Kustom KGA-65 112 Combo

One Clean Channel with switchable bright, One Drive Channel with switchable mid and gain, On board effects with room reverb, spring reverb, chorus, reverb and chorus, echo, tremolo, phaser with reverb.

I use a cheap-o silvertone SG knockoff with Seymour Duncan hot pickups, and a cheap-o Squire Stat. I play blues through grunge which this amp seems to perform pretty well.

The clean channel is very clean on lower settings, it can turn ugly quickly. A few knobs twists and it will smooth out into a nice slightly broken up sound.

The lead channel is awesome. It ranges from warm blues break up to a strong grunge type sound. Not really a metal amp unless you have a pedal to give it a bit more of a kick. Overall the distortion on this thing is sweet and pretty warm for a solid state.

Volume on this thing is a bit tricky, it can be hard to get bedroom levels. The fix for the volume is to run some type of level control from out of the effects loop, lower the output level back into the power amp and you can adjust your levels with out having to screw with the knobs on the amp too much. It's like a powersoak for your solid state.

Never had a problem except keeping the volume levels down.

Never needed, I bought the thing used for 120 bucks and it has not failed me yet.

I have been playing for 4 years, I don't own a ton of gear but I play everyday. If it was lost or stolen I would get another one if it was less than 150. I love how it distorts but hate having to deal with the touchy volume levels at low volumes.

Overall this is not a bad little amp if you are looking for something to dink around with on a regular basis. I gives you plenty of options for your sound and it is as reliable as you could expect it to be.

It has some great built in effects but they aren't really easy to pull up live. the effect loop, cd in line out, xlr out. Lots of options. I run my computer interface through the cd input.

I haven't seen other amps at this price with as many features.

I use an Ernie Ball Music Man and a Yamaha EX hollow body. It sounds great. Loud as hell (the only problem is that you can't get it soft for practice). Great distortion. I stopped using my Zoom effects pedal because the amp's distortion is top notch. No tubes but still a full rich sound. The clean channel is super clean with a lot of punch.

Very dependable. I have had it for seven years and I have never had any problems.

Never needed support or service.

Overall I live this amp better than my Roland jazz chorus that I used to have and I would recommend it to anyone. Low price and great tone.

I bought my KGA-65 off a friends friend out of the blue because i needed a guitar amp. It was 65W so it was plenty for what i needed it for (Church playing). The features are pretty cool - it has alot of effects, i use chorus and a bit of reverb sometimes but i think i would like to try a few pedals with it instead of using the amps distortion all the time.

I use a crappy squier strat through this - it has a dimarzio pick up in it which is OK - however i can never get the right sound. I used my friends LP studio through it and it kicked some serious ass. I blame my guitar. The amps clean is pretty nice, and the distortion is OK, however i can never seem to get it right. The volume is weird..just above zero is a good level, but move it one more millimeter and BANG its about as loud as a 747. Strange volume knobs. I guess it is only my first amp, so when i upgrade i can compare with something else. I wanna get a Roland JC-120. Who knows, i might even keep the amp, it could be useful later on down the track when i get a new guitar.

I think i can depend on this amp. Some idiot ripped the cable out of my footswitch, but i just soldered it back together and it works fine. I give the amp a bit of a rough time, i mean, i dont treat it like a gem and its still alive. So yes, it is very reliable.

Never dealt with Kustom, but im sure they are good people.

I have been playing 5 years, so I'm not an amp/guitar guru like some of the people out there. It's my first amp and i use it with my first electric guitar. I like it, and it sounds nice, but my guitar makes it sound crap. I'm gonna keep it. If your considering buying one..i would say no. save your money and buy a really really good amp like a Roland JC-120, Fender Twin or if you have the dosh, go all out and get a Mesa. The KGA-65 is an OK amp that does a satisfactory job. peace.

The amp was made around 2001 or so. It's versatile enough for my playing style, which is mainly hard rock and metal. It features two channels, a clean and a lead channel, 8 digital effects, effects loop, line out. Kinda wish it had a headphones jack, no big deal though. I mainly use this amp for bedroom use, and the occasional jam session. It has enough power through my avatar 2x12 cab with V30's, but the speaker in the amp is quite lacking, it's not a very efficient speaker, has about 70% of the volume of a vintage 30 speaker. With the extension cab this amp is definitely giggable though, especially with the lead channel. It gets quite loud for 65 SS watts.

