Late 70's to early 80's Tolex covered Kustom amplifiers!

TOLEX ERA LATE 70'S THROUGH MID 80'S

Instrument Amplifiers

Kustom III Lead SC

I Lead and I Bass

Kustom guitar amps of this vintage were very rugged and reliable. The models ranged from the

"I Series" up to the "IV Series". The I Lead and I Bass were the models that took the place of the "V Series" amps of the early to mid 1970's. They were rated at 35 watts RMS and had a closed back cabinet that housed a 12" Eminence speaker. The I Lead had a simple spring reverb and had a master volume as well as a volume so you could overdrive it to get distortion. It was a single channel amp with 2 inputs. The I Bass was the same except it had a more rugged speaker, and did not have reverb or master volume. They were perfect amps for rehearsal or small clubs.

I Lead

I Bass

II Lead SC and II Bass SC

The II Lead and II Bass were the models that took the place of the earlier "Challenger" tuck and roll models of the early 1970's. The Lead amp had an open back cabinet that housed a 12" Eminence speaker. The II Lead had a spring reverb, a, bass, treble, mid and had a master volume as well as a volume so you could overdrive it to get distortion. It was a single channel amp with 2 inputs. The II Bass was the same except it had a more rugged speaker, and did not have an open back, reverb or master volume. They were designed as a punchy gigging amp that could handle all but the most demanding applications.

II Lead SC

II Bass SC

III Lead and III Bass

The III Lead and III Bass were the models that are the most commonly seen of their era. The III Lead amp had two different models. The III Lead and the III Lead SC. The SC stood for self contained, meaning it was a combo amp (All components in a single cabinet). The III Lead was an amp head that was designed to be used with Kustom's IV Lead cabinets, loaded with 4 12" speakers. On cabinet had Eminence speakers, the other had SRO speakers.

Both of the III Lead models were 130 watts RMS, two separate channels, had a "Drive" function (overdrive) and a master volume and master "voicing" control. They also had Tremolo and reverb.

The III Bass was the same except it had a single 15" speaker, and did not have an open back, or tremolo/reverb. They were both designed for professional musicians who wanted plenty of features and power. These amps can handle almost any situation .......but Kustom felt they needed one more series of models that had more power!

III Lead

III Lead Amp Head

Speaker Cabinet for the III Lead Amp Head

III Bass Amp Head

Speaker Cabinet for the III Bass Amp Head

Kustom III Lead

This is a fantastic solid state amp! Very responsive. Voicing control allows to shape sounds to the extreme.

The cabinet is a Lead VI and is loaded with 4 - 12" speakers.

1980 Bass III

This is a nice warm amp! Very responsive. Voicing control allows this amp to be very flexible.

The cabinet is a 1-15 B and is loaded with 1- 15" speaker.

VI Lead and VI Bass

The IV Lead and IV Bass were for pro players that needed to slam! These brutes are not pretty to look at, but packed a whopping 400 watts RMS. These models were very expensive and were not pushed very hard by dealers. It was simply too much amp for the average weekend musician, both in power and cost. The IV Lead was an amp head that was designed to be used with Kustom's IV Lead cabinets, loaded with 4 12" speakers. On cabinet had Eminence speakers, the other had SRO speakers. The IV Lead had the same great features as the III Lead, but was a whole lot more serious in the power department. The IV models were introduced in the mid 1970's. The early ones sported a 7 band graphic EQ, it seems that the voicing control of the later models replaced this feature.

The IV Bass head was the same concept, BOOM! 400 watts, voicing, heavy..... you get the idea!

IV Lead Amp Head

Speaker Cabinet for the IV Lead Amp Head

IV Bass Amp Head

Speaker Cabinets for the IV Bass Amp Head

Standard Speaker Cabinet

High Performance Cabinet

Mixers and P.A. Gear

Entry Level P.A. system
This simple system is what I started out with many moons ago, I now own a dozen and use them for simple sound rental situations, and once in a while use one as my gigging system for old times sake. Yes, it is a good system.

Rack Mount P.A. system
This is a good little system, the II speakers are loaded with two 10" speakers, no horns.

Great Portable P.A. system
This system is what Kustom considered one of their best. The PA is fitted into its own rugged case and the column speakers are some of the best out there.

Serious P.A. system
This is a great system. I have used this set up many times. The columns are the most serious ever built by anybody, and they are heavy! The IIIPA Head is very responsive and clean.

Another Serious P.A. system
This is another great system. I have used this set up many times also.
The cabinets are loaded with one 15" peaker and two piezo horns.
Heavy Duty Horn and matching sub woofer cabinet
This is a very heavy system, sound good and is built to take punishment.

Kustom's ultimate all in one speaker cabinet.
This is a very good speaker for a working musician. Very responsive.

Entry Level Rack Mount P.A. system
This is a good little systembut has no "bells or whistles"

Entry Level 2 way system
This simple speaker features a 12" speaker and a horn.

Back Panel of a Kustom V Mixer Showing "Expanders"

Kustom really pushed the idea of buying more than one of the same P.A. units and "daisy chaining" them together when you needed more channels. This way, you could keep your existing gear, upgrade as needed without having to re learn a new mixer while saving you money at the same time. They called part of the patch bay jacks "Expanders". These were dedicated jacks to allow you to hook two or more together to get the number of channels you want. Kustom typically made mixers in 4, 6 and 8 channel versions. It was their hope that if you needed 24 channels, you would buy several of the appropriate units to get your 24. They stressed that if you did it that way, the show could go on if you had a mixer fail, unlike having 24 channels in one unit. Good common sense thinking, but how many musicians do you know that have good common sense.......

Kustom XX Mixer

What a monster this mixer is, a 16 channel mixer that weighs a ton, but was way ahead of its competition feature for feature. This mixer was really a pro model and had every bell and whistle imaginable for its day.

V Stereo Power Amp

Rated at 60 Watts RMS per Channel, this little work horse could handle many applications. Simple, sturdy and very clean sounding. The only "extra" feature it has is a headphone jack. Don't let the low wattage fool you, this unit can out perform many amps out there at over twice the rated wattage!

Kustom also made X and XX Power amps as well as VIII and XII Bi amp slaves to round out their power amp offerings.

Speaker Systems

PRO15P

This is a great all purpose cabinet. It has one 15" speaker and two piezo horn tweeters.

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