole baby thing doesn't impress me a bit...now when they get about 3 yrs old..then they start to get fun..til then.. I'm not really standing in line to be able to hold the lil bundle of joy and spitup and dookie diapers...but the kid has a large list of aunts and grandmas...so no worries...they just had me along last night to carry the now-empty wallet. anyway..yeah...nothing screams personality from stage like a big tall kustom rig..and like you, I looked long n hard for a set of the siren cabs...always they were beyond reasonable driving distance and the shipping cost would kill the deal...so I was pleased when I found my pair right here in Charlotte...they had some rough edges on the bottom..and I did a half-A%$ repair job..but standing on stage they look great..and unless you're a kustom guy..you wouldn't even notice what I did to em...it would bother me that they are not 100% except that I got them cheap and to be played out so I just wanted them to be stage pretty..not mint. most of my band jobs these past few years has been the typical wedding/corporate gig and country club fluff jobs..so even a single kustom SC2x10 is enough..but my preference is to run my boss stereo board into a pair of rigs..I keep a nice set of several models depending on the venue size...most of the work goes to the SC2x10s..a nice set of black beauties...but if I'm outdoors I'll typically opt for the SC2x12 as they can give me more low end. My dream rig is the pair of blue 4x10SC models that you'll see in my photo album with the matching blue strat...those are nice size amps..they can keep up with drums and make a nice visual on stage without being too big...and in stereo...its a really happy place. I've only once had my 3x12 rig out...it was a small arena gig where I didn't have to be on endorsement or backline amps and we needed to be able to push the rig upstage and back quickly several times..with about 6,000 folks out front and a really bad acoustic environment I wanted some amp behind me...and standing a good 20 ft out in front of that 3x12 with it actuall working hard...I was impressed. I also sideman most years for an outdoor festival with a friend's band..and that stage is big enough that they let me get away with bringing more toys..in fact, they have come to expect it...its not often that this one comes out to play, but I have a 64 fender showman head that I run through my kustom 4x12 cab and then use a morely ABY switch to also kick in the kustom SC2x12s..darn if that don't look cool..and the sound of both the fender and the kustoms working at it...oh my gosh. the kombo organ was a gift from my wife (as were so many of the kustoms) she got it for me for our 25th wedding anniversary about 5 years back..what a gal...as I started to say last night before I got the evil eye from her..warning me of certain death should I even consider selling the organ or any of the kustoms...there are times when I've considered unloading most of the stuff..then I turn around and buy another one..its an illness....more and more the past couple years I've just not had time to go out n play.. I used to work band jobs most every weekend..now I'm lucky if its every 8-12 weeks...I'm just to busy with my backline biz..so most of the kustoms stay buried along the back wall of the warehouse behind the lesser marshalls and fenders and vox and mesa POS stuff that the market insists they have to have to play their music...actually I do have one mesa head..a 2nd year (92?) mesa dual rec tremoverb..that one is a good one....wouldn't mind sitting that on top of a pair of 3x12 kustom cabs if I were out touring sideman...there is very little sparkle stuff in the house...cause everyone seems to have more money than me when the rigs come up for sale.. what I do have a treasures..gifts from kustom buds mostly..my little charcoal 2x10SC has gone out to play a few times..its mint...the big frank cascade stuff...no..it represents a real prize of vintage kustom gear...but I gotta say..I have this ol frank head in cascade that runs into a 2x10 hi freq cab that I loaded with reconed old CTS speakers...dude..there is no better sounding guitar rig ...period..end of story...that little closed back cab was originally designed for the 10" horns..but it is tight and full with CTS in there...and the ol Frank can push that box to every possible limit.. I keep it in my office cause it looks good..but I do crank it up and play through it alot cause it kills! my guitar tone was established over 10 years ago when I was doing some national touring and often found myself on whatever amps were backlined at the venue and needed to be able to get my tone on any amp in any volume situation. I'm still running older gear..when it breaks I'll struggle to move on..til then...it works... I have an old early 90s Boss ME-X board..the brain has all the wet fx...in stereo..chorus, delay tap, flange, reverbs, etc...onboard tuner, midi capable..but it lets me drop 3 pedals into the chain as well..so I can stuff my favorite overdrive pedals in place...my pedal chain typically starts with a boss compressor/sustain pedal into a boss dual overdrive which I can sub for a metalzone, etc..but for most of my variety work the dual overdrive with guitar pickup selections gives me all I really need. I can soar clean or go power chord...its better than just a tube screamer..although I've been known to pull one out. the thing i found is that the kustoms take to this pedal setup better than any other amp...most tube rigs complicate the tone, some amps break up too quickly with that much input voltage/signal.. I do use a voltage control pedal as volume from the boss board..that allows me to stay consistent with the tone while keeping the volume in hand...but the kustoms just carry it all through so transparently..they do add a nice bold output..but they don't color it... I truly love using my kustoms..almost as much as I love the look...talk to you soon I hope..and come up for a visit! Report message to a moderator

