Supro...Which Model???

[mirrormist]

Hi

I have acquired this little guitar (should receive it at the end of the week)…just wondering if anyone knows the model…I believe it to be early sixties but not sure



Rainer Ptacek is playing one very similar to this on the youtube “me and the devil” clip



thanks

Anthony

[mirrormist]

www1.myspace.com/reloc.cfm?c=2&id=B8EC7DC1-23B7-4CB8-A943-1CF6C3EE3315

Ok…I see Rory Gallagher played one in 85 but unless I’ve missed it I still don’t know the model:(

I will keep looking


photo by Charlie Gili...see link at top

Regards

Anthony

[Mairena Red]

Hi Anthony,

Those old Supros seem to very popular with slide players as Ry Cooder used to play one too, though his was a slightly different model with a single cutaway. The late lamented LRC had one in a few years ago. These days Ry Cooder seems to favour old Guyatones (see www.rycooder.nl/pages/ry_cooder_Instruments_gear_amps_effects.htm).

I am no expert but it would be nice to have a soundbite.

All the best,

Joe (aka Mairena Red)

[mirrormist]

Hello Joe...thanks for the link

I have found a catologue site but it is subscription only...i may go back there and use it if all else fails but for now i shall carry on with my quest to find some history and the model

www.vintaxe.com/catalogs_american_supro.htm

thanks again

Anthony

[Anders]

Hi Anthony,

that's a Supro Dual-Tone. I have one just like it. And you're right, it's early sixties. Earlier versions of the Dual-Tone had a slightly different design; like the one David Bowie uses.

The Supro naming is a bit weird. They named their guitars after the pick up configuration, rather then body shape or things like that. For instant, add a piezo pickup in the bridge (easy spoted with those two extra volume and tone knobs over the bridge) on your Dual-Tone, and you got a Val Trol. And slap on a bigsby with that piezo, and it becomes a Martinique.

Did you buy this one of the 'bay just recently? How do you like it?

Anders

[Anders]

One more thing, if you like to know the year, here is a serial # guide:
www.provide.net/~cfh/national.html

Anders

[mirrormist]

Hi Anders...thanks for the info...

Yes i bought it recently though i don't expect to recieve it until after Tuesday.

It was an impulse buy...only the second time i have bought a guitar without seeing or touching it so am hopeful that there won't be too much work to do on it...hopefuly none hahaha or do you think that is too much to hope for:)

I am excited at the prospect now that i know Rory Gallagher played one...

It seems such a risky business buying in such a way also...i will feel more relaxed when it gets here.

thanks again...much appreciated

Regards

Anthony

[Anders]

Hi again,

let us know what you think of it when you get it. And if you do get yourself a copy of an old Supro catologue, I really would like to have a look at it.

Anders

[mark makin]

Hello Mirrormist
What you have is a 1964 "Dual Tone". A year earlier, this model still had the older wood body (like the one Ry Cooder is seen with). This reso-glas body was similar to the earlier "Martinique" except that the Martinique had a Bigsby and an extra bridge "silversound" pickup. with 6 buttons not 4. They were both arctic white and black scratchplate. In 1964 it cost $159.50. By 1965 it had dropped in price to $149 and by 1966 it had vanished.

[Michael Messer]

Thanks Mark & Anders. These are lovely guitars. I have owned three of the instruments that sit in this range; Westwood, Glenwood and Valpro 82, they are very cool to look at and they are great fun to play. Enjoy!

Shine On,
Michael.

[mirrormist]

Hello Anders…thanks…I understand the Supro has been posted today so I expect to receive it before the weekend…who knows, maybe I will even be hooking it up when I get home from work tomorrow …I will continue to research so will indeed let you know if I manage to pick up a catalogue on my journey…best wishes


Hello Mark…and thanks for taking the time to help me out with the info you have provided…it is invaluable and much appreciated …I saw some today with different button configurations so that would tie in with what Anders said about the hardware rather than the body shape deciding model type…it’s all very interesting…even is Frank Zappa is purported to having had one in his college days…thanks again:)

Hello Michael…I am not surprised that you have had some guitars from that particular family in your time
I was browsing a Supro site last night which seemed to cut off prior to the 60’s…did it all change as a company back then?...are the sixties guitars related to the earlier Supro’s?... which if I remember correctly from what I read go back as far as the 30’s

Also Michael…can you recommend any period amps to look out for that would go well with the Dual Tone played in a low key (not musical) setting.

Thanks for all the info guys

[mark makin]

Hello again Anthony
Supro was the "cheaper" brand produced by the National Dobro Corporation. They seem to first appear about the time of the company formation when National amalgamated with Dobro in early 1935. They immediately produced a wood bodied "cricket bat" type lap steel just called a "Supro Hawaiian" in 1935 and also a cast lap steel like a simplified version of the cast Nationals and Dobros - again around 1935. Throughout the existence of National Dobro and Valco - similar parallel instruments were issued from National, Supro and Airline. Sometimes the only difference was the colour and the badge - notably instruments like the Resoglas "Folk Star" and the wood bodied "Belmont" type.
Supro issued catalogues right to the end like National when the company collapsed as a result of a badly planned takeover involving Kay guitars and Seburg Jukeboxes.
Personally - I don't think there is any difference in the qualities of respective Supro and National guitars. They are effectively the same thing!

[Michael Messer]

Hi Anthony,

I know of an amp for sale at the moment. It looks like I am sending everyone to Frets.co.uk, but in this case Ron does two amps that need good homes. They are both in absolutely beautiful condition - one is an OAHU 6watt amp from the mid 1950s similar to my National Westwood & Champ repro. The other is a 12 watt NATIONAL that is in 'mint' condition. They are both absolute beauties. I have borrowed both amps on various occasions and I can promise you they are stunners! (Also both are serviced by our man 'Amp Doctor John' and fitted with UK transformers.

Here's a pic of the OAHU



I can't find a pic of the National Amp, I have a catalogue reference somewhere, I'l ask Ron to send me a photo of it.

I can tell you that you would go a very long way to beat the little OAHU amp - seriously, it is a superb little amp which I would highly recomend.

Other choices - get one made by Amp Doctor John - like mine, a little 50s Champ copy. It is an amazing amp that performs as well as a vintage amp. I use it these days because I have had enough of ruining old amps on the road. I wil say it is easily as good as anything built in the 1950s. See my website for a page about it.

I hope that I have been helpful. (I really don't work for Frets, it is just that they have the best stuff and as a new venture, the more we support them, the better for everyone)

Shine On,
Michael.

[Mairena Red]

Hi Anthony,

Seem to remember seeing a picture of Link Wray playing a Supro Dual Tone on the cover of one of his early albums, though I think it was the wood-bodied version Mark mentions above.

Rumble on!

Joe (aka Mairena Red)

[Colin McCubbin]

Just spotted this thread... I have the 1965 Supro catalogue featuring this guitar. Took a while to dig it out, but here in all it's glory is the page...

I have also uploaded a bigger scan, (567k) which you can open www.notecannons.com/temporary/supro.jpg. This would be better for printing.


BTW the '63 Supro catalogue calls the bridge pickup (fitted to the Martinique and 'pocket-bass' ) the 'bridge'tone' unit.

(I think Silversound was the name used in the National ads for the same pickup..?)