Members Revenge013 Posted July 6, 2018 Members Share Posted July 6, 2018 Hello, and I thank you in advance for taking the time to read my post. I've inherited this red Supro from my late Uncle. Vigorous, and perhaps not enough, research leads me to believe that this is a Supro Airline, or Belmont, model. However, I'm unable to find a picture of an Airline model with a 'cream' colored headstock. The, what I assume is a serial number, which reads G4301, is stamped on a metal tag, which is riveted on the back of the headstock. I have submitted a ticket to Absara's SuproUsa.com website, requesting any information they could share with me. I have yet to receive a response beyond the automated "we have received your response" email. As an aficionado, I'd love to know her history, (factory/city of production), year, and value. Again, thanks for taking the time to read this, and thanks in advance for any information you can share with me. Very respectfully, Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 The closest thing I can think of is the Supro Sahara or Belmont... you might want to do some research on those models. It's definitely a fiberglass / reso-glass body (Valco built) guitar - probably from the early to mid 1960s. Supro USA makes a reissue Belmont that you can buy new today that looks practically identical to your guitar... https://suprousa.com/guitars/americana-series-guitars/1572vpr-belmont-vibarato/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Revenge013 Posted July 6, 2018 Author Members Share Posted July 6, 2018 Gotcha, Phil. Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge, appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 Happy to help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Verne Andru Posted July 29, 2018 Members Share Posted July 29, 2018 You may or may not get a response from Supro USA. The only resemblance they have to the original "Supro" is they (Pigtronix) bought the "Supro" U.S. trademark from Bruce Zinky a number of years back. Not sure if Bruce bought the name from the original owners, if Valco did in fact trademark the name, or he just filed an application with the PTO and was first in line. The new Supro line is marketed as a "re-imaging" of the originals. There is no affiliation between new and old. What you have is a super cool vintage reso-glass Supro. Nice score! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members makamai137 Posted March 18, 2021 Members Share Posted March 18, 2021 Anyone know about the Supro Ranchero? I inherited it from my late uncle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted March 20, 2021 Members Share Posted March 20, 2021 (edited) 1957 Supro Ranchero | Folkway (folkwaymusic.com) Supro Ranchero 1959 | Main Drag Music | Reverb Google is your friend. Edited March 20, 2021 by badpenguin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted March 20, 2021 Moderators Share Posted March 20, 2021 IIRC, the Ranchero is essentially a Harmony Monterey body with a p-up and a pickguard, and of course the Supro bolt on neck in place of the Harmony neck. Montereys don't get much love but some of them are pretty nice looking and play okay for an older archtop....sound wise...erm..... Rancheros are very cool old critters...I've only ever played one, many years ago, great bite on the pickup at full volume through a small tube amp! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Verne Andru Posted April 22, 2021 Members Share Posted April 22, 2021 (edited) On 7/29/2018 at 2:11 PM, Verne Andru said: You may or may not get a response from Supro USA. The only resemblance they have to the original "Supro" is they (Pigtronix) bought the "Supro" U.S. trademark from Bruce Zinky a number of years back. Not sure if Bruce bought the name from the original owners, if Valco did in fact trademark the name, or he just filed an application with the PTO and was first in line. The new Supro line is marketed as a "re-imaging" of the originals. There is no affiliation between new and old. What you have is a super cool vintage reso-glass Supro. Nice score! FWIW I took trip through the USPTO trademark files and discovered: - Valco used the Supro name on cheap department-store guitars and amps back in the day but the Supro name and "Supro" graphic with the lightening-bolt were never registered by Valco. The Lanham Act, which governs US trademark law, didn't come into effect until the late 1940s and Valco had a pre-existing business-model (as did Gibson and the others) that likely didn't account for the then new IP regime. - In 2004 Bruce Zinky registered "Supro" as a wordmark for use on his re-branded Zinky amps. The wordmark is also for guitars, a couple of prototypes of which Bruce brought to NAMMs circa 2005+. He tried registering Supro for swag like shirts and caps but was denied because of a pre-existing "S.U.P.R.O." registration owned by a footwear company IIRC. - The "Supro" trademark - the graphic with the lightning bolt - has never been registered by anyone anywhere and is probably in the public domain and can't be registered. - Around 2006 Absara/Pigtronix moved from NAMM Hall E up to the main floor taking over Zinky's prime booth-location right between PRS and Seymour Duncan. It quickly became a Pigtronix booth with Supro relegated to the backline. - Around 2013 Abasra/Pigtronix bought "Supro" from Zinky and embarked on an ill-advised rapid expansion that started hitting the wall a few years later. They started using the ® mark with the Supro trademark even though it isn't registered. They also started using the ® with "Pigtronix" and that had never been registered as a trademark or wordmark. - In 2020 Absara sold Pigtronix and Supro to BOND who also own the D'angelico line. To summarize, the Supro stuff selling today has nothing to do with the Valco Supro stuff either by legal registration or guitar DNA. The OP's guitar is vintage Valco. Edited April 22, 2021 by Verne Andru typo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted April 22, 2021 Members Share Posted April 22, 2021 Great info Verne. Thanks for that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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