Kustom Tube 12 Combo

Bought the light (12 pounds) little amp August 2002 for harmonica gigs. Enough features for me, as I use it with a POD, plugging my bullet mike into POD, POD into Kustom 12, and other line out on POD into house PA.

Solid state guitar amps are a bit harsh sounding for harp, so tube amps are usually preferred. Even so with a tube amp, the pre-amp tubes are replaced with lower gain tubes. The tube 12 comes stock with a 12AX7 that has a 100 percent gain, so I put in a 12AU7 with 19% gain and turn the gain control all the way up, with base knob at 3 oclock and treble knob at 9 to 12 oclock and volume half up, gain button and mid button on. I get a warm overdriven sound and lots of variation through the POD. It's great for travel and loud enough because of I'm running thru the PA amps. Wonderful alternative to lugging huge heavy tube amps around.

Has held up great but then I've only had it a few months. I'm very impressed with this amp for what it is. If it did break I'd just go through the PA with my POD.

Bought it at a custom guitar shop after playing through it. Sounded good stock as is, but much better after the tube swap.

Seems rugged enough, although I got a slight tear in the tolex after returning from my East Coast gig. I've compared it to other solid state amps I've used for harp (since they are light and small) like the Danelectro Dirty 30 and Danelectro Nifty 50 and it sounds sweeter than either. My next comparisions were with my Crate VC-508 which has two tubes,but is a little heavier. The Crate sounds a little more kick ass, but cost me almost twice as much. For the money you can't beat this little amp for playing harp.

One (or maybe two) channels, its really hard to say since the little 'gain' button kicks on the distortion, low and high eq with 'mid shift' button to boost the mids, gain knob (only works when the 'gain' button is in) and volume. One input jack and a headphone jack. 12 Watt power amp pushing a Celestion speaker and being driven by a Ruby Tubes 12AX7 in the pre-amp. No reverb, no whistles and bells, no gimmicks (aside from the amp itself) just simple controls that would work great if the amp itself worked great.

I use a Fender Strat with a Duncan Little 59 at the bridge and play hard rock and blues. I have to be fair and give this amp a 5 in this category because it really does have a nice warm and full clean sound. The gain knob seems to have no effect on the clean channel as I have moved it through its entire range with no noticable change in the sound. The clean channel will distort (quite nice and smooth I might add) at the highest volumes but then again, I bought this for low volume practice so I really can't get to that point very often. It does do really well with pedals though. My el cheapo distortion pedal acutally sounds decent throught the clean channel, the pre-amp tube really smooths it out. The clean channel is sweet, better than most amps of this size, but...

Now the gain side. Put quite frankly, the distortion on this amp stinks. It is pure solid state clipping. I could plug into a transistor radio and get this kind of static. The only way to help it is to turn the Low EQ setting up and back off the highs (which messes up the sound in the clean side) and even that doesn't really smooth it out any, just muddies it up to the point where you get vague, unfocused, muddy static. I really find it hard to believe that I'm playing the same amp that has been reviewed so wonderfully down below. A lot of people commented on how 'warm' the gain is, I tell you its not warmth, its MUD! And then if you turn up the highs to get rid of the mud you get that static, wadding up celophane, crunching dead leaves, home stereo overdrive sound. Maybe if it had some reverb it might sound a little better or maybe I just got a lemon or something but I think I'll go back to my old Crate practice amp. At least that has a tolerable gain channel and reverb.

So, its a 9 for the clean side and a 2 for the gain side, I guess that equals out to somewhere around a 5, that seems pretty fair since half of it is good.

It has been very reliable and should continue to function forever seeing as how I never play it because I can hardly stand the distortion sound I get from it. Really, I can overdrive my home stereo and get the same sounds...

Never dealt with the company and probably never will.

