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Hello, fellow Kustom players! [message #8087]

Mon, 22 January 2007 22:49

KustomPlayer
Messages: 4
Registered: January 2007
Location: Fairfax, VA

Junior Member

I'm a brand-new Kustom owner. I picked up a K200B1 and 3x15 cabinet off Craigslist while looking for a larger cabinet to compliment my Laney B2 2x10. I play rock on a Fender '51 Precision reissue with a Seymour Duncan high-output pickup, upgraded bridge and Thomastic flatwounds.

So for $275, I got the much abused head and cabinet. Supposedly the rig had been toured in 45 of 50 states. The head is supposedly a 1972 model, serial number 70,981. The bottom speaker sounded blown, which got me a $50 discount, and after pulling the back of the cabinet off, I find all three cones stamped with "1503 G3". The one blown speaker has a totally rotted surround. A Google search turned this up as a 1963 model CTS driver (the magnet is stamped "137 7117" (CTS), and the input jack on the cabinet is stamped CTS) on an eBay listing, but the seller there could be wrong, too. Cabinet serial number is 24,483. Seller said the cabinet was re-coned years ago, but immediately offered the $50 concession when I noticed the speaker didn't sound right. All cones stamped 1963? All original, I bet. Oddly, the top two speakers seem to be in great shape. I found a guitar signal cable and small tube of KY at the bottom of the cabinet upon pulling the back off. If this Kustom could talk!

This rig sounds awesome, a true tone-monster, even with a cone-rotted driver. I'm not sure whether to recone the one driver or replace all three with other drivers. I've read many posts on this board about the different drivers available. Maybe Weber Chicago 15s? Eminence Delta 16 ohm? I had my eye on Jensen Mod 15-120 for another project. TS parameters are similar to the Delta 15B.

Glad to be Kustom owner!

Kustom K200B1 and 3x15 cabinet
Laney B2 2x10 bass amp (1500W RMS)
Fender '51 Reissue
1976 Ford F100 pickup 300ci/4spd

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Re: Hello, fellow Kustom players! [message #8088 is a reply to message #8087]

Tue, 23 January 2007 08:45

LesS
Messages: 477
Registered: December 2002

Senior Member

Hi KustomPlayer,
Welcome to the site.
Your K200B-1 was made about 5/25/71 plus or minus about 3 weeks. It is among the last non-PA K200s to be made; it could have jack markers (for the jacks in back) that most K200B’s did not have.
Your 3x15 cabinet was made about the same time – probably June 1971 (or possibly late May).
The "7117" stamp on the CTS speaker means 1971 17th week.
Based on the cabinet's and speaker's production dates and the input jack marked CTS, I think there is a good chance these speakers are the original speakers that came in the cabinet.
-Les S

PS: I never have much luck with cone stamps, but the "1503 G3" on the cone might mean this:
15 = 15 inch speaker
03 = 16 ohms (1=4 ohms... 2=8 ohms... 3=16 ohms)
G = guitar
3 = 16 ohms

[Updated on: Tue, 23 January 2007 08:57]

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Re: Hello, fellow Kustom players! [message #8091 is a reply to message #8087]

Tue, 23 January 2007 12:46

stevem
Messages: 4733
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

Hi, If you decide to reload the cabinet with different drivers hold on to all of the 3 original cts speakers.

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Re: Hello, fellow Kustom players! [message #8092 is a reply to message #8087]

Tue, 23 January 2007 22:44

KustomPlayer
Messages: 4
Registered: January 2007
Location: Fairfax, VA

Junior Member

Thank you all for the information. I've researched my replacement driver choices, and I think I'll just have the one CTS reconed. It'll be about the same price as any new driver, and then I'll have three matching drivers without paying for three.

Kustom K200B1 and 3x15 cabinet
Laney B2 2x10 bass amp (1500W RMS)
Fender '51 Reissue
1976 Ford F100 pickup 300ci/4spd

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Re: Hello, fellow Kustom players! [message #8094 is a reply to message #8087]

Wed, 24 January 2007 06:30

stevem
Messages: 4733
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

Just make sure to get it reconed with a 16 ohm kit like the others.

