Kustom '36 Coupe 112 Combo

I think kustom came out with this amp 2 years ago. I live in an area were there are 3 music stores easy to get to from my home. I seen this amp for the first time at a little music store called Rossos.

The guys let me play the amp knowing that; I am a well respected guitar player. They really want my opinion. I told them " boy it has a lot of promise to be something great". They thought I was saying it wasn't good but that was not the case.

In my head I was saying 'Boy that sound is just waiting to come out of there, with the right tubes and right speaker, this amp can ride with the big boys,' meaning Fender , Marshall, Messia and Vox, just to name a few.

But I didn't at that time had the Money for it. Then the following year passed and at Christmas season my wife get her bonuness money, so she asked me what would I like for christmas. I said a custom coupe. She thought I was talking about a 50's hot rod car. I laugh and said no honey, it's a guitar amp made by a company called Kustom.

Now I remember Kustom as a kid. I really dug the way they looked, they sounded pretty good even though they were not a tube amp. But for solid state, they had the best tone conpared to other solid state amps at the the time. And C.C.R. proved it!

Any way back to my litle story, so my wife gave me the money and I went bought one. When I got home I set it up and played it. The sound was kinda quacky but on the better side of quackness, which told me --- must change the speaker. But to be fair, most speakers have to be some what broken in with time to sound their best. But I had a Tone Tuby acinco speaker that was well broken in. If I sold an amp I had, I would put back the orignal speaker and keep the T.T.

When I put this speaker in it, BAM! what a tone. I push it all the way, and then the standard tubes that came with this amp started ratting out with sonic tingles through the speaker. I went through my collection of tubes and put G.T. 6l6r's with a 5 rating. G.T. silver rated 12a,x,7's. And boy this this do wonders for the amp. It sounds great. It reminded me of how amps with tubes sounded like when I was a kid, that was one of the reasons I liked playing electric guitar in the first place.

Well I an 53 now and. had alot of great amps. But at 53, and still giging and playing hard and good, I needed an amp that was not gonna tear my amp off, or send me to the hospital with a her-knee-er,(sorry for my poor spelling, but guys ,you know what Im talking about)just for picking the dam thing up to put in my truck! Well I am happy with this amp. It sounds great, but you must experiment with speakers and tubes to get out of it what your looking for.

I think kustom gave this amp this speaker and Russian tubes to help keep the price down. Great tubes and high dollar speaker would have driven the price to high, and this might have kept it from selling well. It's an amp that Mr Brown ( He's responable for Peavey Classic 30's and 50's,good sounding amps for the money) desiged this amp for players like me, who are old but we still like to rock, and experiment with tone and sound.

Any old player out their that has at least 2 decades of playing time, ( playing in the bed once a week for 15 minites room doesn't count) I mean real road time with develope ears for tone will love the amp for it's blessed weight, and all it's well thought out bells and whistles.

Mr Brown I do believe you truly created the amp you aways wanted to build. It's definely better late than never. MAD MAX of the BADABING BLUES BAND.

This amp with how I have it set up with pedals, can take me through Jimie Hendrix, Robin Trower, S.R.V. Z.Z. TOP, Tom Petty, Chris Dante,
Cream, C.C.R,Robert Cray,Bad Company,Johnny Winters,Little Charley and The Night cats, Ronnie Earl,Smokin Joe Kubeck,Elves Presley,Led Zepplin,and I am not kidding. And I play all this stuff pretty good. I have C.D.s with this amp doing all the guitar work.

Well so far it has not given me major problems, but as each problem came, they were easy to solve, like a good old car from the 50 and 60's.

Well I haven't had to call Kustom as of yet, which means, they have built a pretty good product. But some problems that rose up for me were easy to figure out,so some others that has similar problems might need to call the company.

I been playing for 4 decades now. I own a lot of amps at one time, but getting old you just need a couple. I have a TSL 100 JMC 2000 TRIPLE LEAD HEAD 2 x 12 Avatar cab with relic 30 Celestions speakers, its a great cab, and the coupe 32 sounds even mighter plugged in to it, running on all 3 21's. I would but it again so far at this point, but I had it only for 4 months now and have done 22 gigs with it plus recorded with it. So far I said no major problems,( wish I could the same for the Marshall)

Others had described it here. 2 Channel - single tone control. 3 x Foodcontroller for channel / Boost / effect. Very useful in theory. I gave it a 6, because a thing like mesa boogie dc-5 can get a 10 (2 channels, two sets of tone control in front of the pre-amo plus an equalizer after the pre amp section) This little thing is useful but nothing more.

