NAMM 2017: Supro Americana and Island series guitars
Supro's 14 new models seek to recapture their 60s glory.
Following the successful reintroduction of their classic amplifier range, Supro have announced a new line of electric guitars.
Supro’s Dave Koltai, master-designer Trev Wilkinson and virtuoso luthier Glenn Sweetwood have teamed with vintage pickup expert Ken Calvet to produce 14 new instruments with period correct electronics and the unique construction details of the original Chicago-made models.
With two lines distinct new lines - the Island Series and the Americana Series - the Supro guitar range takes 21st century playability and performance and mates it perfectly with retro looks and iconic tones.
Based on the Vintage 1962 Supro Ozark body design, the Island Series guitars offer the player a choice of three pickup configurations - the single pickup Jamesport, the twin pickup Westbury and the triple pickup Hampton model. All three models have solid alder bodies, with set maple necks. Each sport Gold Foil pickups based on the units designed in the 1950s and are found in many desirable vintage Supro, National and Airline models. Since there are no pole pieces, this is a “field coil” pickup. It provides a huge, wide-open sound that is best-described as broadband, due to the rather wide frequency response, with big fat bottom and crystal-clear treble. These pickups work very well with overdrive, distortion and fuzz pedals, as well as vintage-voiced amplifiers.
Meanwhile the Americana Series employ the vintage Supro body design with Acousti-Glass top matched to a semi-hollow mahogany back and uses a redesigned two bolt neck joint for the mahogany neck. Featuring the single pickup Sahara, Dual-Tone and Belmont models, and the Holiday, Coronado II and Martinique twin pickup models, the vintage-correct Vistatone pickups accurately replicate those sought-after tones often found in Supro, National and Airline guitars of the period. The 50’s wiring captures the design developed for Valco by Ralph Keller in the 1950’s whilst the Coronado II, Martinique Deluxe and Belmont Vibrato guitars all feature a period correct fulcrum vibrato tailpiece.
Also included in the new Supro Guitar collection is the Jet Airliner Lapsteel. Using a vintage Supro body design, the Jet Airliner has air deco fingerboard design with a string through body hardtail bridge and features vintage Gold Foil pickups with authentic 50’s wiring and volume and tone controls.
Supro Island and Americana Series guitars will be available across Europe in January and February 2017 respectively. Check out the Supro demo playlist here below:
SUMMER NAMM 2016: Supro 1600 Supreme 6V6 amp
Supro's tribute to Keef will start you up!
Supro USA has announced the 1600 Supreme, an all-tube tribute to rock guitar icon Keith Richards. This historic replica sees the return of the Chicago-made 1x10 amplifier used extensively by the Rolling Stones guitarists throughout decades of rock and roll hits.
With ample headroom for use with pedals and plenty of volume on tap for playing live, the new Supro 1600 Supreme carries on this legacy as the the no-frills, grab-and-go amplifier. From warm jazz and clean country twang to dirty blues and hard rock, the Supreme projects loud, clear, punchy tone, with unrivaled clarity, touch dynamics and low noise floor---even when pushed into glorious 6V6 power-tube overdrive.
The legendary Supro preamp found in the 1600 Supreme features a pair of parallel gain stages fed into a shared tone knob. This versatile, dual-input preamp allows two instruments to share the same combo amplifier, as well as providing the convenient option of plugging a single instrument into IN1+2, for double the gain. The two inputs can also be used with an A/B or A/B/Y switch to accomplish channel switching for both clean and dirty tones with one guitar.
Features:
- 1959 Vintage Supro Cosmetics and Circuitry
- 2 Channels with Parallel Link and shared tone control
- 25 Watts Cathode-Bias "Class-A" Power Amp
- Ample headroom for live performance with pedals
- 1×10" Custom Voiced Supro BD10 speaker
- EXT Speaker jack for matching extension cabinet
- 3x JJ 12AX7 preamp tubes
- 2x JJ 6V6 power tubes
- Gold Faceplate
- Black Rhino Hide Tolex
- 17 5/8" x 7 1/2" x 15 1/2"
- 33.6 lbs / 15.3 kg
- Assembled in NY, USA
Check out Supro's demo of the new 1600 Supreme below:
Supro announce three new tube amplifiers
Three stylish new combos from Supro.
US amp manufacturer Supro have announced three new-all tube amp combos.
The Supro Titan, a 50 watt 1x10 combo with reverb and tremolo, the Jupiter 1x12 combo with three position rectifier, and Rhythm Master a 1x15 combo with reverb and tremolo, have all joined their ever-growing stable of classic valve amp designs.
Titan (1642RT)
The Supro Titan (£1229) is a 50 Watt, 1x10" tube combo that features the Class-A Supro sound. Intended for the gigging guitarist who needs a small size, yet high-power, the Titan is a vintage flavored amp tube that can handle the output from a massive pedal board full of fuzz, delay and other stomp-boxes, without the need for an effects loop.
