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Black verses sparkle for power? [message #5303]

Sat, 08 January 2005 23:31

jimi
Messages: 46
Registered: February 2003
Location: Redding Ca

Member

A few posts led up to the conclusion that black Frank heads have more power than sparkle heads. What is the reasoning behind this? Just wondering. Is this something that's for real?

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Re: Black verses sparkle for power? [message #5305 is a reply to message #5303]

Sun, 09 January 2005 03:24

QModer
Messages: 413
Registered: June 2003

Senior Member

I dout it.

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Re: Black verses sparkle for power? [message #5306 is a reply to message #5303]

Sun, 09 January 2005 12:05

voided3
Messages: 200
Registered: July 2004

Senior Member

Hello. I believe it was a bit of a running joke, but in actuality, the amp chassis and specs are all the same between the different color options for the same model. On an oddly ironic note though, my black K200-B6 head has more punch than my blue sparkle K200-A5 PA head... but those are different models, and the A-5 has a reverb which cuts some gain. In conclusion, if the two amps are the same model and both are in the same condition and have seen the same ammount of use throughout their lives, their color shouldn't affect their performance when comparing them. And no, swapping out encolsures for one of a different color won't give you more power haha. Good luck!

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Re: Black verses sparkle for power? [message #5308 is a reply to message #5306]

Sun, 09 January 2005 15:21

jimi
Messages: 46
Registered: February 2003
Location: Redding Ca

Member

I know it couldn't be for real but kind of wondered where the myth started. Thanks for your responce!

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Re: Black verses sparkle for power? [message #5310 is a reply to message #5303]

Sun, 09 January 2005 18:06

shadow
Messages: 21
Registered: October 2004

Junior Member

well to be quite frank about it, the black head will always have more power than the sparkle for several reason .one is that the orbator transducer in the field windings of the secondary patch conductor gains more wattage because of the bias on the preliminary post polarity module.secondly the black head when playing in the sun won't dissapate heat as well as the sparkle because of the lighter color and that the silver image bounces the heat back into the atmoshere,thus building more heat on the bias plate to the secondaries primary binary inductance cable.in sumation of the subject and to get it into techical terms for the common guitarist ,it all in actuality sounds like a crock just like all the B S you just read to get to this part Laughing

... just havin fun .... have a good one .... Shadow

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Re: Black verses sparkle for power? [message #5315 is a reply to message #5303]

Mon, 10 January 2005 08:50

stevem
Messages: 4775
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

Tech wise any Kustom with out effects will have more output than than a effect loaded model. I am not talking so much about wattage out put, although their is a slight difference you can measure but not hear, effects sections need signal to drive them, so they sap gain and tone from what you started with, from after the second or third gain stage you start feeding the effects stages and the sound gets degraded.

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Re: Black verses sparkle for power? [message #5317 is a reply to message #5303]

Mon, 10 January 2005 10:58

edforgothispassword
Messages: 202
Registered: July 2004

Senior Member

(chuckling)...the history on this urband legend is myfault... I truly am most fond of the black kustoms..do have a few sparkly pieces...but my initial collection started with black amps and as I added on...a second 2x15 cab for my 200 bass rig, a 2x12 bottom to sit mylittle K25 1x12 Sc on top of...etc...well..before Iknew it I had all black gear..and then along came ebay and all those wonderful rigs were showing up...along with other collectors..who usually had more money than me and so when a clean (not stained, torn, burnt..etc) sparkle rig came along.. I'd wind up loosing out..and take my pitiful meager dollars and go buy another black rig that noone else was looking at...so, being on the pout, I would slap the sparkle boys around a bitand they would all give it right back to me..its been a fun time...told em one christmas that I accidently spilt some christmas cookie glitter ontop of a black kustom and made a big fuss about the sound difference...also told em Ihad taken a mint condition red sparkle rig and sprayed it black to improve the tone.. I'm not that sick....well..actually I am...but not when it comes to defacing a kustom...
seriously...unplug the reverb pan an a 200 Pa headand you will notice a diff in the power...but other than that...no...to be fair to the new guys..there ain't no difference in the chasis between what went into the zodiacs vs the real kustoms..the black ones...oh, and for the record...Bud likes black the best too....and for the record... Ithink I'm the only guy with a complete collection of the model line - plexi face 1968-1970ish...all in black...thing of beauty...now that's all the straight honesty you're gonna get from me...so be warned mynext post will be back to my stupid self.... Play Loud! ET

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Re: Black verses sparkle for power? [message #5319 is a reply to message #5303]

Mon, 10 January 2005 11:56

Smoke1
Messages: 107
Registered: September 2003
Location: Southern Maryland Solomon...