I hate the sound. Sounds like rat at lower volumes. The sound ist allways thin. So, remember, every tube amp has one special volume level when the power amp tubes are at its best - i call it the optimal volume level. A good amp sounds good at almost every volume level. The Boogie DC-5 is such an amp. The Fender Tone Master has an amazing out of the box clean sound at almost every level.

This little amp sounds really really poor - in my opinion.

The clean channel can not deliver the thick and rich clean sound that I knew from my other amps I used over the years (like Fender Tone Master, MB DC-2, MB DC-5, Fender Hot rod deville). My Fender blues junior had a better clean tone - even my Marshall 4203 sounds better.

The distortion is not that better. It really has that zz top factor, you can hear every note of a distorted accord. But every Boogie can do that, every soldano can do it better. The tone section is in front of the distortion so every controller interacts with the distortet and with each other tone controller. Especially the treble control has a big influence to the sound. May be one has enough time, to look for a great sound, may be there is one. I did not have that time.

Compared to its price it is a very expensive amp. My Mesa Boogie Dc-2 was cheaper and has an amzing out of the box tone at every volume level.

I am sorry I can not give more than a 5.

I forgot: Every guitar sounds the same thru the distortion section of the amp. You can not devide a 52Tele from a hot Les Paul Classic with ceramic PUs. Even my PRS swamp amp sepcial sounds bad with this rat amp.

I don't have it long enough.

I don't have it long enough.

Trying this amp is a complete waste of time.

I am playing for over 25 years. I play not that good. But my ears are allright and I know what a good amp is. I have almost 20 guitars.

2006 Version I believe of the US manufactured 36 watt class A/B combo. Features have been described by others. Dual channel master volumes, with shared eq and nice reverb, boost, bright, tube driven effects loop, and DI outputs. The amp is well constructed of multiply Birch and solid controls, hardware, and lighted footswitch.
This is a very affordable small combo amp with plenty of potential. Has very nice quality feel to it.

This little amp caught my attention quickly with the retro looks and clean reverb tone. The clean channel stock sounds very good at mid volume levels. Master volumes on both channels help keep tone good at lower volumes. EQ is interactive and shared and I had no problems finding nice settings with different guitars. Volume knobs have pull for bright channels and both channels have this option. Great Fenderish Deluxe tones on clean channel. Drive channel to me sounds like a cross between cranked tweed deluxe and Marshall plexi tone. I can hear the Billy Gibbons inspired gain structure for sure. The amp is super quite for tubes and reverb is excellent. I still felt there were some improvements that could be easily made to find my own person sound. More information on changes/mods below---

I have not had this amp for long and they are relatively new, out for a couple of years. Looks like a very well made amp and expect no issues.

Excellent. I had a couple of questions on possible speaker changes and was able to reach technical advise quickly. Very good support.

Been playing for 20+ years and have owned numerous vintage and modern amps. This is worth looking at in the $600.00 range new. Some will find the look a little weird, but I grew up the 70's and remember the original Kustoms. Bottom line is this amp sounds very good and it is designed and built in the US. I did some tweeking and will pass on my testing and opinions. 1. Changed the power tubes/ 6L6's to Svetlana's Winged C version. Better glassy tone and harmonic richness. 2. Changed the inverter tube, one right next to the power tubes, to 12AT7 JAN GE. 12AT7's smooth out the gain and reduce splatty nature. 3. Tested Fender Eminence 75 watt speaker, sound on cleans very fender deluxe tone, excellent if you want a fender clone amp and play clean. Lots of headroom and nails Fender tone. Driven sound was too harsh for my taste though and I was looking for better balance between clean and driven tone. 4. Settled on Weber 1265 ceramic. This is Ted's version of the old Celestion G12-65. This speaker is warmer overall, but with slight roll off of bass and mids it came alive. Very well balanced open tone in clean channel. Driven sound was much improved without the harsh high end that was present in the original and Fender speaker. SO I am happy with this tone for me and this may help some of you in your search as well.

