Incoming Double New Amp Day: Place your bets (on Kasino)

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Re: Incoming Double New Amp Day: Place your bets

Post by MrShake » Tue Jul 26, 2022 3:23 am

Steadyriot. wrote:
Tue Jul 26, 2022 1:03 am
Kasino?
Kay Vanguard?
WE HAVE A WINNER! Let's see what I've won!

It's a Kasino!

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Okay, here's a little background...

Kasino was a sub-brand of Kustom, without the fancy tuck and roll. Some say it was a way to market amps to players who didn't want the sparkled vinyl of yesteryear, some say it was a way to distribute similar amps in the same market via different dealers. I say it was a little bit of both.

Kustom had three main periods.
1965-1971 - they have the "classic" flat-front look of the Kustoms many of us have seen. Lines were based on power, the "100" (50W) and "200" (100W) series.
1972-1973 - Bud Ross left the company and the amps changed to a slanted-front style with blue light-up push buttons for power and polarity. [EDIT: at this point they changed the circuit with increased power and all the model numbers end in "-50", so "150/250".]
1974 - the company changed hands again, and began what collectors call the "Big K" era of tolex-covered, otherwise kinda generic '70s amps.

Kasino had the same progression. Despite prevailing wisdom, Kasino started in late 1970 or early 1971 according to printing dates on the pricelists and catalogs that have survived. The first line of Kasinos had numbers like 100 and 200 on the grill cloth, and were all giant combos with flat-front chassis, aluminum trim, and pinstripes. I mean up to GIANT. 8x10 combos with built in tilt-back casters. Matching powered extension speakers. This head seems to be a bit of a rarity in that a separate head is not listed in the surviving price lists and literature.
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(pic not mine)

Kasino's second line in 1972 had slanted-front heads (just like Kustom's redesign) with pinstripes now encroaching onto the heads themselves, and names like "Snake Eyes" and "Natural".
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(pic not mine)

The third and final phase of the Kasino stuff was a parallel to the Kustom "Big K" era, and have more traditional styling, black tolex, and blue faceplates. And a big K.
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(pic not mine)


Everybody says that Kasino is just Kustom with a different paint job. But the PCBs are laid out differently and there are some changes like the fact that it's only single channel. The "Selectone" function is also a late addition to the earliest period of Kustom/Kasino, only showing up on the transitional K200B-6 amp previously, but in a different configuration. A couple of the earlier, "silver trim"-era Kasino PA heads, like the Club and Concert, do seem to be 1:1 copies of Kustom's PA heads (The 50W K100B-5 and 100W K200B-5, respectively.)

So, yeah, the schematics are probably the same or collaged versions of other preamp boards in the Kustom Lab, but it's not just a matter of tearing the naugahyde off to convert a Kustom to a Kasino.

Parts codes date this one to probably the second half of 1971, so maybe they were trying standalone heads when nobody wanted to buy a 2x8x10 setup with un-detachable amp tops.

How does it sound? Like an early solid-state amp. That weird, funky character they have. It's got huge bass and treble range, a big full sound. Warm and full, but a little brash and unrefined compared to vintage tube stuff. But I like that, I like amps with personality. Feeding it a Fuzzrite puts me in "cheap funky soundtrack of the '70s" mode, like a Godzilla or low-budget blaxploitation movie score, or if I play well, Isaac Hayes' "Walk On By". Oddly, it's go NO background noise, like every early-era Kustom I've played, no rushing water sound in the background at all. Volume on the amp is super-duper loud at home, looking forward to taking it out for a walk in the next week or two and letting it stretch its legs at the rehearsal room. I'm hoping it's got that same maxed-out fuzz sound that the Kustom 200 does.

The other one has mysterious tracking, may show up on Wednesday? We'll see.

But thank you all for playing, Steadyriot takes home the no-prize, but I have to give some credit to Stevejamsecono -- I WANTED to give you the win with Kustom, but it was a Gibson/Epiphone parent-company situation, so, I'm sorry the judges made that call. We'll still comp you at the seafood bar.

