RickBlacker Messages: 133 Registered: October 2008 Location: Oregon
Senior Member
Hi all...
My grandfather left me his Kustom K 100C-8. I don't know much about it other than it still plays excelent, it's tuck and role red. It's serial number is 46810
Does anyone have any information on this particular amp, what's in it? Drivers? Amp head? The year it was made????
Hi
Welcome to the board.
You had one cool grandfather.
Your amp SN 46810 was made 11/12/69 plus or minus 2 weeks.
It probably has Eminence speakers - see if it has a number like 67-6943 stamped on back of the speakers.
Does it have two speakers? - if it does, the speakers were 8 ohms each wired in series for 16 ohms - unless someone has re-wired it.
If it has four speakers, then the net impedance is 8 ohms.
It might have a speaker-out jack in back below the on-off switch. Kustom stopped putting them on combos about SN 47500.
The output of the amplifier is 60 watts RMS at 8 ohms.
The minimum recommended speaker load is 8 ohms.
Enjoy your amp. If you have any questions please let us know.
-Les S
RickBlacker Messages: 133 Registered: October 2008 Location: Oregon
Senior Member
Hi Les,
Yes, he was a great grandfather. He passed away back in the late 80's, before he passed, I had expressed interest in his guitar and amp. Before he passed on, he made sure I got them.
I've aloud a very close friend of mine use the amp for many years now, I recently got back into guitar playing and went and got my amp back from him this weekend.
I'm completly amazed at how well it sounds for it's age. I have nothing to compare it to, but, from what I can tell, it sounds just as good as it would have the day it left the store. I was too young to appreciate his amp back in the day when it played it by himself up on a stage, so I don't recall what it sounded like back then.
Thank you for the input. I won't sell the amp but out of curosity, is there any value to this amp other than personal value? Is this something that would be considered a collectors item, or lots of people would have strong desire for?
ALSO, can the original tubes for this be found? I will take some pics of it tonight when I get home and post them. It's tuck red. Glittery red. Still in rather good shape. A few small tears, but all in all the plastic tuck is still all there.
rodak Messages: 511 Registered: October 2001 Location: Georgia
Senior Member
Yes, it has value, both as a terrific amp, and as a collectors item. I'll let some of the more knowledgable folks here suggest a value, but I'd guess in the $300-$500 range.
You won't find any tubes in it, though - the T&R Kustoms were all solid-state only. Virtually all the parts are garden-variety electronics parts, still readily available, so finding repair parts is seldom a problem.
Congrats on discovering Gramps amp - I'm sure he'd be proud!
RickBlacker Messages: 133 Registered: October 2008 Location: Oregon
Senior Member
It's solid state? I've assumed all these years it was tube. I would never have guessed that they would have had solid state amps back in those days. At least not for guitar amps anyway.
rodak Messages: 511 Registered: October 2001 Location: Georgia
Senior Member
Oh, yeah, it was all the rage. Transistors were new, small, cool-running and frugal with electrical power. Plus they didn't wear out like tubes did. Fender had a complete line of solid state amps and PA gear. I'm sure they thought they'd soon replace the tired old tube amps, but they were a horrendous flop. Probably collectors items now, if you can find one!
Kustoms, on the other hand, were extremely popular, looked cool, and had a good sound - different from the tube amps, but a good sound, nonetheless. Some folks still swear by them.
Ya gotcherself one cool rig there, dude - hang on to it and cherish it!
rodak Messages: 511 Registered: October 2001 Location: Georgia
Senior Member
Back in those days, I don't think so - at least, not when it was owned by Bud Ross. There may have been some later tube models, long after they'd dropped the tuck'n'roll look.
