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Newbie with service questions [message #26308] Thu, 21 September 2017 12:13 Go to next message
Clay1017 is currently offline  Clay1017
Messages: 4
Registered: September 2017
Junior Member
Hello and thanks for letting me become a new member to the forum. I have recently joined the Kustom club with a Charcoal Sparkle K100-1 with 2X15 Jensen cab, and and Black K200B-1 with 2X15 CTS cab. I am familiar with servicing vintage Fender amps. Transistors are a new challenge for me. My question is, as a rule do you guys go through your amps and replace/upgrade certain components immediately, or is it more or less a "change things if it is noisy" type thing? My tech skills involve "shotgunning" most things, rather than testing for leaky caps, etc. With Fenders you know the electrolytics most often need replaced, etc. Are there general rules for Kustoms?
Re: Newbie with service questions [message #26309 is a reply to message #26308] Thu, 21 September 2017 14:16 Go to previous messageGo to next message
chicagobill
Messages: 2005
Registered: April 2003
Senior Member
Welcome to the place!
There will be as many opinions on this subject as there are members here, so here's my point of view.

I don't like replacing stuff for the sake of replacing stuff. Every amp has a history and that history will contribute to the condition of the amp. Noise and hiss and bad caps, etc. can all be caused in part by the way the amp was treated. Was it kept in a nice environment or was it stored in a wet garage? Was it ever in a flood and if it was, was it sewage or sea water or rain water?

I've seen a lot of amps and with only a few exceptions, there really is no way to say that such and such a part always fails. The world and the interwebs is made up of a lot of different people, and everybody has his or her own way of thinking and doing things. So take anything that you read here with an open mind and form your own opinions based upon what you learn to be true, not what somebody else believes is true.

Again, welcome.
Re: Newbie with service questions [message #26310 is a reply to message #26308] Thu, 21 September 2017 22:05 Go to previous messageGo to next message
DeadKoby is currently offline  DeadKoby
Messages: 35
Registered: August 2017
Location: Cleveland, OH
Member
In the case of fixing my Kustom, I replaced only parts that were bad or out of spec. That was 1 transistor, and one cap on one of the pre-amp boards. Everything else is OK, and no further tech work is needed.

The filter caps on mine were really high grade, and Tantalum caps instead of electrolytic in most places. It leads to a long life.

Since there's not a lot of input resistance, the first transistor on a pre-amp board is a bit susceptible to failure... but otherwise, no worries.

Filter caps on tube amps take a bigger beating because of the higher voltages. This isn't applicable on the solid state amps.


All your electrons are belong to us.
Re: Newbie with service questions [message #26315 is a reply to message #26310] Fri, 22 September 2017 10:15 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Clay1017 is currently offline  Clay1017
Messages: 4
Registered: September 2017
Junior Member
Thanks for the replies guys. DK ..I was really inspired by your YouTube videos on fixing the K200B-1. But I would probably replace all the the transistors and then wire the base/collector/emitter wrong on one of them and have to tear the whole thing apart searching for it. Ha!

Cheers, Clay
Re: Newbie with service questions [message #26316 is a reply to message #26315] Fri, 22 September 2017 15:31 Go to previous messageGo to next message
mister honey is currently offline  mister honey
Messages: 38
Registered: January 2014
Location: eastern blowville heights...
Member
Clay1017 wrote on Fri, 22 September 2017 10:15
DK ..I was really inspired by your YouTube videos on fixing the K200B-1.
Cheers, Clay


Do you have a link for this YT video?

Mike
Re: Newbie with service questions [message #26320 is a reply to message #26308] Mon, 25 September 2017 09:24 Go to previous messageGo to next message
DeadKoby is currently offline  DeadKoby
Messages: 35
Registered: August 2017
Location: Cleveland, OH
Member
I will post the links in my next message..... I have to make sure I have 10 posts. LOL

All your electrons are belong to us.
Re: Newbie with service questions [message #26321 is a reply to message #26308] Mon, 25 September 2017 09:25 Go to previous messageGo to next message
DeadKoby is currently offline  DeadKoby
Messages: 35
Registered: August 2017
Location: Cleveland, OH
Member
Here you go. I've been using it in studio on my new record... sounds great.

Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgDJ83VEL4o
Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKuyAlcC9os&t=1384s
Inside the cab.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaTa9GxyzLI
Final testing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRRSQ6JdyGc


All your electrons are belong to us.
Re: Newbie with service questions [message #26323 is a reply to message #26321] Mon, 25 September 2017 21:30 Go to previous messageGo to next message
pleat is currently offline  pleat
Messages: 1452
Registered: June 2004
Location: Belding, Mi
Senior Member
Great watching the repair of the K200B1 amp. I noticed you have a 315B cab with the silver threads in the grill cloth which would be a cab matched with the K250 series. I would take the back off and check to see what is really in the cabinet for speakers and brand. It looks like the center speaker is Kustoms KEI guitar speaker. In that series cab, Kustom used 8 ohm speakers wired in parallel for a 2.7 ohm total load. The K200B1 amp wants at least a 4 ohm load.

pleat
Re: Newbie with service questions [message #26325 is a reply to message #26323] Tue, 26 September 2017 08:45 Go to previous messageGo to next message
mister honey is currently offline  mister honey
Messages: 38
Registered: January 2014
Location: eastern blowville heights...
Member
Thanks for the YT links... could not find Dead Koby via search.

Mike
Re: Newbie with service questions [message #26330 is a reply to message #26323] Tue, 26 September 2017 15:24 Go to previous messageGo to next message
DeadKoby is currently offline  DeadKoby
Messages: 35
Registered: August 2017
Location: Cleveland, OH
Member
One of my videos includes opening the cab up. You can see it too. The drivers are 16 ohm.

All your electrons are belong to us.

[Updated on: Tue, 26 September 2017 15:34]

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Re: Newbie with service questions [message #26332 is a reply to message #26308] Wed, 27 September 2017 12:11 Go to previous messageGo to next message
chicagobill
Messages: 2005
Registered: April 2003
Senior Member
Nice videos, but I'll point out that the two input jacks are not high and low gain. The high input is a low cut filtered input making it a bright input and the low is a normal input.

The tantalum caps and the green 1% film resistors that were used in these amps were state of the art at the time these amps were designed. They were expensive to use, were far more reliable and helped keep some of the typical noise levels down compared to other amps being built at the time.

Keep up the good work.
Re: Newbie with service questions [message #26333 is a reply to message #26332] Wed, 27 September 2017 12:58 Go to previous message
DeadKoby is currently offline  DeadKoby
Messages: 35
Registered: August 2017
Location: Cleveland, OH
Member
Although I own 4 basses, and have 4 bass amps to pick from... I'm using the Kustom rig with a Rickenbacker for the whole record.... sounds great, and I don't need to mess with success.

All your electrons are belong to us.
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