Oh, and if you're the curious type like me, be warned that the story of Gene Snyder from Wichita, KS is not one that ends well.

Feel free to speculate on what type the other incoming amp is. It *IS* a Kasino, and the second one was $70.
Last edited by MrShake on Tue Jul 26, 2022 6:33 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Incoming Double New Amp Day: Place your bets

Post by MrShake » Tue Jul 26, 2022 4:39 am

A few more pics from the back end:

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Re: Incoming Double New Amp Day: Place your bets

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:16 am

That is awesome!
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Re: Incoming Double New Amp Day: Place your bets (on Kasino)

Post by MrShake » Thu Jul 28, 2022 3:06 am

Been grouchy because there was a delay in shipping, and the other Kasino won't be here 'til MONDAY.

But when I checked the tracking, it's apparently at a waypoint this morning outside Wichita, KS. Maybe it just wanted to see the old family farm.

How mad can I be at a Kustom Kasino from CA getting dipped in some fresh Kansas on its way to me?

Serendipity.

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Re: Incoming Double New Amp Day: Place your bets (on Kasino)

Post by Jonesie » Thu Jul 28, 2022 10:28 am

MrShake wrote:
Thu Jul 28, 2022 3:06 am
How mad can I be at a Kustom Kasino from CA getting dipped in some fresh Kansas on its way to me?
It's going to come dipped in ranch dressing. Good luck getting that off of the board, especially in this heat.

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Re: Incoming Double New Amp Day: Place your bets (on Kasino)

Post by MrShake » Thu Jul 28, 2022 10:30 am

"The high end sounds deep fried for that extra crispy tone."

Peavey shoulda used that: "the grease-soaked, extra-delicious piece at the bottom of the bucket".

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Re: Incoming Double New Amp Day: Place your bets (on Kasino)

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Thu Jul 28, 2022 12:32 pm

MrShake wrote:
Thu Jul 28, 2022 10:30 am
"The high end sounds deep fried for that extra crispy tone."

Peavey shoulda used that: "the grease-soaked, extra-delicious piece at the bottom of the bucket".
That would SO perfectly for a company born in the South. Southern cooking can be SO rich.
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Re: Incoming Double New Amp Day: Place your bets (on Kasino)

Post by MrShake » Sun Jul 31, 2022 8:56 am

Had a big gig Friday, so took my first chance this morning to put the Kasino through its paces. Held up well, no sputter or crackle, a HUGE low-end response, and tooth-rattlingly loud. Clean up to halfway, and increasingly ragged and roaring from there up. A different model, but it does that Kustom Blowout thing like my K200. The drummer was sitting on the floor nearby and said it was making her eyes feel funny through just a 1x15, and at 8 ohms instead of the full 4 ohm optimal load.

And I found more info about the late Gene Snyder. Apparently, according to a friend posting about his death online, he was a fan of "King Crimson( along with Brian Eno,Robert Fripp), Sonic Youth, Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry, GS Megaphone, Benjamin Gate, and The Choir."

Sonic Youth? Fripp/Eno? That's my bag. He was apparently religious later in life, so that explains the other stuff. Funny to be able to learn this stuff. Kinda creepy, too.

The second Kasino shows up tomorrow... any guesses?

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Re: Incoming Double New Amp Day: Place your bets (on Kasino)

Post by Steadyriot. » Sun Jul 31, 2022 10:48 am

Ah thats a rad looking amp! Great tool hear it works for you. Love all the history in your posts.
Curious about the other one.. :ph34r:
"If someone duetted with a Bald Eagle, they could rule the Country charts from here to eternity." ~shadowplay

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Re: Incoming Double New Amp Day: Place your bets (on Kasino)

Post by MrShake » Sun Jul 31, 2022 4:20 pm

Steadyriot. wrote:
Sun Jul 31, 2022 10:48 am
Ah thats a rad looking amp! Great tool hear it works for you. Love all the history in your posts.
Curious about the other one.. :ph34r:
Hey, thanks! Always fun for me to learn about under-documented, yet interesting, elements of amp development history.

