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Topic: Supro Double Necked Steels |
Derrick Mau
From:
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 29 May 2005 9:00 am |
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| Did they ever make legs for a Supro Double 6? I've seen two on E-bay so far but both had no sockets on the bottom to connect legs. |
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Russ Young
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 29 May 2005 9:08 am
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| Derrick, according to Gruhn's Guide the Supro D6s from 1948-55 (named a "Twin") did not have legs. In 1955 they were renamed "Consoles," and had four legs and the distinctive stairstep fret markers -- I remember seeing David Lindley playing one with El Rayo-X. |
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Rockne Riddlebarger
From:
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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Posted 29 May 2005 3:46 pm
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| Hey Derrick, Russ and George gruhn are both correct about the Supro Twin having no legs,however, I have seen a couple of photos of twins that have had legs added to them. See page 175 of Andy volk's book LAP STEEL GUITARS to view one of them. The twin was designed as a pure lap steel in all it's simplicity. They really are great lap steels. A 1952 model has been my number one guitar for the past 8 years. The one thing that is not quite great are the pickups, if you want a good big clean steel sound. I bought mine in damaged condition with the bodies split apart, no tuner buttons and very smashed pickups. With a bit of metal and wood work I installed two Gibson P-90's and now it is a fantastic sounding steel guitar. I tune it to A6 and E major, great for western swing, rockabilly, country and blues. Having run into a dozen or so twins over the last 20 years I have found that one of the things to watch out for is warpage of the lucite fingerboards, I've seen them warped between the mounting screws so bad that the fb's were actually touching the strings and completely unplayable. I highly recommend the P-90's though, well worth the work involved to install them. Good Rockin' Y'all. |
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Michael Aspinwall
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 29 May 2005 4:54 pm
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| For sure--My Supro double 6 came with four legs. Still got 'em around here someplace, but I usually play it on my lap or on a keyboard "X" stand. |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 30 May 2005 7:22 am
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Anybody who replaces the original Supro pickups can send them to me  .
(IMHO these Supro/Valco/National pickups are just about the best pickup ever made for blues and rock and roll).
------------------
www.tyack.com
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Billy Easton
From:
Nashville, TN USA
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Posted 30 May 2005 9:21 am
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I have an old double six Grestch that I have had in the closet for years. I must get it out and plug her in and give her a test drive. It has been a long time. It is in excellent condition but I have forgotten how great it sounds. I think it was manufactured by Valco/Supro. Thanks for the reminder guys.
Billy Easton
Casa Grande, AZ [This message was edited by Billy Easton on 30 May 2005 at 10:21 AM.] |
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Jeff Au Hoy
From:
Honolulu, Hawai'i
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Posted 1 Jun 2005 2:08 pm
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Derrick! Did you ever find out if the double Supro is the Benny Rogers Formula?
Just curious. |
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Derrick Mau
From:
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 2 Jun 2005 2:49 am
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Hi Jeff,
I was at the Genoa show one night with Bobby and ran into Herbert Hanawahine. When I asked Herbert what kind of steel Benny used, he said it was a double necked 6 string Supro. Bobby said, this probably explains the mosquito tone that Benny had when he recorded "Party Hula's".
I was more surprised that he was using a 6 stringer, as the History of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar CD insert lists Benny's tuning using an 8 string.
The last two double necked Supro's I've seen on E-Bay had no sockets under them for leg stands. When I seen the photo of Benny on Genoa's website; you can't make out what kind of steel it is, but it was supported with legs which made me wonder if it really was a Supro, and which is why I started this thread.
So far, a couple of people have bought to my attention that their double 6 Supro did indeed have legs.
Does anyone know if leg stands were "Optional" when purchasing a new Supro?[This message was edited by Derrick Mau on 02 June 2005 at 04:07 AM.] |
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Jeff Au Hoy
From:
Honolulu, Hawai'i
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Posted 2 Jun 2005 3:51 am
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I think Bobby's mosquito description is right on the money. Ah that sound... This is the reason I play steel guitar.
Supro or Stringmaster? |
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Derrick Mau
From:
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 2 Jun 2005 9:56 am
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Doesn't look like Benny is playing a Stringmaster here in the photo. The inside neck would be a lot thicker. That mosquito tone is surely not the characteristics of a Fender.
Aunty Genoa must have a bunch of photo's of the group. Tourists are always taking pictures and sending her a copy.
As of lately, she hasn't been feeling well, and has showed up at the Marriot last week in a wheelchair. Her grand-daughter filled in and did a great job. Hope she gets better soon. |
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Ron Simpson
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 2 Jun 2005 11:09 am
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Aloha Derrick,
The 1956 Supro catalog has the double six
"Console" and the single neck "Airline" model both without legs. The 1965 catalog shows the "Jet Airline" wearing three legs, but the "Console" model is gone from the lineup.
You might check this forum for a more definative answer. Their main focus is on Magnatone and Valco amps, but the expertise is very extensive.
http://www.egroups.com/group/Magnatone-Valco [This message was edited by Ron Simpson on 02 June 2005 at 12:09 PM.]
PS: The 1961 National catalog shows the "Dynamic" single six and "Console 1050" double eight both with legs. Both Supro and National were divisions of Valco in the Chicago days.
[This message was edited by Ron Simpson on 02 June 2005 at 12:22 PM.] |
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Bill Leff
From:
Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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Posted 2 Jun 2005 11:42 am
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I'm with Jeff, that's it. Nothing better to me than hearing those Rogers hula vamps and harmonics. Hearing Gabby play that style is what got me interested in playing steel.
Derrick, please please give me a lesson this year at Joliet ('cause I know you know how to play da kine!). |
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Mike Ruffin
From:
El Paso, Texas, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2005 3:59 pm
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Jeff
Thanks for posting that tune. I love it! |
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Jeff Au Hoy
From:
Honolulu, Hawai'i
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Posted 3 Jun 2005 4:39 pm
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Glad you enjoyed
That was "Tasana" by Genoa Keawe and Her Hawaiians with Benny Rogers at the steel.
Interesting story behind that old tune, written by a woman whose love was away fighting in WWI. In it she compares his bravery to that of Tarzan--hence you hear the Hawaiianized name: Tasana. |
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