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Kustom pedal [message #26043]

Fri, 14 April 2017 19:19

Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014

Senior Member

I just purchased a vintage pedal that was used in combination with the lighted footswitch for the K-250 heads. I plugged it in and nothing. I'm having issues with my 2nd channel on both amp heads so I was wondering if the pedal only worked on the second channel and not the first. Other than the fuzz effect, all the functions work on channel one. Do you have to have the lighted footswitch as well to make this wah wah effect work or did I get a defunct pedal?

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26044 is a reply to message #26043]

Fri, 14 April 2017 22:20

chicagobill
Messages: 2006
Registered: April 2003

Senior Member

The wah pedal works with the selective boost circuit. You should not need the foot pedal to make it work.

The pedal is just a pot connected to the three connections of the cable. Have you tried to read the resistance from terminal to terminal?

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26045 is a reply to message #26043]

Fri, 14 April 2017 23:36

Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014

Senior Member

I tried the different setting on the selective boost and I don't notice any difference in sound even with the effect all the way up. What terminals are you talking about?

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26046 is a reply to message #26043]

Sat, 15 April 2017 06:06

stevem
Messages: 4773
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

The plug terminals ( TRS type ) on the end of the pedals cable should read a resistance.
Sleeve is ground, if in the case common.
With he pedal in its center position if hold a meter across sleeve and ring you should read a resistance , and this resistance will change with pedal movement, the same should take place with the meter across the sleeve and tip.

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26047 is a reply to message #26043]

Sat, 15 April 2017 12:41

Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014

Senior Member

Checked this morning and no resistance at either terminal and moving the pedal. Looks like all this thing is a pot controlled by a spring and a cable.

So what does the selective boost SUPPOSE to do if working? Like I said, turning the knob I don't notice any change in sound on either of my K-250's.

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26048 is a reply to message #26043]

Sat, 15 April 2017 16:55

chicagobill
Messages: 2006
Registered: April 2003

Senior Member

The selective boost is like a preset parametric eq. It boosts a fairly small band of frequencies, the center of which is set by the switch. It is sort of like the mid range boost on Vox amps or on Ampeg V-series amps. The pedal is used to sweep the frequency to give you a wah pedal without having to buy a separate one.

If you are not reading any resistance between the tip and ground or ring, then the cord or the pot may be bad or the wiring has been messed with.

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26049 is a reply to message #26043]

Sat, 15 April 2017 18:04

Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014

Senior Member

Is it worth repairing....I paid $90 for it and the guy is willing to take it back.

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26050 is a reply to message #26043]

Sun, 16 April 2017 17:55

Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014

Senior Member

I see some volume pedals on Ebay that have the same plug configuration. Would this work in place of the Kustom since it is about half the price of this one.

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26051 is a reply to message #26043]

Mon, 17 April 2017 05:53

stevem
Messages: 4773
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

The value of the two pots in each pedal would have to be the same fora different one to work , and unfortunately Kustom schematics do not show the pedals.
In all likelihood your pedal only needs a new TRS end installed on it.

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26052 is a reply to message #26043]

Mon, 17 April 2017 12:51

chicagobill
Messages: 2006
Registered: April 2003

Senior Member

A few years back this discussion came up and the pedals at that time were selling for somewhere around $150. One guy was making substitute pedals and selling them here. There might be a mention of the pot value in that old thread.

As for fixing or replacing with a home grown version, some guys want only original things like footswitches and pedals. Others just want things that work. An original pedal will always be worth more than a substitute, but depending upon who's looking at it it may not matter one bit.

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26053 is a reply to message #26043]

Mon, 17 April 2017 15:24

Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014

Senior Member

Thanks everyone for the info.......bad thing is if I cut the old 1/4 plug off and replace it, its now mine. If it turns out that the pot is bad, is there anyway of telling what value it is and being able to replace it? I'd hate to have to keep something that can't be repaired and used and out the money.

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26054 is a reply to message #26043]

Mon, 17 April 2017 19:01

stevem
Messages: 4773
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

Yes, the ohmage of the pot can be checked.

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26055 is a reply to message #26043]

Mon, 17 April 2017 19:26

Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014

Senior Member

Well I took the thing apart and checked the pot and did get a reading that changed as I turned the wheel. Replaced the plug on it and tried it out on my amp. Either my amp has issues or this is the poorest excuse for a pedal I've ever seen. It only makes a slight variation if the selector switch on the selectone is set on 3 and the tone is set on 6. Now does this thing only work on higher frequencies? I don't have a guitar to try it out and was using my bass on the fourth string. I've tried adjusting the position of the wheel on the pot but just changes the pitch sort of. I also noticed that there wasn't a whole lot of resistance change when even turning the pot wheel a full turn ......only about 12 to 15 ohms difference at best.

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26056 is a reply to message #26043]

Tue, 18 April 2017 06:24

stevem
Messages: 4773
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

The pedal can only supply the same overall veriatiion that the selective boost itself has but on the fly.

[Updated on: Tue, 18 April 2017 06:26]

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26057 is a reply to message #26043]

Tue, 18 April 2017 11:08

Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014

Senior Member

Sounds like this then really isn't a wah wah pedal. I can hear a difference when manually using the selector switch and the tone control but the pedal doesn't cover the entire range. Maybe the pot is defective?

