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
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
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
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
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
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
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 >