Combining the traditional, cathode-biased, 6L6 power section found in the high power Supro amps of the 60’s with the cabinet dimensions of Supro's award-winning Tremo-Verb model (with HP10 driver), the Titan delivers unrivaled definition and projection in a remarkably compact, gig friendly package. Never sterile or clinical sounding, the Titan has a huge, warm, full bodied sound with enough volume to play any size venue.
Tube driven six-spring reverb and output tube tremolo add depth and dimension to the Titan’s glorious sound. As with all Supro reverb amps, the tremolo is found after the reverb, creating a haunting, vintage-correct modulated reverb effect that is unique to the Supro range.
FEATURES
· Class-A (50 Watts)
· Independent BASS and TREBLE controls
· All-tube reverb
· Output-tube tremolo
· Silicon Rectifier
· 6L6 power tubes
· 1×10 Supro HP10 HEMP CONE speaker
· Blue Rhino Hide tolex
· Assembled in NY, USA
· Engineered by Bruce Zinky, Thomas Elliot and David Koltai
TUBE COMPLEMENT
· 4x 12AX7
· 1x 12AT7
· 2x 5881 / 6L6
Supro Jupiter (1668RT)
The Supro Jupiter (£1329) is a top-of-the-line amp intended for the performing guitarist who needs a vintage sound that handles the output from a complex pedal rig. The Jupiter amplifier offers headroom punch and stage volume without sacrificing the fundamental dynamics and tonal characteristics that have made Supro amps famous.
The Jupiter model features Supro’s unique switchable rectifier topology, allowing musicians to select 35-Watts (Class A) or 45 / 60 watts (Class AB) to suit the gig at hand. The 35 watt cathode bias mode uses the legendary Thunderbolt power amp topology for a harmonically saturated, tube-rectified sound that combines wonderfully with this 1x12” platform. The 45 and 60 watt grid bias modes provide more volume and headroom as well as the faster transient response associated with Class AB power amps.
The switchable power amp topology of the Jupiter not only allows for players to change the texture and output volume of the amp but it also provides two very different, all-tube tremolo effects depending on whether Class A (cathode bias) or Class AB (grid bias) mode is selected. The cathode bias tremolo is vintage Valco/Supro all the way, where the overall depth of the effect changes along with the dynamics of your playing. The grid bias tremolo is gives a much deeper, stronger and more pronounced throbbing effect. Since the tremolo is performed by modulating the bias of the output tubes, the reverb necessarily comes before the tremolo effect, for a mesmerizing combination of pure tube reverb and tremolo when both effects are combined.
FEATURES
· Switchable Class-A (35 Watts) or Class-AB (45 / 60 Watts)
· Independent BASS and TREBLE controls
· All-tube reverb
· Output-tube tremolo
· Tube or Silicon Rectifier
· 6L6 power tubes
· 1×12 Supro HP12 HEMP CONE speaker
· 5U4 Tube Rectifier
· Blue Rhino Hide tolex
· Assembled in NY, USA
· Engineered by Bruce Zinky, Thomas Elliot and David Koltai
TUBE COMPLEMENT
· 4x 12AX7
· 1x 12AT7
· 2x 5881 / 6L6
· 1x 5U4
Supro Rhythm Master (1675RT)
The 1675RT Rhythm Master offers the huge, bold sound of the 1x15” Thunderbolt amp, but need a lush, all-tube reverb to fill out their sound. Rooted in Supro tradition, this vintage inspired model is loaded with independent bass and treble controls, six-spring long pan reverb, output tube tremolo and switchable Class A / Class AB power amp wiring for 35, 45 or 60 watts of vintage American tone.
The Rhythm Master’s USA made custom 15” driver is the most accurate and true sounding 15” guitar speaker on the market, with a full, broadband sound that is never muddy. To create this signature speaker, Supro worked with Eminence to combine the best elements of classic 15” speakers with modern construction methods and materials to achieve a vintage voiced driver with superior power handling and juicy bottom end.
The unique power amp topology of the Rhythm Master not only allows for players to change the texture and output volume of the amp but it also provides two very different, all-tube tremolo effects depending on whether Class A (cathode bias) or Class AB (grid bias) mode is selected. The cathode bias tremolo is vintage Valco/Supro all the way, where the overall depth of the effect changes along with the dynamics of your playing. The grid bias tremolo is gives a much deeper, stronger and more pronounced throbbing effect. Since the tremolo is performed by modulating the bias of the output tubes, the reverb necessarily comes before the tremolo effect, for a mesmerizing combination of pure tube reverb and tremolo when both effects are combined.
FEATURES
· Switchable Class-A (35 Watts) or Class-AB (45 / 60 Watts)
· Independent BASS and TREBLE controls
· All-tube reverb
· Output-tube tremolo
· Tube or Silicon Rectifier
· 6L6 power tubes
· 1×15 Supro TB15 speaker
· 5U4 Tube Rectifier
· Blue Rhino Hide tolex
· Assembled in NY, USA
· Engineered by Bruce Zinky, Thomas Elliot and David Koltai
TUBE COMPLEMENT
· 4x 12AX7
· 1x 12AT7
· 2x 5881 / 6L6
· 1x 5U4