This one roared when dimed. Sounded good clean, too. I still want to figure out just how sensitive those input transistors are to see if I can use this as a pedal platform. The Selectone and Selective Boost features were interesting, but probably more useful with a bass. I unselected both.

And yeah, I'm stoked for the next one. I don't wanna beat everyone over the head with it, but gone from a head to a set, then to a pair, now I've gotta call it a gang or a group or something like that.

The second one's a little less powerful, but has other characteristics to make up for it. One in particular. Still a Kasino on the face of it, with that Kustom Krunch under the hood, for that group in the know, but this one's easier to spot.

Do I need to be barred from more of these for a while, or just put behind bars in tone jail? Have I gone off the rails? Has anyone else spent any quality time with an early Kasino?

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Re: Incoming Double New Amp Day: Place your bets (on Kasino)

Post by MrShake » Mon Aug 01, 2022 10:27 am

Less powerful... 50W
Additional feature... reverb
"Barred"/"put behind bars"/"off the rails"... silver trim era
A "gang"... or "group"... or CLUB!

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The other one finally arrived today, a 50W Kasino Club PA head with reverb, making this 2xNAD thread legitimate.

Unlike the skewed U200 circuitry not having a direct corollary in the Kustom line, this one is apparently built identically to the Kustom K100-5 PA head. So, when people say "Kasinos are just Kustom without the tuck 'n' roll", the Club and the 100W Concert PA pretty much are. Being the "smaller" model, this uses an 8 ohm output.

It was (is) pretty grungy inside and out. Much more so than the U200-1 head. Which was funny, because this one was "tested and working", and that one was "untested, not functioning, for parts".

But, workable. Initial testing with a power strip and some chopsticks showed all four channels made sound and the reverb worked.

So, I dug in and took an hour or so, snipped the death cap, and did the conversion to a grounded 3-prong power cord (the only amp repair/mod I know how to do) and now we're in business to explore.

First problem is that the power light isn't working. I'll have to dig deeper and check the bulb. Pots and jacks need cleaning (along with everything else), but the bones are there and no serious crackle or popping from the knobs or inputs. This is the first one I've been inside where I can see the indicator dot on the filter caps swelling a bit (no visible bursting, leaking, or corrosion), so I know those will be priority number one, but so far, all the channels sound right (and good!), and the reverb is deep and swampy. The few part codes I could find were listed between late '70 and (I think) very early 1971.

So, needs a new bulb and new filter caps. Needs a thorough cleaning, but everything else is, at first blush, operational. And as I've said elsewhere, these look like heavy-duty mid-century military radio gear inside, so as long as I fix what ails it, I have few worries about long-term durability.

Not bad for $70!

Once I get it clean and give it a week of testing, I'm eager to take it to practice and compare it, volume-wise, to it's bigger siblings. I have faith a little elbow grease and a few bills can turn this into a shined-up garage punk machine.

Image

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Re: Incoming Double New Amp Day: Place your bets (on Kasino)

Post by JSett » Mon Aug 01, 2022 9:06 pm

Man, I want a Kustom now. I wish they were as ubiquitous over here in the UK as there.

Do you play keys at all? Because you need this in your life:

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Re: Incoming Double New Amp Day: Place your bets (on Kasino)

Post by Fiddy » Mon Aug 01, 2022 9:11 pm

Kustom amps are badass. I want a sparkly stack.

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Re: Incoming Double New Amp Day: Place your bets (on Kasino)

Post by JSett » Mon Aug 01, 2022 9:33 pm

tribi9 wrote:
Mon Aug 01, 2022 9:11 pm
Kustom amps are badass. I want a sparkly stack.
If I was that side of the water, this would have already been bought :D ...

https://reverb.com/uk/item/45807326-kus ... arkle-roll
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Re: Incoming Double New Amp Day: Place your bets (on Kasino)

Post by Fiddy » Mon Aug 01, 2022 9:55 pm

Yes, that's the one.

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