• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Kustom bass?!?!

I

inasilentway

Apr 28, 2007
110
1
Cambridge, MA
#1
So tonight a band called Vampire Weekend, from NYC, plays on a bill at the club where I work. Their sound was cool, very inspired by latter-period Talking Heads and "Graceland", rhythmic in a nice way.
But the best part was what the bass player had! Here are some photos from Flickr:

2096530326_cee1003db6.jpg


2095712803_e2b7825fb2.jpg


1993506412_b390704351.jpg


I didn't get a chance to talk to him about it but I saw on the headstock "Kustom", as in THE Kustom. A quick Google reveals this:
http://www.broadwaymusicco.com/kustom6.htm
Scroll down a bit to see the bass versions, though the guitars are awesome too.

Man, these things look cool! Very Ric-inspired, with the cat's-eye and the controls and pickups, but with a completely different body style. I want one!!!!! Has anyone ever owned or played one? They seem to be pretty rare birds, there was no TB thread about them.
 
#7
That looks like a late 1960's Kustom bass. They made guitars too. I've seen a few of the guitars, but this is the first bass I have seen. They were good quality instruments, made in the USA, hollow body, single coil pickups (pups probably made by DeArmond).

I don't think they were actually made in the Kustom amplifier plant (Chanute, KS), but they might have been made by Baldwin for Kustom. Baldwin was better known for pianos and organs, but they did get into guitar production I think and at one time owned Gretsch. I might be wrong on some of these details, but I think I'm right.

I've bought and sold a couple of the guitars quite a while back. They look a lot like this bass, but some had more deluxe fretboard inlays, a combination of diamonds and dots. The blue finish is one of the colors they came in, but I've seen black and natural too.The guitars I've had dated to 1968. They were short-lived for some reason. Probably couldn't compete with the biggies - Fender, Gibson, Martin, etc.

Anyway, it probably IS a rare bird.
 
#8
I'm tired of being the thread killer around here.

Lots of interest and exclamation points !!! before I posted, then I give the history of the Kustom guitars as I know it, because some don't seem familiar with them, then zero.
 
#11
Busker said:
That looks like a late 1960's Kustom bass. They made guitars too. I've seen a few of the guitars, but this is the first bass I have seen. They were good quality instruments, made in the USA, hollow body, single coil pickups (pups probably made by DeArmond).

I don't think they were actually made in the Kustom amplifier plant (Chanute, KS), but they might have been made by Baldwin for Kustom. Baldwin was better known for pianos and organs, but they did get into guitar production I think and at one time owned Gretsch. I might be wrong on some of these details, but I think I'm right.

I've bought and sold a couple of the guitars quite a while back. They look a lot like this bass, but some had more deluxe fretboard inlays, a combination of diamonds and dots. The blue finish is one of the colors they came in, but I've seen black and natural too.The guitars I've had dated to 1968. They were short-lived for some reason. Probably couldn't compete with the biggies - Fender, Gibson, Martin, etc.

Anyway, it probably IS a rare bird.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! How did the guitars sound? Did they have a Ric pedigree at all?
 
#12
I don't think they were Ric knock-offs exactly, but rather inspired by Ric. The pickups aren't Ric copies, for one thing, but the soundhole reminds you of Ric. I think these were made by Baldwin, or a small company owned by Baldwin. That's what I heard a long time ago, back when you could actually find these used. There might even be a few of these Kustoms that had Baldwin logos on them, who knows? There are Baldwin brand banjos that surface occasionally.

How did they sound? They sounded good! But not like a Fender of Gibson. These were good quality. If you ever hold one you'll see they had good materials and craftsmanship. They just didn't go over for some reason. But neither did MicroFrets Guitars with "Wild Dog Sound" either.

I might be wrong, but I seem to remember some pop band from around 1968 using these Kustoms. The Strawberry Alarm Clock? I don't know... maybe I'm imagining that part...
 
#13
My first guitar was the Kustom K200A, black, with the Bigsby trem. Scored it at a garage sale for $60 25 years ago. Yep, those are DeArmond pups, and on the guitar, each pole piece was individually adjustable! Of course, being a teenager, I hacked it up refinishing it and replacing the brigde pup with a humbucker (stupid, stupid). I wish I would have left it original. It had a great tone, especially the neck pup which was FAT! Tons of sustain. Man, I wish I still had it.
 
#15
inasilentway said:
He played it through Tokyo Police Club's V4+1x15" and it sounded really good. Big bottom but it cut through with a lot of presence. Sounded kinda Ric, which is all the more reason I want one, though will probably never find one.
Click to expand...
If you are inclined, I have one that I purchased from a guy years ago that had been stripped and dismantled. Will need refinished, new pick guard, and saddle.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back