Re: K400 in need of columns [message #7762 is a reply to message #7749] Thu, 19 October 2006 17:10   Wattsyurz Messages: 16 Registered: July 2005 Location: SC Junior Member Dang, had a message typed and lost it! I actually live in Moss Creek. I drive a lot, and have a few destinations in Winnsboro, Traveler's Rest, and Seneca. Almost went to buy a Chevy in Rock Hill once. There's the look, and the sound of Kustoms, and they are all U.S. and represented good business practice, a solid and guranteed product that was solid. I have a Les Paul, but use my Ibanez Artcore, a blonde hollow-body with the Rosewood bridge. It's a delight to hear by itself, a clean, rich, acoustic resonance with natural sustain. Upstairs, I use a Crate GFX212 with a Zoom pedal, and a Crate DX212 modeling amp for vocal. All of my larger Kustom gear is downstairs in the music room, where that K400 from Ebay is now fully functional pushing a pair of T&R 4X12s. I also got a 400B1 Stereo bass amp. I have a gold Frankenstein rig, but it has some tears. And a few more K200s and a 795PA. I have all the heads because cabinets are too hard to ship. I became a Grampa a few years ago (45), Congratulations! I can basically sing/play, but can't really organize a band. Because of my job, I could be interrupted and totally called away. But I plug along with KB and sometimes drums, doing material fitting of the gear: CCR, Beatles, 60s & 70s etc. I don't think it's painful to hear, but I may be unwittingly polluting the air!! Report message to a moderator

Re: K400 in need of columns [message #7782 is a reply to message #7749] Mon, 23 October 2006 21:59   edforgothispassword Messages: 202 Registered: July 2004 Senior Member first break in a few days...had several backline jobs since last friday...got in at 4 am sat morning...took a nap..back up at 7:30..unloaded the trailer...reloaded for a 10am stage setup in charlotte...got it up..then scooted back to the warehouse to load another truck headed to Cheraw with one of my guys...then back up town to tend to that stage...got in at 2 am sunday morning..nap til 7..then up to visit with family for a while...then unloads and resets...some gear maint...and more to do this week..looks like I've got this weekend off...then nov has some good stuff...and things are supposed to slow down a bit... I'm hoping to book some late christmas corp jobs...always fun to play those...my band doesn't work much these days..cause I'm too busy schleppin gear for other players...I did take a bit of time this evening and crank up my blue twins...god I love those amps...I swear I could sell all my stuff....if I had those two rigs.. I'd be ok...but since my family gives me all kinds of grief at my mere mention of the thought of unloading a bit... I seem tobe stuck with all these wonderful amps...tuff luck eh? Report message to a moderator

Re: K400 in need of columns [message #7792 is a reply to message #7782] Tue, 24 October 2006 19:20   Wattsyurz Messages: 16 Registered: July 2005 Location: SC Junior Member It's just that things aren't made that way anymore, REAL WOOD? Money just doesn't seem to be enough to sell your prizes. Interesting pedal chain, I haven't got much in that area yet. I was considering getting an oscope and sig gen from Ebay, and buying dead units. Maybe get the woman to try working with Naugha. If the cabinets don't show for awhile, I'll have to keep busy somehow. Report message to a moderator

Re: K400 in need of columns [message #7795 is a reply to message #7749] Wed, 25 October 2006 09:56   edforgothispassword Messages: 202 Registered: July 2004 Senior Member when you first start the hunt...it seems like forever that rigs aren't showing up...but they do..hardest part about the big cabs...shipping...guys like BC are pro road warriors as far as making trips to go pick up big rigs ..otherwise the shipping costs really pooch the deal. but you'll find em...recovering however..is another entire level of work...I won't even let myself consider the investment and time it would take for me to get into it..maybe in 10 years when I don't have to hold down 2 jobs to pay the rent. my pedal board is old...and way outdated...but very good sounds...and while I can do without most things.. I do like the stereo chorus and stereo tap features....having a pair of kustoms makes the sound so much bigger... Report message to a moderator

