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Kustom K200B head With Vintage SVT 8x10

XsSpeed

XsSpeed

Sep 14, 2009
350
92
Southern Maryland
www.talkbass.com
#1
Hi, I'm new to the forum and I found this site by doing a search for "Vintage SVT 8x10". I'm sorry if I should've posted under new members first but I didn't think tech questions should go there.

I just picked up playing the bass 8 months ago. I played a little punk stuff in the early 80's (with a univox, Ibanez and TNT) then went in the Navy and blah blah blah but I decided now to get into it.

I have been playing through a borrowed Ampeg Rocket amp. I scored a vintage 1968 Kustom K200 head on CraigsList and have been looking for the right cab for it. I played it a little on my buddies old Peavy 2x10 1x18 and the old 18 gave out.

I just got a '70's squareback Ampeg SVT 8x10 on CL and the combo sounds great until I try to get a little bottom end on it then the speakers start to distort. All 8 speakers seem to be intact and working. Is this a normal occurance and I should be satisfied with all the tone and no bottom end?

The speakers, I'm told, are original. I mostly play usually through a Dean Edge q4 but I also have 2 Univox Hi-Fliers, a Teisco, and a aluminum neck Kramer and get similar results on all guitars.

Thanks and heres a couple pix.

svt.jpg

825basses.jpg
 
#2
Well, obviously, something isn't right. The 100 watts RMS the Kustom puts out should do nicely with the 8-10 Ampeg. It should be around 200 + watts. Does another head do the same thing? If not, time to check the cab's wiring and a closer look at the speakers. BTW - some cool gear you've got there. :cool:
 
#3
Take off the grill and look for tears in the cones. Those can usually be repaired with rubber cement. If there aren't any tears, VERY GENTLY push on the speakers with even pressure around the dustcap. If you feel any rubbing, the voice coils are shot. I think that may be the problem. That cab should easily take a 100w head with a bass boost.

If they're shot, you can get them reconed or you can buy replacements. If you got a cab with CTS speakers (look for a 137 speaker code), those are great speakers and I'd recone them even if it's expensive, or maybe look on Ebay for working vintage replacements. If they're Eminences (67 speaker code), it would probably be cheaper to replace them. They're good speakers but not alnicos, which make CTS's more desirable. Not much to choose from out there for vintage SVT's except Weber's CTS clones that are $100, or Jensen Mod 50's at 32 ohms, which are $50.
 
#6
Thanks Oren! Yea, when I got it on Labor day, my buddy - checked all the speakers while I played it and he pushed on them and looked for tears. They seemed ok. Maybe it is the Kustom. I have that open now to convert to a 3 prong plug because of the hum and the little shocks.

gotta love vintage stuff eh? It's like old motorcycles to me though - lots of soul.

I'm gonna try the cab with another head.
 
#7
The original CTS drivers don't have a huge low end like today's Eminence, for that reason the original recommended setup with an SVT head was two cabs to handle its 300 watts. OTOH as I recall the Kustom 200 was 200 peak watts, only 100 RMS, and it won't go super loud without clipping, especially if you use much bass EQ, and with the thin low end of the CTS drivers you'll probably be inclined to do so.
I'd try the cab with at least 300 watts RMS to eliminate clipping the amp from the equation. If you still don't have the bottom you want then you'll want to try more modern cabs/drivers that might give you what you're looking for.
 
#8
XsSpeed said:
Thanks Oren! Yea, when I got it on Labor day, my buddy - checked all the speakers while I played it and he pushed on them and looked for tears. They seemed ok. Maybe it is the Kustom. I have that open now to convert to a 3 prong plug because of the hum and the little shocks.

gotta love vintage stuff eh? It's like old motorcycles to me though - lots of soul.

I'm gonna try the cab with another head.
Click to expand...

Oh yea - I love the vintage stuff - and contrary to what many on here say and think, it can be as usable as any other.
Be careful on the cord switch. You must first take care of the so called "death cap" and then proceed with cord replacement. You may enjoy checking this out www.vintagekustom.com, a forum for old Kustom gear. :cool:
 
#12
Super news. I used that head when it was new, and still use it some now. Always a good, fairly loud head with 1 Kustom 2-15 cab, but a pretty good monster with 2 2-15 Kustom cabs. When I can get to it, I'll try it with my Ampeg cab that's similar to yours. :cool:

Jimmy my friend, you are clairvoyant. :D
 
#14
I think that I've come up with the answer to your issue. I'll preface it by saying that I love and collect a fair amount of vintage gear, and I've been going through the amp rigs in preparation for rearranging where I keep them. Some haven't been touched in a good while, so I've serviced, cleaned, and of course, played them as I go through them. Just today, I've completed my Kustom '68 K200B1 head and matching 2-15 cab. As I was playing it, it dawned on me what, I believe, the majority of your issue is. Your Kustom head is 100 watts RMS. The Ampeg cab is at least 240 watts RMS. Therein is the problem. You're running out of power. Not enough power will give, in my experiences, pretty much the same result as too much power, speaker distortion. I had a bandmate many years ago tell me that "You can't have too much power." Through the years, I've found that to be pretty much true. You have a couple of choices, IMO. Get you a bigger head for the Ampeg cab. Get you a slave amp to add to the Kustom. I too like a big "bottom" and found that, after foolin with it for a while, got a nice "classic" sound with a pretty big bottom on the Kustom. Granted, it's not the bottom of the 350 watt SVT and 1540 cab, but that's the proverbial apples to oranges deal. You just have to remember your limitations and peak its strengths. This may not be your problem, but it's my quess that it's the majority of it. :cool:

PS - I forgot to welcome you to the forum, so, welcome.
 
#15
What is the impedance and the efficiency (SPL) of the Ampeg 8x10 cabinet?

I think those two things would determine how well the Kustom 200 amp will power the cabinet.

The Kustom 200 puts out 100 watts at 4 ohms, about 70 at 8 ohms, and maybe 40 watts at 16 ohms.

I tried my K200 last night with a 16 ohm cabinet and it made a big difference in the volume.

-Les S
 

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