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Post by hh1978 on Nov 17, 2020 21:53:30 GMT
Hello,
Is this type of neck (older Supro headstock, no zero fret) common on the Folkstar / Airline ?
If not, what would it mean? Assembled at factory closure or early model? I believe the serial is T76217, but that's just guessing from a blurry picture. It's a stamped plate, not a sticker.
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Post by pete1951 on Nov 18, 2020 14:55:42 GMT
Behind the nut looks a little ‘disturbed’. Could the zero fret have been removed and the nut replaced?
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Post by Mark Makin on Nov 18, 2020 15:58:59 GMT
Hi HH
I can understand your confusion here. The neck is definitely NOT the standard neck that would have been fitted when this was first released as a "catalogue item". This would have a flame shaped white headstock and been branded as an AIRLINE. The red version was a Supro and the white one - a National. As you already know, the Valco company 'mixed and matched' any neck with any other feature when they were assembling the last instruments to be sold at the Valco liquidation sale in 1968.
The neck on this instrument was, as far as I know, never used on these instruments nor do you see these instruments with T numbers at this time (1962) so I suspect that the neck is a later addition. You DO get these Folkstar-type instruments with metal plate serial numbers but they are usually G plates from 1962/3. By far the largest number of them have foil stickers with a 1 or a 2 prefix. These date to 1965-68. It does seem that the earliest ones occuring are the black ones in 1962/3. The red and white tend to be the later ones through 1964/5.
I think it is unlikely to be an assemblage at the 1968 liquidation sale because it would not have been released with the much earlier serial number. I think, the neck and the number on it were transplanted to a broken necked Airline 'Folkstar' at a later date. I think the black body is probably an earlier one because it still was issued with its cream plastic 'air vent' sound holes. The later models of black instruments are often fitted with the small screen holes that should appear on the red Supro Folkstars. I think they must have run out of those airvent fixtures much earlier than the Supro fittings. Try googling 'Jeff Lang' and have a look at the sound holes and neck on his. It is very definitely a 1968 'assemblage'
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Post by Mark Makin on Nov 18, 2020 16:08:08 GMT
Incidentally, if that serial number (T76217) is correct, then I suspect that it comes from a Supro Coronado 2. These are the instruments that would have been on the bench at Valco when that serial number was issued. They are definitely the same type.
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Post by hh1978 on Nov 18, 2020 19:16:25 GMT
Hi Mark,
Thanks for your detailed reply! It totally makes sense, and is very likely what happened.
Actually, Jeff Lang is the musician that started my interest for those resoglass instruments. I know his black one has a rare neck (but not unique, as I know at least of four other Airline that are identical to his). And when I saw this one I wondered if they had also used that older type of Supro necks on the model, but something felt wrong. I think you nailed it, especially regarding the "air vent" soundholes.
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