Supro Amps

by jimbugg

So, those of you who know me may know that my favorite amps ever are Supro amps. Supro was a brand of the Valco company from the 1930s until its demise in (I believe) the late ’60s/early ’70s. The amps they produced in the sixties, however, rock. I’ve got two and I love them very dearly (plus I use them almost every time I play) and I’m always on the hunt for more.

Today, everything changed.

Yesterday, it was unveiled that the Supro brand had been bought from Bruce Zinky by Absara Audio, LLC, the company behind the Pigtronix effects pedals brand. They plan to reissue the original Supro amplifiers, with more details to be released at Winter NAMM 2014. More interesting stuff from the press release includes that they will be USA-made in Port Jefferson Station, NY, they’ll be reissues of “the most highly sought after Supro amps,” and they’re slated to begin shipping in April 2014.

Needless to say, I want one.

More details, info, and updates can be found at: http://www.suprousa.com

Read the official press release here: http://www.suprousa.com/press-release/

Update: I’ve just talked to Drew Shirley, guitarist for Switchfoot and famous user of Supro amps, about these via Twitter. We’re both pretty excited. On a related note, be on the lookout for Drew’s new amp company Revival Amps, who are also giving off the Supro vibe and coming out in 2014 as well.

 

Update 2 : I’ve just gotten an email back from David Koltai, the man at Pigtronix who is in charge of PR for Supro USA. He confirmed to me that the Winter 2014 NAMM Show will see the release of models, reissues of the Supro Thunderbolt and Model 24, which he says will honor “both the sound and the aesthetic of the old Supro amps.” He also says that the new company has accurately recreated the unique and illustrious blue rhino-hide tolex that adorned the original amps, adding that “it looks amazing.”

As a Supro enthusiast, not only must I reiterate how very excited I am for the release of these amps, but also that I’m very much hoping to see the new Supro USA make available some of the rarer elements of their reissue amps – the rhino hide rolex, the correct amp handles, and the Supro logo piece – so that owners of the original amps can restore them accurately. Also, if anyone from Pigtronix/Supro USA is reading this piece, I hope that they’ll consider reissuing the Supro Super, one of my favorites from the original catalog. I also hope that they’ll keep the reissues affordable and accurate, and that they’ll send me one to review! *crosses fingers*

Lastly, I want to thank Absara Audio, LLC, Pigtronix, and Supro USA for making these reissues happen.