Advice on a '60s Supro with amp-in-case

Hi all,

I'm back in Portland, OR for a week and in my spare time I'm wandering around to the various music shops I like. I walked into one yesterday and in the middle of the main floor is a guitar tagged as a '60s Supro and sitting next to it is the case with the amp inside. They're asking $650 for it and I'm curious about it but know nothing about older guitars so I'm looking for some advice.

At first glance it looks pretty "original" - as in, the guitar and case are covered by what looks like some pretty original dust
Kinda like this one, but dusty and with a single cutaway: https://reverb.com/item/63867-silvertone-1448-with-amp-in-case-1960-s-sparkle-black
The amp has 2 inputs, plus tremolo, and a 6V6 output section. If the dust is indeed original, the amp will probably need a re-cap and possibly new tubes, but I can do that work myself so it's no big deal.

Has anyone played these type of guitars, and what did you think of them?

I'm almost certainly going to go back to the shop for another wander around, they've got all sorts of good stuff there - a 1901 Washburn parlour guitar, a Vox organ that sounds fantastic, some neat lap steels, etc. Too tricky to ship all of it back to Australia, unfortunately!

Cheers
Pat

Hi patricks,

Supro was originally associated with National Dobro for which it was its budget brand harkening back to the '30s. They were also marketed under the Airline brand supplied by Montgomery Ward. The model you reference is likely one of the fiberglass models produced by Valco Guitars which was purchased by Kay in 1967 before it went belly-up in 1968. From what I know, they are fairly desirable for a so-called house brand and usually go for somewhere between $350 and $700 so the price is not completely crazy but it better be in more than decent condition (= Very Good or better).

Hope this helps,

- Jos

I play my silvertone 1448 as much as possible...really fun guitars.

When I take the ferry it's the perfect size to play without rolling down the window for the headstock (you touch the headstock lightly to the glass and it becomes very audible.)
The hollows in the body and fiberboard and porous neck wood make for
a really nice acoustic sound on it's own. Those lipstick pickups can give some nice bell like tones .

Mine has been through some crazy times...still plays great with the occasional fret polishing.
Years ago I swapped out the rosewood saddle for a piece of bone I could carve for intonation,
that made things that much better .

Jos seems spot on about the pricing. You can find beaters for around 2-250 without the case.
I think I bought mine back for 158 plus shipping about 6 years ago.


You gotta love that twilight zone sparkle finish.

elwood

Thanks heaps, guys

I played a couple of similar Silvertones today at a different shop and they were really nice. I guess I was just kinda surprised that something with "vintage" on the tag would have a 3-figure price.

I decided against getting it, in the end. It'd have to go back with me as airline baggage and I doubt the masonite case would survive the trip. I spent this afternoon playing with modular synths and vintage guitars, though, so it was pretty darn good day! The shop with the Supro was Old Town Music, by the way; if you're in Portland it's worth checking out, as is Black Book guitars, where I was today. Just leave your wallet at home if you're easily tempted, so much good stuff!