bign8sr Messages: 6 Registered: April 2013 Location: South Carolina
Junior Member
Just bought beautiful black 1970 Kustom 100 Bass Head and Speaker Cabinet in Excellent condition. Bought it just because. It will never see another gig. Only thing needed is one speaker handle.
Contact bign8sr@hotmail.com
bign8sr Messages: 6 Registered: April 2013 Location: South Carolina
Junior Member
Checked ebay. There are handles for Kustom Bass Amps, but only for the ones manufactured before 1970. The handles made before 1970 are 4 1/4" my amp was made in 1970 (lucky me) and it is 4 1/2" wide. Still looking. Thanks for the info though.
Kustom_Bart Messages: 601 Registered: October 2010 Location: Greenville, MichiGUN
Senior Member
Never heard of such a thing???? I know the New china made Kustoms use 4 1/2" wide handles, but not the old ones, that I know of, however the 4 1/4" handles will fit just fine, you are talking 1/8" per side and there is half of that in play in the holes for the screws. So maybe an 1/8th inch overall difference. They will bend that much.
pleat Messages: 1452 Registered: June 2004 Location: Belding, Mi
Senior Member
I'm not sure where the comment of after 1970 Kustom changed to 4 1/2" wide handles came from, but that is wrong. I've owned over 150 kustom cabinets from Frankestines to kustom cabs well into the slant face 250 series, and all handles are interchangeable using the 4 1/4" wide handles. A lot of the core collectors I hang with, bought huge lots of the new replacement handles in the mid 2000's and they were exact replacements to the original handles in the mounting plates. The only difference was, the replacements used a screw to hold the insert, where as the originals used a spiral nail to hold the insert.
pleat
bign8sr Messages: 6 Registered: April 2013 Location: South Carolina
Junior Member
To answer the question of where I got the info on the handles from, I went to ebay and found 1 (one) member there who makes the handles. It is listed on ebay as: Kustom Amp Replacement Handle Inserts, Item ID: 130884595092, member ID rfe0595. I got in touch with the person who makes the inserts and the info about 4 1/4" handles prior to 1970 and 4 1/2" handles after 1970 came from him. I'm new at the handle/hardware for Kustom thing and I just got the info from him.
pleat Messages: 1452 Registered: June 2004 Location: Belding, Mi
Senior Member
I've seen the seller who makes the wooden inserts on ebay. The problem is you still need to have the original metal strap, which from the original post sounds like you don't have. How are you measuring your one handle to get the 4 1/2"?
pleat
bign8sr Messages: 6 Registered: April 2013 Location: South Carolina
Junior Member
I'm measuring from the outside of the handle, left to right. And I have the metal strap, it's bent a little, but I do have it. Don't think it will be a problem to bend it back into it's original shape though.
Kustom_Bart Messages: 601 Registered: October 2010 Location: Greenville, MichiGUN
Senior Member
With the plastic inserts, they had to be bent inward to help hold the plastic handle in place otherwise all that hold them in place is the two nails on the top. There are ribs on the end that the strap holds onto when bent inward. There is a supplier for new handle, but you have to drill the rivet out of the swivel area on the mounting pieces of your old strap and use the mounts. Rivet them on and you will have a new strap and new insert that will last a very long time as they are screwed on and built better than the originals. Here is the link, I found it on-line, you have to go about half way down. You have to saw off the ends that are on there prior to installing the Kustom mounts.