Kustom 250 Head

70's tuck-and-roll goodness. I traded a pbass knockoff for this thing and a matching 2x12 (or maybe it's 2x15) closed-back cabinet back in '95 or so. I think I got the better end of the deal, lol.

Two input channels, each with two jacks. Channel 1 has volume, bass, a 3-way Selectone knob where the mid should be, and treble with push-pull bright. Channel 2 is the same, except it has a mid control instead of a 3-way switch. It has reverb controls, but the reverb tank is broken. It also has tremolo and vibrato, but they run off the same intensity knob, which is broken, so I've never tried to use 'em.

It has a polarity switch for some ungodly reason, and a power switch. They're supposed to be lighted, but the bulbs are bad.

It's a simple amp, but.... See below. Lol.

This thing sounds -awesome-. It's freaking loud, clean, and clear. A good amp for digital effects, imo.

The thing has been thrashed since I got it, but it's lasted and lasted and lasted.... I've been kind to it, and it has served me well for the past 14 years. Nothing has broken that wasn't already broken when I got it. The only thing I've replaced was the power cord end, cos someone had broken the ground pin off of it.

I've never called customer support on it.

If it were stolen, I'd cry. If I had lots of extra money, I'd buy another one if I could find one.

I've owned a twin reverb, a 5150, some kind of old Sunn tube head, and various low-powered practice amps. The Kustom is my favorite of them.

Early 1970's head. Solid state (duh...), 250-ish watts. "3-4 ohm" output. 1/4-inch "Tape out" jack (kinda nasty sounding). Black vinyl tuck & roll = cool. Two channels, each with two inputs. 2 blue pilot lights. Heavy as hell.

Mine is the version without any effects, although I've seen them with reverb, fuzz, tremelo AND vibrato built in. I mostly use mine for bass, so I don't really want any effects. The EQ-ing is basic but adequate.

Holy cow, this thing sounds amazing with bass. Pretty much as loud as I've ever wanted to be, with a very pleasing growly distortion in the higher volumes. I mostly play avant-garde punk rock, and I like my bass to be very loud, and EQed into a scoop--lots of bass and treble, not much mids. For the amount of money I paid for it, the tone is incredible. Easily sounds as good as or better than many powerful tube bass amps I've heard.

Well, the thing is about 35 years old, and I've owned it for about 10 years. In that time I think I've spent less than $50 repairing it. Built very well and will probably outlast us all. I routinely use it without a backup. (The tuck and roll is ripped. I guess I could take it to a funiture upholstery shop and get it fixed if I cared enough...)

There is a company called Kustom now, but I don't think they do anything with these old amps...

I play this through a SWR Goliath 6x10 with a Jazz Bass and an aluminum-necked Kramer bass. It sounds great for that distinct, yet still tastefully distorted tone--can be very harsh and treble-y if you want it to. Can also make a more traditional "warm" bass tone.

I think you can still get these for less than $300, and I think they're well worth it. They're cheaper (and a lot lighter) than most tube amps of similar tone quality. Highly recommended.

I got this amp off of ebay, saw a deal and didnt know what to expect. Two el6 power tubes. Overdrive, reverb, and phasor all footswitchable. Features not very common on a head made from 1982.

Clean sounds like a vintage fender, and the distortion sounds almost identical to a jcm 800. I dont use the phasor option at all but the reverb is also amazingly good.

A little scratchy when i bought it, and the main imput wasnt working very well, but what can you expect from a 24 year old head. Had those fixed and this thing is working better than my jcm2000 did.

n/a bought used.

I have only seen one of these ever, and thats the one i purchaced. If you see one pick it up, they are pretty much unknown, and you get a great sounding tubed head outa the deal. I curretly use it for gigging 2-4 times a month, not one problem after a good cleaning and slight fixing of an imput.

Got both the amp and the 2x15 cab for 1000 SEK (125 USD) in 2004.
This amp is a model K-250-4, which means it has all the bells and whistles - fuzz (distortion), selectiove boost (wah), reverb, and tremolo/vibrato. It was made in 1973, and it's in black naugahyde (and looks like the backseat of an old car).
Living in Sweden I think I'm happy to get hold of one.
I also have the matching 2x15 cabinet, also in black naugahyde.
I believe the 250's are 125 watts at ca. 4 Ohm, and this one sports 2 channels, where the top channel is a bit more bassy than the lower one, and also the fuzz isn't accessible from the top channel.
New amps are louder and have more options, but some 30 years older it's pretty d... good. I stopped using my Hartke 700W + 2x15 + 4x10 + 4x5 when I got this baby home because it sounds better...