Bought this used, sight unseen, and based on the reviews posted right here in this database. Boy did I get burned on this one. I guess there are two morals here, never believe everything you read and go try it out first. I've been playing for almost 10 years and have owned quite a few amps both large and small, tube and solid state. If this one were stolen I can't say I'd be disappointed, in fact I'd probably laugh as the dishonest perpetrator would be getting just the piece of crap he deserved (not to mention it would give me an excuse to get something else). If you want to use this amp you're going to have to run pedals through the clean channel for anything you do. It does really well for that, the tube in the preamp smooths things out real nice, just don't touch the gain button. It would be nice with reverb but then it would cost more. The clean sounds very good, well worth the price of the amp, but Kustom should do us all a favor and just remove the gain channel. Overall its a good value for the money, you just use what you save to get some stompboxes to run on the clean channel and you might be able to stand it. The tube pre-amp would probably sound great through a tube power amp but you really don't have that option (no line out or effects send). I guess it's just not my style of amp...

This amp has all you need for what it is. Kustom put a great setup on it, SIMPLE! Wish there coulda been two inputs though, but for $99 I AM NOT COMPLAINING!

I play a gibson lp junior and the p-100's sound incredible through this amp!! the tube preamp really sounds great. The clean is like an old fender champ and the drive channel is like a blues junior! I do a lot of recordings and this amp really does the job, i recomened this amp to anyone who appreciates good quality TONE.

NO problems yet, Kustom amps are simple, dont expect too many problems.

For $99 this amp is truly incredible! Go get one!

Go straight to the sound review. That's why your here right?

Here's my honest review. I was really hoping to like this amp. I'm a dedicated tube man. I have a Mesa Nomad combo amp, a Mesa Triaxxis / 20-20 rig, and a Tech 21 Trademark 10 for small low volume "idea / practice" sessions. This amp really bites. The distortion is from the 60's and 70's. Not focused, and very "un-musical". Maybe I've been spoiled by high end amps? Possibley. All I can say is that I didn't like this amp at all. The Tech blows it away in the distortion category BUT the Kustom does have a nice clean sound. the 8" Celestion isn't all that great either. Very buzzy and farty low end. There's a reason this amp only costs $89 - $99, its a cheapie. The tube is a nice gimmick.

I've been playing for over 18 years, with numerous wins in national guitar competitions. I'm a die hard tube and tone freak. Its a cool little amp, maybe with a good distortion pedal it may rock. On its own, its just not inspiring at all. I guess for guitarist looking for a real "vintagey" sounding amp, its cool. If your expecting modern, look else where. Marshall AVT 20 or Tech 21.

I figure this amp was made in 2001 in Korea. Very versatile little amp, I'm impressed. 2 channel, has both a gain boost and a shift button. Neat knobs, like tele knobs. I use this amp strictly in my bedroom. One tube, this is a great little amp for the bucks....I'd say it is the best bang for the buck.

Using a Fender Standard Telecaster/ I play mostly rockabilly type stuff, some blues, a little country, and once in awhile get in the mood for a little heavy metal. This amp handles it all quite well. Clean channel is very good and for me, the distortion is perfect.

Looks solid, small amp, but a good weight to it. Haven't had it long enough to say anything more about it.

Never dealt with them.

Been playing 35 years, also have a couple of Marshall amps. If it were lost or stolen I'd get another one. Definitely the best practice amp around for the bucks.

It should be called "the one tube wonder". There's probably better practice amps out there, but for $100? Can't go wrong. I got this for my closet and the occasional "open mic" playing with my acoustic guit buddy.
Yeah, it gigs, baby. I havn't tried it with a drummer, yet. The amp's "gain" is worthless. SS distortion sounds only.
Nicely knurled tele knobs. And they actually work, like tele knobs. It is a dark, Marshally sounding amp, like a Blues Jr. A nice glow from the blue jewel light.
I've never had the volume past high noon. Actually, I don't think you want to, either.

