FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Vintage Bass Amp

Question:
A local guy is selling a Kustom II 60 watt bass amp cheap. Late 70's / early 80's. It's kind of beat up, but works well. The speaker is ripped, but I have a 15 inch black widow speaker from a Peavey bass amp I had years ago, that I can install in place of the old speaker. Has anyone played this Kustom amp, or any older Kustom amp? Any advice or comments?

Answer:
In my view, early solid state bass amps were very crappily designed and built. Don't know anything specific about the Kustom, except that it had a reputation for being a low end amp for its time. Near as I can tell, the only reason for its existence today is that every single scrap of old gear is being dredged up and sold as a collectors item. On the other hand, if it has the tuck-and-roll upholstering in purple metallic vinyl, definitely go for it The cabinets I had were meant to be adjuncts for an equally powered and speakered guitar amp that was sold by Kustom as a Kasino, whatever the size of the speakers were. I bought mine new in either 74 or 75 for $100 a piece. Yep, the pre early seventies Kustom bass amps were 200's (100 watts RMS). Mine were a generation later and were 250's (125 watts RMS) with 2x15's and the chrome port holes. Mine were black. I didn't care for the flashy bright coloring. The 250's sounded great for nice bluesy, low tone bass amplification. I only traded them in because even the one 250 with an additional 125 watt RMS powered slave enclosure with 2x15's just wasn't enough to keep up with the band. Hence, the jump to the ultimate bass amp ever made (even to this date), the Acoustic 371. 8>)