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26058 is a reply to message #26043]

Tue, 18 April 2017 11:14

stevem
Messages: 4773
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

From the pots center leg to either end leg you should read a resistance that changes with pedal sweep.

Tested with the pedal unplugged of course!

I notice from the schematic that there is a boost foot switch that may need to be in the on position?

Does the effect knob besides the selective boost knob work?

[Updated on: Tue, 18 April 2017 11:20]

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26059 is a reply to message #26043]

Tue, 18 April 2017 18:58

Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014

Senior Member

Yeah the tone control works. I just tried it out again this time using only the 4th string and went to the bottom frets and the tonal effect was a little more prevalent. Think if using an actual guitar it would probably sound a lot better. Seems to work in the higher frequencies and not the low's. At least I now know it works just not intended to be used with a bass. Thanks again everyone for your help. Now I'm just waiting for the lighted footswitch again. There is no on switch on the pedal so guessing that the effect switch has to be turned all the way up to make it work.......like an intensity setting I guess.

Has anyone heard from Pleat lately? I sent him an email about a week ago and never heard back.

[Updated on: Tue, 18 April 2017 19:03]

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26060 is a reply to message #26043]

Tue, 18 April 2017 23:15

chicagobill
Messages: 2006
Registered: April 2003

Senior Member

Have you tried different settings of the 6 position switch? I thought that it would switch the range to a higher or lower frequency band, which would cover a wide range of instruments.

According to another poster from a few years ago, the original pot was a 10K value. What does your read? If it is too low of a value, then there will be a lessening of the overall effect.

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26061 is a reply to message #26060]

Wed, 19 April 2017 12:04

Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014

Senior Member

Ohm reading is 12K to 31K when depressing the pedal.

The tone control on the selective boost seems to change marginally from 1 to 6 but I am wondering if it is because I am using a bass and not a guitar and don't notice a big difference in the settings. On 6 is the only setting that there is a sort of substantial difference in sound.

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26062 is a reply to message #26043]

Wed, 19 April 2017 12:47

chicagobill
Messages: 2006
Registered: April 2003

Senior Member

According to the schematic, the pot should be wired to change the resistance between the tip and the ring connections. Inside the amp, the shield is connected to the tip and both are grounded. The ring connection should vary from 10K to zero, reading to ground. If the ring connection doesn't reach zero (or at least near zero) to ground, the effect will be weak.

If you remove the pedal how well does the selectone circuit work?

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26063 is a reply to message #26043]

Wed, 19 April 2017 16:03

Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014

Senior Member

The readings I get between the first ring and middle ring.....OL; reading between first ring and tip.....OL; reading between middle ring and tip.........31K with pedal extended, 13K when pedal is fully depressed. The pot is wired with the shielded cable soldered to pot casing; white wire from tip to the first terminal on the left on the pot; the black wire is connected to the far right terminal on the pot and there is a jumper between this terminal and the middle terminal. Black wire is the middle ring.

Like I've said the selective tone control, 1 thru 3 you do notice a slight variation in pitch, but 4 to 6 not so noticeable. Effect pot is turned all the way up.

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26064 is a reply to message #26063]

Wed, 19 April 2017 16:38

pleat
Messages: 1454
Registered: June 2004
Location: Belding, Mi

Senior Member

Is the pedal spring loaded? Or does the pedal stay where you left it with your foot off the pedal. Kustom made 3 version of pedals. Wide widths about 4 inches with the Kustom Logo on the top, both spring loaded and non spring loaded which would be for the Kombo 2 organ. And a spring loaded narrow width of about 3" with no logo that were for the Kasino Little Joe, and Fever guitar amps.
If your's is non spring loaded then the pot may be a different value than a spring loaded expression pedal. of course after 40+ years no telling if everything is still original.
pleat

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26065 is a reply to message #26043]

Wed, 19 April 2017 18:17

Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014

Senior Member

it's the wide pedal with the Kustom logo on it and is spring loaded.

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26068 is a reply to message #26043]

Fri, 21 April 2017 05:55

stevem
Messages: 4773
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

So it would seem you have a pedal for the Organ.

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26070 is a reply to message #26068]

Fri, 21 April 2017 14:48

pleat
Messages: 1454
Registered: June 2004
Location: Belding, Mi

Senior Member

No, the spring loaded pedal is the boost pedal for the K250-4 amp. If it didn't have a return spring, that would be for the Kombo ll organ. I just don't know if the control in the pedals would be the same value.

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26071 is a reply to message #26043]

Fri, 21 April 2017 15:19

stevem
Messages: 4773
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

In looking at the schematic of that amps effect board I can say that what's needed is no more then a 40K ohm pot.
I would like to see what Bill thinks about that section of the circuit!

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Re: Kustom pedal [message #26085 is a reply to message #26071]

Mon, 24 April 2017 11:22

pleat
Messages: 1454
Registered: June 2004
Location: Belding, Mi

Senior Member

Just going from memory but I think the selective tone switch should be set at #1 and the effect control set at minimum to have the boost pedal give the most wah effect with a guitar.
pleat

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