Kustom KLA-80

This is a basic two channel "Mosfet" combo with a single 10" driver and built in reverb. While the model would have you to believe that it is rated at 80 watts, reading the back label for the external speaker jack will tell you that it is really rated at 40 watts. To be honest, this has got to be the weakest 40 watts that i've ever heard!!!

Being quite familiar with Mosfet's, both acoustically ( what they sound like ) and how they work electrically, i was quite disappointed in this budget amp. After opening it up, i can't find a single Mosfet in it!!! It is pretty much all IC based, including the main output device. Needless to say, it sounds like crapola!!!

On top of that, this unit wants to oscillate and feed back if you crank up the input gain OR the reverb. As such, you have to play clean with VERY limited amounts of reverb. That is, unless you want to hear a high pitched howl leading into feedback.

Given that the unit seems to be defective as it comes out of the box, it's hard to tell whether the unit is actually defective from the manufacturer i.e. completely unreliable or if this is really what they think that a consumer wants from this type of amp. As such, i'll have to vote "no opinion" here, as it is a piece of crapola to begin with.

Never bothered contacting Kustom, as i'm sure that this unit is NOT actually made by the "olde school" Kustom that some of us "old timers" are familiar with. It is made in China and very low quality. If they sold you this type of crap to begin with, how good can their customer support actually be???

As you can see, I think that this unit is a complete piece of junk and should be avoided at all costs. It is not even a bargain if you get it for $10, unless you need a generic speaker and are willing to pull it out of the cabinet. If you fill it with concrete, it "might" make a decent boat anchor, but only if you have a small rowboat on relatively calm waters.

Well this amp has a footswitch plug but i cant find a switch that will work with it! I got it second hand for #80 the previous owner used it as a small p.a so that must be good.

3 channels, clean, distortion and overdrive I play a large rangne of music and it seems good for light blues on overdrive, rock on distortion then my favourate putting both channels on for metal work! Very ... warm souning amp! I use a Epiphone les paul black bueaty(3p/u). The clean channel can be completely clean at about 8 (out of 9or10).

I ve only had it for 6 weeks!

If i was to buy another amp i'd get a Marshall AVT 100.
IF ANYONE KNOWS OF ANYWHERE I CAN FIND A FOOTSWITCH FOR THIS AMP PLEASE EMAIL ME

2 channel 80watt SS amp, built in reverb. Footswith not included. Line out for hooking up to PA. Open Back. Very basic

On it's own this amp is pretty lifeless and sterile, but I use a Daneletric eq pedal and a boss ME50 with either an American series Strat or a Ibanez RG570 through the clean channel and the tone I get is really good it ain't tube tone but it is very warm and clear both on the clean and overdrive and it doesn't distort at higher volumes. Very pleased with my tone. 10 with my setup. This slaughters my Marshall MG50.

Had the amp for 6 years no problems

Never dealt with Kustom

I've been playin 7 years now, I've played a few tube amps and they are great but to expensive for me, when playin out most people can't tell the difference between tube and ss anyhow and probably don't care. As long as you can get a decent tone then theres no prob. Very cheap and very dependable. Works as a PA to.

bought it for $300 CDN. hasn't really failed me yet, although the sound has gotten alot duller over 2 or 3 years. it's nothing special. i've used it for band practise and a couple gigs and i can't complain. i've never ever used the overdrive channel. (if you ever hear one you'll understand.) just ran processors through the clean channel.

i play a '91 USA fender prodigy. it has a humbucker in the bridge. the amp is fine for the punk rock tunes i play. the only thing i would advise is picking up a digitech genesis 3 processor with it. the KLA 80 and genesis 3 are meant for each other. you get some fabulous sounds with the pair. if you turn the gain up past 8 or 9 it squeals for some reason. avoid the overdrive channel altogether. very nice clean channel though.

it's very dependable. i have gigged it without a backup, but it would be smart to have one. it's only ever died because i had it on a wet stage.

never dealt with them.

i've been playing for 9 years. all i own is my Kustom, and a Mesa 2X12 which sounds good with it, my fender prodigy, my genesis 3, and a '54 les paul junior passed down through my family. if lost or stolen, i would by it again or something else just as cheap, cause i'm a cheap guy. (that's the whole reason i bought it.) i don't really love it or hate it, i just play it, and it get's the job done.

It is like a 1996 model or something, good enough for classic rock and some blues. Never could get a good metal sound out of it. 3 channels clean, overdrive, high gain. It is pretty loud for an 80 watt solid state. Plenty enough power for small gigs.

I use EMG pickups with Jackson, and ESP guitars. With gain all the way up, it squeals non-stop. The clean is distorted at around 3. Distortion is more than my first amp, Peavey Rage 158.

Very reliabile, it's solid state. Nothing has gone wrong. I pulled a cord out of the input very hard one time and it ripped the input out. That was the stupidist thing but I got it fixed for $15.

Repaired at local shop.

Played for 4-5 years, get same thing because I have insurance if it were stolen.