i play funk,r&b,jazz,rock ect.amp is versatile,plenty enough power on club gigs,ecpecialy going through the front end.www.softspokenband.com

i love the sound of this amp ,ive owned vintage fenders,gibsons,boogie ect.it suits my style well.its a punchy little amp ,notes jump right out at ya,i think its very quiet,i own a blues jr too,very noisy .

ive sent it back to kustom,once,they gave me a brand new one,the first time the amp just kept dying on me,fading out as if you were flicking off the stand by but it was on ,thought it was the power chord but it wasnt,or the tubes,now i have my new one and i have problems with this one too,a howling and fading,i know about 3 other ppl who have had same problems,now i must bring back up amp to gigs .tube amps are great sounding but just a nightmare,actually thinking of getting a good solidstate amp just for more reliabilaty

good they gave me a new amp no questions asked

ive been playing for 25 yrs,ive owned tons of gear ,right now for amps i have the kustom,and fender blues jr.i really do like this amp but im losing faith in the reliability,,im having bad luck with tube amps,love the tube sound,but not the reocouring nightmares that go along with them ,is it worth it??????????

The amp features rhythm and lead channels with a bright boost for each, a reverb section with intensity and tone controls, EQ section: bass, mid, and treble, effects loop, dirct out, and an automatic biasing system. This is a very versatile amp for virtually any style.

1st thing: CHANGE THE TUBES!!!! I got the amplifier from Sam Ash and had it delivered to my home. When I opened the box, plugged in the footswitch, outlet cable, and then turned the amp on, I was very disappointed. I felt that the tubes were the problem. I called Eurotubes the next day and ordered JJ's 2-6L6s and 4 12AX7s. After replacing the tubes, this made a HUGE difference!!! The harsh and blatty tones became tight, focused, and clear. I can coax some convincing early Fender and Marshall sounds out of this amp. The gain is a little more than I would normally use; however, you can set the preamp gain down and dime the power amp section successfully. I run a Tech 21 Double Drive into the rhythm section for a different overdrive sound and the amp responds well with this pedal. This is as good as any amp out there on the market (NOTE: I have played, owned or borrowed MANY amps, boutique and otherwise). With humbuckers, the guitar sounds smooth and clear, with single coils, you definitely hear the clarity of the pickups, along with P-90s. This amp does a good job of bringing out the tone of your guitar. The reason it gets a 9 and not a 10 is that there is no "10" amplifier out there. The lead channel has a little too much gain, but with a preamp tube adjustment, I was able to reduce the gain somewhat. If you like 60's blues-rock guitar (Clapton, Green, Bloomfield, Santana, etc.), you will find this amp quite suitable.

Haven't had it break down on me yet. COMPLAINT: replacing the tubes was a nightmare. I had to take the bottom part off the amp and use a long phillips head to unscrew the tube "cages". Unless you have a convenient five-year-old around to remove the preamp tubes, you'll have to bend the preamp cage back to get to them. I probably voided the warranty, but those crappy Sovteks and EH preamp tubes had to go.
NOTE: If you buy ANY new tube amp (with the exception of boutique - those makers have enough sense), consider spending good money to replace the tubes because most amp manufactors put garbage tubes into their amps. Check out JJ's Eurotubes, or, if you have the cash, buy NOS 6L6s and 12AX7s. This will make ALL the difference in your tone.

I talked to them on the phone to see when my amplifier would be arriving. Otherwise, they seemed friendly to me.

I have been playing guitar for 26 years and I am estatic about this amp! I'm not going to ramble on about me owning this and that, which really irritates me when I read these reviews. KISS. I don't really care that you owned every Fender, Marhsall, Vox, etc. amp out there. This is a good product with great versatility (once you replace the tubes), and if I could afford it, I would buy another one. I think it is a better product than the majority of mass-produced amps and it really does a great job of emulating early Fenders and Marshalls.

The amplifier features a rhythm and lead channel with bright boosts for each. It has and EQ section of bass, mid, and treble. In addition, it features an extremely versatile reverb section with intensity and tone controls. Effects loop, power tube auto-biasing system, pedalboard, and direct output - this is overall a superb amplifier as far as features.

