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K 100 2 Footswitch [message #8455]

Fri, 23 March 2007 15:35

KustomG
Messages: 41
Registered: May 2006

Member

I just got a K 100 2 head to go with my 2x12 cab. My question is this: The reverb works when I turn on the amp, but the vibrato does not (seller said it does work). I borrowed a friends Kustom footswitch that he uses on his K 200 B2 head to turn the vibrato and reverb OFF, it has 2 switches on top, one for reverb and the other for vibrato. I tried to use it on my K 100 and when I did the reverb didn't work, nor did the vibrato, when I unplugged the footswitch the reverb began to work again.So, is the footswitch that I would be looking for the one that just has the 1 button on the top, which I'm assuming is just to turn the vibrato off and on, since the reverb seems to be on all the time, or is there another switch that I don't know about? Thanks for any and all help and responses!

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Re: K 100 2 Footswitch [message #8459 is a reply to message #8455]

Sat, 24 March 2007 10:44

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

Senior Member

I also have K100-2 maps and the same footswitch that works for the K100 also works for my K25. I can't directly adress the K200 but highly doubt that Kustom used more than 1 configuration for their footswtiches. I know if I don't use the effects I need to insert an unwired stereo plug in the jack to shut off the effects. Other wise they are on all the time. I owuld definately have the 2 button switch checked to see if the individual switches use the sleeve as the common for the 2 switches. There are 3 contacts on a stereo plug. The tip, ring and sleeve. The tip and ring are the 2 switches and the sleeve is commom. Make sure that is correct. But if the vibrato is not working when the jack is open, then there may be an issue with the vibrato circuit.
Conrad

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Re: K 100 2 Footswitch [message #8463 is a reply to message #8455]

Mon, 26 March 2007 06:54

stevem
Messages: 4736
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

Yup! you should not need a foot switch to get the tremolo on.

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Re: K 100 2 Footswitch [message #8464 is a reply to message #8455]

Mon, 26 March 2007 20:27

KustomG
Messages: 41
Registered: May 2006

Member

Hey Guys,
Thanks for the replies!!
Steven- Then does that mean that I need the ONE button footswitch to turn the tremolo OFF??

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Re: K 100 2 Footswitch [message #8465 is a reply to message #8464]

Mon, 26 March 2007 22:23

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

Senior Member

A one button footswitch plug only has a tip and no sleeve. One, I'm not sure which, of your effects will always be on and the other will work with the footswitch. It's not the best plan.
Conrad

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Re: K 100 2 Footswitch [message #8466 is a reply to message #8455]

Tue, 27 March 2007 21:09

KustomG
Messages: 41
Registered: May 2006

Member

Conrad- This much I know, when I plug the 2 button footswitch into the output jack, I loose the reverb totally, I can use the tremolo button on the footswitch to cycle the tremolo off and on. No matter what I do with the footswitch button for the reverb, it does not come back on, and only comes back on AFTER I disconnect the footswitch from the output jack. So, thats why I'm wondering about a single button footswitch to work just the tremolo. I don't quite understand why Kustom would have designed an amp to work with only just tremolo and no reverb when using a footswitch. Of course by not using the footswitch, I have BOTH effects working at the same time, if I don't want one of them then I can just turn it all the way down. So, whats the point of the footswitch output jack?? ( I know I will loose sleep over this!!! lol )

[Updated on: Tue, 27 March 2007 21:10]

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Re: K 100 2 Footswitch [message #8467 is a reply to message #8466]

Wed, 28 March 2007 09:56

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

Senior Member

OK, I just received a new, for me of course, K100 last night. While playing with the controls and no foot switch, the results are the same as you have. So if the tremolo works and the reverb does not when the foot switch is plugged in, I would check the operation of the foot switch with an ohmmeter. Check between the sleeve and the ring, toggle both switches and see if one switches properly. Then do the same between the sleeve and the tip. The other switch should work. I think the reverb switch is not working and you have an open circuit in either the switch or the cable. The other possibility is, do you have a footswitch that has LED indicators? That type of switch will not work. The LED's conflict with the on/off circuitry and either keep the effect on or off, I forget which. And if my memory serves me, only one of the effects fails to work properly. I hope this helps.
Conrad

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Re: K 100 2 Footswitch [message #8468 is a reply to message #8455]

Wed, 28 March 2007 20:56

KustomG
Messages: 41
Registered: May 2006

Member

Conrad
This footswitch is from a 1971 Kustom 200 B-2 head. It works perfectly with the B-2 Head, So, I'm not sure why it doesn't work with the K-100 head. Kustom surely would not have made that much difference in the operation of the footswitch between the K-200 and the K-100, would they? I mean, effects are effects, right?

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Re: K 100 2 Footswitch [message #8469 is a reply to message #8455]

Thu, 29 March 2007 06:40

stevem
Messages: 4736
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

It may be time to get into that amp and see what that TRS jack looks like.

