Supro SE Amp made by Valco / Chicago : repair, analysis, sound demo

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Another beautiful Valco amplifier here: • Vintage Tube Amp at it...
This gorgeous 5 Watt amp, equipped with a 10 inch speaker sounds and looks amazing.
If you ever come across of one of these- buy it! You won‘ t be disappointed. Though, this exampel looks quite simular it is not exact the model that Jimmy Page was using. He had a highly modified (butchered) 1690 T (see the picture in the video).
But in my personal opinion, you will find the „Supro sound“ in any Valco Amp of this era, like you find the „Marshall sound“ or the „Fender sound“ in their amps as well.
And……oh, I have to admit: It was not Jimmy Page , who played the tunes at the end of the video.😆

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5 окт 2022

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Комментарии : 32

@leonc1234 9 месяцев назад

As a number of folks have pointed out -- the amp Jimmy Page used on Led Zeppelin 1 and the solo to Stairway to Heaven was a Supro 1690T or Coronado. This is a 2x6L6 cathode-biased amp with two channels ("normal" and "tremolo"), each with two inputs and it's own volume knob. It was the early "shared tone knob" version of the Coronado. It has an additional gain stage on the tremolo channel and is can sound much more aggressive/overdriven. Page's amp cam with 2x10s but he replaced them with a single 12" speaker, which results in impedance mis-match, which gives it some of its particular character, along with the specific 12" speaker he used.

@russellesimonetta9071 Год назад

Little brother to Jimmy,s amp but close enough! Very cool! His had the preamp section on top and the power section on the floor of the cab with an imbilical cord. Like a 20 watt or so push pull.

@goodun2974 Год назад

Some (not all) Harmony amps were built by Valco as well, including the Harmony 420 with 15" speaker and 6L6's, which was apparently designed/marketed primarily as a bass amp. It sounds anemic for guitar (orobably for bass as well but I never tried it for that) and could do with some tweaking or the addition of a proper tone stack (one triode half of a 12AX7 is just sitting there unused!) . The Harmony 420 has a top-mounted amp chassis, but there was a somewhat similar Supro-branded version with the amp in the bottom rear of the cabinet. Some Harmony and Airline amps, and the majority of commonly-seen Silvertone amps, were built by Danelectro, who always used an aluminum chassis, while Valco amps used a steel chassis, whether painted or chrome.

@williambock1821 Год назад

I built a 6161 Gretsch clone. It’s one of my favorite builds. I stuck to the class 2 NOS disk caps they used in the real one except for using Jupiter caps between the PI and 6973 tubes. The tremolo is amazing. I added a depth pot to it tho. Built a SUPRO/Gretsch inspired cab. 6x9 speakers. Great amp!

@martinstubeampworkbench2299 Год назад

I’m shure, you will like my next two upcoming videos: a Valco National Val Trem and a National Sportsman 1201. Amazing Amps.

@golgothaassassin5035 7 месяцев назад

Great video. I wish you would have spent alittle more time exploring and explaining the circuit. The reason is documenting the past. Who designed these old Supro's and I'd liked to have seen a better overall view of the original circuit. I may want to build one of these someday, yes I can get a schematic but is the schematic true, and there are not alot of these around in there original state. I encourage you to make longer videos also. But I really enjoyed it. Thanks for the video.

@martinstubeampworkbench2299 7 месяцев назад

Thanks a lot! I actually build a few Valco clones in the last couple of years. And I still had two of them, when this Supro came in for repair. I compared the sound and all three where amazingly close. Though my builds where less noisy. I didn’t do a lot of exploring or explaining, because these circuits have a really simple design. If you want to build one of these, look for these schematics: Supro 6606, Gretsch 6151 or Supro 6616 T which is my favorite because of the outstanding tremolo circuit. The question, who designed these circuits is not easy to answer. There was never one single person like Leo Fender, who left his unique footprint in the music scene. Valco amps where an industrial, a mass product. Valco amps never got popular like Marshall and Fender products and neither got the attention they deserve. So, when the company went out of business, not a lot of informations where preserved. Here are two videos that document one of my builds, in this case without tremolo: National, Supro, Valco: How to build a Valco Guitar amp clone ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Cf-72SJoHZk.html Valco National Amp Clone Sound Demo ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-S_9ZW8IGIkE.html

