New to the board and to the tuck and roll. [message #23786] |
Tue, 08 September 2015 20:03 ![Go to next message Go to next message](/FUDforum/theme/vk30/images/down.png) |
Mr.Toast
Messages: 11 Registered: September 2015 Location: Kent, Ohio
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Junior Member |
![%40alphakinggolden](/FUDforum/theme/vk30/images/twitter.png)
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Hi folks. I recently picked up a K100-2 head and 1x15 cab. It's black and in very nice cosmetic shape...just one small cig burn and a few small nicks. It cleaned up great. It looks like the cab originally had a D140f in it but sadly that is long gone and replaced with a Pyle driver. I love the look of this thing and intend on getting it back to it's original glory. I have just a few questions (for now)...
#1 The amp plays and sounds decent but has a hum which seems to be a grounding issue. Will that clear up if I replace the power cord with a three prong or is there another "usual suspect?" I have other vintage two prong amps that don't hum nearly as bad when plugged into the same outlets.
#2 The reverb and tremolo are not working at all. I do not have the original footswitch. Is that needed to get them to work? I have tried a few footswitches I have from other amps to no avail.
Thanks in advance for the help...it seems like the people on this board are cool Kustom-ers.
AL
[Updated on: Tue, 08 September 2015 20:05] Report message to a moderator
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Re: New to the board and to the tuck and roll. [message #23804 is a reply to message #23796] |
Fri, 11 September 2015 00:34 ![Go to previous message Go to previous message](/FUDforum/theme/vk30/images/up.png) ![Go to next message Go to next message](/FUDforum/theme/vk30/images/down.png) |
Iowa Boy
Messages: 767 Registered: June 2014
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Senior Member |
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But he also said he tried using another footswitch and it still didn't work. I don't have the original footswitch for any of my amps but seems that any footswitch with a standard plug on it will work or stereo plug if two effects are wired off of one plug. Just trying to lessen the number of possible variables that might be causing the problem.
You are probably right about what is wrong, but he is describing EXACTLY the same problem I was having with an amp I had bought and I did not have the footswitch, it hummed until I got a generic footswitch. I was then able to shut the reverb off and the hum was gone. The tabs on the reverb pan where the cords connected were not making a good connection. Cleaned them up and bent them back into position and the reverb worked like a charm. The footswitch jack also was not making a good contact until I re-bent the prong that touched the tip of the footswitch plug.
Sometimes the obvious are the simplest fixes......when we're lucky and that doesn't happen very often.
You and Bill are still the experts here when it comes to trouble shooting.
[Updated on: Fri, 11 September 2015 00:50] Report message to a moderator
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Re: New to the board and to the tuck and roll. [message #23812 is a reply to message #23811] |
Fri, 11 September 2015 19:09 ![Go to previous message Go to previous message](/FUDforum/theme/vk30/images/up.png) ![Go to next message Go to next message](/FUDforum/theme/vk30/images/down.png) |
pleat
Messages: 1454 Registered: June 2004 Location: Belding, Mi
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Senior Member |
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Well as far as the hum, replacing the the AC cable with a grounded 3 prong cable and plug will only make the amp safer to operate with other equipment. I think the point was brought up that the hum may be reverb related.
Unless a person has owned an amplifier from brand new, there is no telling who may have tampered in the amp or replaced speakers. That being said, a good visual inspection is always a good thing. Your amp may just have bad reverb cable connections as pointed out in this thread, to perhaps a broken wire inside the reverb tank itself, or a broken reverb spring, to a missing tank or replacement tank that won't work.
I tend to think you have larger problems since both reverb and vibrato are not working. All kustom amps with the exception of the K200A series amps, the effects work without a footswitch. The footswitch as StevenM said, you only need the footswitch to remotely turn off the effect.
The early versions of the K100-2 head had reverb so thick that even with the reverb gain turn down there was still a trace amount. I think Kustom did at least three revisions to that series of amp over the years.
Again after 40+ years, your K100-2 amp head could have been originally sold with the single 15 JBL D140F speaker. Music was a lot different back then and a guy could have been both a bass and guitar player so he chose the effects head with the bass speaker cabinet. Dealers were more interested in selling product. I remember country players would double up and a bass player and rhythm or lead player would buy a 2x15 cabinet and a K200B-2 effects head. Bass player would use the normal channel and the guitar player would use the reverb channel.