My setup is Tele '52ri, Dano BLT slop echo and Voodoo Lab Trem. I'm getting a bit-o-gain (but still clean) from the Trem, volume dimed all the time. The resulting tone is, at low practice volumes, better that my BJ, which has been collecting dust all summer. I play mostly rockibilly and country. Works for blues, too. I havn't found a decent overdrive pedal yet. I'm not happy with my son's TS9 with this amp or any amp, really. That the engineers got this sound with one tube is incredible.
The hum is there, so you know its a tube amp. The clean is great!!

It is MIC. If it breaks down at an open mic, its ok. My buddy likes playing without me anyway (Hi Ron). And I wouldn't bother repairing it...it'd be cheaper to buy a new tube 12. I've had this amp for 4 months and play it 1-3 hrs every day. It seems well assembled. But it had a long ride so you might want to cinch up those tiny speaker and chassis screws. Careful boys, don't strip 'em. The off/on switch looks rather frail, so you might want to get a $3 power outlet strip. Save wear and tear and switch it on/off there.

Kustom is in Cinncy. Go Bungles, err Bengals.

Earlier this year, I found a NOS GE 8" alnico speaker on eBay that was one day going into a future 6V6 homebrew. When that project was put on hold, I was GASing to try out the speaker in a small amp. The Celestion hasn't been back since. The other mod was a Sylvania 12ax7wa. If your careful, you can tube swap without removing anything. And to be honest, I don't think even a Mullard would make much tonal difference. But try it anyway.
I based the purchase of this amp partly on the positive comments below. Thanks guys. I like this amp a lot.

Brand new combo amp, 1 x 8" speaker with a 12AX7 preamp tube. Pretty well built, nice black tolex and grill cloth, recessed top-mount controls, even a replaceable (not hard-wired) cord! No excess knobs--gain, bass, treble, and master volume, with buttons for channel switching and mid shift. Perfect for at-home "rehearsing," loud as hell for 12 watts...

I use Gibsons for rock/metal stuff, and the distortion channel is meaty...so much so that you need to really watch how much bass you dial in, or this thing starts to rattle like nuts. Nice range of gain though, and very usable EQ. Clean channel is pretty stark sounding, but I haven't spent a lot of time experimenting with it; I don't intend to play it clean often...

Pretty well put together, it seems. It does "pop" when you turn it on and off, and there is the typical "overseas built" stuff--slightly crooked screws, tolex might not be perfect--but this is nitpicky, and DAMN good for the money. I bet it'll last a good while, but there's a 3 year warranty anyway!

No response to an e-mail query about the speaker, but there is that 3 year warranty...

I've been playing guitar for over 15 years and have owned a bunch of different amps, large and small. This amp impresses me quite a bit, and quite literally crushes any other mini-amp I've compared it to. I would definitely buy another one if it got ripped off. It's perfect for what I wanted; an amp that would allow me to play heavy at home without having the neighbors call the police, but still sounds good. I'd love to see it with a speaker extension jack, I bet it could run another small cab and sound even better. Stop reading, go try one...

For $89.00 this little jewel (big blue power on jewel)has plenty of features. The distortion sounds terrific with a Dano Hash Browns flanger.Played clean it is extremely soulful and warm. I love it.

Not noisy at all,I have no style yet(just begining),Pled with a Dillion DR500TI and an Essex LP copy. It just sounds good!!!

Looks very well made, nice overall appearance too. I aint no gigger yet.

No need for support yet.

Beginner at age 52.I would definitely replace this amp. I have a Pignose G60VR and a Pignose B100V.They are loud and quite warm in nature but this little darlin' just suits me to a tee. Reverb would be nice but the price is right just as it is.I use it in my computer room for practicing

This is a basic practice amp, Vol, Gain, High, Low, One Channel, Headphone Jack. "Gain" and "Mid-Shift" switches. Nice 8" Celestion speaker. Nice recessed controls, light. Single preamp tube with solid state power amp section. I play blues, rock, some jazz. Plenty versatile for practice and plenty of power for that! Loud enough for rehearsal with a small group. A "10", because what more can you get for this price?