@Tom-th1oy Год назад

Hello Martin, I just love your channel… You always have the most unique amplifiers, do amazing diagnosis of said amplifiers, then always repair/refurbish them to function and sound as they did when new if not better than new! And your quite the guitarist as well which just adds to the entire experience… I did enjoy you doing the math to figure out the voltage’s for each node, which might be 2nd nature for someone like yourself, but is appreciated for beginners trying to learn. I have a question, I own an earlier National Amplifier, it is 5Y3 rectified, push-pull with a pair of 6V6GT’s, I believe a 6SL7 Audio Amplifier/ Phase Inverter, and a 6J7 Preamp. It is a metal pentode tube with the grid coming out from a metal contract at top of tube to a wire which then goes into chassis. The speaker is a Rola 10” electrodynamic type.. Although it still functions, the voice coil is damaged and obviously produces unwanted noise, and I don’t even play it as I don’t want to damage it further. I’ve gone through the entire amp, replacing all the filter capacitors, tone caps, checked all resistors and repaired any out of tolerance… I truly love the sound of the amp, and I would like to keep the original speaker.. Do you know of anyone who re-cones these types of speakers? I don’t want to add a resistor and a non electrodynamic speaker which I feel would detract from the Tone as well as the originality. Any advice would be appreciated Martin. Thank you, Tom

@martinstubeampworkbench2299 Год назад

Hi Tom, I don’t know, where you are living. I am located in Germany, and I’m pretty shure, there’s nobody here to fix a electrodynamic speaker. Believe it or not, I have an amp with the same specifications on the bench right now. But it is a real challenge. Even after changing all capacitors, checking all resistors and swapping the tubes, I still have a significant loud hum. I have to trace that, but maybe it’s a problem with the electrodynamic speaker too, because it should work as a choke to suppress noise.

@svbarr Год назад

I have the big brother with a 15" jensen. Same 2 tone tolex design. Screams .

@martinstubeampworkbench2299 Год назад

I bet it does, mate! Totally underrated and unique. A pleasure to play!

@goodun2974 Год назад

There's no need to replace an entire tube socket because of just one broken terminal. Just pull a terminal out of a similar style socket, install it into the empty hole in the socket that's in the amp, and twist it 30 degrees, or bend the flap over, to lock it in place. The terminals of most sockets are held in place by a twist, a bend over, a punched divot, or a triangular flap of metal that acts as a locking tab. All of which are easy to squeeze flat or straighten out in order to remove the terminal. To lock it in place, just bend it over or give it a twist (the original divot or bent triangular flap isn't easy to replicate, especially on a socket that is mounted into a chassis).

@martinstubeampworkbench2299 Год назад

Hi there, thank you for your good advice. In this case I didn’t want to mess around with a 70 year old socket. If the next lug snaps off next week, my customer will be unhappy, the amp comes back to the shop, and that makes me displeased as well. But other than that, you’re right, it is fixable.

@goodun2974 Год назад

@@martinstubeampworkbench2299 Replacing the entire socket here was a little bit easier because in this case it was bolted in place ( And you had one in stock with the same physical geometry and mounting-hole spacing), but many Valco amplifiers have sockets that are riveted to the chassis and so you have to drill the rivets out, which can be a pain in the neck. And speaking of rivets on a Valco chassis, you're probably already aware of this ---- but perhaps not because I don't know how many valco amps you see in Germany ---- but the grounding terminals in those amplifiers are often riveted to the chassis, or the cathode resistor(s) might be soldered to the metal frame of a tube socket which is riveted to the chassis for a ground cinnection; and 60 years later those ground points are oxidized and resistive under the rivet where you can't see it, causing ground loops and hum. Just something to watch out for. Otherwise, nice work here!