First thing: CHANGE THE TUBES!!!!!! I ordered my '36 Coupe from Sam Ash and took it out of the box, plugged in the pedalboard, outlet plug, turned it on and let it warm up. As soon as I hit the standby switch, I was pissed!!! The sounds were shrill and the notes sounded tubby and blatty. After reading all of these great reviews on this amplifier, I called JJ's Eurotubes. He recommended retubing the amplifier, and within three days, I received the new tubes. After retubing the amp and turning it on, I noticed a HUGE difference in tone!!! HUGE. The notes were tight with a smooth bottom end (a la Marshall Bluesbreaker), and a smooth treble that wasn't harsh or shrill. Tonally, this is one of the best amps I've played, owned, borrowed, ad nauseum (NOTE TO GEARHEADS - I'VE PLAYED A LOT OF GOOD EQUIPMENT...ENOUGH SAID). BTW...I really hate it when people send responses and they have to tell you every f&cking piece of equipment they own. Personally, I really don't give a rat's ass!!! Anyway...with humbuckers, the sound is really smooth and defined - with single coils, the true color of the pickups are really accented. P-90s, whatever, you will hear the detail in the pickups, wood, etc. The only reason it does not get a 10 is that NO amp deserves a 10. Music is subjective, as well as tastes; however, the crappy Sovteks and Electro-Harmonix tubes have got to go. With a $65.00 investment (JJ's tubes), you can have a really GREAT amp. If you want to spend the money on NOS high quality tubes, you will have a really EXCEPTIONAL amp. It works really well with pedals, as another reviewer said, especially with good overdrive and 'vibe pedals. Fans of late '60s blues-rock guitarists (Clapton, Green, Bloomfield, Santana, etc.)will really appreciate this amplifier. Great interpretation on old Fender and Marshall sounds with great versatility and a cool look (well...I have the black 'tuck 'n' roll'...the Schwinn Sting Ray banana bicycle seat covers is somewhat an embarrassment to the overall look - KISS). Enough said.

I haven't owned it enough to comment on this; however, getting to the tubes is a pain in the rear end. You have to either have small hands or the right tools. I appreciate the fact that Kustom designed a protective 'cage' for both tubes sections; however, I had to bend the preamp metal section back to get my fingers on the preamp tube protectors. This feat nearly took me forty minutes to change the preamp tubes...no kidding. The power tubes weren't that bad, but putting the tiny screws back on was a pain, not to mention I had to remove the bottom part of the amp to get to ALL of them...oh well.

I called them to find out when my amp was going to be shipped to Sam Ash. They gave me an immediate reply. It came with a warranty card that I haven't filled out yet. I have probably violated the warranty anyway by bending back the preamp protector and changing the tubes, so.....

(1) Consider this amp. One of THE most versatile great sounding all-tube amps out there.
(2) Spend good hard-earned money and change those crappy tubes. Look into either JJ's or a reliable NOS tube dealer. Seriously, you won't regret it.
(3) I wouldn't mind having two of these. Great product once you make the changes.
(4) FAR Better than most of the crap they're selling out there for about the same price.

This thing is a Classic sounding sleeper.
'05 (I think) '36 Coupe: all tube made in USA 1 X 12" combo amp.
45 lbs
2 X 6L6 power amp section, has some sort of self-biasing scheme.
3 X 12AX7 pre-amp (one drives the effects loop) and a 12AX7 inverter driving the power tubes (usual design).
Three button footswitch (stereo 1/4" cable) comes with and selects "Rhythm" or "Lead" channel, BOOST (either channel, up to 10db), and effects loop (reverb on the '36 Coupe, which DOES have an adjustable effects loop).
Two inputs, one padded 6db.
Standby switch.

This isn't a Swiss Army knife do-all hi-tech whiz bang. It's got good features and great sound.
It has some great features for a tube amp though, like a good effects loop, the BOOST switch, etc.
The Effects loop and direct out are fully adjustable, as is the boost.
It's bigger brother, the '72 Coupe has Tremelo/vibrato as well.

Sounds like a Carr Rambler in some respects. With my Telecaster (Nocaster pickups) it can get the most Classic Tele sounds either clean, overdriven, distorted, or twangy to the max.

I use it for Jazz jobs with a sextet, and can turn right around and get Country or Rockin' Blues sounds with just the floor switches and the guitar controls.