Kustom did reissue the tuck'n'roll amps in the late 90's (or early 2000's?), and it seemed they had combined the best of both worlds. The amps looked very much like the late 60's amps, but had modern tube-driven innards, with a nice palette of features. I never saw or played one myself, but I heard they were made in China, had reliability problems, they were slow to be delivered, and the Naugahyde was much thinner than the originals. I don't think they sold very well. Eventually, people were dumping them on eBay (new, still in the boxes) for a fraction of the original prices. I recall seeing a few auctions picturing stacks of the boxes, offering a particular amp or cab in your choice of colors.
stevem Messages: 4736 Registered: June 2004 Location: NY
Senior Member
The first Kustom amps where solid state back in 1965! Quite ahead of the game and with circiuts that sounded good and lasted, unlike the poor sounding and badly made Fender SS amps you mentioned.
Also all the amps componets where no common qualtiy, the driver and output transistors which are the most highly loaded componets in the amp where RCA transistors with gold plated leads!
This is one of the main reasons why these amps still function today.
Kustom even took the time to use matched pairs and quads of output transistors to make for a stable amp that sounded great, unlike all of those crap SS amps made untill the Acostic reasearch company came about.
rodak Messages: 511 Registered: October 2001 Location: Georgia
Senior Member
Yeah,I had forgotten about Acoustic. The Doors used them pretty much exclusively, I think. Sharp looking amps, I always loved their look. The guitar amps seem never to have caught on, but the monster 360 and 370 were the amps to have, if you were a bass player. Pricey, though - I never could afford one.
RickBlacker Messages: 133 Registered: October 2008 Location: Oregon
Senior Member
I dunno you guys... This amp really is not my style. I think it's great for certian types of music, but, not really cutting it for the type of music I would like to play....
RickBlacker Messages: 133 Registered: October 2008 Location: Oregon
Senior Member
No problem, however I do want to say that I'm not sold on even selling it.
AND before I could sell it I need to get it fixed. For some reason the right hand side went out on me. the two left side inputs work fine, but the right side inputs stopped working. I looked for a blown fuse, but I didn't see anything that looked blown. I have no clue how much this would cost me to fix.
RickBlacker Messages: 133 Registered: October 2008 Location: Oregon
Senior Member
I don't WANT it, but, it's a family thing. My grandfather gave it to me. Called my mother the other day to chat about getting rid of it. Needless to say because it was her fathers, she's not keen on the idea. I also have his old Mosrite guitar as well. Don't really want that either.
rodak Messages: 511 Registered: October 2001 Location: Georgia
Senior Member
You should keep it. It's an excellent example of some of the coolest amps of the late 60s (and one of the smallest and easiest to store). You should eventually have it repaired, take good care of it, and pass it on to your children or grandchildren. (or nieces/nephews)
pleat Messages: 1452 Registered: June 2004 Location: Belding, Mi
Senior Member
I really think before you decide to sell the amp, you really need to put a processor pedal in front of it. Any of the multi effect processors, that are on the market. I use a 1993 Digitech RP1 floor processor that has reverb, compressor, flange, chorus, echo, 7 band eq, and it will make your amp into anything you want with power to spare. I have been playing a small single 12 K50 for the last 10 years with my processor pedal, and the pre amps in the kustoms will take a boat load of gain and will open your eyes as to the sounds you can achieve. I have played small clubs and outdoor events with my set up and I never bother to mic it. You will find that Kustoms just cut through the mix better than any amp I have ever used from Fenders, Marshalls or Peaveys. So give the amp another chance, I think you'll be glad you did.
pleat
rodak Messages: 511 Registered: October 2001 Location: Georgia
Senior Member
Real easy. All you need is a $2 stereo jack, a 10cent resistor, a little time, and a soldering iron (and maybe a drill). There may be an unused jack or hole on the back that would eliminate the need to drill one(I'm sure just the thought of that would send some Kustom Kollectors reeling!). I'm not sure of the value of the resistor, but I'd expect a 100 ohm, 1-watter would get you in the ballpark. One of the other guys could probably add more wisdom and experience to this generic advice.
