Kustom KAA-65

My KAA-65 was made in '02 (Chinese manufacture). It has inputs for active and passive piezo pickups, as well as a mic input. It has an effects loop with 12 or 14 different sounds and a level knob to tweak the effects. It is footswitchable but mine didn't come with one. Also has a headphone jack and line-out.
I play both steel and nylon-string acoustic/electrics through this amp, mostly fingerstyle, and have never yet been disappointed in its performance. I can pretty much dial in any acoustic sound I want with this amp. Heck, I even plug my Les Paul into it (through the active input) and it sounds decent enough to get by. I mainly use it in the medium-sized church I attend, and it has plenty of volume to be heard. Best of all, it is equipped with a 12" Celestion speaker.
The amp has EQ knobs for bass and treble, but unfortunately, none for mids. This is the one fault I can find as far as features.

My Kustom acoustic amp has as good if not better sound quality than most Crate, Fender, Peavey, Behringer, etc. amps I've heard at 3 times its price. For a "budget" brand amp, this thing is a very good value.
Through the effects loop you can dial in Chorus, Hall, Flange, and many variations of these settings. The sound is always very clean and clear. There is also no annoying "pop" when switching the amp on/off, or any extraneous noises while playing, unless there is something wrong with your guitar pickup. (I have encountered this problem before.) I have guitars with both undersaddle and top-sensing piezos in them, both active and passive, and the sound from the Kustom is always satisfyingly clear and resonant with all of them.

I've owned my KAA-65 for nearly 4 yrs. now with no problems, and it is used often. I wouldn't hesitate to gig with it with no backup at all.

N/A Extended warranty is available for extra $$$

I've been playing for over 40 years and own 6 guitars, a bass, banjo & mandolin. If anything happens to my Kustom I would gladly buy another one if I could find one. I love the sounds I can get through it, and it was very reasonably priced. Chinese made stuff is getting better all the time, seems to me. As I noted earlier, its sound compares favorably with much more expensive big-name acoustic amplifiers for a lot less bucks. The Celestion speaker is icing on the cake.
I do wish it had an EQ adjustment for midrange, but I get along just fine without it. All in all, you get a lot of amp for the money.

2004 model. Only use active line in via Yamaha Magicstomp AG. All styles. Jazz, flatpicking, you name it... Features were described sufficiently. 2 channels... I got a footswitch with it. Sturdy metal case. Pretty good.
The amp is loud, sounds natural and can be driven hard w/o distorting. The effects are not too bad, but I use the AG stomp anyways. The feedback control is pretty good - even when pumping more bass with a tube preamp.
I loop it into a PA system. One slightly annoying design flaw. The amp master volume controls the volume of the line out.
The chorus wave is very slow and sounds not too cheesy compared to the chorus of the Magicstomp.

Very clean! Very natural. The amp does not produce any noise. Compared to recordings of the mic'ed guitar sound (condenser mic with tube preamp), it sounds pretty close. I play a Breedlove Grand concert and a dreadnought. Both guitars have extreme bass response and are easily feeding back in the 150-170 Hz range. I only had very few problems when getting loud with feedback when having too much chorus mixed in.
Very good vocal channel, too. Both channels are very loud without distorting.
I compared it to a Roland AC-60 and it sounded pretty sweet. Was much louder, too.

They build their stuff in China and there seem to be a lot of dead amps out there? Hmm...
Anyways, mine has survived the shipping by UPS (they heavily damaged the box by tossing the amp around), and is hauled around twice per week to gigs and jams since 6 months. It has not failed on me yet.

I have only one problem since month one. The effect switch does not engage sometimes. Turning the amp on and off usually fixes the problem. This could be nothing or the first signs of a slow death.
I am somewhat concerned reading the other reviews.
This amp is cheap for it's features and they have to save somewhere building these amps plus making some profit.

I didn't have to contact them yet, but I don't expect much.

I play since 25 yrs. I own all kind of gear, electric and acoustic. If stolen, I'd go for some better brand. After reading the other reviews, I fear that this amp will die on me some day during an important gig. I'll buy some better amp soon and use this as backup. My paranoia aside, my amp has worked flawlessly and therefore is worth it's money. If you take one of the working ones home, you'll be more than happy.

