Can a Kustom K200 drive a 3-15 cab?

[booj]

All I can find is the Braodway Music site that shows a catalog pic of a K150 with a 3-15 cab.
A buddy of mine just picked up a 3-15 cab and has it loaded with 3 8-ohm 100 watt speakers. He wants to know if it's safe to drive it with his K200 head.
I don't want to give him bad information, and I just don't know. Thanks

[olddawg]

All I can find is the Braodway Music site that shows a catalog pic of a K150 with a 3-15 cab.
A buddy of mine just picked up a 3-15 cab and has it loaded with 3 8-ohm 100 watt speakers. He wants to know if it's safe to drive it with his K200 head.
I don't want to give him bad information, and I just don't know. Thanks

If memory serves me, the old transistor Kustoms could not take less than a 4 ohm load. It will probably say on the back of the amp. If it will not take a lower than 4 ohm load you can always add a series resistor at the cab jack to bring it up. I would add a 2 ohm 10 watt resistor. 8/3=2.67+2=4.67 You will not lose much power if it is noticable at all. Measure the cab.

[booj]

how about 1.3 ohms?

[booj]

Apparently, according to the VintageKustom.Com site the Frankenstien head was used with a 3-15 cab. so it looks like it can drive a 2.7 ohm load and even a 2 ohm load.

[olddawg]

Apparently, according to the VintageKustom.Com site the Frankenstien head was used with a 3-15 cab. so it looks like it can drive a 2.7 ohm load and even a 2 ohm load.

Was the K200 the same as the Frankenstien head? Very few transistor heads of the day would handle a 2 ohm load. And if they did I would be very leary about stressing an old amp like that even if it was originally "designed" to take it. A while back someone asked me if they could get more volume out of a Marshall Lead 100 Mosfet amp if they rewired their cab for 4 ohms. I said the amp originally came with two 16 ohm cabs for a 16 or 8 ohm load combined. Some hot shot pointed out that the amp was "designed" to take as low as a 4 ohm load. So the guy rewired his cab, dimed the amp, and two hours later blew the ouputs. It ran 25 years on a 16 ohm load, two hours on a 4. I would be careful.

[nashvillebill]

My K250 supposedly could run a 2.66 ohm load...

But I don't think it'd be a good idea. It had (4) 2n3055's for power transistors. These were mounted inside the head, in the bottom, and the head was practically sealed for no air flow whatsoever. And lets not forget the nice wood and padded tuck-an-roll insulation around it all...Even with a 4 ohm load, the metal of the head was warm to the touch. The components inside had to be approaching their thermal limits.

[booj]

I wanted to get the picture in the catalog site at vintage. It shows frankie on top a 315. I am wondering about specific info, I guess. (oxymoron).
That makes me think tho, that since frankie came before the k200, and basically became the k200, that it would be basically the same. I've looked at the amp inside and it's similar.
The guys gonna use it so I guess we'll find out.

[52 Bill]

A lot of the original 3-15" Kustom cabs were originally loaded with 16 ohm speakers.

[olddawg]

A lot of the original 3-15" Kustom cabs were originally loaded with 16 ohm speakers.

That makes MUCH more sense.

[Eagle]

the K200 can take no lower than a 4 ohm load. The 3X15" should be fine if loaded with 16 ohm drivers.

The main difference between the frank heads and the later K200 was how the preamp was coupled to the power amp. The frank was transformer coupled. The K used transistors. All else being pretty much the same.