It looks great with that Line6 POD in front of it - I bet they sound great, together, too. You really should try to find it in your heart to keep it. If you sell it, it's very likely going to be one of those things you regret many years down the road. Those little 2x10 combos look so cool, and in RED! Man, what a great amp!
RickBlacker Messages: 133 Registered: October 2008 Location: Oregon
Senior Member
I'm actually looking into getting it fixed up. I contacted a local guy here in the Portland Oregon area.
As far as headphone jack, what do I do with those? I'm good enough with a soldering iron. I've taken my guitars apart several times, changed pups on them and what not. I'm sure I could do it.
Just my opinion - unless your Kustom is really quiet, I would not put a headphone jack in it. Many Kustoms - especially the plexi faceplate Kustoms (those before about July 1971/SN 73xxx) - have a lot of high frequency hiss and would be very noisy when heard through headphones.
-Les S.
stevem Messages: 4736 Registered: June 2004 Location: NY
Senior Member
Modern replacement transistors and other items like 1 watt metal film type resistors in select parts of the preamps can cut the hiss level by a large factor should you find a need to do so.
The best place in these amps to place a headphone output would be by taking the signal off at the driver board input pad. This spot on the driver board has the two blue wires from the preamps going to it, and many of these amps ( like my k100-8) have on the back a plastic capped off hole that could be used to mount the 1/4" jack for the headphones and yet be a totally reversable mod which will hold the value of the amp.
RickBlacker Messages: 133 Registered: October 2008 Location: Oregon
Senior Member
On the back of the amp, the switch goes either to the left or to the right... Why? What is the difference between going to the left and right to turn it on?
Jc Messages: 217 Registered: March 2000 Location: N.W. Chicago Suburb
Senior Member
Back in the days of Black and white TV - Vinyl Albums and two prong power cords. It's a polarity switch. Learned about using that switch the first time ya numbed your face after a nice shock from the microphone!
RickBlacker Messages: 133 Registered: October 2008 Location: Oregon
Senior Member
So last night I went and got some contact cleaner, took the head out, cleaned up all the pots, pulled off all the contacts sprayed them and ensured there was good contacts on all of them.
I did break one though. It goes to a sensor, i was a bit bummed, but i decided to tape the wires back together. I will replace the part.
I put it all back together. I have't not had a chance to really crank it as the family was home, but I did notice that it definitly dosn't scratch anymore, it's basically seemed to clean it up. I'm much more happy with it.
stevem Messages: 4736 Registered: June 2004 Location: NY
Senior Member
The only sensor in these amps is the thremal cut off ( round item) mounted inbetween the the output transistors with two wires that slip on by spade lugs, is this the sensor you are talking about?
stevem Messages: 4736 Registered: June 2004 Location: NY
Senior Member
I am talking about the round black item with wires that are white and black stripped coming off it, that are also twisted together.
If you are talking about the little silver tubular item with both leads coming out one end, and the leads are clear sleveed, than that is the bias diode and the amp should be turned on with out first replacing that.
pleat Messages: 1452 Registered: June 2004 Location: Belding, Mi
Senior Member
I see someone had advised that if it had two speakers, they wrote that they used 8 ohms each and wired in series for 16 ohms. NOT true. The kustom speaker chart I have shows the 2x10 SC amp using 16 ohm speakers and wired in parallel for a 8 ohm total load to the amp.
Don
All the K100 2x10 combo's I have seen used 8 ohm speakers wired in series. Has anyone seen one that used 16's?
The switch might have come when Kustom went from K100 to to K150 combos (approx July 1970 SN 571xx). Also, I think the extra power of the K150 required stronger speakers that normally came in the K100 combos.
RickBlacker Messages: 133 Registered: October 2008 Location: Oregon
Senior Member
The output jack on the back, what was that designed to push? And when having a cab plugged in, did it cut the power to the two internal speakers? OR could you hook up a second cab and have both running at the same time?