I'm using a Yamaha rgx612a with the amp, bridge humbucker for distorted tones and neck single coil for clean tones. The clean channel on this thing is REALLY nice, very clear and shimmery, although there's a downside to it: you can't crank it up too loud or it'll start clipping really badly, and you know how SS clipping sounds? Not Good. So if you're looking for clean headroom, look else where, this amp doesn't have it.
The lead channel has a really suprisingly good though, especially through an extension cab, almost marshally through v30's, I can crank the thing up to about 1'O clock and it'll still sound tight, this is a very giggable volume. Pretty loud. The distortion is quite good, I can get some metal tones out of it, not Pantera, or early Metallica or anything, but still pretty heavy.

The effects on this thing are a little glitchy.

Good service.

Good amp for the price.

Not sure what year this amp was made in, or when it was bought since I'm borrowing it from someone else. I'm not going to bore you by repeating the features, because everyone else already has. The only thing I'm going to say is that I found the multiple input/outputs convenient, though it's strange that they'd have a line out in the form of a microphone connector. It's pretty versatile. But read on.

This amp is generally great sounding at lower volumes. Unfortunately when you turn up the clean channel be prepared for some really crappy sounding distortion. I don't know where Kustom went wrong, but it really sounds like shit for the amp to turn into a metal machine when you're trying to play the rhythm for a coldplay song. It's a shame too, because when it doesn't have that, it sounds very nice. Now that I think of it, it sounds almost as if the cabinet has loose screws and is rattling, but you can hear it on the line out too. It's pretty lame.

This amp is NOT reliable by any means. Don't use it without a backup, because I have yet to see it work on stage (and I've planned to use it twice and got shafted both times). The first time it just blew a fuse, 10 seconds before my band was suppsosed to start its set. Major major stress. I didn't need that. The effects channel sometimes doesn't initialize until you turn the amp off and then back on. It's as finicky as a computer in this respect, and I wouldn't be surprised if all its problems were the fault of a crappy power supply- as is the case with most finicky computers.

Never dealt with the company, since this amp is surely out of warranty...

I don't think I've been mean to this amp by any means, but to be honest I think this is one of the worst performance amps I've ever seen. Not because it sucks by nature, but because it purports itself to be able to handle live performance, when it just can't. If you're buying this amp for practice, I'd say go for it. At lower volumes it sounds really nice and pushes some good air. But if you're looking for a cheap amp to play during gigs, stay far far away.

I bought mine less than three years ago due to the reliabilty failure of my more expensive name brand (PV)tube amp which sucked the cash from my hand before the bar owners could place it in my palm. I came across this sweet little box in my buddy's music store and it didn't take much for him to sell it. I plugged in, played awhile, looked at the price tag, and walked outta the store without even calling my wife to O.K. it.
Sounded great.
Still does.
Could use a headhone jack though.

I use a Tele and a Strat and a BC Rich Gunslinger so the sounds mostly have to be readjusted for each guitar. No problem. I love this amp and stand by it even though I had to send it back once to get rid of a high-pitched squeal that emitted from the speaker and really pissed many sound guys off. They fixed it under warranty no probs there...

I used this amp exclusively for about a year and a half of weekly gigging even with the squealing. The squealing was very low level but just enough to bug a sound engineer's finely tuned ears.

They fixed it without quarrel. Otherwise I've had no encounter with the CS aspect of the company. My buddy at the music store took care of that stuff.

I've been playing over 20 years now. If it were lost I'd get a bigger one with a cab. The thing i loved about this amp when i first played it was that it made me play effortlessly at high volumes no matter what style i played. F**K'n'A. It can make you feel like Slash or Vai or SRV but let you come acroos as yourself...

2 channel (clean and distortion)
65 watts but sounds like more on the distortion channel but more about that below.
8 built in digital effects
cd line input aswell to play along with cds

At the store in which i bought this amp i tryed some laney amps like the hardcore and tube fusion range. . . then the guy plugged me into this amp and wholy f#@$. It had a great sound, the clean channel is great for chord playing and jazz and stuff like that, but i maily use the distorion channel. This channel is awsome it is very loud for a 65 watt amp its the most aggressive amp that i have ever played on.
Plus there is a more button on the amp so u can kick the distorion right up and shake the living sh#t out of everything around u.
Great sound i give it a 10

This amp is built like a freaking brick!!!!
Ive dropped it a few times and the sound hasnt even changed nor has it really shown damage marks.
the mesh on the front of the thing looks like it could rip easily but ive had it for ova a year and it has come incontact with lots of sharp objects and it hasent even scratched.
The only thing that i am worried about with this amp is that it is a stinka. . .quite litterally a stinker. . .at high volume on the distortion channel it gets a metallical type of smell comming from the back of the thing. . .i think it may overheat a bit. . . but then again if u could blow out that much sound when your not meant 2 wouldent u be smoking a bit aswell

ive neva had 2 deal with them but it did come with a 6 month warrenty.