I play a 75 Strat with EMG SA's, a Warmoth Strat with EMG S, and a 1960 Les Paul Special with original P90's. Without any external effects, this baby gets the crunch for any classic rock, has great headroom for clean stuff (the EMGs help). The "Mid-Shift" with my Strats sounds good, but the tone is toward the warm end anyways. A little tweak on the tone controls puts the highs back in. I am very impressed with the variety on tones possible with the onboard controls, but when I plugged in my Digitech RP100 pedal to add some effects, that's when this baby shined. The warmth of this amp made a HUGE amount of difference in the sound I could get out of the RP100. We are talking awesome gain with that nice warm tube rounding of the tone. Kind of takes the digital edge off of everything...very impressive little amp. Noise is quite low when running clean, normal amount of tube hiss with higher gain. Cheap pedal + cheap amp = killer tone.

Looks pretty solid. Controls are recessed, metal knobs. Tube is enclosed in a metal chassis. Protective corners on the outside.

Never dealt with them. I'm not going to bother for the price.

I've been playing for 30+ years. I have a Jazz Chorus, Carvin X-100 head, a MusicMan RD100 head, an old Ampeg J12, a variety of rack effects and pedals. I just play through the Jazz Chorus at church wiht the RP100 and practice through the Kustom, the other stuff is too much overkill for that. I've owned other little practice amps in the past. This one is the best I've found, short of putting out the money on a vintage little Fender. Great value!

This little guy is the total package! Great clean and fantastic distortion! It has vol.-bass-treble-gain-gain select switch and mid shift select. also a headphone and real 12ax7 Ruby tube in it. I give it a 9 because it does not have the mid shift and channel select on a foot switch so you have to change on the amp pannel and the buttons are for small people. Otherwise it would get a perfect 10! I can not forget that it has a little 8" celestion speaker. That is cool!!!!!!

I use an OLP AXIS straight into the amp. It smokes dudes!!! The clean is really warm and nice. I have lots of headroom before it even thinks of distortion. Now comes the gain train!!! Man i can not believe this little guy! I play hard rock....Van Halen-AC/DC-Def Leppard-Steve Vai you get the point. Great harmonics, great crunch, and great sustain, all at any volume! Very Very Marshally sounding. It almost sounds like my buddies JCM TSL combo. i have been playing for 6 years now and this little one makes me sound like i have been playing for 20 years! I can not believe it is all in the single tube...Kustom must have one hell of a solid state section. they nailed it with the tube 12! I have had a Fender deluxe - Tech 21 Trademark 10 - Digitech gnx2 - Marshall dsl 201 adn the Tube 12 beats them all!! The louder i turned it the better it sounded.

It has steal knobs and the tube is tucked away safely. The buttons are small so they will take some beating and the speaker is a celestion so it will hold up. It feels very tuff. The only problem i for see is the tube, but hell you all know you can a yaer or 2 out of them.

Web site was great and helpful.

I sold my total package which was a Digitech GNX2 when i bought this! That is how much i trust and like this amp! SIMPLY PUT IT ROCKS DUDES!!! NUFF SAID!!

I bought the Tube 12 to put upstairs to have available to play out song ideas quickly without having to get out a lot of equipment. I have been looking and planning to get a practice unit for this purpose for 2 years.

(6) Controls: gain knob/ gain, clean channel off-on switch/ low freq EQ knob/ high freq EQ knob/ mid boost or shift? switch/ volume
Features: 8" Celestion speaker, headphone jack, black tolex open-back cabinet, carrying handle. 12 window shakin watts; transistored power stage, 12AX7 real tube pre-amp stage.

I would have liked built-in reverb like everyone else, but understand the cost significance. I think I'll just put something portable like a Zoom 505 with it for effects, tuck it in a corner upstairs to work out ideas on.

