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Kustom 250-2 Reverb Issue [message #29633]

Tue, 24 June 2025 13:11

GaryLC
Messages: 61
Registered: December 2012

Member

Hi folks,

I just bought a Kustom 250-2 head with the footswitch. I know the gent I bought it from, and everything worked fine when he shipped it. When I got it, the reverb doesn't work. He had locked it with the reverb lock in the back, and I unlocked it, you can hear the pan rattle and reverberate if you tap the chassis when you turn the reverb intensity control up, but no reverb to the jack. The footswitch operates, both pedals light up when engaged, and the tremelo/vibrato effect engages (which I love!)
Any idea what could have happened with the reverb? Maybe a wire came loose? The amp sounds great otherwise. I just don't know if it's worth taking it to a shop.

Thanks!

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Re: Kustom 250-2 Reverb Issue [message #29635 is a reply to message #29633]

Wed, 25 June 2025 05:05

stevem
Messages: 4863
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

Hi.
First off with the metal face serise of amps the foot switch is only needed to turn the effect off on the fly.

Theres a few things that can make for having no reverb , but the good news is with how you described the issue is that I can tell the output side of the pan is working and the reverb return amp circuit is working .

This then leaves 3 or 4 things that can be bad on the input side of the pan.

1) since the reverb lock was used I have had this problem make for no reverb in a few amps with this lock set up that I have repaired.

This lock mechanism consists of a round steel plate with a rubber like foam on its face .
This gets pushed up against the reverb springs so that in transit they do not slap around and break.
Unfortunately what can happen is that the foam dry rots and falls off and then jams the springs making for no reverb.

I have also had that whole steel plate fall off and jam up the springs.

The next way the reverb can fail is the RCA connectors on the cables going to the input side of the pan are aluminum and over time they can tarnish up pretty bad and make a poor connection.
Sometimes all that’s needed is to spin those cable around some to get the reverb workings.

The next way that end of the pan can be bad is that the very small wires inside the pan on the rca jack can break off at the jack or over at the other end of the wire at the solenoid.

Look close at the wires on the jack because they are held down by a little restraining bar and it can be hard to tell that the connection has failed.

So in short you need to remove the pan off the inside rear wall of the amp to see what’s going on in there.

It can be a job to get the pan off if when you spin the cap nuts on the outside of the pan the nuts on the inside on the rubber shock mounts spin also.

Let me know if that happens because there is a way to deal with that.

Those combination shock mounts and standoffs might be bad also.

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Re: Kustom 250-2 Reverb Issue [message #29636 is a reply to message #29635]

Wed, 25 June 2025 20:46

GaryLC
Messages: 61
Registered: December 2012

Member

Steve,

Thank you for that incredible wealth of knowledge!!!!!! You have helped so many people understand what's going on
inside their Kustoms! I'll let you know how I make ot!!!!

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Re: Kustom 250-2 Reverb Issue [message #29643 is a reply to message #29635]

Mon, 30 June 2025 21:38

GaryLC
Messages: 61
Registered: December 2012

Member

Hi Steve!

Well.....I took the pan out, the lock hadn't infringed on it at all, the RCA connections are good, and all the tiny wires are securely soldered into place. I'm not sure what to check next! Could it be something actually in the amp itself, where it's feeding into the pan?

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Re: Kustom 250-2 Reverb Issue [message #29644 is a reply to message #29633]

Tue, 01 July 2025 05:22

stevem
Messages: 4863
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

Do you have a ohm meter to test out that rca cable that feeds the input side of the pan and also test the coil inside the pan that those small wires go to?

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