This is a cheap amp, 80w which is loud enough for playing in a band, i got it 2nd hand for very cheap, reasonable features pretty much what you expect from a cheap loud ss combo

i would never put a guitar through it instead i plug a cheap 4 way mixer in it (#20 from maplin) and my band use it as a cheap subsitute PA, the clean distorts at max volume, but is fine at the volumes we use, has absolutley no tone and the sound is to flat for expressive guitar work, i never use the distortion, but i challenge you to find a cheaper pa solution

never broken, looks sturdy, but then again...

n/a

use if for my band as a pa, i use a marshall valvestate 8080 for guitar, any bands looking for a cheap pa solution try and pick one of these up 2cnd hand, its never failed us, and is great for practices and small gigs

I just bought thia amp after all my equipment was stolen I went to buy a Crate amp like I had before when I walk in the store I saw the Kustom amp It was on sale at half the price of the Crate amp. I had the lady pluge the KLA80 up and I was surprized. I had know the kustom brand name for years but got away from it. I think for the price the sound and looks it a real good deal.I just play rythem and for me I love the smooth sound I get on Chanel two on this amp

I play a Aria Mac50q and play rythem guitar
This amp fits my tpy of music great I play country and old time rock & roll
Very quit amp no humms or any other noises we play in privet club and dont play loud this amp work great at lower levels
This amp is ver versitel it can do a whole lot I have heard beater over drive but I am please with it
Clean chanel on this amp is very clean at all levels
I like the efects for me but this amp is more for some one just playing rythem

Yes I have not had it very long but I know the brand name Kustom over the years and it has all way been dependible But any musican know any thing could happen at any time best to allways carry and extra amp
The Kustom amp I used in the past never broke down on me

It has a two year warranty and I feel confident in this company

I have been playing all my life all most and I am 39 now and I have owned thousans of dollars of equitment
I would buy another Kustom amp for the price and the sound can't be beat
I love the sound of the amp and it is a very good looking amp have not found any thing I dont like
I compared it to the Crate gr65 taht what I went to but and bought the Kustom instead For the price got more amps and a cleaner sound wich I like
would like to have chorus but I can do that with my Zoom 1010 pedal
I have been playing many year in the music bussiness this is a amp with a good price for pepole just learning but good enought to take on stage when there ready to stat playing out some where

I got this amp in 1999 for live gigging. It has 2 channels. The first is nice and bright, whereas the second is dull and morer natural sounding. The amp has some good features, particuarly the reverb. I generally use the amp on channel one with overdrive provided by a "Marshall" pedal and the results are pretty good. The built in overdrive is best left alone.

At present I play an Epiphone Les Paul, ussually on the "Midrange" setting. My style is rock/blues and this amp seems to do the job of giving me a bright reverb sound to act as the basis for my sound.

No problems with reliability.

Overall, I used this amp as a cheap way of starting off gigging. It had the watts I needed and I simply added the sounds I wanted from other sources(Guitar,Pedal). More of a solution to a problem than the dream choice, however I still have it, so I c'ant complain.

Manufactured 1998. MosFET, 1x12 Combo, 80 Watts, 2 Channels (Clean and Distorted). Clean channel features; gain control (also switchable on/off), volume, bass, mid, treble and reverb controls. Distortion channel features; gain control, voicing, low, high and volume. Footswitchable channel selector is not included (would have been nice) and no headphone jack. There is an output jack to plug into a cabinet, would not bother with this amp. The controls are sloppy. It is a pretty good practice amp for a beginner, but quickly outgrown. I use it for clean sounds and heavy metal. I only use it in my basement, I couldn't see it being used on stage (even in a small club).

I play a Fender Strat w/ SD JB Humbucker in bridge. This amp is loud, but the sound is shallow. I play a wide range of music. You can get some pretty good clean sounds out of it at low volume with the reverb turned up. I wouldn't recommend this amp for anything but home use. I don't know if my tastes have grown more refined over time, but I could swear the quality of the sound coming out of this amp has degraded over the year that I've had it.

As I mentioned above, the sound seemed to degrade over the year that I've had it (Speaker?) Has not completely broken down though. Would not use on a gig, even with a backup.

Overall, not a bad practice amp if you're not into heavy metal. For the money, I wish I would have bought a used Fender or Marshall. If lost or stolen...I would laugh. I should have shopped harder when looking for a practice amp. Impulse purchase. If you put a good effects processor through the clean channel, it might sound ok.

I bought this amp on EBAY for 180 buck brand new. It was still in the plastic packaging and everything. The list price is About $319 US dollars so i got a good deal. The features are good i think, the only thing i dislike is that it didn't come with a footswitch, but i bought a marshall footswitch and it works great.

I use an Epiphone LP-90 with DiMarzio DP-100 super distortion pickups. The distortion on the amp isn't so great but i use my D.O.D Death Metal Distortion pedal with it and its incredible. The amp is VERY loud and clean.

I played gigs without a backup, only because i trust this amp.

I never called customer support,i don't plan on it.

I've been playing since the 6th grade. i am now 16 in 11th grade. If my amp got stollen i would probably buy the same one. I just would wish this amp would come with like 2x12 combo versions.