Overall this amp is great for what i need. i play in a heavy metal band and it sounds awsome. . .but here is the thing that gives the amp a real boost, it can make my crappy ass magnum guitar sound f#cking awsome yes thats right a magnum fat strat copy. . .a piece of sh#t that it is yes sounds great through this amp.
i dont usually use the digital effects but the chorus reverb is really nice when i slow things down and play some slow and getal songs.
overall great amp
Kudos to u Kustom Kudos

Bought a few years ago. Two channels both of which are very good, but the volume on the overdrive channel is way loud even at 1. Top distortion with a responsive gain dial. Plus when you reach the limit there is a "More" button so you can really rip up your sound. I don't understand the complaints about the effects. They are on-board so you can't switch between them mid-song but they give a good sound in general. The three reverb and echo settings are good, the chorus is a as good as any pedal I've used and the flange is OK.

It has an effects loop and two line-out jacks (one for studios) as well as a CD input which I use to plug my drum machine into. You can get a channel and effects footswitch which improves the amp no end but it doesn't come with the amp. This is a major failing for Kustom as a footswitch is necessary but difficult to get hold of in the UK. I had to but one from America for around #35. That's alot of money for something which should come as standard.

Got a Les Paul and a couple of cheap copies. I haven't had it cranked up beyond 5 yet but it sounds good. The clean channel is crisp and in general it us a good amp for rhythm playing, and especially good for trebly guitar which I like. The lead channel is not as good adn I don't get the sustain I like unless I run the guitar through an effects pedal.

Hasn't failed me yet. But a couple of times I have smelled what seems to be burning metal. I hope this won't fail me at the worst moment.

Didn't even reply to me when I asked about getting the footswitch. I only wanted to know where I could pick one up in the UK. They must have a list of favoured suppliers.

Excellent for the money. Marshall sound at half the price. Loud and top for rhythm playing. I tried out a few other amps in the same sort of league (50-80-watt combo's) and this was the best value overall. Well known brands like Fender and Peavey charge far too much for what they deliver. I wish I could get more sustain out of the lead channel for soloing, particularly some Gary Moore stuff, but you can't have it all.

If this were stolen I'd get something bigger and better because I can afford more now, but it is excellent for the price. It needs a footswitch though- come on Kustom you cheapskates, give one for free.

Same as the rest. I give it an 8 because I'm not down with these effects mkay.

Yo this amp is fuckin rad. I'm only the rythme player in my touring band but i get all the bitchen tones a motherfucker could ask for out of this little bitch. sometimes i'm not even playing, just drinking a fuckin beer and this thing is just sitting there looking so rad!

I;ve kicked the piss out of it a couple times during our most crazy shows. It's holding up well. The other guys are jellus.

fuck em

I've been playing the guitar in my touring band for 2 years. I play a PRS thru this bitch and it fucking hums. Especially when i kick the shit out of it.. I love it when i fuggin kick it like that. kick it. The band were touring with are jellus.

You can read about the features in other rewies.
I think most of the effects are unusable, but I never use preset effect in my amps, because i like to use my own bought effects and torsion pedals. This amp(s) is used in my band.

My babies: Fender mexistrat with HS-2 at the bridge-> Boss OS-2 overdrive distortion -> Tech21 killerwail wah -> Ibanez SD-9 sonic distortion -> elektro-harmonix electric mistress flanger ->Boss CS-3 compressor -> Kustom KGA65 I play faith no more,tomahawk,tool, chains, soundgarden and so type music
The clean channel is clean upto 4/6. If I turn up, it gives something shit distortion, I can't hear any normally note, only squash. For this reason I can use it at half of the max. volumes only. So it means 5 points minus for me.
Usually I play in dropped-D, but this f...ing amp can't stand any lower sound -> It gives chugy, grunt notes instead of what I play. It means additional 3 points minus for me, because it is very depressing during play.
When I bought it, I could test it only at low volumes. The amp had beautyfull sound, I felt it mellow. The distorted channel had a quiet warm but agressive distortion. Accordingly, I have to giv 1 plus point.

I have to give 1 point. This construction is catastrophe. This is my second KGA. First gone wrong in 2 mounths. The other gitarist of my band bought the same after me. When we changed fitting room. the 2 amp
gone wrong in 1 week. They didn't works on a bit higher voltage, while, the marshalls, peavyes of other bands ran normally.
Other problem is the effect switching knob. If it think, it works, if it think not it doesn't work. If you don't use effect, it switch sometimes on.
I said, I have my second. My First amp was the first series, the musicstore change it to a new second series modell. It is the same shit.The switch knob also wrong, and Yesterday it also died. I hate the fucking Kustom company.

