problems with kustom 100 bass amp

[matthew_h]

i was recently given this amp , and it was in storage for a few years at my friends , in the house . it makes some goofy noises when at a idle at radom it seems or sometimes in the middle of pratice . i know nothing abot this amp other than its a mid 70s amp a model 2 i think . i have a wav file of the sound recored with my pc that is 12 seconds long , but i cant post it .if there is any one i could email it to who knows about this amp and figure out what i need to do , please let me know . i tryed search to find a thread like this , but could not seem to find one .

 

[Fred Hammon]

You mean this one?

An old solid state amp like this from the '70s is supposed to make noises - until it's been serviced. Take it into the shop and have it fixed but don't expect it to sound "great" beyond it's own uniqueness even at low volume.
I used to use a Kustom 200 bass head powering two JBL D140-F 15" speakers in the '70s. It just barely did the job even in small clubs.
...still I wouldn't mind having another one. Just for fun. Every amp has something unique to offer.

 

[matthew_h]

yep looks just like that . i have just started playing bass , so i dont have to worry about gigs . just pratice . the nosies seem radom so i was jsut curious that it might be seriously messed up . a bit of nosie dose not bother me , my old amp buzzed almost as loud as me playing lol .the amp is plenty loud for me .and i realy like the look of it .if it gets worse i will def have it checked out at a shop.

edit i just noticed that if i bump the amp thats when it makes funny sounds , is that normal ?

 

[Oren Hudson]

Could be any number of things. I know you said yours looks like the pic that Fred posted, but if not exactly like his pic, could be a head with reverb and your rocking around the reverb springs. Period Kustoms with reverb had a reverb lock on the back of the head to prevent them from banging around so much during transit. You can bump it and get a sound something like you describe. Before taking to an amp tech, try cleaning the inside of the head with either blowing or vacuum and then take electronics cleaner/lubricant and spray dowm components, including the on/off switch and of course move all parts that adjust so they get a good dose. I have such problems with heads that have sat around awhile. They tend to attract dust and dirt that eventually cause problems. Happy hunting. BTW, I too giged back in the 70s & 80s with the Kustom 200 head and 2 2-15 cabs and found that rig to be pretty stout. Adding the second 2-15 made a good bit of difference. We did top 40s, Beatles, ZZ Top etc. and I was up aginst a lead guitar payer with a large Marshall and a rhythm guitar player with a Vox (I think Royal Guardsman) so the bassrig had some thumplin to do, but it gave the band all of the big bottm that was required. I still have the head and one of the 2-15 cabs. Still sound good. Happing hunting.

 

[matthew_h]

yes it looks like it has reverb ,sorry to be so culeless about this stuff guys . i just dont want to mess any thing up .thanks for your help !

 

[Oren Hudson]

If you're using it for bass and don't need or want the reverb, try turning all reverb controls down as well as volume bass and treble, and, if there is a channel that does not have reverb, plug in to that one as well. I'd still do the cleaning eventually. Makes things work and sound a lot better. If you do use it for guitar, they make great amps for 6 strings too. Particularly if yours also has the speed/intensity control for a tremelo sound. Very cool. I have the Kustom 150 with this set-up and 2-12s. Use it both for guitar and keyboard. Combine the rotary sound on the keyboard with the tremelo on the Kustom and you get some really nice Leslie type sounds. Enjoy.

 

[BassmanPaul]

Sounds to me like the amp may need a recap job like a lot of other vintage gear. Remember this amp was designed when SS was in it infancy and after a long storage there are bound to be parts that have dried up and/or lost value.

Paul

 

[pedro]

I would definitely have it looked at. I have a Kustom 1x15 combo that I picked up last year for next to nothing and I love it. You might want to check out the Kustom forum for additional information on your amp and/or suggestions about what might be wrong.

 

[matthew_h]

it turns out i was useing the efects channel , and thats were the echo was from . my dad played a few songs with it and said he thought it was fine . i would have it checked out just in case , but i dont know of any repair shop . if any one know of one in the kalamazoo Michigan area , please let me know . i have been useing it today and it seems good , lots of power more than i realy need . i also moved it from on top of the speaker cab to ontop of a fender m-80 corus head that will be used for the lead guitar with a sunn speaker cab .