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Why no Love for Kustom?


Woody_in_MN

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This. I have heard good things from people who owned them, but I've yet to see one in person. I really want to try one, though.

 

 

yeah they are hard to find. The only store by me that sells them mainly only sells their PA stuff. They don't even advertise the amps.

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I am a HUGE Kustom fan. When I was a kid my first amp (I started on bass) was a late 70s Kustom SS bass amp. It was awesome and ever since I have really respected Kustom.

 

Guitar amp-wise I have tried the SS Quad and Defender and liked them but settled on the 36 Coupe. Really awesome, smooth sounding amp that can also crank. I also dig the vintage vibe of the tuck-and-roll.

 

I recommend Kustom to anyone. They are quality amps.

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For the most part the Kustom line has been hit and miss IMO.

I had a vintage 70's tuck and roll head and bottom for a while that drove a bass and Pa superbly without a hitch and not bad for guitar with an OD/dist out front either.

However the recent SS Quad line they have just doesnt do it for me. Even with the Celestions I couldnt get good tones at louder volumes(1 1nd 2 x12 combos). The Vox's,Line6,Crate,Peavey SS equivalents for the most part all sounded better too me. I havent tried their newest tube series though but they look a might expensive.

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puttin chanute, ks on the map! I always kind of thought kustoms were cool, my brother had an old kustom bass rig that was pretty sweet. I remember when we found out that kustom was originally out of chanute and being totally blown away that such cool amps were made like 45 miles from our house, in yet another small town in kansas. i'd love to get ahold of an old one for sure.

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Just an update on the HV65. I am still exploring it. I am more impressed with the tone the more I work with it. On the cheapo First Act I got ($49 w/ P90's) it sounds treble-ey - I don't notice the treble-ey quality on my Garage Master which has much better Alnico V PUP's.

 

- W

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I have a Kustom endorsement and they really do make some awesome stuff. I'm awaiting the Double Cross, so far Kustom have been a little slow in announcing a UK release date, but i'll be having one as soon as they're out. Tried a few of the cabs, mega solid sounding and easily as good as the Marshalls and Laneys.

 

I used to have a little 65w 112 Kustom combo that sounded super fat and raw, i used to hook up a Marshall 2x12 for gigs and it was such a warm sound, great reverb too.

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Just curious why Kustom seems to be off people's radar. I rarely hear them mentioned in amp discussions. I posted a recent acquisition of a Kustom HV65, and hardly anyone noticed. I had a 16W SS Kustom with Celstion speaker, and thought it had great tone - espeacially cleans. I'm just curious why Kustom's are off the radar.


- W

 

 

I just don't like their sounds. Any of them.

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I am a HUGE Kustom fan. When I was a kid my first amp (I started on bass) was a late 70s Kustom SS bass amp. It was awesome and ever since I have really respected Kustom.


Guitar amp-wise I have tried the SS Quad and Defender and liked them but settled on the 36 Coupe. Really awesome, smooth sounding amp that can also crank. I also dig the vintage vibe of the tuck-and-roll.


I recommend Kustom to anyone. They are quality amps.

I had a Kustom 200 SS bass amp tuck and roll with a 3-15" speaker cabinet. It was an awesome bass amp; however, you had to know someone with a station wagon or a very wide back seat to transport the speaker cabinet. The cabinet itself was 5 feet tall!

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I just wanted to post an update on the high treble issue that I mentioned on the HV65. I realize now that there is a buttom "Grind/Punch" and when that is selected it cuts out a lot of the base. I think that explains why I was missing some bass.

 

The HV was an amp that I mainly bought on review recommendations (including Guitar Player magazine) - I really was not in a position to test out the controls at my Mom & Pop store. The more I play it - I'm glad I got it. It has excellent cleans, and some great medium to medium-high gain tones. I also like the dial-able effects. (Different levels and types of reverb, phaser, flanger, Octaver, Chorus, Delay, etc.)

 

- W

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Just curious why Kustom seems to be off people's radar. I rarely hear them mentioned in amp discussions. I posted a recent acquisition of a Kustom HV65, and hardly anyone noticed. I had a 16W SS Kustom with Celstion speaker, and thought it had great tone - espeacially cleans. I'm just curious why Kustom's are off the radar.


- W

 

Couldn't tell you man, I usually recommend them in amp discussions, and I personally like them, and their speakers as well :thu: Cool stuff! Especially their vintage gear :thu: I missed your thread I think, so HNAD!

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I just picked up a Kustom 36 Coupe and I really like it. I tried one a few months ago and was so surprised at how good it sounded. It's very good. The clean is almost as good as my Fender Blues Deluxe. The 36 coupe's distortion is sweet though. It's like a Fender Bassman cranked and pissed off. Very thick sounding. Last, the extra's on the amp are awesome. Tube driven effects loop, speaker emulated out, reverb, it's all very nice. Great little amp and can be found pretty cheap $400-$500. I'm very happy with my Kustom.

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All of the 70's stuff I've ever tried sounded absolutely sterile and lifeless. More recently they've been known for boring little practice amps and crappy PA gear. I guess they've got some tube amps out now, but I've never seen them in any stores. I think those are the reasons they are off most people's radars.

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I'm a huge Kustom fan as well.

 

The '72 Coupe has been my main gigging amp for over 2 years now. People that have seen it and heard it are usually blown away by the sound. Like "wow... THAT'S a KUSTOM???" I just smile and nod.

 

I've also gigged with an EL84-loaded Defender model, and it's also a fine amp. It's got a tighter bottom and nice and punchy in the mids.

 

What's more, on those rare occasions that I play bass, I use a 70's vintage Kustom K250 Bass head through a Fender Bassman 1x15 cab. Let me tell you, that is one LOUD and thumpin' amp!

 

Almost forgot-- my bedroom practice amp is a '66 Dart model.

 

Yup, I love Kustom amps. When I discovered the '72 Coupe, I knew my "search" was over. My Fender Deluxe doesn't see much action these days, but it does make a nice backup amp!

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