When the first amp gone wrong, it did stay by the official repair-shop
more than 3 mounths, but they couldn't touch it. " the repairman did break his arm" they said. So the instrument store give me a new with new warranty card. When the second amps switch knob gone wrong, I thought, i got in again.. 2 mounths, and they said " we haven't got the piece, but we dont give you a new amp, because we exchanged it once, and the warranty ends in a few week. The kustom company care "realy god" about the customers in my country.(in contrast, the fender, marshall,H&K etc... other companies have quite god customer support)

Shit.
I had before H&K attax 100, and I have Washborn vga15 in my room. they are much better

2 Channels, 8 preset effects, mid boost, overdrive, 'bright' aka treble boost (gives my PRS copy a great twangy single coil sound), effects loop, external speaker output, line out, foot switch jack (not included), CD/Tape input and a XLR output (useless for me).

This amp has EVERYTHING and more of what I was looking for. 65 watts and a 10 inch speaker, Perfect for practicing with a full band and no PA. Not the best rig for a gig.

Ok, I love the distortion on this amp. Not the greatest for scoop distortion aka super heavy, no mid, fuzzy nu-metal distortion. You'll need a pedal for that. But its GREAT for crunchy metal and thrashy distortion. The mid boost gives out an awesome 'hard rock' sound. It can also spit out a nice generic distortion sound, you know the new school punk rock sort of sound. I'm a fan of this distortion, forget pedals and buy a footswitch!

The clean channel: ok, this isn't great. It sounds quite nice until you hit half way volume, then it'll distort but it doesn't get muddy or crack just a shade distorted (which I don't mind). The 'bright' boost gives it a nice twangy sound which I adore because I have humbuckers in my PRS copy. The 'bright' boost also helps cut down on the excess distortion. To be blunt, it keeps the clean channel cleaner.

The effects: Wow, 8 effects! Too bad, only a few are worth using and they have little to no tweakage.

-The spring reverb sounds nice and its very versitile. I love it.
-The hall reverb is the same as above. But I prefer the spring.
-Slap Back, this is alright if you like it. Somewhat versitile, but not very.
-Echo, useless to me, no versitility, no control over the delay or feedback. Get a pedal.
-Chorus, this is useful. The level knob will control how rich it is. Not to shabby of a chorus either
-Chorus+reverb, This is also useful. It has an alright tone, the level knob control the reverb and how rich the chorus is. The chorus is not very strong though, much thinner then the other chorus.
-Chorus+Flange, this sounds like shit, no control.
-Tremlo, this alright, nothing fancy, you could do the same effect by pressing on your ear with your finger. Yet again, no control over the pace of the tremlo.

You see, the thing about these effects are that they only have 1 knob for control/tone/volume. Basically the level knob controls how much of the signal (volume) they eat up. This effects are nothing fancy but fun to have.

This amp is an odd one. Lately it has been stinking. Thats right, STINKING. An actual electronic smell is coming from it. I'm pretty sure this is a bad sign. Beware!

If anyone else has had this problem please email me!

Dunno!

Its all up there.
The No slugs are rising up!

you know the features. Features are good but I give an eight because I don't like all the effects.

This amp is fucking great. I'm not the lead player in my band, just rhythm and random weird licks and sounds. I don't even play on every song, but this amp does the tricky-trick. It is louder than some 212's I've played on. In fact the other night, my lead guitar players fender twin blew a tube and he used mine and it sounded great. Of course he's awesome and would sound good through a cell phone speaker.but whatever.
The distortion on this is awesome. I've went through a tube screamer, tube works smooth tube, and even a metal zone before I decided to get a footswitch for this. You can get heavy thick crunch, or bluesy overdrive sounds. Throw on the delay effect and your a lead player there brotha. no fucking pedals and chords.
Now, I play in a grunge, blues band. kinda like blind melon. I'm more about feeling that tone. I just go with a 10- bass 6-midrange 9-treble setting all the time. Maybe if I messed around with it more I could get a better sound, but that's for the lead guys to worry about.

hell yeah. I'm gonna go on the record right now and say fuck tube amps. too much of a pain in the ass for how little of a difference it makes.
We tour all over the midwest and this thing takes a licking and keeps on ticking. mine is beat up to hell, but thats because we are one of those fun bands that smash their shit when we are done. I buy cheap guitars to do that though. I would never smash my gibson lp though. I usually pick up a hondo or a harmony at whatever town we're in to do that. But I kick this thing over a couple times a week and it's fine. I threw it at my drummer at one gig. It knocked the speaker loose but I fixed it no problem.

no. I don't think it is covered on the warranty if you throw the thing. I live in cincinnati(where Kustom is based) so if they didn't respond I'd go pay them a visit.
But customer support is for pussies anyway. fix it yourself you baby.

