longterm test
A few months’ gigging, recording and everything that goes with it – welcome to Guitarist’s longterm test reports
To recap, in wanting to continue learning about Supro guitars – old and new – I’d borrowed a new Black Holiday and purchased, rather hastily, a 1968 Supro Stratford. The two guitars might bear the same brand name, but separated by some 49 years, it’s little surprise that they feel and sound very different. And while the contemporary 2017 Black Holiday hasn’t been back in its box since I received it at the end of last year, the 1968 Stratford has adopted a more ‘valuable sibling’ status and is carefully returned to its case after every play session. Despite the fact that the latter didn’t cost much more than the contemporary piece, it feels like a guitar we want to covet.
But neither guitar is exactly right for the gigs I have. While the new Black Holiday feels stable, has a slim neck and easy playability, the ’68 does have something of that ol’ creaky ship about it: hugely endearing, but is it really up to performance level?
In rehearsal, that is less of an issue, likewise in the studio. While it sits very nicely for a couple of songs in our live set, the ’68’s switching – three rocker on/off switches and a volume and tone for each pickup – hardly makes it the most intuitive guitar I have to hand, although it works best for me with the neck and bridge pickups on, all the volume and tones up full and I use a volume pedal to adjust the level. The Black Holiday is way more, erm, sensible. Less bulky, better balanced and light in weight on a strap, it really should be number one. Its wooden ‘jazz guitar’ bridge, however, doesn’t seem to be maximising sustain – nor probably the twopiece sandwich construction with that rubber fillet as the filling. It has master volume and tone controls and no vibrato. My first thought was to replace the wooden top of the bridge with a tune-o-matic. Possible? A vibrato? But there’s something about this guitar I really like and, if I’m honest, although it might be a little out of step with more contemporary designs, that’s the point: I think the word I’m looking for is ‘unique’.
All too soon, however, a live-in-the-studio recording session is upon us. A gig the night before means we’re on it musically, but a little worse for wear when we turn up to the studio bleary eyed at 10am the next morning. While our drummer and the studio engineer wrestle with the kit and mics, I discuss the song order with our singer who needs to warm up and take it easy so as not to strain her voice. A couple of hours later we’re ready to go – and the first tune is the one I have down to use a Supro… but which one? It’s not the time to be messing about as the four of us focus on getting a good take. Second take and our drummer is happy. I’ve used the ’68 and really want to do another take with the Black Holiday, but I’m out-voted. We move on.
A couple of days later I’m back in the studio to do a couple of repairs (okay, so it’s a mostly live-in-the-studio session!) and mix and master our six-song EP. One repair is the solo on the track I used the ’68 for, which is fine, but I just think I can build a little more. Again, time is against us so I simply plug in the ’68, match up the sounds and put it down in a couple of takes. Next!
Listening back, though, it’s a glorious sound: rootsy, a little jangly and a little funky around the edges. It’s in tune, but there’s something ‘old’ about the intonation that, with the volume swells and timed Daniel Lanoisstyle delays, just seems to work so well.
Round Two goes to the ’68, but have I got the balls to use it on our next gig?
“The Black Holiday is less bulky, better balanced and light in weight on a strap”