Vintage Kustom Amp Serial Numbers

• Kustom Guitar Amps For Sale
• Used Kustom Amps For Sale

Vintage Amp Cover Kustom 1960s 1970s Rounded Edges Black Vinyl Sturdy. $11.29 shipping. KUSTOM 250 VINTAGE TUCK & ROLL AMP HEAD VINYL AMPLIFIER COVER (p/n kust031). Number of Channels. Guaranteed Delivery.

I am thrilled to have found this amp in such great condition. I had a Kustom 200 Bass amp in 1970 that I wished I had never sold. I feel like I got a piece of my youth back today. Sorry to ramble. Thanks for your time. Chuck 1) serial number - 46233 2) Model number - K1000-8 - (Kustom 100) 4) Color - Black. This is a Kustom K200.Kustom Amplifiers, based in Chanute, Kansas, are of course known mainly for their 'tuck and roll' amps but like other amplifier manufacturers it was almost inevitable that they would want to develop their own line of electric guitars.This Kustom K200 is an example of the guitars bearing the Kustom brand name, which were only produced between 1968 and 1969. Sep 28, 2016 - Explore Shaun Curran's board 'Amplifiers (Kustom)', followed by 157 people on Pinterest. See more ideas about Kustom, Amplifier, Guitar amp.

Probably best known for their unique tuck-and-roll amp covering that was offered in a varietyof sparkly colors, Kustom was one of the first ampmanufacturers to find success with solid-statetechnology in the 1960s.

Hey Zach,
I have one of these really cool Kustomamps (at least I think they’re cool),and I’ve always been curious aboutwhat the “100” on the front and “7”on the back indicate. It seems that notwo Kustom amps are the same. Whyis this and what are these worth today?

Thanks,
Bill in Jacksonville, FL

Hey Bill,
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise—Kustom amps are way cool. Many playersthink these amps sound great, and bandssuch as Jefferson Airplane and CreedenceClearwater Revival used them heavily in the1970s. Kustom amps are important becausethe company really pushed the envelopewith unique cosmetics and offered virtuallyendless options. But more importantly,Kustom, along with Acoustic and Standel,were the first manufacturers to successfullybuild and market solid-state amps when thetechnology was new in the 1960s.

Bob Ross founded Kustom in Chanute,Kansas, in 1965. His amps immediatelystood out because of their “tuck-and-roll”covering made from a material calledNaugahyde, a vinyl-coated fabric thatfeels like squishy plastic. Glass soundtrack download. And Kustomoffered this unusual covering with theoption of seven sparkly colors: black,blue, cascade (blue/green), charcoal, gold,silver, and red.

If you ever have a chance to see a vintageKustom catalog, you’ll instantly realizewhy every Kustom amp appears to be different—the company offered nearly everypossible configuration you could think of.Endless options are great, but trying to differentiateand identify Kustom amps can beextremely frustrating because three differentsets of identification numbers were used:series numbers, model numbers, and catalognumbers.

Series numbers are usually found onthe front of the amp—under or behindthe Kustom logo—and consist of valueslike 25, 50, 100, 200, and higher.Generally speaking, these numbersindicate the amount of power multipliedby two. For example, a 200 seriesamp means 100 watts of power. Modelnumbers are normally found on theserial-number plate located on the backof the amp, and they range from 1 to 8.The model number indicates the chassisused—with a higher number denotingmore features—and repairmen relied onthese numbers to know what chassis theywere working on. Lastly, the catalog numberswere used in price lists and catalogsso a customer could order the exactamp he or she wanted.

These catalog numbers typicallyfollowed a number/letterformat of X-XXL-X. The firstnumber indicated the number of speakers[usually 1-4], the next two numbersindicated the size of the speakers [10, 12,15, etc.], while the lone letter representedthe brand of speaker [A for Altec Lansing,C for CTS, J for Jensen, and L for JBL].Finally, the last number in the sequenceindicated the aforementioned model number.Still with me?

Kustom Guitar Amps For Sale

So, the “100” on the front of yourKustom tells us it’s a 100 series amp andhas an approximate output of 50 watts.The “7” on the back means it has a model7 chassis, which includes reverb, vibrato,and tremolo (the controls on the front alsoconfirm this). Unfortunately, since we don’thave the catalog number (catalog numbersonly appeared in catalogs and not actuallyon the amps), the only way to determinewhat speakers your amp is equipped with isto disassemble it.

Without knowing thecatalog number, the only way to determine this K100’s speaker setup
is to remove the back panel.