It operates and conducts itself like a tube amp all the way, and has plenty of tone control (bass, mid, and treble knobs, plus a bright pull switch on both channel volume controls).

So even though the three tone knobs are shared by the two "channels" (actually the LEAD mode cuts in another 12AX7 in the pre-amp), you can still alter the brightness with assigning the pull for BRIGHT switches on the separate volume knobs (each have their own Master vol as well), then use the footswitches to select lead and rhythm, and boost on either.
It's well thought out for the real world of getting good sounds quickly and logically. It's not confusing at all.

You can get crunch on the "rhythm" mode, then say, a darker tonal crunch with a bit more hair for solos when you turn the guitar vol up on the "lead" mode. Almost vica versa too, if you remember and take into consideration that "LEAD" is an extra 12AX7 gain stage.

It gets all the distortion I'll ever need. I generally just need some hair or crunch. The amp will go way further than that. Just dime the lead volume and set the Master where it needs to be. Seems plenty powerful enough for any club (even loud ones) I play in.
It's about a 40 watt tube amp, when all is said and done. Think Vibroverb with a Carr type feedback scheme for extra highs (or less dark) when you want that.

It can be bouncy like a Fender tube amp (sorta BF/tweed, like a Carr). The speaker handles lows just fine, and the midrange is smooth or can be snarly from the amp. Lots of Tele highs and twang available too.

I have never tried humbuckers through it (I'm a single coil kinda guy) but it seems like every great tube amp out there. It does NOT have the Mesa/Boogie "rasp." Which I don't care for anyway. It's a rounder, fuller, tone that can be smooth or skroinky, depending on your attack and set-up choices.

I can't say it's dark sounding, or crispy, in its natural state. It can do both.
Without experimenting a little it's just another generic (though good sounding) tube amp sound when you put everything in the middle. BUT, with a bit of mild control shifting, you can get boutique crunch and stellar tones without doing anything unorthodox with the controls. It just has a great sound that can be pretty widely varied to get the nuances of your guitar or technique to shine through.

It's not noisy. Quite civil, considering the gain and tones available.
Best sounding amp I've ever had, and that after years of debt spending and tone chasing.

It's an '05. Now we're 8 months into '06.
NO problems at all.

I'm a weekend warrior. Lotsa club duty.
I keep an old Polytone in the trunk of my car, but have not needed it so far.

Real metal jacks and switches.
Birch plywood cabinet (not chipboard).
Buy the cover for it. It's worth it.

It's a production amp, but good build features.

3 year warranty to the original owner.
90 days on tubes and speaker.

Never had contact with Kustom.

The store owner says they're a good company though. He talks to them.

I've had and old Kustom PA years ago that never failed, but of course that's a whole separate thing from a guitar amp now.
I think it was made in Chanute though (too).

Playing guitar since 1960. Piano before that.
Tried 'em all.

I prefer classic sounds of Rock, Blues, Country, Jazz, R&B, Gospel, etc.

I tend to like Fender type sounds in tweed or some blackface models, but I've also had Marshall, Ampeg, Vox, Mesa/Boogie, Buddah, Victoria, Roland, etc etc in tube and ss.

But I do NOT like the tweed sound if it's too primitive and spongey (like some Champs when you use single coil guitars). Round '59 Bassman sounds are a good starting point. Tweed Deluxe even better. The '36 Coupe doesn't sound like a Tweed Deluxe however. It has harmonic content, but not as much chime as a tweed Deluxe. A bit darker I guess. But it has its charms though!

A friend has a Carr Rambler I like a lot, and it's probably even more versatile, what with power attenuators, pentode/triode switches etc, but the particular Tele sound I like on the Carr is also available here on this '36 Coupe.

It's a growling punchy skronky tone that cuts through in clubs and has a round meaty kinda feel at a moderate volume level. Easy to get on this amp. NOT so easy to get on most production amps, though boutique amps seem to get it if they are "tweedy" sounding enough.

The Carr can blend in tweed Fender sounds into BF sounds. An excellent sound that the '36 Coupe can get too.

The styling cues on this amp are subtle modernized versions of tuck and roll Nuagahyde Kustoms of the sixties (like Fogarty used), and the control panel is that same black plastic face with the same style knobs, though mounted on top/rear now (easily read from in front of the amp when facing it).

