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Topic: Which vintage Supro (or similar) should I look for?? |
Jim Fogarty
From:
Phila, Pa, USA
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Posted 1 Apr 2020 6:02 pm |
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If I want to snag a string-through pickup vintage Supro (or similar) 6 string, what models should I be looking for? Any considered better than others? Any that are particularly great deals?
I had a sweet sounding Kay, but the white fingerboard was near impossible to see.
Thanks! |
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Jeff Highland
From:
New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 1 Apr 2020 7:35 pm
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I've got a '49 Supro, sounds great.
I'd expect them all to be pretty similar in sound with the stringthrough pickup so make your choice on what appeals to you aesthetically.
Only exception to the above as far as I am aware is the Oahu Diana (and maybe some other Models) which has a longer scale than the standard supro 23" and may suit you better if you want lower tunings such as open D. |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 1 Apr 2020 8:33 pm
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I like my early 60s National. I replaced the magnets (actually one magnet and a piece of painted wood) with a pair of new magnets from Lollar. Very nice inexpensive upgrade.
_________________
Current Tunings:
6 String | G – G B D G B D
7 String | G6 – e G B D G B D (re-entrant)
https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database |
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Peter Jacobs
From:
Northern Virginia
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Posted 2 Apr 2020 7:46 am
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One of the things I like about my '64 Jet Airliner (besides the included legs) is that the volume and tone knobs and 1/4" jack are on the far side of the strings. Some of these steels have a knob on each side of the strings, and some have screw-on or hardwired cords. Assuming the pickup is in good shape, I'd just be aware of those ergonomic/practical features.
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Peter
---------
www.splinterville.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@splinterville6278/videos |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 2 Apr 2020 8:06 am Re: Which vintage Supro (or similar) should I look for??
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| Jim Fogarty wrote: |
| If I want to snag a string-through pickup vintage Supro (or similar) 6 string, what models should I be looking for? |
Most of those old Valcos sound pretty good, but some are better than others. Be aware that some, such the most inexpensive of the Airline-branded instruments from Montgomery Ward, were built with an extremely short scale. Personally, I would avoid the short scale Valcos. |
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Bill Groner
From:
QUAKERTOWN, PA
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Posted 2 Apr 2020 8:23 am Re: Which vintage Supro (or similar) should I look for??
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| Jim Fogarty wrote: |
If I want to snag a string-through pickup vintage Supro (or similar) 6 string, what models should I be looking for? Any considered better than others? Any that are particularly great deals?
I had a sweet sounding Kay, but the white fingerboard was near impossible to see.
Thanks! |
You did say similar........now this one isn't Vintage, but it is a String Through Lollar Pickup and it is for sale, and also in your neck of the woods.......no shipping
 
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Currently own, 6 Groner-tone lap steels, one 1953 Alamo Lap steel, Roland Cube, Fender Champion 40 |
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K Maul
From:
Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL
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Posted 2 Apr 2020 8:50 am
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I don’t know all the names of the model numbers but as long as they have a string through pick up they’re all pretty cool. The Comet was one but Kay, Oahu and a bunch of other brands had Valco making their guitars for them. It’s just a piece of wood with a really cool pick up on it so I wouldn’t micromanage it. Just make sure that the pick ups work and that the pick up adjustment screws aren't frozen rusted in. If it’s rusted you can break off part of the pole piece when you put a screwdriver in there to adjust the height.
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KEVIN MAUL: Airline, Beard, Clinesmith, Donner, Evans, Excel, Fender, Fluger, Gibson, Hilton, Ibanez, Justice, K+K, Live Strings, MOYO, National, Oahu, Peterson, Quilter, Rickenbacher, Sho~Bud, Supro, TC, Ultimate, VHT, Williams, X-otic, Yamaha, ZKing. |
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Steve Lipsey
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 2 Apr 2020 12:06 pm
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Oahu Diana is a treat...beautiful and tuneful. I love mine...not quite a rich as my Frypan with Horseshoe, but definitely in the same ballpark compared to others...
Some Dianas may not have string-through, be careful. Also Tonemasters mostly don't. And the finish cracking you see on a lot of them is just a sign of the original nitrocellulose finish, which will crack if the instrument is moved from cold to warm to suddenly...
_________________
https://www.lostsailorspdx.com
Williams S10s, Milkman Pedal Steel Mini & "The Amp"
Ben Bonham Resos, 1954 Oahu Diana, 1936 Oahu Parlor |
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Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 2 Apr 2020 6:01 pm
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I like the Supro Comet, which I believe evolved from Supro's best ideas as it was produce well into the 60's.
I just bought a really old one and restored it. (1950)
Check out my design chronology that I researched and put together.
Supro Commet Chromnology
1949, 1950
no pickup cover
straigt body
black and white logo at top
white or black knobs
Integral cord
MOT finish
open tuners
1951-1953
pickup cover
straight body
color logo at top
Black embossed Supro logo with lightning bolt on lower bout
white or black knobs
integral cord
MOT finish
enclosed tuners
1954-1955
pickup cover
straight body
color logo at top
black knobs
unusual Jack no cord
Mot finish
enclosed tuners
1956-1958
pickup cover
tapered body
color logo moved to lower bout
black knobs
unusual Jack no cord
white finish
enclosed tuners
peghead black interior
1958-1968
pickup cover
tapered body
color logo moved to lower bout
black knobs
standard Jack
white finish
enclosed tuners
peghead black interior
knobs were black our white in the early 50s |
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Ian McLatchie
From:
Sechelt, British Columbia
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Posted 2 Apr 2020 8:59 pm
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I've owned many string-through Valco instruments and they've all been great guitars. For me, Supros are the ultimate beauty-on-a-budget steels. The models you'll most likely come across are the Comet and the Supreme. Both were made with many different finishes and brand names. The National Chicagoan with the musical fret markers is basically a Supreme and there are thousands of them floating around.
I think my favorite Supro-style instruments were a Jet Airliner and a Gretsch Jet Airliner (same name, different guitar). As Jack said, you probably want to avoid the short-scale student models. Also, a few Supros bizarrely had one "magnet" that was really a silver-painted hunk of wood, which essentially made the pickup worthless. I had one of those and wish I'd held on to the fake magnet as a souvenir.
Also, early Supros and Nationals had a screw-on connector rather than a 1/4" jack. What a pain those things are! Easy enough to replace, but when you remove the connector look for the nail that holds it in place.
One more thing, I don't know if Rick Aiello is still making his NiBor replacement magnets, but if you can find a set of those they make an incredible improvement.
Jason Lollar also makes upgrade replacements, I think. At the very least I'd get a remagging. Those magnets are often almost completely exhausted. |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 4 Apr 2020 10:42 am
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| Be sure to post a picture when you buy one! |
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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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David Venzke
From:
SE Michigan, USA
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Posted 4 Apr 2020 11:30 am
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As Jack Hanson pointed out, the Airlines are short-scale guitars, 21-inches. Just FYI ...
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Steve Cunningham
From:
Atlanta, GA
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Bob Stone
From:
Gainesville, FL, USA
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Posted 7 Apr 2020 10:41 am
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Personally, I would avoid any with the plastic fretboards. The painted fretboards (or were they decals?) are further from the strings, facilitating quieter pick blocking without an annoying click on the fretboard. Just my two cents.
Supro lap steel: No home should be without one! |
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 8 Apr 2020 2:46 pm
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If I were looking for another old guitar, I would hope to find something with seven strings. I have two electric six stringers and I miss the lower tones of the chord.
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Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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