As mentioned previously, these ampsused early solid-state technology and havea reputation for being built like a tank.But road wear and heavy use was typicallynot kind to the soft, Naugahyde tuck-and-roll covering, and many of the ampsthat survived over the years are in roughshape today.

Used Kustom Amps For Sale

Cosmetic condition is the number-onefactor in determining the value of theseamps, and cover color follows as a close second.Black seems to be the most commoncolor and the other six are slightly moredesirable, with gold and cascade probablythe most rare. These amps also need to bein working condition, since it’s difficult tofind replacement components—especiallythe germanium transistors. Today, your ampis worth between $400 and $500 becauseit still works, has the more desirable bluecovering, and the covering is in good condition.If nothing else, it’s a treasure for theliving room!

Probably best known for their unique tuck-and-roll amp covering that was offered in a varietyof sparkly colors, Kustom was one of the first ampmanufacturers to find success with solid-statetechnology in the 1960s.

Hey Zach,
I have one of these really cool Kustomamps (at least I think they’re cool),and I’ve always been curious aboutwhat the “100” on the front and “7”on the back indicate. It seems that notwo Kustom amps are the same. Whyis this and what are these worth today?

Thanks,
Bill in Jacksonville, FL

Hey Bill,
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise—Kustom amps are way cool. Many playersthink these amps sound great, and bandssuch as Jefferson Airplane and CreedenceClearwater Revival used them heavily in the1970s. Kustom amps are important becausethe company really pushed the envelopewith unique cosmetics and offered virtuallyendless options. But more importantly,Kustom, along with Acoustic and Standel,were the first manufacturers to successfullybuild and market solid-state amps when thetechnology was new in the 1960s.

Bob Ross founded Kustom in Chanute,Kansas, in 1965. His amps immediatelystood out because of their “tuck-and-roll”covering made from a material calledNaugahyde, a vinyl-coated fabric thatfeels like squishy plastic. Glass soundtrack download. And Kustomoffered this unusual covering with theoption of seven sparkly colors: black,blue, cascade (blue/green), charcoal, gold,silver, and red.

If you ever have a chance to see a vintageKustom catalog, you’ll instantly realizewhy every Kustom amp appears to be different—the company offered nearly everypossible configuration you could think of.Endless options are great, but trying to differentiateand identify Kustom amps can beextremely frustrating because three differentsets of identification numbers were used:series numbers, model numbers, and catalognumbers.

Series numbers are usually found onthe front of the amp—under or behindthe Kustom logo—and consist of valueslike 25, 50, 100, 200, and higher.Generally speaking, these numbersindicate the amount of power multipliedby two. For example, a 200 seriesamp means 100 watts of power. Modelnumbers are normally found on theserial-number plate located on the backof the amp, and they range from 1 to 8.The model number indicates the chassisused—with a higher number denotingmore features—and repairmen relied onthese numbers to know what chassis theywere working on. Lastly, the catalog numberswere used in price lists and catalogsso a customer could order the exactamp he or she wanted.

These catalog numbers typicallyfollowed a number/letterformat of X-XXL-X. The firstnumber indicated the number of speakers[usually 1-4], the next two numbersindicated the size of the speakers [10, 12,15, etc.], while the lone letter representedthe brand of speaker [A for Altec Lansing,C for CTS, J for Jensen, and L for JBL].Finally, the last number in the sequenceindicated the aforementioned model number.Still with me?

Kustom Guitar Amps For Sale

So, the “100” on the front of yourKustom tells us it’s a 100 series amp andhas an approximate output of 50 watts.The “7” on the back means it has a model7 chassis, which includes reverb, vibrato,and tremolo (the controls on the front alsoconfirm this). Unfortunately, since we don’thave the catalog number (catalog numbersonly appeared in catalogs and not actuallyon the amps), the only way to determinewhat speakers your amp is equipped with isto disassemble it.

Without knowing thecatalog number, the only way to determine this K100’s speaker setup
is to remove the back panel.

As mentioned previously, these ampsused early solid-state technology and havea reputation for being built like a tank.But road wear and heavy use was typicallynot kind to the soft, Naugahyde tuck-and-roll covering, and many of the ampsthat survived over the years are in roughshape today.

Used Kustom Amps For Sale

Cosmetic condition is the number-onefactor in determining the value of theseamps, and cover color follows as a close second.Black seems to be the most commoncolor and the other six are slightly moredesirable, with gold and cascade probablythe most rare. These amps also need to bein working condition, since it’s difficult tofind replacement components—especiallythe germanium transistors. Today, your ampis worth between $400 and $500 becauseit still works, has the more desirable bluecovering, and the covering is in good condition.If nothing else, it’s a treasure for theliving room!