Aloha All,
Just a short funny tale...
So I have a NOS 1961 Supro. The original owner bought it new, played it twice, then it sat for 60 years under a bed. It has the original instruction manual, and the original chipboard case in perfect condition. I bought it off of Facebook marketplace for $300 flat.
I recently bought this 1962 Supro off of Reverb because it came with a high quality Morrell case, which I am now using for my Frypan. $330 plus shipping and tax.
It's funny because the "Aged" Supro is younger than the NOS Supro.
I don't know what is worse/better...having a beautiful untouched instrument that is a snapshot in time, but was never used to play music...Or the road-worn battle tested instrument that has its own history, likely across multiple owners.
In any case, I have both, and it's a really cool "before" and "after" kind of comparison that can only result from 60+ years of time passing.
I don't have the heart to gig the NOS one. It's a museum piece. It's not worth much, but it's still a really cool snapshot in time. When you open the case, it has such a nostalgic smell. Almost as if the "new smell" never left and is still preserved.
They both sound great, especially with Rick Aiello's NiBro replacement mags.
Enjoy!
A Tale of 2 Supros...
Moderator: Brad Bechtel
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Michael Kiese
- Posts: 308
- Joined: 17 Jul 2023 12:27 pm
- Location: Richmond, Virginia (Hometown: Pearl City, HI)
A Tale of 2 Supros...
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Aloha,
Mike K
1932 A22 Rickenbacher Frypan, 1937 7string Prewar Rickenbacher Bakelite (C Diatonic), 1937 7string Epiphone Electar (Jerry Byrd's E9), 1937 Epiphone Electar (C#m9), 1940's Post War Rickenbacher Bakelite (Feet's D), 1950 Supro (Open F), 1950's Rickenbacher ACE (C6), 1950's Rickenbacher A25 Frypan (A6), 1957 National New Yorker (Jerry's E13), 1955 Q8 Fender Stringmaster (A6, C6, Noel's E13, C Diatonic), 1961 Supro (Open A), 8string VanderDonck Frypan (Buddy Emmons's C6).
Mike K
1932 A22 Rickenbacher Frypan, 1937 7string Prewar Rickenbacher Bakelite (C Diatonic), 1937 7string Epiphone Electar (Jerry Byrd's E9), 1937 Epiphone Electar (C#m9), 1940's Post War Rickenbacher Bakelite (Feet's D), 1950 Supro (Open F), 1950's Rickenbacher ACE (C6), 1950's Rickenbacher A25 Frypan (A6), 1957 National New Yorker (Jerry's E13), 1955 Q8 Fender Stringmaster (A6, C6, Noel's E13, C Diatonic), 1961 Supro (Open A), 8string VanderDonck Frypan (Buddy Emmons's C6).
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Kelly Hagerman
- Posts: 7
- Joined: 12 Aug 2025 6:55 am
- Location: Montana/Colorado
Re: A Tale of 2 Supros...
In a way it's nice to have a Supro to not care about the finish and wear as much because any damage unless it's major just adds to the story of the steel! The other one is good for nice events or just admiring at home, maybe 30 years from now trying to flip as a long term investment, although it seems to get harder to sell steels every year.
1950's Magnatone D8 (C6 and C11 (B11 derivative)
1960's Marlen S8 Project (C6)
2020's SX Lap 8 (C6)
1960's Marlen S8 Project (C6)
2020's SX Lap 8 (C6)
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Rick Rienks
- Posts: 24
- Joined: 5 Jul 2024 6:31 am
- Location: Oregon, USA
Re: A Tale of 2 Supros...
Hello there,
I was surprised to see your 2 Supros, one like new, one aged like a fine wine. I too have one (Comet?) of an older vintage S/N : T 53XXX which I est. to be 1961 based on the S/N. Mine came with the cardboard case and a Harmony amp (significant 60Hz buzz.).
When I dug out my “Tube-Driver” Amp, I was astounded at the output! I had to roll the volume way back to avoid annoying the neighbors. What a pick-up.
Now all I need to do is keep running scales and jamming with videos - and continue reading these pages re various tunings. For now, I stick with one tuning and work on reading manuscript. All this came easier 60 years ago, when I was playing full time.
I was surprised to see your 2 Supros, one like new, one aged like a fine wine. I too have one (Comet?) of an older vintage S/N : T 53XXX which I est. to be 1961 based on the S/N. Mine came with the cardboard case and a Harmony amp (significant 60Hz buzz.).
When I dug out my “Tube-Driver” Amp, I was astounded at the output! I had to roll the volume way back to avoid annoying the neighbors. What a pick-up.
Now all I need to do is keep running scales and jamming with videos - and continue reading these pages re various tunings. For now, I stick with one tuning and work on reading manuscript. All this came easier 60 years ago, when I was playing full time.