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Re: K 100 2 Footswitch [message #8470 is a reply to message #8469]

Thu, 29 March 2007 11:19

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

Senior Member

Last night I had my new K100 apart and I had the opportunity to check out both the schematic and the actual jack. The tip is the tremolo and the ring is the reverb. There are shorting terminals that connect the tip and ring to ground with no plug inserted. The effects are active in this state. With that in mind, if the jack has been modified or is damaged that might explain the problem. At this time I have no other input. I think you need to investigate that jack and switch combination. BTW, if you use the single button switch, the reverb will stay on and the button will operate the tremolo.
Conrad

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Re: K 100 2 Footswitch [message #8471 is a reply to message #8455]

Thu, 29 March 2007 12:33

stevem
Messages: 4736
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

Thanks for you effort Conrad, I kept telling myself to remmeber to check one of my k100, and by the time I get home I would forget.

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Re: K 100 2 Footswitch [message #8472 is a reply to message #8471]

Thu, 29 March 2007 14:25

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

Senior Member

I have written this reply once, I don't want to do it again. Have you found this webboard to be a bit flaky? I just got a new silver K100-2 and I noticed it was a bit thin and just didn't have the balls my others do. It is also very hissy. I have a gold K100-2 that sounds good but has damage so I thought I would trade boards. Also the reverb pan is missing in the gold. Well, I pulled the board and it was very dirty. So I opened the silver and I immediatly noticed 3 replacement transistors. One was in the input stage and it was one of those oversized TO92 Japanese transistors. Also, someone replaced both driver transistors for the output transistors with TIP31C and TIP32C TO220 transistors. I pilfered the transistors out of the gold amp and replaced all 3 and it sounds great. The hiss is almost gone, not quite, but almost. But I did notice that the tremolo sounds harsh and not very deep. It almost sounds like it is a square wave and not a sine or triangular wave. I'm not sure what the tremolo signal is. The reverb is very deep and I can only use about 10% of the control. I am not in need of the effects but I want them working properly. I thought I might do a power test but didn't feel like dragging the scope and generator out.
Conrad

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Re: K 100 2 Footswitch [message #8475 is a reply to message #8455]

Fri, 30 March 2007 00:52

KustomG
Messages: 41
Registered: May 2006

Member

Hey guys- Thanks once again for the input and the expertise!
Conrad- I think I'll look into the one button footswitch as I like a little reverb, but not always tremolo. BTW my K 100 reverb is very sensitive as well, I only need to turn it between the first and second marks to get plenty of reverb, beyond the second mark and it sounds like I'm down inside a 200 foot shaft!! Really!!

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Re: K 100 2 Footswitch [message #8476 is a reply to message #8455]

Fri, 30 March 2007 06:43

stevem
Messages: 4736
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

Yea Conrad their is something new going on now after you post now, it doesn`t send you back to the thread section you where at before the posting, and then a couple of weeks ago I got on, it let me finsh a reply and a rather long one at that, and when I went to post it the site took me back to the log in pass word screen and I lost the post it took me 10 minutes to type in.
I guess the repair shop that had prevously worked on your new amp used whatever semiconductors thay had on hand!
Maybe kustom used a linear pot in these k100s for the reverb, and replacing it with a audio taper style pot would help out with smoothing out the reverb signal introduction, the tremolo depth could just be some of those darn tantalum caps in the circuit drifting in value?
I know my combo k100 has good tremolo depth, but I think that circiut is a bit different.I will check out both of my k100`s tremolo function over the weekend and report back on monday.

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Re: K 100 2 Footswitch [message #8510 is a reply to message #8475]

Fri, 06 April 2007 22:05

tweed112
Messages: 34
Registered: January 2006
Location: Mass

Member

I have (3) K100-2 amps black,gold,charcoal, all sound great but I have the same issue with all the reverbs, great reverb but I only put it about 1-2 and theres plenty of reverb, if I put it on 5 then its the 200 ft mine shaft effect

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Re: K 100 2 Footswitch [message #9527 is a reply to message #8455]

Fri, 18 July 2008 02:50

raw-dogg
Messages: 13
Registered: January 2008
Location: nyc

Junior Member

I've been using my 100-2 amp for bass so I unplugged the reverb tank's rca jack on 1 side to disable it. I plugged it back in last night after a few months and the reverb seems to causing a weird feedback. The more I turn up the reverb the more it feeds back. Then when I turn the volume down the feedback continues. I have to turn the power off to get it to stop. The reverb worked fine before I disabled it. Anyone know why this may be happening? I didn't change anything else.

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Re: K 100 2 Footswitch [message #9528 is a reply to message #8455]

Fri, 18 July 2008 06:11

stevem
Messages: 4736
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

I have had this problem happen a number of times, and its cause is a poor ground connection on the outside of the rca connector due to tarnish, the steel is no longer shinny, but dull.
Plug the cable in and spin it around and most times that is enough to do the trick.
Some scrubbing with the back side of a dish washing pad , followed by a tad of some automotive white lithium grease applyed with a Q-tip with keep it working for another 40 years!

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Re: K 100 2 Footswitch [message #9529 is a reply to message #9528]

Sun, 20 July 2008 04:04

raw-dogg
Messages: 13
Registered: January 2008
Location: nyc

Junior Member

Thanks so much. You're right. When I unplugged it ,I put black electrical tape on it so it wouldn't short anything out while it was just sitting there. I'll give it a good cleaning and I'm sure it will be back to normal.

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