Most people think it's a tube amp when they hear it, but it's a solid state - just sound's like tube.
The amp likes some basses better than others. I have a passive Jazz copy that it doesn't like at all, but the active Warwick really roars, even down to the low B. One of my passive Aria's makes it sing real nice.
When using the bottom channel with guitar I get really nice sound both clean and with the fuzz/wah/reverb/trem/vib. Probably also nice for organ (since that channel was intended for guitar or organ) but I haven't tried that.
The top (bass) channel is warm but "pushy", and has a nice breakup when pushed to the limit. Since it's an old amp the limit is reachable at normal band rehearsals, but still loud enough to cut through.
This amp is loud! Not as loud as new super-power amps, but still...loud!
The effects aren't very versatile by todays measures, but sound good.
There's always a subtle white noise in the background, but that's something Kustoms always had, and it's not loud enough to be annoying even for home practise.

Naugahyde isn't the best material for equipment that goes on the road, especially on the big cab, but mine has taken the years pretty good considering. Some tears and cigarette marks are to be expected but can be fixed DYI.
The amp though is built like a tank.
It's over 30 years old, haven't had any work done to it as far as I've been able to see and rocks the house without hesitation.
I have better take mine to an amp tech some day to have it looked over just in case, but that's just statistics telling me that after 30 years something in there must have started to leak, or gets too hot, or...

The Kustom company is still around, but it's a completely new management and they don't support these vintage amps and cabs at all.
It's strictly DIY or relying on your local friendly amp tech.
An advantage with vintage stuff is that there are web boards with guys who know EVERYTHING about how to make the equipment live on.

I've been playing for 10-15 years.
I own a Hartke rig (700W head with 2x15, 4x10, 4x5 cabs) and a Carlsbro combo, Warwick, Aria, Fenix basses and a lot of other stuff for recording, PA stuff, guitars, wind instruments, etc.

If my Kustom amp + cab were stolen I'd cry me a river, because I don't think I'd be able to find another like it here in Sweden.
If theoretically I found one - I'd buy it.

I love the sound it produces, the volume and the options of the effects and I absolutely love the cool naugahyde look!
I also hate the naugahyde, because it makes me scared of taking it to gigs - what if it gets ripped in transport or cigarette burns on the gig...

I think this amp is pretty well equipped for being so old, so if You play bass or guitar or any kind of keyboards and happen to find one of these - give it a try.

Early 1970's Kustom head and cab. Not many features here. One Channel, Four input jacks, two sets of controls, which are both the same: Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass. No Effects Loop or Headphone out. This thing has some raw power, but after roughly 30 years, it's getting old and it's wearing out.

This is my dad's amp, and he's had it since the early 70s. He's letting me borrow it until I get some other decent gear. Great for clean stuff, and distorted sounds come through nice as well. I use a '73 Ventura SG (also my dad's) through it. I used a Zoom 505II multifx for distortion and modulation effects, and even though it's a cheapie pedal, the amp didn't sound too bad. There's alot of force in this amp, but you just have to find it. I have to keep it at low practice volumes because at my dad's we usually have a full house and people don't like to hear the upstairs rumbling. I haven't gotten much of a chance to push this amp to it's limits, but I've put it as high as half volume, and it really kicks out the juice. I would DEFINATELY recommend it for gigs and garage practice sessions, as my dad did both with this amp back in his day.

One thing to also consider...make sure it turns on and off and works correctly. My dad has to hit the amp head sometimes for it to work, and the pots are very loud and crackly. The combination of the poorly shielded Ventura, my noisy zoom multifx, and this old worn-out amp, I can get some heavy feedback. Not always good, but fun to piss your neighbors off with.

very sturdy construction, very heavy as well. Hauling it upstairs was a hassle and a half, but it was worth the trip. If this were brand new, or only a couple years old, I would definately depend on it for gigs, band practices, etc. But since this amp is over 30 years old, the thing has been worn down and this old dog is tired. I wouldn't feel very safe with it as my sole amp for a gig. I would carry another along just in case.

Kustom is still around, but good luck getting ahold of them.

I've been playing for a little over a year and own the following:

Austin AU341S Acoustic
Yamaha FG412S Acoustic
'74 Ventura SG Copy
1993 MIM Fender Standard Strat

Zoom 505II multifx
Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive (MIJ)
Morley PWA Wah/Volume
and a Maxon Distortion Booster.

This amp can be pushed pretty hard, and it is LOUD. Definatly a gigging amp. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a real HEAVY sounding amp, but be prepared to have a nice arsenal of pedals, because this doesn't have ANY effects; No onboard reverb, only ONE channel, no modulation effects, no dirty channel. Great for band practice or small club gigs. If you're looking for a workhorse, look somewhere else...this is as basic as it gets as far as stacks go. This thing gets an "8" from me.