Nice features, instrument input and piezo input and mic input. Not sure why there is no midrange on the instrument / piezo input, would be nice to have. There is a mid on the mic input. Can blend mic and intrument. Nice effects too, 8 channels of various reverb and chorus.

I play mostly acoustic fingerstyle. The amp, when it works (see reliability section) sounds great. No background noise and a nice clean acoustic sound. I plugged my electric into it, and can't get much volume out of it, but it is primarily and acoustic amp.

The electronics in this amp are garbage. It started crakling really loudly on my first gig. I have to pay $75 to have a number of solder joints re-done. It would have cost me that much to ship it to an "authorized" repair place, so the warrantly didn't help. About 6 months later the same problem and I will have to spend another $75 to have the joints resoldered. I have called the company and they seem to care less. They took my name and number, said they would do some research and get back to me and never did. DONT BUY THIS AMP!!

The customer service was just as bad as the electronics! They don't seem to care very much about their amp. The warranty was useless since the nearest authorized dealer is 180 miles from me and I would have to pay shipping which would cost as much as having a local person do it.

I am really sorry I bought this amp. I like the sound, when it works, but the electronics are bad. From the other reviews I have read, it seems that mine is not the only one. I would not buy from this company again, and now I need to decide if I should have it repaired again, or shell out the money for a different amp.

It is the 2004 model, as seen on Kustom's webpage.
One channel with xlr(phantom 15volts!) and jack ins, 3bd-eq and effects on-off button, level. One channel with jack in, 2(two) bd-eq, switchable notchfilter, effects on-.off button, level. Master with volume, effects type and level.
12"with tweeter, open-back(semi-closed in fact).
The sound is always clear, no distortion, 65 are btw LOUD!
Finish ok, mine had the logo leaving. Size and weight perfect.
Price unbelievable, but wait...

I played it with a yamaha aex1500 piezo equipped jazz guitar, and the notch filter on the amp helped a lot. Warm and distinct tones, effects good sounding, I hadn't to turn the eq section:it was perfect when flat. I found out that the amp is designed not to be tilted back because then the sound is terrible and very harsh, day and night with the normal position.
I tested the first channel with xlr(a dynamic mic audio technica atm41he),phantom powered a condenser mic(audio technica pro37r), and also an active di box. Good results in all the cases, no noise and even tones.
I tested the amp with an electric via sansamp gt-2: killer tone, really! Hats off tech21.
This amp sounds very good, and way better than fender's acoustsonic jr(what a joke, leo would laugh at this"fender"...).
I didn't try it with my nylon strings though.
One thing: with a dod milk box compressor pedal the piezo sounds far better, smooth and almost natural. Almost...

Here comes the bad news...
This amp would be perfect if it has worked more than 2days...
Everything went fine when all of a sudden it started to produce farts, first on the bass notes then on all notes played and finally even when nothing was input in it. No odor nor smoke, just farts and crackles. My guess is a cold soldering on the main switch but I didn't open the thing (it voids the warranty and can't be done here without leaving evidence). Instead I returned it and bought something else. Kustom couldn't care less after-sale, so I didn't want it to be repaired.
NO YOU CANNOT DEPEND ON IT.

Pure **** here, just plain like Behringer.
Since my amp took almost one month(I ask you:one month? Hitch hiking from china?) to come I didn't want to have it away god knows how long for god knows what results...
BAD BAD BAD here

It's a pity because this amp sounds fine, has it all for itself.
If only qc were there at all...
I would buy it again of course if the company stood behind their products, I'm sure I got a lemon. But the company couldn't care less.
My dealer told me that with their 30watters there never was any problems and I have no reason to doubt him.
Now something more general: WHY ACOUSTIC AMPLIFIERS'MAKERS DON'T PUT ON-BOARD COMPRESSORS IN THEIR AMPS??? IT IS THE MOST USEFUL TOOL WITH PIEZOS!!!

Check out the manual at Kustom's website... but almost all the features u can ask for in a 65 watt acoustic amp with xlr mic support with FX. And at the lowest price u could possibly find an amp of this caliber. My rating is based on comparison of amp of this price and quality. This was the lowest costing most bang for the buck with quality.

