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Have Kustom, need help

Haans

Haans

Altruistic nihilist
Supporting Member
Oct 31, 2005
867
1,818
Bergen, Norway
#1
I have an old Kustom III Bass head that I got cheap a few years back. I've been using it with two 15" PA-cabs, one with a working tweeter and the other without, but I feel it's nowhere near it's potential. I've decided to look around for possible cabs that would match the Kustom to make a good-sounding setup at a bargain price ;)

I've had a look at some really cheap Behringer cabs (yes, I know, but some of them actually get good reviews over at Harmony Central). Does anyone have any good suggestions? Perhaps someone else have succeeded in finding a good match for the Kustom?

I was thinking about setting it up with one 15" cab and a 2*10" on top, or even a 4*10". I'm also thinking about bringing my Kustom to a local shop and try out some setups, but they're not stocking too many budget cabs. Besides, I won't have much time to spend in the shop trying out a lot of setups, so I thought it best to have some ideas on what would be worth trying and what would not.

I play mostly country/rock stuff (think Steve Wynn, Lucero, Drive By Truckers, Long Ryders...) on my newly acquired Fender Jaguar Bass.

Suggestions are greatly appreciated! :hyper:
 
#2
I would get a 2x12 or 4x10.
(Get 8 ohm if you might be adding another cab, get 4 ohm if you are not.)
What is your price range?
Avatar is a good choice.
Check the ads on this site for cabinets for sale.
I wonder why the 15" PA cabs did not sound good -are they horn-loaded?
 
#4
Hi, thanks for your answers :)

Yes, the PA speakers are horn loaded. One has a working horn, the other one has a blown one. They sound "okay", but fairly muddy. They aren't especially good PAs to begin with I suppose.

Price range, well somewhere upwards to $500 I guess. I'm looking for bang-for-the-buck, as I will be using the setup mostly in a rehearsal setting. I like the idea of a 15" for the deep end and 10"s for the punch, but I'm not locked on that configuration at all. Wouldn't a 2x12 or 4x10 on it's own be slightly lacking in power? I can't remember the ohms on the top right now.

I live in Norway, so getting cabs shipped from the US might be a tad expensive ;) Kustom cabs don't grow on trees over here, unfortunately. Shops here seem to have a fairly good selection of the usual suspects though; Ampeg, SWR, Crate, Behringer, possibly Ashdown and some others.
 
#6
Haans,
The Kustom III head is 130 watts RMS at 4 ohms.
I think if you got a 2x12 or 4x10 bass cabinet by Ampeg, SWR, Crate, or Ashdown it would be fine.

Horn loaded PA cabs have poor deep bass because the horn loaded design greatly reduces the enclosure air space. If you already own these, and they are just sitting around, you could modify them to be bass reflex and get a lot more deep bass out of them.
 
#7
LesS said:
Haans,
The Kustom III head is 130 watts RMS at 4 ohms.
I think if you got a 2x12 or 4x10 bass cabinet by Ampeg, SWR, Crate, or Ashdown it would be fine.

Horn loaded PA cabs have poor deep bass because the horn loaded design greatly reduces the enclosure air space. If you already own these, and they are just sitting around, you could modify them to be bass reflex and get a lot more deep bass out of them.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'll have a look to see how they're built. How about taking out the horns and mount a smallish plastic tube instead for the reflex?
 
#8
I tested the Kustom with my Jag today, and it didn't sound half as bad as I remembered. It's fairly muddy, but it does play LOUD. It should with two 15" cabs ;) And it looks like they are reflex. Maybe I'll just take out the horns and filters and shut the holes from the horns with some wood.
 
#11
Here's a pic. I had a chance to look it over again today. Unfortunately, it appears one of the cabs is dead! The hornless one. The speaker is a 15" Eminence EM15-2008 (200W 8ohm I assume).They appear to be mid-late 80's. I'm currently pondering if I should get a cheap 150W 15" element to replace the dead one (about $80) or if I should save up for a 2*10" instead.
 

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