This amp rules. Loud as a 212, but lite as a practice amp. The only reason I would get a bigger amp is if We got signed and someone else was paying for it.
The ONLY problem is that it doesn't come with a footswitch. You can't get one direct from the company either. You have to go to their website and find a dealer in your area, or find one on ebay. they cost between 30 and 50. I just bought a used two button generic pedal and it works great. I know i'm only the rhythm guitar player, but
i know my shit. I play a gibson les paul through this bad boy and it rocks. I get comments from the bands we play with about it all the time. In fact the lead dude in this other band we were on tour with, bought a kustom after his line 6 shit the bed. he bought the 212 version but thats cause he likes stereo effects. They're basically the same thing though.

I bought it used in 2003, I would say it's around a 1999 or 2000 model. Features have been well described by others. Very loud and powerful for a 65 watt "tranny" amp. A lot of features but its the sound that was the trouble.

I use a Dearmond S73(SG style)guitar with two humbuckers, a Yamaha SGV300 (sort of a Mosrite style guitar with a GREAT versatile sound)w/ a single coils, and a decent quality strat knock-off. This amp has a bright "honky" kind of tone that sounded passable when I played it in the store but after I bought the amp I tired of it's tone very quickly. My dislike for the tone is'nt because it's a solid state amp because I own other solid state guitar amps that I like the tone of. Also the stock "red label" Celestion(i.e. cheaper Celestion) speaker could not handle the power of this amp when turned up past about four and would start to fart out badly. Also the onboard effects seem to be to excessive if you turn up the amount knob anywhere past about "two " or so. Effects should be subtle and add to the sound if one should want.

It did not break down on me when I had it, and a kid in my teen sons band has the same model of amp(with the same bright clangy tone I might add) which they gig on a semi-regular basis.
So I guess it's fairly reliable but I definately wouln't call it "overbuilt".

Haven't dealt with Kustom but I'm sure it's just another modern "faceless" company who would rather not deal w/ customers again after they leave the stores.

Been playing long enough to get tired of this amp pretty quick! It cant be stolen from me because I've already traded it for another solid state amp(A Fender M-80 combo which was older and mord beat up than the Kustom but was equally as loud and had much better tone.
You know I usually give equipment a pretty good rating and im not real picky nor am I a Tube purist. I feel people can make good music with relitively modest equipment but this amps grating tone made it NOT a keeper.........

You can read about all the features in one of the many reviews below.

I play an American Fender Tele through this amp most of the time, and when the wife isn't home I have had the chance to really crank it up. The clean channel will distort at higehr volume levels, basically anything above about "5", but it is a very mellow distortion, not a fuzz-tone. This thing will play LOUD, it will rattle everything in my house if I really start jamming with it. It plays extremely loud on "1" though for basement use, so this is a minor issue.

The distortion is a little over the top for my tastes, it does have some nice crunch if you are going for the heavy metal shredder thing. I keep the gain rolled way back around 1 - 3 for some decent bluesy tones.

The effects on this thing mysteriously died about a week after I bought it. Sometimes they work, usualy they don't. Of course they did work in the shop when I purchased it though. I read a review that mentioned a loose chip, so I opened up my amp and couldn't see anything that looked loose. Since the effects are so limited it really doesn't matter because I rarely used them, and even less now that I have an RP200.

Never dealt with them.

I have been "playing guitar" for almost 20 years (doesn't mean I am any good though) and this is the only amp that I currently own. I wish my old Yamaha Fifty-210 hadn't burned up in a friend's studio fire. However, the clean channel of this Kustom reminds me of the sparkling clean channel on that old Yammy (if the volume is under "5") I mainly play a Fender Telecaster through this amp, but also play a Hagstrom 12 string, Acoustics and a cheap strat copy through it as well, each of these guitars sound pretty good to me through this amp. If it were stolen or lost I would probably get something else, just because I am a creature of variety.

65 Watts RMS, 3 Bands of EQ Per Channel, XLR Line out, Line out, CD/Tape In, 12" Celestion Rocket 50 Speaker, 8 Preset Digital Effects

I think this amp is great, sounds great at high volumes and suits my needs very well..... I play mainly instrument music (eg in the style of Hank Marvin) Sounds great with my Zoom GFX-8 and Zoom RFX-2000

I can depend on this amp for gigs etc.. The only thing you have to be careful of is the black covering, it tears and marks quite easily. Mine has a few marks on it hear and there (but marks etc are all part of gigging anyway in my opinion) Yes I do look after my equipment, but i'm not a crybaby if anything gets marked. Also the screws sometimes come a little bit loose after its been carried around a lot....


