Kustom KBA-100 115 Combo

Purchased in 2003 from a now defunct internet retailer.
This solid state combo features the following:
-100 watts power
-15" Speaker
-XLR Line Out
-CD/Tape input
-Pre-amp section with adjustable gain and volume
-40 to 800 Hz Notch Frequency sweep
-6 band EQ
-Eight digital effects w/ effect level and on/off switch
-Speaker Out
-Line out
-Effects loop

Due to the notch frequency and the 6 band EQ, I can make any bass guitar of reasonable quality sound good. Plenty of low end response. The effects are good for a little more fill when playing with a three piece (bass,drums,guitar). In a four piece rock band setting this amp has no problem keeping up volume wise. This amp is loud enough for a small to medium size venue, and thanks to the XLR line out, it can go into the P.A. if needed (haven't needed it yet). An amazing amplifier for the price paid.

Never had a problem with it playing at least three hours every week for five years in jam or gig situations.
No tubes means no maintenance expense. Keep it clean and it'll keep you happy.

Other reviewers have given low scores for this section because Kustom didn't respond when asked for manuals. The manual for this amp was available on the Kustom website
in PDF format. If you're too lazy to look on the website for the manual then you don't deserve a response.

30 years+ playing. I own other bass amps but this is the biggest as far as power
and versatility. If you can't dial in a good sound from this amp then YOU suck, not the amp. Its 68 lbs., but fortunately its got two side handles so two people can carry it, or one person can manage using both arms. I hate amps that have only that rubber strap attached to the top of the amp, making it almost impossible to carry with one or two people. I owned Kustom gear in the 1970's and it was bullet proof... still is. I'm not sure if these amps are still being sold, but I see a lot of amps with less power and less features selling for a lot more than I paid for this. For bar band use you don't need more than what this can do, unless you're out to punish.

I got this amp used, from the original owner who had it for "years." It's a 100 watt 1 x 15, with an XLR line out, CD player in, external speaker and line out, foot switch jack, effects loop i/o, equalizer and some programmable digital effects. This was my first amp after my little Ibanez 10 watt practice amp, and I would have bought a Fender Rumble new if I didn't stumble across this hardly used Kustom, the Kustom has more features than the other 100 watt amps in its price class. The equalizer, the footswitch in jack, effects loop and digital effects make this amp versatile for a wide range of music, I like jazz, rock, Hawai'ian and blues, so I haven't made much use of the features to vary the sound other than the equalizer. This amp is fine for bars, small to medium sized auditoriums and other small venues with small to medium sized combos, but it wouldn't be enough amp for metal, punk or outdoors. Since it has both a line out jack, and a speaker out jack, you could connect it to either another combo amp (I've hooked this to a 150/300 watt Trace Commando 15 combo amp for a noisy bar playing with horns, the two combos together did the job) or a monster cab (I've never had the need).

I have three cheap basses. A quirky almost all wood fretless Wishbass, a Rogue viola bass (a cheap knockoff of the Kohner McCartney played) with flatwounds, and a 1970s Japanese Tempo with original vintage pick ups. This amp delivers a nice clean almost double bass sound with the Wishbass; close to the Beatles 60s rock sound with the viola bass, and a variety of 1970s rock tones out of my vintage bass, using the equalizer appropriately - but not all the way to maximum gain/volume. With gain and volume at 90% to all the way up, there's hum and distortion. However, I shopped around before I found this used Kustom, and this amp sounds much better, cleaner than any 100 watt amp in the $300-$500 range.

It seems quite reliable, the original owner never had a problem with it, it doesn't overheat, it's solid and well put together, but the digital effects don't always work for some reason. This is minor irritation, as I mentioned I've hooked this combo up to another combo and to get both combos to deliver the particular sound I want can be a little time consuming. In my experience, a lot of amp failure has to do with handling problems, like dropping the amp off of a small stage. I've never had such an accident with this amp because it has two sturdy side handles, instead of the single inadequate handle on the top of some combo amps. The corners of the Kustom are protected by nice rubbery plastic.

