Longtermers
A few months’ gigging, recording and everything that goes with it – welcome to Guitarist’s longterm test reports
After writing our recent Supro review (issue 417), I’d already decided I wanted one. Outside of the day job, my go-to electrics are semis – a Guild Newark St Starfire V being my main squeeze until luthier Chris George revived an old single-cut semi that I’d bought in the 80s (the brand is a mystery, though probably a European build from the 60s). He’d installed PRS 53/10s, partial coil-taps, a new, recessed roller bridge, and USA Bigsby and locking tuners. An equivalent-style guitar in the new Supro line would be the Americana Coronado (£929), but a spare smaller-bodied Black Holiday and me had become quite attached during my review period: it’s a bit cheaper at £829, without vibrato and with just master volume and tone. A good foil to my bigger semi.
While considering whether I could justify this addition, however, I started investigating vintage Supro prices. It seems that certain Res-O-Glas models do command much higher prices (though not all), but numerous Supros, not to mention Airlines and Nationals – all made by the same company,Valco – command much lower, sub-£1k prices. Now, if you’re after a ‘big-name’ guitar from the 50s or 60s, or even the 70s, you’re going to have to pay pretty big money. But clearly less popular brands can be surprisingly affordable and compare directly with prices for new ‘reissues’ or reimagined versions of original models, a fact amplified post-Brexit when new guitars from many, many brands have risen in price, in some cases considerably.
So now I had a dilemma. Old or new? Noting a couple of shops in London’s Denmark Street had some 60s Supros, I set off to continue my research. I popped into No.Tom Guitars to inspect a 1968 Supro Stratford (the last year of the brand), made in Chicago: its version, seemingly, of the Gibson ES-335. Chatting to store owner, Ron Smith, it became apparent that despite being a mine of vintage guitar information, he, like me, knew relatively little of the brand, not least that their pickups were single coils – they look like humbuckers. It’s these pickups that really interested me, and the Stratford I was strumming has three original so-called ‘Vista Tones’. So in what I can only describe as a potentially ill-informed impulse buy, I took the guitar.
It isn’t 100 per cent perfect, nor is it 100 per cent original. There’s no cover plate or, indeed, arm for the vibrato. The knobs look to have been changed, too, and the good condition of the finish suggests it’s been over-sprayed. The original frets have been competently stoned and as a result the guitar plays nicely enough. The tuners are a little stiff, but the electronics all seemed to work – even the row of three pickup on/off rocker switches. The neck is straight and features an adjustable truss rod, which had seemingly only just come into Valco practice as the company’s production period ended. The neck is straight and feels good with a biggish but nicely shaped profile.
In a pre-gig band rehearsal there’s always a lot going on and it really isn’t always the best time to plug in a ‘new’ guitar. One thing that becomes immediately apparent, however, is just how ‘wide’ this ’68 sounds. It’s got a lot more low-end than that centre-blocked semi I’m using, with less apparent cut; it’s surprisingly mellow. Yet the quality of sound is more than apparent – that grainy, richly harmonic voice sounds superbly interesting and characterful. Mind you, cock-up number one: a Fender Mustang vibrato arm that I’d taped a thread onto is way too long… something to sort!
Now, the new Supro is totally fit for purpose. Its neck is thinner, more modern-mainstream; the master volume and tone and the three-way lever pickup selector switch all make for an easy drive. It’s smaller and less hollow than the ’68 Stratford and, although the bridge is definitely old-school, intonation is acceptable. Sound-wise, it’s a brighter and tighter voice – not necessarily in a bad way. It doesn’t come with a gigbag or case, however, so I’d need to factor that in, and bearing in mind the Stratford included a (non-original) case, the two guitars were similarly priced. So have I made the right choice in choosing the Stratford? We shall see…
“The Stratford’s grainy, richly harmonic voice sounds superbly characterful”