Supro Solidbody Guitars - 1952 through 1967

1952 Supro Ozark

Years ago, I ran across this unusual guitar in a pawn shop. It was a single cutaway, one pickup guitar with a bolt-on neck, and a “Gumby”-style headstock. The owner wanted $100 for it, and refused the fifty bucks I offered him. I really wanted it, but back then I was married and had a baby, so it was just not in the stars for me to have that guitar.

That guitar was a 1952 Supro Ozark model. The one pickup was unique since the strings passed under the pickup, much like the horseshoe pickups on a Rickenbacker bass guitar. These Supro Ozarks were actually built for steel guitar players.

Hendrix with a Supro Ozark

I later learned that this model was Jimi Hendrix’ first guitar. Since then I have been fascinated with these old Supro guitars. They have made a comeback though. That guitar that I could have had for $100 is now worth $900 to $1000 on the vintage market.

1930's National Style 0

Supro guitars have their roots in the National String Instrument Corporation, which were rivals of the Dobro Manufacturing Company. The roots of National String are quite tangled. It was founded by John Dopyera and guitar player George Beachamp in the early 1920's in an effort to come up with a louder guitar. A few years later Dopyera left to start Dobro. The Dobro company was founded in 1928 by John and Emil Dopyera, and later joined by brother Louis. The name was morphed from Do-pyera, and brothers, and in Slovak it means “good”.

1930's Dobro Angelus

Beachamp also worked with Adolph Richenbacher (later changed to Rickenbacker), who owned a tool and die shop. This shop produced bodies for the early Dobro, aluminum guitars, and also the resonator cones that went into the guitars. At that time guitarists were clambering for a louder instrument. The initial Dobro resonator cones had an inverted bowl shaped single cone with a bridge over its top. This was developed by John Dopyera, but not patented.

National String Instruments began build single resonator steel guitars with a non-inverted metal bowl.

By 1934 the Dopyeras’ had gained control of National. But by 1937 the company was struggling financially.

In 1942 WWII had started, and metal was rationed. This was the year that Victor Smith, Al Frost, and Louis Dopyera (another Dopyera brother) got together to start a new company called Valco with was an amalgamation of V(ictor), A(l), L(ouis) Co(mpany) or Valco.

1947 New Yorker

National had already created some arched top electric guitars, and lap steel guitars in the 1930’s. Production of National guitars started up again in 1947.

By 1952 Valco began manufacturing solid body electric guitars under the National and Supro brand names.

1952 Supro Ozark (Oahu)

These instruments were made of wood, and some were covered in pearloid plastic, commonly known as “mother-of-toilet seat” (my granny had one of those back in the day).

These were the days of Country Music, and electric guitar companies marketed their product to the folks that played Country Music.

1957 Supro Dual Tone

By 1957 Supro had produced one of it’s most recognizable electric guitars; The Supro Dual Tone. This guitar featured two gold-plated National single coil pickups, with a volume and tone potentiometer for each pickup. The model usually came with a gold-plated tailpiece, and a wooden compensated bridge.

The two position selector switch operated either pickup, but not both at the same time. The “Kord King” neck was painted the same colour as the guitar, and topped with open back Kluson tuners (three on a strip) that had plastic butterfly pegs.

In my opinion, the neck was rather fat. This guitar came in white or black. The pickguard was the opposite colour of the body.

1957 Supro Pickups and features

Valco engineer Ralph Keller had come up with four different pickups to be used in their guitars. The neck pickup was called a True Spanish Bass pickup. It was wound to give a sweet and clear dark sound.

The Electric Melody bridge pickup was wound in a way to produce a bright slightly overdriven sound.

1957 Supro Ozark -
 Hawaiian Western Pickup

The Hawaiian-Western unit was used on the Ozark model. The strings passed underneath this pickup. It gave a midrange sound that was conducive to slide guitar playing.

