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 Features
2 channel 65-Watt Mosfet Solid State combo amp
3 band EQ on both clean and distortion channels
“Bright” switch on clean channel
Gain knob and “More” switch on the distortion
channel
Foot switch-able channels
Foot switch-able effects on and off
CD/Tape input
External speaker output
Effects send and return
Line out, ¼" jack and XLR
Celestion 1x12
8 on-board digital effects processor
Clean
Channel
The clean channel tends to be very clean and like most solid-state
amps, it provides more than enough treble. I usually have
to tone down the highs a bit for it to sound good to me.
The
clean channel has a tendency to boarder on a PA type of clean.
If you have decent pickups, they will really shine on this
amp, but if they are only so-so, all the flaws will also be
apparent. It does very little flavoring of your sound.
The
“Bright” switch will increase the treble even
more. I don’t ever use this, but it does work. Solid
State amps usually have a lot of treble to start with.
All
in all, the clean channel has a surprisingly warm sound for
a solid-state amp. At lower volume levels, it can even border
on the sound of a Fender Blackface if you tweak it right.
It does have a tendency at higher volumes to distort. Not
as much as the distortion channel, but a real nice, just about
breaking up sound. It also does not quite provide enough power
in the clean channel for single coil guitars. I usually have
to turn it up to 2/3 even for moderate jamming / gigging levels.
Distortion
Channel
You will have no problems with volume levels on this channel,
but you will find it to be typical of most solid-state amps.
As with the clean channel, it has a fairly warm sound for
Solid State amp.
The
distortion is not bad as far as Solid States go, but you do
have to turn it up at least 2/3rds to get decent distortion
out of it. It also does the “just at the edge of breaking
up” type of overdrive well. Really great amp for playing
the Blues.
The “More” button will increase the distortion
even more. If you really need to shred it up, this can put
you there. Me? nope. Too much for me. But the “Shift”
button changes your midrange frequencies. This is actually
a very nice feature.
Selections
All functions are selected by mini push button switches. The
exception is the channel select and the effects on and off.
This can be done via a foot switch also. Kustom does not provide
a switch and does not even make one. It uses a standard ¼"
plug with a standard ¼" stereo cable. Both center
conductors short to ground to make the connection. As you
can see from the photo, I made my own.
In
and Outputs
It has a single standard guitar input, but it also has a cd/tape
input. ¼" of course. It has a speaker out and
a full effects loop. It also has two different types of line
outs. This is one of the features I bought it for. ¼"
line out as well as XLR. Very nice feature.
On-board
DSP Effects.
It has a standard array of effects: spring reverb, hall reverb,
slap back and regular echo, chorus with and without reverb,
flanger with reverb, and tremolo.
The
on board effects are actually decent. They all have a tendency
to drop your low end out a little, but not much. I’ve
used on-board effects before, and if you are like me, you
just use a pedal instead. These effects are actually usable
and sound pretty decent, except the flanger with reverb. Pretty
much worthless to me. The tremolo leaves a lot to be desired
also, but I don’t use it at all anyway.
You
can switch the effects on an off with the foot switch, but
you can’t change effects. And since reverb is considered
an effect, you can’t put it in an “always on”
mode. If they could find a way to separate the reverb from
the other effects, that would be perfect for me.
Conclusion
The Kustom KGA-65 is a decent, low cost, medium power alternate
for a combo amp. The onboard effects are actually usable,
and it has a very warm sound.
It
has a decent amount of power for general gigging and jamming,
and a good enough sound that it won’t embarrass you.
It’s
my main amp, but if you have an expensive tube amp, this might
be a good candidate for a backup amp. It’s solid state,
so there is almost nothing to go wrong with it. It is roughly
the size of a Fender Deluxe and has a similar case design.
You can always remove the BIG Kustom nameplate if the name
embarrasses you. From a distance, people will just think you
have a black Tolex Deluxe on stage with you. There is a recess
behind the nameplate though.
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