Sound is excellent with almost no noticeable hiss or hum. Although if u put ur head up to the amp and go past 1/2 way on the gain, u will begin to hear a faint hiss. But even maxxed out, it's almost not noticeable at all. Of course this is with nothing plugged in. There was almost a slight electronic sound but after playing with the master gain up and down i think it went away. Overall, the sound is warm and crystal clear and not tinny. Vocals and guitar together sounded sweet. I used a Fender Acoustic Electric guitar with Fishman pickups on it. It's only a $300 guitar but it sounded crystal clear and warm through the amp. Can't say much for feedback since i haven't tested it out in a large enough room. My friend has a Fender Acoustasonic 30 and this amp definitely gets louder with no breakup watsoever. His amp will start to break terribly at halfway. I think the Fender Reverb sounds better but greatly better. The reverb and chorus r acceptable quality. Nothing to write home about. The reverb and chorus quality made me give it a 9.

Well, i just got it so reliabillity can't be said. However, i have to say the unit is physically pretty looking. The wood is covered in like a vinyl like cover. It can tear ez im sure but i think i don't intend to be rough with it. It is made in China so im a bit skeptical. The thing i found to be least attractive is the dial description plate under the dials. Normally they r made of metal or plastic underneath but this one has like a immitation wood hard cardboard under it. I found that to be terribly cheap choice. I can just drop one droplet of water on the pannel and im afraid it would bubble up like a paper and ruin it. Also the cable going from the speakers to the electrocis were very thin, they should have used a thicker cable. Based on the quality i have to give it a 6. I think they could have changed those things on the amp to guarantee more sturdyness.

don't know ... just got it

I have to give it an 8 cuz the quality concerns and FX quality. Overall for the price tho, it beats paying 300 for Fender Acoustasonic 30 which really lacks power and is slightly tinny. More power and warmer sound on Kustom. This is perfect power for large room or small club.

2003 produced.
Versatile for restaurant/club gigs featuring acoustic guitar.
2nd (mic) channel good for PA use. 65 watt through 12" speaker has nice round sound. No footswitching desired, though an option.
Active/Piezo inputs a plus. I use a Seagull S6-CW with Baggs pickup,
and it seems fairly natural in sound. Feedback in the bass range a problem. Probably need a feedback buster in the soundhole.

I play acoustic pop, rock and folk. I like the airiness of the amp and the way the sound seems diffused through the room. It is full sounding, and although a bit bulky, this amp is light. It's nice to be able to mix in the vocal mic for solo gigs. I never take it to louder levels, butit has plenty of headroom. Distortion is not a factor when I play this amp.

So far, it has been fine. This is a slightly damaged store demo.
I played the same amp in another store, and it had noticible noise above halfway...like a distant drill motor! I found this at Guitar Showcase in San Jose, and it was quiet through the span of volume.

No need yet. 3 year warranty. Looking at the above reviews, Kustom has a bad rep for responsiveness and a bad attitude for customer help, so I hope it doesn't break!

I like the color, the features and am still messing with the feedback control to dial it in. It has a solid, full, clear sound, and great effects in the digital effects. I really don't need a headphone jack, although some customers might want one. If I ever need a 2nd speaker, I'll take a soldering iron to the speaker jack and leave it in a non-shutoff configuration or make it switchable.
I basically love the sound and price, light waight, low price.
I hate sctratchy, trebly acoustic guitar tone, and the mellow richness of this amp is beautiful.
I also bought a 35DFX for electric guiter use, and have a Fender Acoustosonic (the big one) which is just too bulky to carry unless playing huge venues. I feel any acoustic amp beats going thru the PA system. I use the Kustom with a Boss CS-3 compressor. I wish every acoustic amp had onboard compression.
I suppose I could have spent 5 times the money and gotten an AER or Ultrasound, or double the cash for a Roland AC-60, but why? Of all the amps I tried, none seemed noticibly better than this one.

2003 model, I guess. I play rhythm guitar (Martin D-28), mandolin (Ibanez F-5 look-a-like) and Dobro (Model 60)in a bluegrass/Gospel quintet, and really like this amp a lot! 12" and a tweeter of some sort, decent reverbs and a mic channel, puts out 65 watts of clean sound.