Most importantly though i have never had any electronical/sound problems with it

Not had to deal with them :-)

I've 17 and have been playing since 1997..... If this amp was stolen i'd want to find who nicked it and smash his head against a wall... I love everything about this amp. I now want a Shure SM 57 + a mixer to do some good recordings using this amp :)

Really nice features for the price. You just wont find many amps in this price reange with and XLR jack, or external speaker output. Has a few digital effects, clean and lead channels. Plus it has a celestion speaker, which is a big plus.

Right now im using a Fat Strat, and it sounds okay. The only real complaint I have is that it can't get to loud volumes without breaking up and getting feedback. Ofcourse, just jack into another speaker and your golden. I would say that the lead channel isn't what I would want distortion-wise, but for lite, jazzy distortion and classic rock its REALLY good. The clean channel can be remarkably nice sounding and soft, or twangy and bluesy. The digital effects...well....at least it has some. They're nice for aesthetic value, but are impractical. The reverbs make it sound nice, and the tremelo is somewhat useful, but you can't change the time intervals, forcing you to either play at a certain pace or add your own tremelo in between the other to make it seem faster. All in all okay for the price.

This thing is SOLID. I've taken it everywhere with me, even with all my cords and books in the open area behind the speaker. It's been dropped, knocked over, plus its even used as a table and chair. It still sounds good, and the only noticable changes is the dust accumulation and the scratches on the plastic corners.

Haven't had to deal with them yet.

Nice practice amp, starter amp, or small gig amp. But, lack of crunchy distortion and pedal (it does not come with the amp) makes it less then major gig worthy. It does show nice advantages in studio settings. Overall, very good amp for the price, and the best starter amp I have ever seen.

usual, 2 channels 65watts and some dumbass digi-effects

i use a 2001 fender double fat hardtail strat with the stock seymour pearly gates in it and also a squire tele with a kent armstrong blade humbucker at the bridge. Most of the stuff i play is rock/ punk orientated, stuff like jimmy eat world, taking back sunday, something corporate and that kinda stuff. So far ive been happy with the amp, the clean sound using the strat is great, quite glassy but with enough bottom end to make those open chords sound full. The bright switch on the clean channel is rubbish, it just makes the treble too harsh especially if you're using brand new strings. The drive channel is ace, get that "more" button pushed straight in, otherwise it sounds a little gay. with the mid backed off to half way and the gain up to 3 o'clock this baby sounds sweet, the gain has good sustain and excellent definition but i'd leave the mid shift out, it tends to mask the sound a bit with excesive low end. the amp will do that saturated gain thing too but i think that it really excels at the low end of the high gain spectrum. As for those effects, i wouldnt bother, they are useless, the only half decent one is the tremelo but you cant even set the rate on that.

seems tough, none of those stupid valves to bust either!!

NO DEALINGS AS OF YET

ive been playing for 8 years now, ive toured the Uk and i'm quite happy to take this little bugger with me on the next tour, hooked up to a 212 cab this really puts out some volume, i'm debating on whether i get a second one and run the badboys in stereo!!

Recent year model - has decent effects but I use a GT-3 for that. Purchased as an emergency backup amp and had to use it. I was very impressed, for the price. It has a pretty good sound and the XLR line out is helpful, as I had to run it to the p.a. Nice features for a low priced amp.

Used clean channel only and it compares favorably with Fender and marshall solid state amps (but doesn't sound exactly like either). Effects are ok for what they are (digital).

didn't keep it long - only used live once and it worked fine.

Where are you Bud Ross?? This ain't your daddy's Kustom. I get better support for my 1968 K-100 combo...

Bought on an emergency basis, expecting to be disappointed. I wasn't - it has a very good sound for the price and a number of useful extras not available on some low priced amps. I have a vintage Ross Kustom, and it still works fine. Those were the days. This isn't the same "Kustom" of course. The KGA65 wuld be a good starter amp or used as a backup amp as I have. I give it high scores considering the price and features for that price.

Kustom 65W amp with Digital FX. Very good amount of features for the price, I only payed $230 for it. A lot of different digital effects built into it, and amazingly, they all sound pretty decent. I'm not saying they're going to beat a good pedal, but for the price, they're great. Lot of different choices on it, can get almost any sound. Just wish it came with a footswitch :(.