On the amp's back are more controls (and full metal jacks, again), for effects loop levels, direct out, and boost level (1 - 10 db).
The power amp section tubes and driver/inverter are enclosed within a screen cage, as per some govt bureaucrats directive.
The pre-amp tubes have metal shields.

The footswitch is meatl heavy duty industrial, with an included LONG stereo 1/4" cable (with again, metal ends).

I'd buy one again and can recommend it to friends and players looking for good tone in something cheaper than a Carr Rambler, it's closest boutique cousin, I think.

Well thought out amp and great sounds.

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Update on previous post. I took one home. I play a fender strat lonestar, HSS, maple fret board, TS9, and Vox wah pedal. The tone of this amp really is good and got alot better after working it hard over a few days. Earlier I posted that the clean channel breaks up too soon. This is not so. I can only describe it as a natural, subtle resonance that accentuates the guitar's natural acoustic sound - and man do I love it. I will not compare it to a fender. I played this amp in my home. It is no more noisy than any other tube amp. This amp will rock. I have not gigged yet. At low volumes tone is still good.

Too early to tell. That goofey power cord, the way it plugs up into the amp, loks like it could easily become unplugged. But that may be better than having your amp knocked over if someone hangs on the cord.

Haven't tried them yet.

Been playing for more than 30 years. I would replace it. For the cost and as well as the amp sounds how could I not? This amp is easy to tote. The pre-amp tube shields gave some buzz/rattle at certain frequencies but that is an easy fix. Also for some reason the #1 input jack disconnects when I seat the guitar cord into it. It only works with a 30 year old cord I have. I am sure it is a fluke and an easy fix but aggrivating nontheless.

Effects loop, volume boost 10 db, 2 channel, reverb. Tons of tone settings when you take the time to adjust the knobs that actually do something when you turn them.

Tone is great. I also have a Victoria. The Victoria is still my favorite but it costs about 2300.00. The guy that was talking about the tone in the earlier post must not know much about tone. I have been playing for 29 years I think I know tone by know. This amp sounds great. One secret to share is do this: retube with NOS rasc or GE tubes. The amp really kicks.

I think it can take it just as well as any other tube amp out there. It will for sure keep up with Fender. I never gig without a backup amp. I purchased this amp for a backup but I will run it front line most of the time.

These guys are the best in the business. Great to talk to will answer any questions. I didn't have any service trouble but called to ask some questions before I bought and they were happy to help.

If this was lost or stolen I would purchase another one. It is one of my favorite amps that has hit the market in years. Kicks Fender in the butt. I have been rather unhappy with the new Fender products in the last few years though.

I have been looking severly for another amp. I own a mesa DC3 and was looking for a 6L6 or EL34 sound. I messed with this amp for about thirty minutes in the store today. When I told the guy what I was looking for in performance and tone he showed me this Kustom. If he would have seen my face he would have stopped talking. I played in the 70s and 80s and kustoms were crap. But being the nice guy I am I let him plug me up.

This is what I like and this amp has it: Down and dirty and to the point. I don't like complicated crap. I play the entire spectrum of music. This amp captures a large portion of where I spend my time - rock & roll. The 6L6 tubes are sweet to my ears. The clean channel is workable but the lead channel with a tube screamer is sweet and EXACTLY what I like. I could'nt believe this was a Kustom. I remember my ampeg v4 eating kustoms for lunch - and thats if they worked.

I play a strat so that is what I plugged in. I'll have to go back there with my axe and really work it. I play blues, classic rock, and some progressive stuff, metal, blah, blah , blah. The store was probably about 1600 square feet. The amp was workable for the lower volumes required. It had a good bottom. It had better than acceptable tone but not what Mesa offers(IMO - reminded me of the difference between a non finished acoustic with no pick guard and no electronic crap to one that has all the stuff that sucks the tone out - sounds good but there is better). The reverb was better than my mesa DC3. The clean channel did not meet my snobby standards (it seemed to get dirty too easy, and well, I play Mesa's) but it is was good and I will enjoy it. The lead channel with a tube screamer was the cat's meow. Price is not a factor with me. I am looking at some high-end stuff and still may consider either a bad cat or another mesa. But for six bills as opposed to between fifteen and thirty I can get alot of other goodies so I can't ignore it. So I will get one, play the hell out of it, and write back later.

ciao

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