| Help with a Kustom 250 head [message #25449] |
Fri, 19 August 2016 22:31  |
rorya.taylor
Messages: 2
Registered: August 2016
Location: Columbus, OH
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Junior Member |
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So I have a Kustom 250 Bass head that I LOVE. Has the exact sound I am going for. I have searched high and low to find some sort of manual or diagram or anything really that will give me a run down of all the controls. I want to make sure I'm setting it up correctly. I also want to make sure I'm using the polarity switch correctly. Why 4 inputs? Two channels? Two volumes? Etc Etc. Sorry this is a very Newbie question, but i'm not really familiar with this type of amp. Any help would be great. Don't be afraid of going into detail, I won't take offense. Pretend I'm like your 12 year old nephew that is super rad so you want to help him out but he doesn't know anything yet. (sort of)
I'm Rory by the way, just joined, was really excited to find the forum.
Rory Taylor
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| Re: Help with a Kustom 250 head [message #25451 is a reply to message #25449] |
Sat, 20 August 2016 06:37  |
stevem
Messages: 4775
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY
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Senior Member |
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Welcome!
With what we call the metal face amps Kustom changed the input jacks on a channels from being a difference in tone to being a difference in gain.
The top input on each channel is 3 db less than the bottom input which makes for about half the volume of the lower input on each channel.
The top channel had more overall bottom and the lower channel has more overall mid's to it.
In regards to the controls / settings you can do with them what you will and all are self explanatory but for the selectatone switch which just rolls off bottom end as it progresses from 1 to 3 .
If you have a Active Bass I suggest you use the top input on either channel to keep from clipping the input amp , but try both out as some players hit the strings a good bunch harder then others.
You can also do what I do with mine and jump the channels.
If you plug into the bottom input of the top channel and then with another cord pull your signal off of that channels
Top input and then plug that into the bottom input of the other channel you will have the tonal flexibility of both to work with.
The polarity switch is used to get rid of that buzz that happens when let go of the strings , but if some one has installed a grounded power cable then that switch should do nothing !
If it still works you need to be carefull as touching the metal of another item of gear that's plugged in , and even not on could give you a shock !
It will not kill ya but it will perk you up fast, lol!
Another point that needs to be made about these switches is that the plastic they are made with goes brittle from age and if you push on them too hard they can snap off internally .
If you do a search on this site you will find my simple 4 cable tie fix for this , and this should be done / applyed even if there is no issue with them now just in case!
After some 30 years of many of us looking for drop in replacement switches for these amps I found a sourse for ones that will work that use a LED , not a Lamp, the problem is they cost over 60 bucks!
If your amp starts to cut out and crackle that is a common issue with these models due to the plug in connectors they use, and most times just unplugging them and plugging them back in is enough to remove the tarnish from the contacts in the connectors .
Enjoy your new 40 plus year old Baby!
[Updated on: Sat, 20 August 2016 08:00] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Help with a Kustom 250 head [message #25561 is a reply to message #25449] |
Fri, 16 September 2016 14:22 |
rorya.taylor
Messages: 2
Registered: August 2016
Location: Columbus, OH
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Junior Member |
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Sorry for the delayed response! Couldn't log back in for some reason. Your post was really helpful. It's funny, the day I read it, my daughter pushed the polarity (irresistible blue light to a 2 yr old) and it is stuck pressed down. Not sure what to do. I would ultimately like to ground the plug I think. Either way I am really enjoying it. Glad I found the forum!
Rory Taylor
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