Warm, warm, warm. I don't particularly desire a lot of treble sound thru an 8" speaker, anyway. I compared this sound with some used $175 40 yr-old class A tube amps with one vol knob and one tone knob with the snot beat out of them. Good airy, even order, warm distortion - 6 controls instead of 2 - for $100, new. I'm quite satisfied with the tone.
That warmth works well for blues. The gain is crisp and edgy enough to make you stay with it for awhile, too.
I tested the unit with an ES-335 and it handled the twin humbucks well; except with everything bassy turned up 70-100%, it rattled the speaker. I switched to a couple of Teles and was quite pleased with the warm touch it put to the sound. Teles too often sound brittle on small amps. The clean channel starts breaking up maybe a little too quickly, at half-volume, but I forget that its not a 100W. With the gain turned up 70-100% on the Teles, hum was detectable.
New all-tube 15-20W amps are $300. No way I was going to pay that for a practice amp. $100 will do.

The knobs are top-mounted, recessed, beefy, and dome shaped. Designed not to snag things and rip off. The power cord is probably 6' long, appropiately guaged, folds up perfectly and stays in the bottom box of the cabinet.
I appreciate design like that.

No experience with this company... first product of theirs I've owned. I understand Kustom is a US company that has this Tube 12 unit manufactured in China.

I have 100W amps in their own room in the basement. I got this unit for upstairs, when I hear a flurry of ides and want to play them out ASAP. 5 extra minutes makes a lot of difference when you're trying to get ideas down as you hear them.
A tube sound, 2 channel practice amp for $100 new is a good deal, even without reverb. The portability is a big plus in my case, I can tuck the unit behind the stereo cabinet so my wife doesn't have to see it all the time. The warm tones are quite useable and work with a host of different guitar/pickup types.

Low and high eq setting controls. Mid boost button. Gain selection button and gain control knob. Volume knob. 8" Celestion "Super 8" speaker. 12AX7 tube at 12 watts. Black tolex cabinet that is aesthetically pleasing -- very classy looking. Input and headphone jack. Open-back cabinet. No reverb.

Very warm and good bottom-end when clean -- not too much headroom, though. With gain it sounds okay, but you seem to lose some tone. The mid boost works well with the gain or clean channel. As far as practice amps go, this is as warm as it gets. Clean, this amp can't be beat for an 8" speaker.

So far so good.

Been playing for 16 years and have had my fair share of gear and tones. This is a good practice amp for those who need something small and portable with decent tone. I bought it for those areas in my life where my half stack is just not practical. It is very small and mobile. The price can't be beat for the quality of tone.

Okay - I should have waited before doing the review - I played the amp for a couple hours tonight and it was sounding pretty dang good. I'm adding a "9" to average out my earlier "7" to an 8 - I think it definitely deserves an 8. After playing on a Kustom 100% solid state (which sounded good, too), I hooked up to this amp again and there was definitely more warmth to it - and the lows and chords were really impressive for such a small amp (with and without the extra pedals).

I got this amp brand new today. It has 2 channels, a mid-boost switch, and gain, low, high, and volume knobs. It's pretty small (smaller than a Crate GFX15). It looks good - black with white piping around the speaker grill. Nice features for a small practice amp.

It's a little thick with my Epi LP custom. I can't wait to try it out with single coils (but I loaned my strat clone to my brother). I mainly got it because I play blues and heard this was a decent amp for that. Like the other review stated, it's kinda lacking by itself. It does rattle a little on the lower notes. To me it sounds best with the following setup - gain at 8 o'clock, low at 9 o'clock, high at 1 o'clock, with gain on and mid boost on. But the key is I hooked up a Snarling Dogs Very Tone pedal set to "B" with attack control on "bite". With that setup it gets a good smooth bluesy sound in my opinion. It is a little whiney on it own, but after it warms up good, it starts to sound similar to a real tube amp. I'd rate the sound at an 8 or maybe 9 with the Very Tone - but I'll give it a 7 (really more of a 6.5, but that wasn't an option) since the amp doesn't include the pedal. It may grow on me over time (and as the tube gets broke in - does that make a difference in a preamp tube? - we'll see - or I may try a different tube).