Re: K400 in need of columns [message #7796 is a reply to message #7795] Wed, 25 October 2006 15:32 C4ster Messages: 686 Registered: June 2001 Location: Mukwonago, WI (Milwaukee... Senior Member I found my first 2 cascade columns from a tip from someone here on VintageKustom. They were in Huntsville Alabama. I'm in Milwaukee. My wife and I were going to Disney in Florida for our 30th anniversary and we even took out the rear set in the minivan to accomodate the columns on our return. We stopped in, I even had money down on them, but my wife thought they were too rough. Some road rash and a couple of rips on the back weren't enough to nix the deal, but when I saw that the speakers were not originals, I opened one of the cabinets and found 2 crap speakers. I didn't even open the second one. We left and she felt so bad that we spent extra time rummaging around Nashville and other music stores in the south. This was in July. I watched those columns on Music-Go-Round's website until they failed to show up on the store's listing. I called them and they said the columns weren't moving so they shipped them to Atlanta to another Music-Go-Round. They didn't sell even at $200 for the PAIR!!! I pushed my wife over the edge and she finally relented. Besides, I was making all kinds of money on this trip to China. I called the Atlanta store and offered them thier asking price, now $400 when I was in China on assignment. When I returned home, I tried to figure a way to ship the columns up to Milwaukee. I got an emergency phone call from a customer in Macon, Georgia, and my son and I jumped into the shop van and drove to Atlanta, picked up the columns, went to Macon, fixed the problem and then drove home. WHEW!! I didn't want the speakers that were in the columns anyway. I stripped those and installed JBL-E140's. They have worked beautifully for all these years. Then last year, I was doing a gig in the village square in town and a guy came up and said he had a pair of the columns in red. I almost sh*t myself. A few days later, I had 2 pristine Ross 3x15 Jensen siren cabinets with covers that literally walked up to me. It only proves that you never know when or where you will find yours. They are out there. It just takes patience. Good luck Conrad Report message to a moderator

Re: K400 in need of columns [message #7800 is a reply to message #7749] Thu, 26 October 2006 10:03   edforgothispassword Messages: 202 Registered: July 2004 Senior Member you're right Conrad..before ebay and the internet existed...my best means of finding kustoms used to be to just play out with them... I wold haunt the lil music stores and pawnshops..but if they had even a ragged one they would act like it was some vintage treasure worth 5 times more than it should be....but, in terms of the music world, my little town of Charlotte NC is/was still a small place...and with the visibility level that I had...most every local sound company that did festival stages, etc...and about 6,000 church goers and others all knew that Ed had a thing for those old puffy amps...and I fell into several very cool deals.. an old ross 2x12 for $125 mint, a blue 4x10 for $75, the 3x15 sirens for $225 total, a black 2x12SC for $165 mint...columns, heads,....etc all within very reasonable driving range....you can do it man! Report message to a moderator

Re: K400 in need of columns [message #7803 is a reply to message #7749] Thu, 26 October 2006 19:50   Wattsyurz Messages: 16 Registered: July 2005 Location: SC Junior Member Yeah, someday I'll get them 3Xs. For now, I have a K400 stereo that someone converted to a 200. It'll probably take a few weeks to get this one into shape. Somebody's been in here, and components are missing from the B side power amp. I've already submitted a part order, but it'll be mid November before the parts arrive. I may decide to borrow the parts from another power amp board, even though it will be more work. I dunno, maybe I need the beat of a different drummer? It just seems that kid has a need to hit 'em too hard. Report message to a moderator

Re: K400 in need of columns [message #7808 is a reply to message #7749] Fri, 27 October 2006 23:01   edforgothispassword Messages: 202 Registered: July 2004 Senior Member man sorry to hear someone screwed with the 400 rig...they are such a cool amp...I remember I was in college..it woulda been around 77..and I only thought the kustom PA heads came in 200 models... and in fact our college colors were crimson and grey..and we had a big kustom PA..siren cabs, 200 Pa head and a matching bass 200 rig...very cool...but this other college singing group came to our music building one time..and they had the 400 stereo head.. I was beside myself.. Ibegged the music director to sell it to me..but no luck.. I kept that rig in my memory for years before I saw another one..and when I did.. I bought it fast...I mean..how many rigs back in that day offered a PA like that with a stereo option....just way cool It sounds like you know what you're doing..but if you need help with the repairs, my amp tech who does all my bench work for my company...has been a big help on my kustoms and some of the other kustom gang. He has a source for the old germaniums even for my frank rigs... hope you get that big un up and going soon...and kick your drummers bass... Report message to a moderator

Re: K400 in need of columns [message #7810 is a reply to message #7749] Sat, 28 October 2006 13:26   Wattsyurz Messages: 16 Registered: July 2005 Location: SC Junior Member Ed, I may need to start a new topic, because the thermal protection diodes were bad. I had one replacement but they were both bad. Can you ask your tech what modern day part might be available? I insist on the function remaining, I.E. clips to and monitors the output transistor chasis, not simply putting a diode in. Report message to a moderator

Re: K400 in need of columns [message #7811 is a reply to message #7749] Sat, 28 October 2006 22:57   edforgothispassword Messages: 202 Registered: July 2004 Senior Member here's the best thing...my tech's contact info: Dave Foxx Gaffney SC cell: 704.575.9217 (that's one of my company cell that he carries...you should be able to reach him on it) just intro yourself as one of our kustom gang..and the good Doctor Dave will take it from there... Report message to a moderator

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