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Re: Hello, fellow Kustom players! [message #8095 is a reply to message #8087]

Wed, 24 January 2007 09:41

KustomPlayer
Messages: 4
Registered: January 2007
Location: Fairfax, VA

Junior Member

You guys ever heard of Waldom-brand recones? I'm talking with johnsvintageradio.com, and John has that in stock.

Kustom K200B1 and 3x15 cabinet
Laney B2 2x10 bass amp (1500W RMS)
Fender '51 Reissue
1976 Ford F100 pickup 300ci/4spd

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Re: Hello, fellow Kustom players! [message #8096 is a reply to message #8095]

Wed, 24 January 2007 10:45

C4ster
Messages: 686
Registered: June 2001
Location: Mukwonago, WI (Milwaukee...

Senior Member

Waldom is one of the few companies that sell aftermarket kits. Mostly through places like John's. Another place is SimplySpeakers.com out of Florida. I have had great results with JBL aftermarket kits. If your speaker is not listed, call them. They should have it.
Conrad

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Re: Hello, fellow Kustom players! [message #8097 is a reply to message #8096]

Thu, 25 January 2007 11:35

BC
Messages: 583
Registered: March 2000
Location: Kentucky

Senior Member

Welcome KustomPlayer.......Bass player and vintage Kustom collector for 8 years here. What color is your Kustom? I love the 3x15s and I have several. The top speaker makes a great monitor you will love it. The 3x15s are also good for intimidating soundmen and guitarists with small.........dare I say it?................. combo amps. BC Cool

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Re: Hello, fellow Kustom players! [message #8098 is a reply to message #8097]

Thu, 25 January 2007 13:16

KustomPlayer
Messages: 4
Registered: January 2007
Location: Fairfax, VA

Junior Member

http://mason.gmu.edu/~dlaney/rig.jpg (I took the girly stickers off the amp. On the left is a wonderful 1963 Curtis Mathes console stereo that I use daily)

http://mason.gmu.edu/~dlaney/openback.jpg (Preparing to remove the damaged driver. You can see the speaker grill from my Laney behind it, and the surprises I found at the bottom of the cabinet.)

http://mason.gmu.edu/~dlaney/damagedCTS.jpg (really large (2MB) photo of the removed bottom driver; you can see the destroyed surround on the left, and a bit of my Laney B2 and '51 Reissue behind it)

Everyone's got an Ampeg. Everyone's got a 2x10 combo. The Kustom is more of a jawdropper than not. It's just a big rig, and it's so out of left field. Not to denigrate my Laney 2x10...it is a little combo, but it's a 2x750W Laney head bolted on a 2x10 cabinet. Thats 2x750W RMS.

I'm checking with some other reconers. If I'm not going to recone it, I'm going to put in a Delta 15B or something similar in it's place. If I am going to recone it, I'm going to do it right, back to OEM specs. Certainly I'll never toss the CTS drivers. I always save old drivers; I've got some old British 8" AlNiCo PA drivers, an a set of six great drivers out of a stereo Telefunken.

Kustom K200B1 and 3x15 cabinet
Laney B2 2x10 bass amp (1500W RMS)
Fender '51 Reissue
1976 Ford F100 pickup 300ci/4spd

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Re: Hello, fellow Kustom players! [message #8122 is a reply to message #8098]

Mon, 29 January 2007 16:18

daveobergoenner@gmail.com is currently offline

daveobergoenner@gmail.com
Messages: 104
Registered: January 2007
Location: Missouri

Senior Member

Those are great pix...thanks for sharing!

Brings back a lot of old memories.

Those sure look like the original CTS drivers and cones to me.

I'd recone the bottom driver...to match the others. Trying to find a new driver which would match the other two would be a pain. I'm sure there's something from Eminence out there...but matching the others would be my path.

Make sure the replacement is a 16 ohm.

Dave O.

Dave 0 Wall-O-Bass
Webpage - <a href="http://webpages.charter.net/daveobieone/" target="_blank">http://webpages.charter.net/daveobieone/</a >

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