Got barcus-berry p/us in everything and one feature I really like is that it doesn't require you to use a pre-amp between your instrument and your amp.

No problems so far...very well-made!

No idea about customer service...no reason, as it works fine.

Been playing for 33 years...had been plugging directly into PA through the B-B preamp, like this much better. Tried several other amps, which were ridiculously expensive.

I'd buy another in a heart-beat!

Lots of features, great for mixing a mic and a pick up for balance acoustic playing. The built in reverb and chorus are nice, not great, but nice.

I play my Santa Cruz OOO with a dean markley "stick on" pick up. I play finerstyle. Amp is dead quit. Clean sound.. sounds best when using a mic and the pick up

First gig, the amp crapped out. Loose soulder joints. Dealer said I could use the warranty but nearest shop was 180 miles away. Would have cost me more in shipping than to repair it. Had it repaired for $75.00 has worked since. Repair guy said lots of loose soulder that needed repair.

When I had touble with amp called campany. They were not helpful. Long hold times, seemed like they could care less. They said they would check on a few things and call me back, and never did. Terrible customer service!!

I have played for 25 years, and have two acoutics, a classical and an electric guitar. I like the amp. For the money, you can't beat the sound. Playing through the pick up only you get a reasonable sound.. not totally true to life (but that could also be my pick ups fault), but nice. Playing through a mic is just like playing through a PA, great, real sound. I wish the piezo plug in had a mid range adjustment, just the mic does. Other than that, I like the amp. I would consider it again if I perhaps I bought from a dealer who would stand behind it, I would not trust the company who made it.

Solid State 2003 model, with 2 channels, one with a phantom-powered lo-Z input ("vocals"), the other with 2 hi-Z inputs ("piezo" & "active"), 65 watts through a Celestion and a ferro-cooled tweeter, 8 different digital FX (reverbs, chorus, slap-back delay), very handy anti-feedback control.

I play a Taylor 314CE through it for acoustic-type songs with my 4-piece (electric-wise, I play lead guitar on an LP Custom and a Telecaster through a Twin Reverb). The KAA-65 is very quiet & has absolutely no distortion and a shit-load amount of headroom!

So far, so good...I've been using it 6-8 nights each month for 3 months so far & never a problem. If I ever did an acoustic only gig, I feel confident that it'll do just fine.

No need for repairs yet, but Customer Support, the one time I emailed for some info, took nearly three weeks and really never answered my question, so take that for what it's worth.

Been playing "professionally" for about 15 years. If it was stolen, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one just like it. Only thing I'd change is the covering to something tougher, like Tolex...before buying this, I tried out the Peavey, Fishman, Carvin, Crate, Ultrasound, Genz Shenadoah, Trace Elliot...all cost a lot more and delivered nothing that Kustom didn't, so I feel like I got a fantastic bargain.

2003 model, I assume...two channels (mic, guitar) w/ 3 bands of EQ each, 8 digital FX (various reverbs, mostly)...12" Celestion spkr. & a tweeter...65 watts RMS SS. Guitar channel has two inputs, one for active (w/ preamp), one for passive (w/o preamp).

Use it for acoustic-oriented folk/rock/jazz stuff, and it works great...mostly use it as a "guitar monitor" and run the line-out into my PA system, occ. as a "mini-PA" for nursing homes/very small venues...

Using this with several acoustics equipted w/ Dean Markley "Sweet Spot" P/Us...pretty quiet, excellent "hi-fi" sound.

So far, so good...very dependable

No idea, as I've had no probs thus far...one year warranty

Have played for 35 years, professionally for 27...Were something to happen to thia amp, I would definitely buy another!...Did a lot of shopping before deciding on this amp...checked out many more expensive amps (T-E, Fishman, Marshall Soloist, Crate, etc.) w/ only the Crate offering anywhere near the "bang-for-the-buck" factor...most acoustic amps are WAY over-priced for what ya get!

Only problem I've found with this amp is the vinyl covering is not very strong (rips easily), so I'd advise getting a good cover for it.

Also, I think it would've been slightly more useful if when you plug into the extra spkr. outlet, it didn't turn off internal spkrs...sometimes it's kinda handy to be able to have a "satellite" spkr. on the other side of the stage...