I don't gig yet (maybe never) - I mainly play for my enjoyment and it's only been for less than 6 months - so take my review with that in mind.

Haven't needed any repair, but I did email them before I bought it and asked what brand tube came in it and got a response within a couple of hours. Pretty impressive in my opinion. Oh, by the way, it's supposed to be a Ruby tube (12ax7).

Okay, maybe I rated it a little high - but it says "10 fantastic value". I got the deal of a life time on this amp - I can't tell you how or I may have to make you disappear. Put it this way, I got it so cheap that I could have bought another very tone pedal and still come out cheaper than Musician's Friend (who already has a good price). Considering the price I paid, definitely a 10 - if I had to pay $100, I wouldn't be quite as happy (but I've only messed with it for one night and my opinion may improve as I get it more fine-tuned), but still a solid 7 even at $100.

This amp is new to the market. It is very good for the Rock and Blues sound. Its main feature is the 12 AX7 tube in the pre-amp section. Also need to mention the Celestion 8-inch speaker, it seems very strong. It has a clean sound with a gain push-button and a "shift" push-button for adding more mids to your sound. It has a headphone jack, but no speaker out option, and no reverb. That's a shame because you could drive a cabinet with this amp I think. I got this for home practice, and wanted a small tube amp. It is similar to the Marshall AVT I think because it uses the 12ax7 tube. However you can get this for a fraction of the price of the AVT. I've only had it a few days, so I won't try to compare it too much. It has a lot of balls, however, I find that the gain side breaks up a little too soon....but, I found a remedy to that. I give it an 8 because of no speaker out jack and no reverb.

I play an American Strat and a modified Squire Fat Tele that is hot-rodded with a Seymour Duncan SH-1 '59 humbucker in the neck and a Dimarzio Virtual-T on the bridge (courtesy of ALPHA MUSIC in VA Beach, VA). I actually think it sounds better with my Strat, but let me tell you what works with this amp. I play mostly Rock and hard-edged blues, so I'm looking for a break-up, but not a mushy, over-distorted sound. Ummm, kind of like a "baby-plexi" sound maybe? Anyway, I put the amp on the clean setting (gain button is out), then hooked up my Dano "Pastrami overdrive" pedal, both knobs at about the 1 or 2 o'clock position, cranked the amps volume knob and WOW! What a sound! I got a clear, driving, slightly distorted and MUCH LOUDER sound. I know I was working that little 12AX7 but I don't care 'cause I got another in my drawer if this one blows!! VERY COOL SOUND. This can also be attributed to the 8-inch Celestion speaker. You have to try it to believe it. Just use your favorite overdrive pedal. I got this Dano overdrive used and cheap, but it works great! The clean without overdrive is ok, not great. No Fender clean here, no reverb. So I give it an 8 again.

Looks reliable enough for a practice amp. Don't plan on major gigging with it. It will be cool to carry out for practice with some one I think. It is about the same size as a Fender Bullet or Squire Champ amp, just a little deeper body maybe. All parts seem durable enough. It has what seems to be a rubber handle, but that's ok, it doesn't weigh too much. I don't know anything about KUSTOM service department, hopefully I won't have to find out.

Never used them, don't know.

I've been playing on and off for over 20 years, and used a lot of different gear. If it were lost I might get another or try another small tube combo maybe. It's cool to mess around with. My main amp is A Marshall TSL 60W, with an Ampeg V212 cab with vintage 30's. This is just a practice amp, and it's great for that. Without the overdrive pedal it is limited though. I might find I like it more as I experiment. Sometimes tweaking makes a world of difference. One pretty cool feature I forgot to mention is that it has black tolex covering with white piping around the edges, kind of matches my Marshall head and Ampeg cabinet, COOL! Overall it gets an 8, that might be high because of the lack of features (reverb, speaker out).