How times have changed.
pleat
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Re: New to the board and to the tuck and roll. [message #23824 is a reply to message #23821] |
Sat, 12 September 2015 12:06 ![Go to previous message Go to previous message](/FUDforum/theme/vk30/images/up.png) ![Go to next message Go to next message](/FUDforum/theme/vk30/images/down.png) |
Iowa Boy
Messages: 767 Registered: June 2014
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Senior Member |
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ChicagoBill isn't that far from you, maybe if he's not busy he can do the repairs for you......Stevem is in New York. Like I said, Stevem and Bill are two of our tech genius's on this site. If they can't fix it, it can't be fixed period.
Are the cables still connected to the board? If so and they are touching the case, that's probably where the hum is coming from.
[Updated on: Sat, 12 September 2015 12:08] Report message to a moderator
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Re: New to the board and to the tuck and roll. [message #23841 is a reply to message #23786] |
Sun, 13 September 2015 06:34 ![Go to previous message Go to previous message](/FUDforum/theme/vk30/images/up.png) ![Go to next message Go to next message](/FUDforum/theme/vk30/images/down.png) |
stevem
Messages: 4758 Registered: June 2004 Location: NY
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Senior Member |
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Take care of him Bill, he sounds like another great Kustom nut case, lol!
Mr Toast, does the amp atleast still have the two top mounted aluminum cross bars that the reverb pan use to hang off of?
Thanks much for the kind words Iowa Boy, but Bill on the solid State genius level not me, I am still working on it.
Speaker wise your best bet for a driver that would not blow a hole in your wallet would be a Jensen C15N.
[Updated on: Sun, 13 September 2015 06:50] Report message to a moderator
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Re: New to the board and to the tuck and roll. [message #23845 is a reply to message #23844] |
Sun, 13 September 2015 15:53 ![Go to previous message Go to previous message](/FUDforum/theme/vk30/images/up.png) ![Go to next message Go to next message](/FUDforum/theme/vk30/images/down.png) |
Iowa Boy
Messages: 767 Registered: June 2014
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Senior Member |
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Sorry...misread your thread and thought you were thinking about building a new cabinet all together not just replacing the 15. Pleats right the 4-10's won't fit in your present cabinet. Now 4-8's will work that are 8 ohms. 16 ohm speakers are kind of limited and not sure what is available other than Eminence Delta's 15's at 16 ohm if your thinking of going more than one speaker. You'd have to make a new baffle plate of course......just matters how much work your wanting to go to and how much you want to keep it original.
Now if you want, you could put another D-140 bass speaker back into the cabinet to keep it original. They are still available (sometimes re-coned) on Ebay. Sound quality, I doubt that you would notice that much difference other than the frequency range will be different. At least you could then use your amp for guitar as well as bass or keyboards without worrying about damaging the speaker. I know Pleat will cringe when I say this, but you could also put a couple of super tweeters in the cabinet to increase you high end......put them inside your bass ports if you have them and decide against using bass speakers. Just an option.
[Updated on: Sun, 13 September 2015 16:18] Report message to a moderator
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Re: New to the board and to the tuck and roll. [message #23848 is a reply to message #23786] |
Mon, 14 September 2015 06:33 ![Go to previous message Go to previous message](/FUDforum/theme/vk30/images/up.png) ![Go to next message Go to next message](/FUDforum/theme/vk30/images/down.png) |
stevem
Messages: 4758 Registered: June 2004 Location: NY
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Senior Member |
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Just unplugging the reverb cables may not be enough to stop any 60 hz hum from the power transformer that may be coming thru.
Try this.
With both cables plugged into the board turn the reverb control up and tap each end of each cable.
On one cable you will hear a buzz when doing that, and that will be the cable that you want to short out across itself.
If the cables are not the thick gray stock ones but are thin replacements then just cut the cable off, strip it and twist the wire together. This will short the input to the recovery amp and may be kill off some hum.
When doing this with the amp on stay clear of any of the wires with the wall outlet voltage on them near the on/ off switch and the fuse area!
[Updated on: Mon, 14 September 2015 06:36] Report message to a moderator
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Re: New to the board and to the tuck and roll. [message #23849 is a reply to message #23848] |
Mon, 14 September 2015 10:27 ![Go to previous message Go to previous message](/FUDforum/theme/vk30/images/up.png) ![Go to next message Go to next message](/FUDforum/theme/vk30/images/down.png) |
C4ster
Messages: 686 Registered: June 2001 Location: Mukwonago, WI (Milwaukee...
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Senior Member |
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As far as JBL D series speakers are concerned, the D140 was a bass speaker that had a 40 to 2500 Hz frequency response while the D130 was 50 to 6000 Hz. If you like a full guitar sound, the JBL 15's can't be beat. I have JBL's Jensens and CTS speakers in various cabinet configurations, and the 140's in the 1x15 cabs are really great for bass but are lacking the highs for that shimmering guitar sound.
Conrad
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