Kustom is not a very customer service oriented company. This brand and model was not on my original list when I was shopping for combo amps, so when I ran across this used one, I e-mailed the company to get more information. They never responded. After I got it, I tried to email them again to try to get an owners manual, and I wanted to know about authorized dealers and repair service near where I live, and again I got no answer.

This was a good choice for a first real amp for me. Since this amp sounds good even at low volumes, now that I had to send my practice amp in for repairs, I wonder if something happened to my practice amp if I would replace that. I really like using this amp at home for practice. If something happened to it I might buy another, but I would probaly upgrade to the PJB briefcase or some other more expensive portable combo amp instead. I would recommend this Kustom over the Fender Rumble, or any of the other inexpensive 100 watt amps on the market.

The features already stated for this. the good thing is that it has coner protectors that work and dont fall off. ( up 3 sets of stairs with this to band and gets banged alot)

great sound. the presets shown in the book are very limited (3-4). but lovely sound i am using a cheap vintage bass and an acoustic ibanez bass with both of these basses it gives out a lovely sound. i hardly hard to turn up the volume at band because this beast would out power even the drummer with out being at half volume. 8 effects on it but never use them becuase i have a boss me50b and soon to be gt6b.

you can depend on this soo much it has never broken down on me or crackled or anything on me.

i have never had to phone them up.

i have been playing for about 2 1/2 - 3 years and if this got stolen i would replace it but i am geting a new one for my band and keeping this as a resevre. works lovely with my acoustic and nevr failed. altough this took 3 mnths to get to me (no fault of Kustom) it is brilliant from the moment i got it. the small on/off switch for the effects could be abit bigger but i would suggest getting the foot switch for this it makes it much much better. 6 band eq i think is superb can get real tone and depth from this amp. i would suggest getting this.

Features allready stated.
Great versatile amp for the money.
Very dependable. Giged for 2 1/2 years
without one issue.

I play rock, blues, jazz.
EQ helps dial in tone.
I like the slap back or echo effect.
8 effects.

Unreal great/dependable.

Called and spoke to,
curtious.

Playing 30 years. Mainly Fender bass's. The amp section can be pluged into another speaker cab for greater bottom. Or to a PA with the balanced line out. Great amp that can handle from practice with headphones to med/small gigs with no prblem.. Good bang for the buck!

this amp has amazing features i love it the 8 didgital effects that you can adjust how heavy they are.. 6 band equilizer and the 15 inch celestion speacker is just plain amazing.

i play a profile with a single split pickup and even with this cheapy the sound is great you just cant beat it

ok well the effects dont always seem to wanna work but its build deserves a 10 but the only thing i really dont like is the fact of how touchy the over load is way touchy

all right the website doesnt have very much info but i like the 3 year warrenty

i give it a ten cus it keeps up with the drums and is good for small gigs

Latest modell in Norway, 2002 ??
100 watt in more than I need, It have eq. and digital eff.
It also have a D.I feature that make us us it on the P.A.
15" speaker deliver what I need on stage.

I use a 5- strings Ibanez bass-guitar, and need a deep sound for the ekstra string, and this amp has what i need.

The amp has been used for more than 50 jobs, and never broke down.

I have tried to send the Kustom support E.mails twice. They never take the time to answer my questions.
Sorry KUSTOM that makes a ZERO.
After all, this was my third Kustom amp.

I have been playing in a band for almost 35 years !!!
The amp Is easy to carry around on stage.
I miss a Vinyl Cover for protection. A friend make one for me, but it was so ugly. I dont miss anything else on this amp.

I got this amp new at crazy music sound and light. This amp is incredibly versatile. the 6 band equilizer and sweep notch filter allow you to fine tune the hell out of your tone. the back panel has speaker out to use external speakers rather than the internal 15" celestian speaker, effects loop i/o, footswitch jack, and line out. This amp has more than enough power to play with a drummer, or a small gig. For the price, this really cant be beaten.

as of now im using it with a cheapy p-bass copy with stock pickups, but even then it sounds damn nice. in the store i tried it out with a fender american jazz bass, and it was incredible. At loud volumes, the amp can hum a little bit, but that may have more to do with my piece of crap bass than the amp. the thing only has one channel, but even at high volumes you can still get a nice crisp clean sound. If you push the gain, however, you can get a nice slightly distorted tone for more aggressive music styles.

this thing is built like a tank. extremely heavy duty handles make carrying this thing a breeze (its accually suprisingly light for its size). As of yet, it hasnt broken down, and i don't see if breaking down anytime soon.

never had to deal with kustom yet.