I use this with a Godin SD (great guitar for a great price), and sometimes I do get a little feedback from the gain switch, but it's my fault (crank the gain up to high, sorry I'm a born metal-head). Clean channel almost rivals a Fender tube, and with the SD, and the two single coils engaged, it mimicks a strat sound. Now lets talk about gain....HOLY CRAP! This thing has enough gain to make even the hardest rocking metal-head cringe. It has two settings for the distortion, if you leave the more button off, you get a very bluesy, warm sound. Now if you turn the more button on, you will get heavy metal heaven. But there will be a little gain when you get up beyond around the 8 on the gain. It doesn't have a Mesa-Boogie beatiful distortion, but for the price, you get some pretty damn good sounds out of it. I play just about anything (except country), and this amp suits me perfect.

Haven't had it long enough to comment on it, only worry would be the mesh in the front (looks like it'd rip easy).

Comes with a 3-year warranty, but the dealer gave me a lifetime warranty on it, so its great. Dealer was very confident about it, and because it was a floor model, I got a pretty discount on it.

Although I've only been playing for a year now, I do know more than most people would think. I research a lot about the gear I buy, but I saw this and I had to have it. I'm glad I got it. Definitely suit small-medium size gigs (I have it set on 1/2 right now, because even 1 freakin' loud). Only gripe is it didn't come with a footswitch.

An incredible amount of features. I like the fact that when you buy a footswitch you can turn effects on and off and u can switch from clean to distortion. The effects are also well done and sound great.

I'm using a standard fender strat and if you adjust the levels perfectly you can get a awesome clean tone for jazz. It basically delivers any kind of clean guitar style you want. The distorted channel is good but you can get two tones out of it...harsh, really harsh, and super harsh...so not any light distortion at all. It's also slightly fuzzy for leads in distortion. But the distorted channel is perfect if you play rhythm guitar. The sound quality doesn't go down as you turn the volume up either.

Haven't had a problem...it's seems pretty well built.

never had a problem

I've been playing in a band for about a year. This is the only amp i own and i use a standard strat. If it was lost i'd probably get a 100 watt fender amp just for the sake of upgrading. I have no problem with this amp except that i wish there was a more variety of sounds from the distortion channel but overall a incredible amp for the money.

Amp made in 2002. Onboard Dig-F/X. Celestion speaker. 65W, 2 Chan. There is no headphone out jack.

It would be nice to have as I don't want to vibrate my 6 month old out of his crib.

U use it with my Digitech RP100, so it kicks ass on a variety of sounds. I can go from U2 to Creed and the amp just begs for more of a challenge.

Others in this post have questioned its reliabilty. I have had no problems and it comes with a 3yr warranty.

The shop where I bought it didn't have the manual it came with. I e-mailed Kustom and they e-mailed me a manual the next day.

I have been playing for about 15 years. I have an Digitech RP100, Yamaha KB-480 keyboard, Samick AV-1, Image 20W practice Amp, Rodriguez Classical Guitar, all hooked up to my PC for recording.

I would buy the exact amp again. For the price, there is no amp better on the market.

I love the top mounted dials. The seem extremely rugged.

Only wish it had the headphone jack.

Bought this amp in summer 2002.
Solid state 65 watts two channels and on board effects.
Pretty much most of the things I would want if I was designing my own amp.

This amp gets used mostly with my Strat+ with EMG Ynh-20 Electronics.
It's a great amp for Church where I line out into the board and anywhere that you'll be asked to go direct though I do use a Behringer G100 DI with 4x12 cab emulator on. Sound wise it has 3 ranges of dirty (rythym,gain & more)and no real sparkling clean, but I don't know anybody who plays dead clean anymore.Could have lots to do with my axe as it's a little hot. It's really quiet for noise and really loud for volume if you dig...I do like it best before the speaker breaks up..it's not the most musical speaker distortion in my opinion.

Solid State! No Grief!..I say this after spending two hours babying my other(tube)amp..
The dealer says the effects board has a habit of acting up..but it does come with a 3 year warranty.

3 year warranty
No trouble after 8 Months

Overall, considering price, sound and features I have got to rank this amp highly. It's light to carry, versatile and sounds good.
I'm happy with it.

This is the only thing I want to write about... THESE AMPS are NO reliable at all! I bought one and broke down a couple of days... next day went to the store and told them about it, and they said I could get a new one, so I tried one of the amps they had in the store... It didnt work either! So the guy said that there were usually a lot of fault with!

