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|  | |  | | | Kustom The Defender 5H Class A Guitar Amp Head | | | | | | | |
List Price:
| $144.99 | |
Our Price:
| $99.99 | |
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| $45.00 (31%)
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| | Features | 18 WattsWhen turning the Volume control down to get cleaner tones, Duo-Mod(TM) progressively reduces gain in multiple locations throughout the preamp circuit. The result is stunning clarity, even on medium-gain sounds that often sound lackluster in other amp designs. Then, when adding gain, Duo-Mod brings it on in multiple locations. The result is smoking hot rock tones with punch and clarity that simply blow away the competition.12AX7 Tube PreampSolid Pine Cabinet with Plywood BaffleDesigned in the USA18 Watts powerWhen turning the Volume control down to get cleaner tones, Duo-Mod(TM) progressively reduces gain in multiple locationsThe result is stunning clarity, even on medium-gain sounds that often sound lackluster in other amp designs.Then, when adding gain, Duo-Mod brings it on in multiple locations.The result is smoking hot rock tones with punch and clarity that simply blow away the competition.
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| | Description | Defender All-Tube Guitar Amplifiers There are times when high volume levels aren’t required or even desired. For times like this, enter the 5-watt Defender head. With a Class A, single-ended circuit designed around an EL84 power tube and 12AX7 preamp, the Defender 5H offers tasty tube tone at lower volume levels. And the cool thing is, when you crank it up, out comes natural tube overdrive. It’s the sound that gave birth to Rock n’ Roll. | |
| | Product Details | | Product Length: | 6.0 inches | | Product Width: | 3.54 inches | | Product Height: | 2.95 inches | | Package Length: | 15.4 inches | | Package Width: | 9.9 inches | | Package Height: | 6.9 inches | | Package Weight: | 9.05 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 13 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 13 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
You'll Love this Little Amp! Nov 05, 2010
By John Stanley
"Alamo Jack"
I'm an old guy getting back into electric guitars after 30 years of acoustics. Once belonging to the school of "If you can't play it right, play it loud", at 60 I wanted something to give my second hand American Strat a warm, creamy voice without breaking the bank. I bought an Epiphone Valve Jr. to use as a practice amp long enough to decide on a larger unit. What a piece of #@X$&! junk; lot's of noise and poor quality overall. After returning it, I stumbled on the Kustom Defender 5H. Praise the ghost of John Lee Hooker! What a sweet little amp! One knob to keep things simple (ain't nothing complicated bout' the blues). You can keep the volue low for sweet and creamy or crank the little dude up for some muddy distortion. Played at 8 ohms thru a pair of Carvin 12's, the shoe box sized Defender is plenty loud. As a matter of personal taste, I'll probably change out the Chinese 12AX7 and EL84 tubes with Gold Lion equivalents for reliability and noise control. The affordable Kustom Defender 5H is so good it'll "make you want to slap your Mama!"
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
This thing is crazy loud! Jan 22, 2011
By G. Scroggin
I wanted a small tube head to run pre's and pedals into, with the hopes of still being able to get some power tube saturation at moderate volume levels. The Kustom is way louder than I expected!
I'm running it into an Avatar G112 Vintage with an 8 ohm V30 speaker. The gain stages on the volume knob are funky, there are 3 or 4 noticable jumps in loudness and overdrive that my ears hear. The jumps are not divided evenly across the pot as you turn it, which is why I say it's "funky". Cranked up direct, you can get great over driven rock sounds. Back off your pickup's or pull the heads volume down and you can get a variety of bluesy/gritty in between tones. Very versatile if you spend some time with it. Definitely not enough gain for metal on it's own, but front end it with a pre or pedal and you're all set (and you'll probably need a gate / Decimator / etc. to tame it).
Regardless, it's a very cool little head and for $99 it's a no brainer!
7 of 8 found the following review helpful:
As Good As It Gets Apr 13, 2011
By K. Beach
"KRB"
There are undeniable environmental costs associated with "hot glass" compared with solid state, but the musical benefits are significant for many styles of playing. There are a few solid state amps that come commendably close to vacuum tubes (e.g. Tech 21), but they weigh in well beyond the Kustom Defender's astonishingly low price point. Fortunately, the 5 watt Defender is well designed and doesn't dissipate a vast amount of heat relative to the work it performs.
The Defender does what good tube amps do: it responds to the most subtle nuance of string manipulation and rewards the player with glassy, bell-like overtones that make the resulting music rich and dynamic. Opinions about vacuum tubes seem to range from practical to religious and I'll defer judgement to the righteous. From an electrical engineering perspective, the stock high-gain tubes (prone to "hiss" under certain conditions such as being connected to effects pedals without a noise gate) do exactly what they're supposed to without microphonics and will likely be sufficient for most players. If you're inclined to swap tubes, the Defender 5H is cathode biased so you can pretty much "plug and play" (be sure to wear gloves to avoid contaminating the tubes with longevity-robbing oil from your skin). For example, if you'd like to "tame" the 5H and enjoy rich, saturated tone at lower volume levels (e.g. in-home practice), try using an Electro-Harmonix 12AY7 pre-amp tube (less gain than 12AX7) and a JJ EL844 (low-output variant of the EL84) power tube.
Would I buy the Defender again? Yes. In fact, I own a pair of them (in two separate locations). The Defender is solidly built in a nicely minimalist way and can power a wide variety of cabinets. If you use multiple cabinets, pay attention to the composite impedance and use the proper power output jack on the back of the Defender for your particular mix. I've coupled each of mine with single 8" Eminence NH2008 Acoustinator mounted in a vented Sound Ordinance automotive sub-woofer enclosure. This serendipitous combination of Defender and Acoustinator works equally well with my six-string guitars and my bass. I also use the Defender 5H to power two open-back cabinets (in separate locations) with a single Jensen P8R alnico speaker in each for that vintage Fender Champ-like sound. Caution: 5 watts of Class-A power coupled with one or more efficient cabinet(s) can play loudly enough to require serious ear protection.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Awesome Amp for the price. Nov 09, 2011
By The Great Solderdini
This amp is LOUD. But, it has all the nice tubey goodness you would expecti from a tube amp. The 4, 8 and 16 ohm output is very nice. If your looking for a lot of clean headroom, look elsewhere, but there are Mods out there for that. There is only the one combined vol/gain knob (again there are mods). But, it is very easy to go from clean, to a little growl, to serious growl, to all out crunch. It is too loud for home/bedroom/apartment use, except for clean, or a little growl (depending on your pickup). With an overdrive or distortion oedal you can overcome that. It takes pedals extremely well. I'd also recommend an EQ pedal. You can do a lot with the guitar knobs, though. I am also getting an attenuator, because the amps normal gain sounds are very good. I just want them at lower volumes. But, for this price, this is amazing.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Nice Mar 25, 2011
By trailwalker1
This little Kustom amp is very impressive the clean tone at a low volume is great and Kustom added some distortion at higher volume, this amp is well worth the $100. I would pay more after owning this amp...
See all 13 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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