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Thanks for adding me [message #26708] Sun, 20 May 2018 14:55 Go to next message
JDinPA17603 is currently offline  JDinPA17603
Messages: 69
Registered: May 2018
Location: Lancaster, PA
Member
I just wanted to say thank you for adding me to the site. My Kustom addiction goes back to 1967 when I was in the USN. I got my first Kustom amp back then a 200 watt head with reverb and tremolo / vibrato on one channel and a second clean channel. It sat on top of a matching Blue Sparkle cab with 2 15" speakers in it. I got it to play my newly acquired Hagstrom Impala guitar through. Fell in love with it. Over the years the amp met its demise on a way to a gig when the driver of the car found a 14" maple tree that didn't move. The cab later followed the head when some friends decided to see if it could handle a 250 watt amp. That didn't work out either. Over the years I found myself yearning to find me another amp but life kept interfering. Well decided two months ago to get the Impala set up and realized I didn't have an amp... now I have three and I will be camping in the technical section and posting on the repair board as I stroke them all back into full operation. I started life as an Electronics Tech while in the navy and had a radio tv repair shop along the way in life so I am confident that with the skills I have along with the level of technical help available here I will be able to succeed.

The gear so far:
Two 4 x 10 CTS speaker cabs

One 2 X 12 cabinet 212-B serial K28161

100 series head K100-5 serial 43735 (channel two dead)

??? Kustom by Ross Head - NO ID Plate - NO Serial Plate 5A and 3A white button breakers either side of power switch...
Left channel High / Low inputs - Reverb (works) Tremolo Vibrato (no work)
Right channel High / Low inputs - Bright switch (works)

K100C7 combo - waiting to be delivered.

Once again thanks for having me and I will be looking for help.

John


Old Us Navy Vietnam Vet
Playing for my own enjoyment and irritation of the neighbors.
Re: Thanks for adding me [message #26710 is a reply to message #26708] Mon, 21 May 2018 06:09 Go to previous messageGo to next message
stevem is currently offline  stevem
Messages: 4728
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY
Senior Member
Hello again!
There will always be good help here for you as long as Bill and myself still have blood pumping around!

Your by Ross head is a early K200 A series as definded by the 2 breakers on the front panel.
When you dive in there to get the Tremolo back up and running I would be leaning towards unhooking those breakers and installing fuses as the failure of semiconductors takes place far faster then a breaker can react, at least a fuse has a chance!
To this day I wounded how Kustom engineers got so off track in regards to protecting the electronics in the amp?
Re: Thanks for adding me [message #26711 is a reply to message #26708] Mon, 21 May 2018 09:33 Go to previous messageGo to next message
oren hudson is currently offline  oren hudson
Messages: 274
Registered: March 2008
Location: Gastonia, NC
Senior Member
Here's a welcome from North Carolina!
Re: Thanks for adding me [message #26712 is a reply to message #26708] Mon, 21 May 2018 14:23 Go to previous messageGo to next message
chicagobill
Messages: 2005
Registered: April 2003
Senior Member
Welcome to the place! Glad to have another member here to share the fun.
Re: Thanks for adding me [message #26713 is a reply to message #26710] Tue, 22 May 2018 14:31 Go to previous messageGo to next message
JDinPA17603 is currently offline  JDinPA17603
Messages: 69
Registered: May 2018
Location: Lancaster, PA
Member
Steve, Thanks for the info on the A about the breakers ... as I have acquired this gear to use and enjoy rather than collectors items I will be swapping out the breakers for fuses. Question should the power fuse be a quick acting one? Seems that would make sense instead of a slo-blow. I need to look in the technical section again for the schematic on the K100-5 preamp boards and to see if there are schematics for the A series tremolo/vibrato circuit. I'm sure I'll be asking some questions when I get to it. javascript: insertTag(document.post_form.msg_body, '', ' Very Happy '); I have always been of the thought that the only dumb question was the one not asked.
John

Thanks for the welcome also to ChicagoBill and Oren Hudson.


Old Us Navy Vietnam Vet
Playing for my own enjoyment and irritation of the neighbors.
Re: Thanks for adding me [message #26714 is a reply to message #26708] Tue, 22 May 2018 18:31 Go to previous messageGo to next message
chicagobill
Messages: 2005
Registered: April 2003
Senior Member
I would not recommend replacing the circuit breakers unless they have failed. They really are not there to save the amp from damage, but to save your speakers when the amp fails or to keep the amp from burning down your house when the amp draws too much current.

The later A-series heads went to internal fuses, 5 amp on the power amp board for the speaker and 3 amp for the ac input. Both should be fast blow pigtail types.

When there is a problem in the amp that is bad enough to blow the fuse, the Kustom designers realized that replacing the fuse would only add to the damage to the amp, especially when users would go out to their car and pull a 20 amp fuse and try it in the fuse holder. That was the reason for going to the circuit breakers and finally to the internal fuses. The B-series heads removed the 5 amp speaker fuse as the 3 amp fuse would blow long before the 5 amp would blow.

If your amp blows a fuse, there is a shorted component in there that needs to be addressed. It is extremely rare for a fuse to just blow for no reason.

Building a light bulb current limiter would be a my recommendation for you to do if you plan to work on these or any other amps.
Re: Thanks for adding me [message #26805 is a reply to message #26708] Wed, 18 July 2018 12:48 Go to previous messageGo to next message
oldnavycdr is currently offline  oldnavycdr
Messages: 38
Registered: July 2006
Location: Sanford, NC
Member
Welcome shipmate!

Old Navy
Re: Thanks for adding me [message #27004 is a reply to message #26805] Mon, 24 September 2018 13:44 Go to previous messageGo to next message
JDinPA17603 is currently offline  JDinPA17603
Messages: 69
Registered: May 2018
Location: Lancaster, PA
Member
Hey Navy Commander, thanks for the welcome. Somehow I missed the post😒


Old Us Navy Vietnam Vet
Playing for my own enjoyment and irritation of the neighbors.
Re: Thanks for adding me [message #27028 is a reply to message #26708] Wed, 10 October 2018 13:33 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Kochens is currently offline  Kochens
Messages: 80
Registered: April 2009
Location: Denmark
Member
welcome from Denmark
Re: Thanks for adding me [message #27062 is a reply to message #27028] Thu, 18 October 2018 19:57 Go to previous message
JDinPA17603 is currently offline  JDinPA17603
Messages: 69
Registered: May 2018
Location: Lancaster, PA
Member
Thanks for the welcome Kochens

Old Us Navy Vietnam Vet
Playing for my own enjoyment and irritation of the neighbors.
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