If u get urs to work, then thats fine! but for the rest of us who cant get this hunk of junk to play for more than an hour, its no use... Its cheap though!

i think this amp was made in 99. it is pretty versatile, but i usually use it for ska (clean) and punk (heavy distortion)The two chanels are pretty good, but the clean sounds empty somehow.it runs to my cab and sound exactly the same as without, so that is good. i dont really use the effects, but they are better than pedal effects, except you cant mix em.Solid state, pretty decent, i usually use it for shows and band practice. i paid 420 canadian, but the knocked it down to 400 plus 15%tax because of a tiny wee little scuff..

i use some crappy no name glam rock axe, and it makes it sound really really good. it is great for heavy distortion, but it is hard to get a rockabilly sound from it.it runs quiet, but it has alot of feedback if it is up past halfway.the clean runs clean no matter how loud.Fucking brutal distortion.

mine broke within a week. I hadn't even turned it up halfway, and the speaker melted. It had only been on for about five minutes, and there was no reason for it to blow. When i brought it back, KUSTOM refused to replace the speaker, because it wasn't normal wear and tear. I indicated that that was why i wanted it fixed, because it should not have blown from being used quietly for short periods of time, but they completely refused to do anything. Don't Fret had to take the speaker out of the amp and put in one from another amp at their own expense. There is also no written warrantee, just keep your recipt..

the company was pigheaded, assish, and rude. They did not care about me as a customer after they had sold me the amp. They accused me of lying.I would like to nail their front window with a brick and glue thier locks shut.

been playing for about four years, i also have a peavey 4x12 cab, a yamaha vintage 100 watt, a marshall 100 watt, and a bunch of other stuff. I would probably not buy another one, id get a head instead. I love the distortion, i hate the fact that i cant put it past halfway without an anoying background feedback. It sounds better than dirty marshall, which is a pretty good statement.

I'm not sure what year it was made but I just bought it so most likely 2002.

I play all types of music, rock, pop, little jazz, etc. It seems to work for most music.

Basic features:
65 watt solid state, more than enough power
Two-channel, clean and distortion
Digital effects, 2 reverbs, echo, chorus, flange and a couple of other standard effects that everyone else has.
Fx loop
Foot switch jack
12 in. Celestion speaker
1/4" line out AND XLR line out. (great feature for stage)
CD 1/4" input

I use an Epiphone Les Paul Special with the amp and it sound pretty good. I play rock and easy rock, etc., and have been playing for about 30 years. It works out pretty well. I don't beat my equipment up so I depend on a more subtle sound.

The clean channel sound good, but it is missing something. I can't put my finger on it yet as to what it is. The distortion channel works out good for what I play, but it is not very versatile. It's pretty heavy, you can't really get that light subtle distortion. It's sort of a heavy to very heavy distortion. But it does sound good.

On the up side, the amp is almost noiseless. Kustom distortion has almost no hum or buzz at all. Other Kustom amps have the same characteristics.

And another thing, the digital effects are near perfect. The best I have seen in a small combo amp. Other amps introduce lots of hum when they are activated, but this one is really clean. You will use the effects, they sound REALLY good, and they work the way you would expect them to work. Not like that other amp with digital effects who's name I won't mention. (crate) :) On the downside, as with all combo effects, you can't mix them.

I don't use it at really high volumes, but I have turned it up a few times. Still sounds good a high volumes, but if you use any type of effects pedals, using the effects loop is a must at high volumes. If you put in the guitar input, it just turns to mud.

It also has a bright button on the clean channel that increases the treble, but it has so much treble to start with I never use it. Another one on the distortion channel increases the distortion ever more. I don't use it either.

Now this is a difficult thing to rate.

In general, the amp is very reliable. It's solid state. Not much to go wrong there.

Where it has a problem, and to me, it's a serious problem is the cover. They used a fabric backed vinyl that is very soft. It will tear with almost any dent you put in it. The first day I got it I slightly bumped it on the wall putting in the closet. It tore the cover so I had to glue it and touch it up with a black pen.

To avoid this, I just left it out next to my DAW computer and try to move it as little as possible.

It has a three year warrantee. I have not had to used it yet.

Overall I like the amp. I'm not 100% sure I would replace it with the same unit if it were stolen. What I can tell you is that I think it is the best amp with that much power for the price. If I did not have much money (like now) I would buy the same unit.

I like the sound overall, but there should be some sort of gain on the clean channel as well. Something that does not take it into the distortion realm, but something that will make the signal "fatter".

Also, the foot switch jack is a stereo jack that switches between channels and turns the effects on and off. Kustom does not make a foot switch. What do you buy? I don't know, and they don't either. I asked them.

Another thing I would like to see that I probably would not ever use is multiple guitar inputs.

Don't get me wrong, I really love the amp. I use an amp modeler, and at times I just prefer the sound straight without the modeler. It's a great sounding amp, just a few things would make it sound even better.