Supro True Spanish Rhythm Pickup
aka Silver Sound

The most unusual Supro/National pickup was called The True Spanish Rhythm Unit also called The Silver Sound pickup. Some publications describe it as a piezoelectric pickup.

It was a regular electromagnetic pickup with a coil in the base of the bridge, and two or more magnetic pole pieces suspended from underneath the saddle. This was an early attempt to replicate the sound of an acoustic guitar. This type of pickup was also used in National guitars.

In 1959, Supro introduced several other electric solidbody guitars in addition to the Supro Dual Tone, and the Ozark. The Rhythm Master was an electric guitar that featured two sing coil pickups on the body; the Melody Unit, the Bass Unit, plus the Silver Sound unit, which at the time was referred to as the Spanish Rythm Unit, or just the Rhythm Unit. The shape was similar to the Dual Tone except it had a slight cutaway on the upper treble bout. It also had a German carve around the perimeter of the body. The guitar had one volume potentiomer, and a slider switch.

1959 Rhythm Master
with Val-Trol

This guitar also was equipped with Val-Trol. This was a unique Valco feature that consisted of six screw adjustable mini-pots above the saddle and pickups. The player could preset each volume and tone miniature potentiometer to the desired tone/volume with a screw driver. There also was also a removable plate on the back of this guitar.

1959 Supro Triple Tone

The Supro Triple Tone guitar, also known as The Tri Tone, came with three single coil pickups, although there is no mention whether they were bass or treble units. The Triple Tone had one volume potentiometer, and three tone controls. This guitar was only offered in 1959.

1959 Supro Coronado

Though the Supro Coronado, was not a solid body guitar, but actually a maple hollow body without and F-holes and a single cutaway, I am going to include it since it is rather unique. The body featured a two single coil pickups; the bass neck unit, and the neck melody unit, plus the bridge mounted Rhythm Unit or Silver Sound pickup. The three way pickup selector was mounted on upper bout. Beneath the strings were six adjustable mini potentiometers similar to those on the Rhythm Master.

1959 Supro Belmont

The 1959 Supro Belmont was essentially a Supro Dual Tone, but with only one Melody Unit pickup mounted near the bridge. The body was covered in plastic “mother-of-toilet seat” finish, although sometimes it was a solid colour of plastic material.

The Kord King neck on The Belmont did have a Brazilian rosewood fret board. The guitar came with a compensated wooden bridge. The controls included a volume and tone knob, and a slider switch that turned off the sound.

1957 Supro Belmont

The Belmont was also offered in 1957 as a version was similar in shape, but the pickup was placed In the neck position, and this version only had a volume and tone pot. For both years, the Belmont came with a stamped metal tailpiece.

Supro Super Series

The Supro Super Series guitars were short scale instruments. There were two versions. One came with twin pickups, while the other came with just one pickup unit. There was a slider switch on both. The switch on the two pickup guitar activated one pickup at a time.

1959 Supro Super Series

On the one pickup guitar it turned the sound on or off. The tailpiece on both guitars was of the stamped metal variety. The bridge saddle was a compensated wooden unit.

To achieve the short scale on the Super Series, the neck, which was the same one used on the 25” models, was moved forward to join the body at the 12th fret.

So the body had to be routed out to accommodate the additional neck length.

1959 33 Special

The Supro 33 Special was a beginner guitar outfit that included a guitar similar to the 1957 Belmont, which had the single neck pickup, only with a plastic cover, a raised scratchplate which contained the wiring. This eliminated routing. There were a volume and a tone pot on the scratch plate. Also included was a wooden compensated bridge, and a stamped tailpiece. The outfit included a 4 and a half watt Supro amplifier with an 8" speaker, and a cardboard guitar case.

1957 Supro 33 Special

This guitar was an updated version of the 1957 Supro 33 Special, which had a single pickup, and routing under the pickguard for the electronics. The 1957 version was a short scale instrument. Note the neck joining the body at the 12th fret.

