With its aged spruce high, distinctive pickguard, “Gumby” headstock, and Vistatone pickups, this Coronado has character—and voice—in spades.

A lot of my favourite tales from instrument manufacturing historical past are linked to the Dopyera brothers. So many manufacturers are linked to their household identify that it’s virtually unimaginable. And that features Supro, a basic model that has skilled a contemporary renaissance.

Not too long ago, this 1961 Supro Coronado electrical guitar got here by way of the doorways at our store. I point out that it’s a guitar, as a result of Supro additionally used the Coronado identify for an amplifier—and, in actual fact, nonetheless does. However the Coronado electrical 6-string was a staple of the corporate’s catalog for years, and went by way of quite a lot of permutations, together with the archtop design of this month’s guitar and, by 1963, a Res-O-Glass model. There’s even a present mannequin impressed by the latter, referred to as the Coronado II, that sports activities what the brand new Supro calls an “Acoustic-glass” high.

“At about $1,300, this 1961 Coronado is a good, cool-sounding, and inexpensive classic American electrical.”

This class of ’61 Coronado is a really cool guitar. However earlier than I get too nuts-and-bolts deep, let’s revisit the Dopyeras. By 1933, the household had misplaced and regained one among their most well-known firms: the Nationwide String Instrument Company. And as soon as they bought Nationwide again, they merged it with Dobro, which brother John Dopyera had co-founded with two companions from outdoors the household in 1929. After the merger, the brothers moved the majority of their operations from southern California to Chicago, the place Louis Dopyera additionally relocated to move up operations.

By 1936, Louis famous the development towards electrical, amplified devices and wished to diversify to fulfill that rising demand. He partnered with Victor Smith and Al Frost to create Valco—an acronym for Victor, Al, and Louis. Valco rapidly started producing devices, amps, and equipment for quite a lot of different manufacturers, together with Concord, Regal, and Montgomery Ward’s Airline, however their very own core model was Supro.

Supro labeled this mannequin’s 3-way pickup selector because the “tone swap,” however tone is definitely managed by the 2 backside pace dials. Whereas the pickguard as soon as bore the Coronado identify, the Vistatone pickups are arguably the guitar’s crowning characteristic.

I’m an enormous fan of all Valco merchandise, however Supro guitars are my favourite! So, let’s get again to that ’61 Coronado, which additionally occurs to in all probability be my very favourite Supro 6-string. In 1960 and ’61, the Coronado sported an arched spruce high, two quantity dials, two tone knobs, and a 3-way swap labeled “tone swap” that was, clearly, a pickup selector. Our guitar has all of that, and two unique Vistatone pickups, which seem like humbuckers however are literally single-coils wearing a humbucker-size cowl. These had been developed and patented in 1952 for Valco by Ralph Keller, to offer an enormous, fats sound not in contrast to Gibson’s P-90s, which debuted in 1946. Vistatones are one of many issues I actually like concerning the outdated Supros I personal. They supply an enormous, uncooked tone that’s a slide participant’s dream. The lap-steel model of those pickups was made well-known by Ry Cooder, whose modded “Coodercaster” guitars characteristic them within the bridge slot.

This month’s Coronado has just a few nicks right here and there, however general is in nice form. The mannequin identify has worn off the pickguard and the unique tone knobs have been changed, however Valco’s OEM butterfly keys and the smaller “Gumby”-style headstock with a D-shaped neck offers the guitar a pleasant, slinky look.

This headstock is basic classic Supro: the “Gumby” form with white trim, the lightning bolt brand, and butterfly tuners.

Sadly, like a variety of instrument firms within the late ’60s (try my narrative on Grammer’s union with Ampeg within the September situation’s Classic Vault), a merger spelled the top of Valco. After Valco joined the Kay Musical Instrument Firm in 1967, monetary stress busted each firms. Right here’s an attention-grabbing sidebar: Famed Nashville musician Tut Taylor—who, alongside together with his son Mark, was a builder of resonator guitars, banjos, and mandolins—purchased a variety of Valco’s equipment and supplies at public sale and moved into the outdated Grammer guitar manufacturing facility in Music Metropolis to create Tut Taylor Music, which produced the Tennessee model of devices and would turn out to be Wealthy and Taylor within the ’90s.

At about $1,300, this 1961 Coronado is a good, cool-sounding, and inexpensive classic American electrical. Over the a long time, Jimmy Web page, Jimi Hendrix, Dan Auerbach, Jimmy Reed, Howlin’ Wolf, J.B. Hutto, and lots of different notable gamers have wrapped their arms round Supro fashions like this one. When you haven’t tried this historic guitar or one among its siblings, you’ve bought a deal with simply ready for you.