For the price, (at least where i live) you cant get CLOSE to this thing. fenders practice bass amps, the rumble series, come close, but they just dont pack nearly as many features down into it, and they are more expensive. To any bassist, young or old, who needs a great, low cost practice amp with tons of power and loads of features, definately consider this amp, its friggin amazing.

This is a 100 Watt MOSFET amp, just a good clean tone beast. It's 100 Watts but it can more than keep up with just about anything that you throw at it. It's got a Gain control with an overload light, a 6 band e.q., a notch frequency control, and built in effects. I don't use the effects too much, I like the chorus effects but the echos are too cheesy and I never really wanted to use a flanger myself but they are in there anyways so if that's your thing than you're all set. I give it a ten here because you've got a lot of extras that could come in handy as well as a TON of power. More than enough to get you through band practice or even small to medium clubs.

I play a Spector NS2000/Q4 with passive EMG's and an active EMG preamp. This bass with amp works very well. The onboard preamp on the bass allows me to get a few more different tones that I like. With a six band e.q. and notch frequency control you should be able to find a least a few workable tones that you enjoy though. This amp can reach rediculous volumes and still sound great but when playing through it at lower volumes it really loses a lot of it's tone and sounds pretty bad to me. If you're at home by yourself it doesn't matter too much but a practice amp would be much better suited for low volume practicing. I'd rate it a 7 because it's an awesome amp if you're playing loud or even medium volume but it doesn't perform as well in my opinion when turned down.

This amp has never given me any problems, I couldn't be happier with an amp. I like the sound of a nice tube amp but I unfortunately don't really have the time or money to properly maintain it so I found that the MOSFET was a great option. For what I paid for it I wouldn't expect it to last a lifetime but I also wouldn't be surprised if it did.

I haven't dealt with Kustom Customer Support. The website isn't too bad, it could use a little more information on the products but it tell you most of the things you need to know so I'll give it an 8.

This amp is a great deal. It's got more than enough power, built pretty solidly, has heavy duty recessed handles, built in effects, a great e.q. system and a celestion speaker, what more could you ask for when you pay less than $300? I'm more than pleased with this amp. If it were stolen I'd have a hard time replacing it as there aren't any Kustom dealers nearby. This would make a great first gigging amp, I give it a ten.

6-band EQ, Frequency notch knob, gain and volume controls, CD player input, 8 digital effects, 100 watts, 15 in. speaker.

Really remarkable for the price ($200). Very versatile, as every one says. When the gain is cranked you can get a good overdrive kind of sound out of it, which is great. Another great thing is that it is dead quiet, even when cranked. The EQ is very effective, and the frequency can really define your tone. The effects are okay, I guess, I don't use them alot. Just very nice to have. I gave it a 9 because nothing can be perfect.

Have only had it for about 3 months, but very reliable so far. Don't plan on having to have it repaired any time soon. It has a big metal girll covering the speaker that looks very tough. The back might be a little vulnerable, but not too bad.

Never had to call them.

This is perfect for small gigs. It is loud enough to clear a drummer easily without a PA system. It is too big for one person practice, but perfect for group sessions or smaller gigs. If it was stolen, I would probably get another. For the price it deserves a 20.

2002 100 watt rms 1 15" celestian soeaker,EQ,Digital effects,ported cab,XLR out,Ex. speaker,footswitch ,cd in.

Is very impressive for price.Rock,Jazz,Country,Funk .Great for practice to gig.Recording.Very quite.Can dial in a wide range of sound.I use my Fender,Carvin straight in.

Very good so far.

n/a

This has got to be the best bang for your buck for a bass amp.Playing on off 30 years.I love it.Would buy again but I think they might have discontinued.MF was closing out.