By 1962 some of the Supro line remained the same. The Supro Dual Tone was still offered with no changes. The short scale Supro Series was reduced to only the single pickup model.  The Belmont also remained unchanged.

1962 Supro Ozark

The 1961-62 Ozark was also offered, but was a much changed instrument. This guitar now included one Melody unit pickup in the bridge position. The action was lowered. The body shaped now included a small cutaway on the upper bout, however it was essentially a Belmont with a different body shape.

1962 Supro Kingston

A new guitar called The Kingston was very similar in shape and accouterments to the Ozark, however the body was made of fiberglass material, which Valco called Res-O-Glass.

1962 Coronado II

The Supro Coronado II was different from the early model. This guitar had a fiberglass body. The Val-Trol controls were gone, and so was the bridge mounted Silver Sound pickup. This guitar came with a Bass Unit pickup, and a Melody Unit bridge pickup.  The guitar came with a three-way slider switch, allow each pickup, or both in unison. Controls included volume and tone knobs for each pickup,

1962 Supro Bermuda

The Supro Bermuda was a twin pickup version of the Kingston. It had a molded plastic body, which was different than the Res-O-Glass shells found on other Supro guitars. The Bermuda's slider control activated the neck pickup, or the bridge pickup. This guitar had a single volume and tone knob.

1962 Supro Martinique

The 1962 Supro Martinique was also made of fiberglass. These fiberglass guitars had a molded top and bottom with a large rubber/plastic gasket that was surrounded the two units.  The Martinique had the small upper cutaway, and the deeper lower cutaway. This was a three pickup guitar that included the Bass Unit in the neck position, the Melody Unit in the bridge position.

This guitar came with the bridge/saddle Silver Sound acoustic unit.

1962 Supro Martinique

On the lower bout was a single master volume control and a three way slider switch. Above each pickup and the bridge were the Val-Trol tone, and volume controls for each pickup. Instead of being mini-potentiometers that had to be adjusted with a screw driver, these were regular sized pots, with knobs. The headstock was larger than the other Supro guitars. The Martinique was their top-of-the-line electric guitar.

1962 Pocket Bass

Also new this year was the Supro Pocket Bass. This was a short scale bass, only 25 7/8th inch scale. Later models sold under the Airline brand had a 30 inch scale. This was a double cutaway wooden bass with two cutaways, and one single coil pickup in the neck position. The other pickup was located in the instruments' bridge. It is mistaken as a piezo pickup, but was actually Valco's Silver Sound unit that was built into the bridge with the pole pieces hanging upside down, to give it an acoustic tone.

Supro Pocket Bass
unfinished - back plate removed

It was called the Pocket Bass, not because it was small, and short scale. There were seven or eight round pockets, about the size of a soup can, routed in the back of the instruments body. Three more slightly smaller routes contained the controls. A black cover was screwed to the back of the body. The guitar came in black, but the Airline models sold through Montgomery Ward were offered in iced tea sunburst.

1964 Supro Coronado

By 1964 the Supro line up had diminished. The Coronado II was listed in the catalog as just The Coronado. It had a fiberglass body, and two pickups, the Bass Unit in the neck position, and the Melody Unit in the bridge unit. The Kord King neck, was topped with a rosewood fretboard with block inlays, and had the larger headstock. The controls included volume and tone controls for each pickup, and a three way slider switch for individual pickups or both together.

This guitar came with a Valco vibrato unit.

The Martinique was still offered, with no changes to the instrument.

'65 Tremo-Lectric

New for 1964 was the Tremo-Lectric. This guitar had twin pickups, and each had it's own volume and tone controls. Two switches above the pickups controlled which pickup was activated.  A small on/off switch below the neck pickup activated the tremolo, which was powered by a single C battery. The guitar had a single volume and tone control, and two other knobs to control the tremolo speed and intensity. A small plate on the back of this guitar could be unscrewed to change the battery. The Tremo-Lectric had a fiberglass body that was molded, and baked into the instruments shape. Two other guitars were offered this year.

