Roland Tweeter fix for KC-500
(And other KC Amp kits)
I bought a KC-500 amp for my Roland V-Drum kit a while back. Worked as a nice practice set, even good for small gigs. But the damned tweeter blew.
Tracking down a replacement through Roland's website was impossible.
Even mention of this issue online is scarse, yet when calling the local dealers, they say it happens pretty often, likely because the amplifier is a little underpowered and the tweeters do not have overdrive protection. Overdriving an amplifier to clipping causes high-wattage spikes that toast tweeters, even when the amp is small.
The replacement tweeter is almost $100 if ordered through a local Roland Dealer and takes a while to arrive. Looking for another way, I decided to pop the tweeter out and see if this thing is sold somewhere else.
The tweeter is actually a Fostex horn tweeter. I googled Fostex and used a number that was stamped on the back, in my case it was 025H30. I found all sorts of links that sell Replacement Diaphrams for this speaker, most costing around $10!
After removing the tweeter itself, simply remove the four nutscrews that mounts the horn onto the magnet. It comes apart easily from there with just one more screw that holds the diaphram circuit board onto the magnet. Replace this with the new part.
You're back in business in just minutes and saved a lot of money.
Cheers,
Edward