Senior Member

Ed is so absolutely right. Laughing

When I took off my red sparkle coverings and replaced them with Smooth Black Vinyl it miraculously got Way Louder!! Twisted Evil

But and OBTW that was one of my biggest mistakes don't cha know!

Smoke1 Plays Kustom Amps & Old Tube Amps Loud in S. Maryland

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Re: Black verses sparkle for power? [message #5322 is a reply to message #5303]

Mon, 10 January 2005 16:40

edforgothispassword
Messages: 202
Registered: July 2004

Senior Member

hey smoke....think we should tell him about the difference in the capacitance filter milivolt difference in the purple jewel lights vs the other color ones...man I'm tellin ya..swapping out the red or blue lights for those purple ones...that's good for at least another 3 db of gain...but don't try it on anything other than a kustom...you put one of those high powered purple lights in some whimpy fender and you'll melt that amp to the ground!

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Re: Black verses sparkle for power? [message #5323 is a reply to message #5322]

Tue, 11 January 2005 07:33

Smoke1
Messages: 107
Registered: September 2003
Location: Southern Maryland Solomon...

Senior Member

Absolutely!! the purple lamp puts out more power that why I only have purple and also when you change over to the grounded 3 prong plug it also gets more power and louder. Rock On.... Cool

Smoke1 Plays Kustom Amps & Old Tube Amps Loud in S. Maryland

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Re: Black verses sparkle for power? [message #5324 is a reply to message #5303]

Tue, 11 January 2005 10:48

edforgothispassword
Messages: 202
Registered: July 2004

Senior Member

Actually I'm reverting all 3 prongs back to original 2 prongs ends.. personally I love it when some drunk customer thinks they just have to climb up on stage with a drink in one hand, slobber all over my mic and then reach over and steady themselves by holding onto me or my guitar....that's the time when you flip the ol polarity switch and find out just how drunk they are...
and for the young rock players..the old 2 way really is better...just set your POD to grunge patch 3, crank it all up to 11 and then flip the polarity over to where you get the most amount of 60 cycle hum..really adds to the tonal flavor...

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Re: Black verses sparkle for power? [message #5326 is a reply to message #5303]

Tue, 11 January 2005 13:23

shadow
Messages: 21
Registered: October 2004

Junior Member

wow i can see that by consulting my genius book i got from e-bay and writing that reply in this post with all those $2.00 words i got from the book, ed and smoke are wound up . Laughing

the guy i bought the book from said i had the only copy but i think he lied and ed and smoke both got ahead of me in ordering one. Cool

.........just havin fun ....have a good one ..Shadow

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Re: Black verses sparkle for power? [message #5334 is a reply to message #5303]

Wed, 12 January 2005 10:43

edforgothispassword
Messages: 202
Registered: July 2004

Senior Member

dude the "big word" vending machine at my office only takes quarters and all I had was 50 cents...but it don't take much to fire me up on kustom talk ..ya'll know that...this is part of the fun of kollecting anyway...especially since my room is full..way full..oh hey..ya'll welcome the new kustom king to our forum.. I sent an email hello congratulating the winner of the red K50 and making him aware of our sick lil group...hope he'll stop by..another 50 year old in midlife, rediscovering the greatest of amps...and he now holds the record I believe for high price on a K50...but well worth it!
course they shoulda named the black ones K75s...ok.. Im done.. I promise

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Re: Black verses sparkle for power? [message #5339 is a reply to message #5334]

Wed, 12 January 2005 15:10

Smoke1
Messages: 107
Registered: September 2003
Location: Southern Maryland Solomon...

Senior Member

From the Smokespeake book: T50 cents cents worth is 5 dimes & I think my amp sounded better yesterday cause it wasn't raining and just because it's black and not blue sparkles. I used the Route 66 Fuzz box before the compressor and it maybe just sucks. Whatsa good Kustom fuzzy box? Was thinking on gitten one of those Digitech yellow Overdivers type things? Shocked

Who knows about Kustom Fuzz application Art Action? Also I havebina Eyeing up all thosacool Kustoms onaeBay and it has me a dreweling all this week and greenawitha envy of thata one guy who seems to has allofathe cash to collecta whatever hewantsa to buy. Okay so who is the budabol? Confused

I just had to ask? Fess Up? Or Not? Mad

Smoke1 Plays Kustom Amps & Old Tube Amps Loud in S. Maryland

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Re: Black verses sparkle for power? (I started it) [message #5343 is a reply to message #5339]

