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Kustom 1-15b with mystery speaker

B

bogmummy

Nov 6, 2013
20
0
#1
Hey everyone, I'm new here and new to the bass guitar. Been playing the 6 string for about 8 years though. Anyway, I recently purchased a Kustom model 1-15b cab from a local music store and took it apart to check the insides... the speaker has a square magnet and a faded label with stamps *i think* reads:

"REMANUFACTURED TO ORIGINAL SPECIFICATIONS
PART NO. ?03B-00Z4-00?
8-15
IMPEDANCE OHMS
JAN 15 1976
KUSTOM ELECTRONICS INC.
CHANUTE, KANSAS 66720
F-100"

I checked with an ohm meter and it is an 8 ohm speaker, anyone know the wattage?

I have a gallien krueger 800rb and was wondering if I should run this out of the high 100w 8ohm or the low 300w 4ohm. Makes sense to me to stick with the 100w output, but buddy says he would only use that if it was in biamp mode? Thanks for any help.

photo.jpg
 
#3
That rebuild was done back when the original Kustom was in business and offered lifetime warranties on all gear. Quite of few of those speakers were re-coned during that time. A friend of mine was in a very successful local and touring band in the 60's and 70's called The Spontanes. He played Kustom bass amps. About a year ago, he came to me to help him get rid of all of the old gear. As I took them apart, I noticed that both of the 2x15 cabs had the exact sticker as yours. He told me that most of those happened on the road. He quick shipped them to Kustom and they'd send it back to where he was in a quick manner. If you can see the speaker code number, you'd probably find that it's a CTS, since at that time, all of the square magnets in Kustoms were CTS. Check with ohm meter to determine what ohm it is. That will help you in determining ohm loads and matches for whatever head and other cabs that you may end up using. All Kustom 2 speaker cabs in that time period were a total of 8 ohms, making the individual speakers 16 ohm. My guess is that a single speaker cab would be an 8 ohm speaker, but check that to make sure. :cool:
 
#6
Awesome, thanks everyone for your help. Very interesting info, Oren. It is 8 ohm according to the ohm meter. Not too bad for $80 bucks. :bassist: So I guess I'll just try this in the 4 ohm, 300w jack and it shouldn't blow my speaker, hopefully...
 
#8
bogmummy said:
Awesome, thanks everyone for your help. Very interesting info, Oren. It is 8 ohm according to the ohm meter. Not too bad for $80 bucks. :bassist: So I guess I'll just try this in the 4 ohm, 300w jack and it shouldn't blow my speaker, hopefully...
Click to expand...

bogmummy said:
I blew it up :(
And was only running with my 100 watt 8 ohm channel.
Can anyone recommend a good replacement speaker for this cabinet design?
Click to expand...
Most likely the speaker had something in the 60 watt rating range, typical for something of it's age. This is the first time I saw this thread or I would have answered earlier and saved you from having to learn the hard way. A 300 watt amp, eh? :bassist: The 800RB is probably around 200 watts into an 8Ω load so you went reasonably easy on the speaker.

As to a replacement, there are others here far more qualified than I to give you that info, but to get you started, please post photos of the cab and, if you can, the internal dimensions of the cab and those of any ports in it as that information will be necessary to help determine a suitable driver.
 
#14
Beta is a good choice for Ampeggy thump tone. A side benefit is it's very affordable. As far as power handling, it's actually a little better than the Delta in the lows due to increased xmax.

Step up from there in spl and power handling would be the Eminence Legend CB158 or Peaveys 1505-8DT Black Widow. Classic tone and pretty friendly toward varying box designs. Also quite loud sound coming out per watt going in.

In any case, your box may or may not need some adjustment of the tuning port to tune It properly for the new speaker. In your case, that may mean just blocking off a small portion of that shelf port to achieve a lower box tuning.
 
#15
On second thought, I can't tell from the pic. Does that port extend back into the box some distance or is it basically just a hole in the baffle?

It would need to extend back into the box some distance, then the tuning could be manipulated by adjusting the size of the front opening, and/or, how deep back into the box you build it.

People will need more details on the measurements of that port to be of any more help.

Couple sticks of cross bracing wouldn't hurt either, as well as one or two across the back for the back panel to attach more solidly.
 
#16
If you want a brighter or more aggressive tone, the EV 15B is another option.

Basically, if you get over $125 or so for a replacement speaker, it would make more sense to design a box purpose-built for it instead of loading it In that one. That's so you can get all the value and performance you can out of spending all that money. Otherwise it starts making more financial sense to start looking around for a used cab you like the sound of that already works you could get for $150-$200.
 
#19
The 1505 works well for bass. It has more xmax than the 1502, which means you can send it more power/play louder and keep a clean sound. The 1502 starts to overdrive at higher power and gets a sort of grindy, aggresive tone in the mids some people like, others not.

The Legend CB158 has performance similar to the 1505 Widow, but with a warmer top end. The Widow can get a little hint of a "blat" or "clank" sound in its topend that maybe doesn't sound all that "refined" or smooth up close, but helps it project and keep definition out in the audience.
 
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