| New to board...New to Kustoms [message #6335] |
Tue, 22 November 2005 16:38  |
kustomkirk
Messages: 2
Registered: November 2005
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Junior Member |
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Hi everyone,
This is my first post, and I just have some general questions about some Kustom stuff I recently bought. I purchased a 3x15 cab, and a 200 series? head, in seperate auctions on ebay.
1) how do I date these two pieces of gear?
2) did I get a good deal for $500? (the head is perfect cosmetically, but i'm still waiting for it to be shipped; the cab has some wear, but the speakers are original and in good condition)
3) how can I tell which series the cab is? I guess there is a 250 and a 500.
Any input would be much appreciated. I've been a long-time Ampeg user, but I have heard vintage Kustom's several times and LOVED the tone, so I decided to buy one. Who knows...maybe I'll never use my vintage SVT and 8x10 cab again after I hear this guy.
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| Re: New to board...New to Kustoms [message #6349 is a reply to message #6335] |
Thu, 24 November 2005 20:22  |
voided3
Messages: 200
Registered: July 2004
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Senior Member |
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Hello. To put a date to the speaker cabinet, look at the speaker codes. CTS speaker codes should look like something like "137-6828", 137 being the factory code, 68 being the year (1968), and 28 being the week of the year. Jensen speakers work in a similar way, except their factory code is 220. I'm not sure about how the Altec and JBL codes work though. If your cab is narrower at the top than at the bottom and has compltetly black grille cloth, it's a 200/400 series cabinet since it was sold with the 200 or 400 series heads (one cab for the 200, two for the 400). If the cab is the same depth top to bottom, then it is 250/500 series cabinet. I believe that the impedance of the 3x15s and 3x12s are about 5.6 as a result of the three 16 ohm speakers in parallel, so only use the one cabinet with your 200 since the minimum load is 4 ohms.
To put a date to your head, search this forum for the serial number chart and try to find yours on there. If it's an earlier K200A series head, it won't have a "))200((" logo on the front or an RCA output jack on the rear, while a K200B series head will. You can look at the Literature section of this site to find a match as well. $500 sounds like a good deal since the 200 heads usually go for about $200 in good shape and the 3x15s easily exceed $300 on their own, especially if they are in the sparkle colors.
I think your SVT will still be louder, but I think you'll like the tone. The bass speakers Kustom offered were the CTS and JBL D140s. I own two '68 2x15s with CTS in them and they sound awesome for guitar or bass. I've never tried one with the JBLS , but I'd assume they also would have a nice tone to them, albiet a different one. If your cab has Jensens, JBL D130s or Altec speakers, then you have a guitar cabinet. By the sound of it, you intend to use this for bass though, but in the case that you do have guitar speakers in the cab, you always sell them and get something like Eminence Delta speakers in the cab (which are offered in 16 ohms). Either way though, have fun with your new purchases and I think you'll get many years of enjoyment out of them.
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| Re: New to board...New to Kustoms [message #6360 is a reply to message #6335] |
Thu, 01 December 2005 12:30 |
edforgothispassword
Messages: 202
Registered: July 2004
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Senior Member |
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Hey Capn Kirk...Welcome to the world of kustoms...the kustom 3x15 and the SVT are very different tone monsters..and I love them both and for many years i played them both..the only thing I struggled with on an SVT was that I was on a small stage in a long bar...could barely hear the SVT behind me...but the doormen in theback would tell me I was knocking their teeth loose..the kustoms seem to provide better definition up close.. for many years I ran a 200 bass head and a pair of the 2x15 cabs.. I would place a cab on the far side of the stage behind the guitar and keys player and one behind me...remember we're talkin old school when your best PA might be an old yamaha 1x15 scoop box so a lot of sound came off stage too..the 3x15 cab always seemed quite loud to me...probably cause that 3rd speaker is up at head height...and its still a lighter cab..you can move it yourself..while you're constantly asking for help with the SVT 8x10...
Looks like you've got a great response back on dating the rigs...as best as you can..it was a short era so you can be sure you are at least in those couple years based on obvious cosmetics...things like porting on the cab, ross or electronics inc on the speaker logo badge..etc...regardless, your in the world of cool now...and cool endures.... Play Loud! ET
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