'64 Suprosonic 30

One was the Suprosonic 30, which was a single "Bell Tone" pickup in the neck position. It had the same double cutaway body shape as the Pocket Bass. It had a Valco vibrato system, a wooden compensated bridge, and was only available in red with a white headstock.

1964 White Holiday

The 1964 Supro White Holiday was guitar with a white fiberglass body, and came with a single bridge pickup in the bridge position, and apparently the Silver Sound pickup that was embedded in bridge. This guitar came with a single master volume control, a slider switch, and three tone knobs. It also had the Valco vibrato unit. The literature promised three distinct tonal sounds.

The Hootenanny
aka The Folkstar

1962 through 1964 was also the year of the Folk Music fad. Though it was not an electric guitar, it was a unique instrument. Like many of the other Supro instruments, The Hootenanny also known as The Folkstar, had a fiberglass body.  As a throwback to the days of the National String Instrument Company, this guitar had a single bowl resonator. It was advertised to be built in the True Bluegrass style and the Grand-pappy of Hill Country music. Well, that was a bit of a stretch.  Apparently the shallow fiberglass body dampened the air flow to allow the resonator to be useful. But it was a very unique instrument.

1965 Supro Japanese Imports

The 1965 Supro catalog contained some familiar models  However some of these were imported guitars from Japan. The models S525, S535, and S545 were all solid body guitars made in Japan.

1965 Supro S555

The S555 had the same pickup arrangement, switches and knobs as on the other guitars, but it came with a fiberglass body. This guitar also had the Silver Sound bridge pickup. This guitar had a six-on-a-side headstock. I'm suspect that the neck may have been of Japanese origin.

1965 Supro S430

The Supro model S430 was a six string guitar version of the Pocket Bass. It came with a single Bell Tone pickup in the neck position, and a Valco tremolo. The back was solid, so I do not believe the pockets were routed into this instrument.

1965 Super Seven

The Super Seven was a budget guitar geared to children that were beginning to play guitar. It had a single pickup in the center of its body, and a very short 22" scale.

1965 Sahara

The Sahara was also a budget model with one pickup in the bridge position, and Supro's standard 24.5 inch scale . It had a fiberglass body, and sold for less than one hundred dollars. The pickguard announced it was a Sahara.

1966 Pocket Bass

By 1966 Valco was mostly distributing guitars made of Japanese imported parts. Perhaps the only left over was the body of the Supro Pocket bass. The four-in-a-row headstock on the neck was probably made in Japan. The bridge/saddle pickup is the same. The trapeze tailpiece is now a stop unit with a hand rest.

There is no longer any mention of the "Kord King" neck in this years literature.


The 1966-67 Pocket Bass was now only a 24 and a half inch scale  neck, which was the same scale as Supro guitars from 1962.  It may be a guitar neck adapted for bass.

1967 Supro Stratford, Carlisle,
Claremong, and Croydon models

This year introduced some thin hollow body electrics, but they were of Japanese origin.

Sadly 1967 was the final year that Valco/Supro offered guitars and amplifiers.

They declared bankruptcy that year and the assets were purchased by the Kay Musical Instrument Company. The assets of Kay/Valco were auctioned off in October of 1969.

In 2001, Michael Robinson created Eastwood Guitars to revive and create many older brands of guitars, by using some modern technology. Shortly afterward he acquired the right to the Airline brand name and began offering some reproductions of Valco instruments. 

In 2005 Bruce Zinky, who worked for Fender Musical Instruments before setting up his own firm, purchased the Supro brand name to create updated versions of Supro amplifiers. 

In 2013 Absara Audio, of Port Station, New York, purchased the Supro name from Zinky. They currently make outstanding Asian reproductions of Supro guitars and amplifiers.

Click on the links under the pictures for sources. Click on the links in the text for further reading.
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Here is the 2017 Supro Hampton guitar