@martinstubeampworkbench2299 Год назад

Thanks! Actually Valcos are rare here in Europe. But I’m a big fan of these. Made a few clones, and they sound fantastic, especially the ones with a tremolo sound gorgeous. Got a 1950 Valco on the bench now, with significant loud hum, though all caps are new. I suspect either the electrodynamic speaker, or a groundloop, so funny that you mentioned that. It’s a small world! Take care

@goodun2974 Год назад

@@martinstubeampworkbench2299 , Check out some videos on the Psionic Audio channel, hes got a couple of videos of Valco, and also Ampeg, amp repairs where the units had some fairly strange grounding scenarios, and the attendant hum. Personally I hate rivets used for ground connections becausound connections because the metal's always relax with age, as well as oxidized. Worst case scenario is riveted grounds in an amp with an aluminum chassis like Danelectro and Silvertone amps; There's no cure for those except to drill out the rivet and install a bolt for the ground terminals because you can't solder to the chassis. Whereas Marshall and Vox and other amplifiers with aluminum chassis typically used bolts for ground points instead of rivets.

@jonnybeck6723 Год назад

Nice amp and nice plunking as well Curious ...I'm guessing amp vol wide open and humbucking pickup (?) Please enlighten me Also, what part of the planet are you located...AT? ...cheers

@martinstubeampworkbench2299 Год назад

Well, yes the volume is wide open, but it’s just an old Telecaster. And I’m living in Germany. Cheers

@jonnybeck6723 Год назад

@@martinstubeampworkbench2299 Well it, and your plunking sound just voon-d-bar

@BenPrevo Год назад

Not the LZ amp -- it had p/p 6973's.

@martinstubeampworkbench2299 Год назад

Yes , that’s right. It was the bigger brother of the one in the video. Thanks, I’m gonna mention that in the description!

@BenPrevo Год назад

@@martinstubeampworkbench2299 yup quite a few different models and circuits -- I think the lz one has grid leak inputs as well ....

@jamesoconnor5154 Год назад

@@BenPrevo whats grid leak inputs?

@BenPrevo Год назад

@@jamesoconnor5154 Grounded cathode and a cap on the input -- google it.

@brianwells4507 6 месяцев назад

I picked up a Valco made Penncrest combo amp with 2 6973's 4 12AX7's, 5Y3? With a cheese box reverb. It had a off brand 12" speaker and really didn't good. I replaced the 6973's with nos RCA's, as well as the 12AX7's(hold onto your wallet on that call!) Also I did some more research online and found the correct Jensen 12 from the 60's. Those are pretty expensive, too but I found one online from a guy parting out a church's organ 4 12 cabinet! All said and done, holy $hit did this sucker come to life! It nails Page's sound on the first 2 Zep albums with no pedals? Glad I bought it for sure!😊

@jamesoconnor5154 Год назад

What amp model is this amp?

@martinstubeampworkbench2299 Год назад

The model number was 1614. But this single ended circuit was found in many other Valco amps under different names and model numbers. Very close is the 6616 with a tremolo added, or the Gretsch 6151. It’s weird…..

@jamesoconnor5154 Год назад

@Martins Tube Amp Workbench im lookin for an old late 50's valco supro like in the video do you own the amp?

@martinstubeampworkbench2299 Год назад

@@jamesoconnor5154 Hey James. Unfortunately I don’t call an original Valco my own. These amps are very seldom here in Germany, because, I assume, they never made amps for export like Fender did. But I built a few clones with and without tremolo. Interestingly they sound very similar to the originals. I don’t know, where you are located at, but in the US there is a company that make extremely good copy’s of the old Valcos: Vintage 47. Check out their website. And here’s a video showing you one of my builds:

@martinstubeampworkbench2299 Год назад

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Cf-72SJoHZk.html