Wed, 12 January 2005 20:34

kustomise
Messages: 37
Registered: January 2005
Location: Redding California

Member

Bestest with a vintage Kustom, (Frankenstein that is) is the 80's Boss OD2 Overdrive with one smooth drive and one more primitive and unpredictable drive. I have an SC50 Silver Sparkle I use for small venues but it doesn't match up to the awesome tone of a cranked up Frank! I'm not knockin the little guy but a fact is a fact! I'm the one who started the Black verses sparkle for power thread. My old login was jimi but I forgot my password like Ed did and had to start over. Nobody answered my posts until I came up with that lame question but it sure generated some fun stuff in this scary world. Thanks for the ride! --------------jimi (kustomise)

Kustom Rules!

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Re: Black verses sparkle for power? [message #5344 is a reply to message #5303]

Thu, 13 January 2005 09:50

edforgothispassword
Messages: 202
Registered: July 2004

Senior Member

hey Jimi....glad for the post...and yer are dead on right about the Boss dual OD pedal..it is my mainstay...I run the cleaner setting as clean as I can get it so that all I'm really getting is a bolder tone with a thicker sustain voice..then I hit the pedal again and go to the red light and get solid screaming power chord and soaring solo lead voicings...but..and here's the trick...in front of the boss OD2.. I run a Boss comp/sustain pedal...it smooths the signal to the OD just a bit more and adds more sustain while not giving me too much compression sound..this combination is basically the tube screamer theory Iguess..but the tone is much better than the TS9..which I also own..but just never use...
I also keep a boss heavey metal pedal which on occasional projects I'll throw in the chain where the OD2 normally would sit

right behind the OD2 is a boss paramtric eq..this lets me quick adjust presence and low end and carve the mids on different kustoms in different room situations..if I'm able to run my kustom at full throttle then I don't need the parametric as the amp starts to work...but at lower volumes the eq really helps...I've got these pedals sitting in an old Boss ME-X expandable board which has all the wet fx like stereo delay/tap, flange, stereo chorus , verb, etc all in the brain and then allows you to drop 3 pedals into the chain and program them into the patches..its an older board..but still my fav..and I've tried many rigs..but came back to this one for all my stage work. with just these 3 pedals covering tone and then the wet fx I can get what I want and seriously have stood shoulder to shoulder with my friends mesa combos and fender combos and really hurt their feelings...Glenn Pierce (national guitarist our of LA) taught me the boss triple chain when we were doing promise keepers gigs years ago...he worked with Mike W. Smith on the last big praise album and has tons of touring hours under his belt..and this is his formula for getting his tone on any endorsed or backlined amp he may encounter when on the road..whether it be a fender twin or a Peavey or a marshall or even the modeling amps...just run the amps clean and to their breakup point -1 click..then let this pedal combination do the rest...but what I found was that the kustoms take better to this pedal setup than any of the other amps...and I own and have tried a bunch of em..probably the one amp that I like as much (blasphemy)..is the older fender blues deville..60 watts tube into 2x12s..clean and bold..well tubed...I have a pair of them and they have made some money for me as a number of R&B and blues nationals like them when they can get them..but aside from that...mesa, marshal, fenders...my kustoms with this pedal board is my preferred rig when I go out to play whether local stage or national platform...see.. I didn't once mention black vs sparkle...(whew!..that was tuff)

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Re: Black verses sparkle for power? [message #5346 is a reply to message #5303]

Thu, 13 January 2005 10:06

edforgothispassword
Messages: 202
Registered: July 2004

Senior Member

ok.. I don't know who Budapol or Member1233244 is either...but I hope they are for real cause I'm loving that my kustom stock has just gone up...if they are not real and just running this auction up...they will be hunted down like dogs, stuffed through a kustom port..the small ones..left in there to rot....and I will use that cab as a stage monitor for the next Ashley Simpson concert !

and $750 for a set of Frank heads...and $561 for a red K50...its good to see folks coming around to good old US craftmanship...maybe this is the crest of the wave of folks that are tired of cheap tubes in improperly biased amps and lousy wave solder boards that break after the 3rd band job...kustoms, even at these prices are a great value...go get em boys! ET

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Re: Black verses sparkle for power? [message #5363 is a reply to message #5303]

Sun, 16 January 2005 02:07

QModer
Messages: 413
Registered: June 2003

Senior Member

To me there is not a difference in volume from the frankie to the next series. But from A-1 to B-1 series heads I can hear one when the bright/deep switch is set to deep.

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