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Just a few years ago, some of the great bargains on the vintage amp market were the Valco-made Supro amps of the 50's
and 60's. While their price has gone up for many reasons (the most justifiable one being a lot of them are GREAT
sounding amps), the primary reason seems to be the Jimmy Page factor. Over the last couple of years, I've started
casually tracking how many different models of Supro amps people CLAIM was the amp that Jimmy Page used on the
first two Led Zeppelin albums. It's a non-scientific and highly anecdotal study, to be sure, but so far I have
counted NINE different models of amps that people claim (with the certainty that only stupidity mixed with arrogance
can achieve) are THE MODEL that Page used.
It doesn't really matter, of course. No one sounds quite like Jimmy Page (least of all Jimmy Page these days)
and how an amp sounds on an album isn't exactly how it sounds in a club, anyway. The difference between six inches
of mic placement in a studio can make a great amp sound like crap and vice-versa. Yet, people pay through the nose
for amps because they think they'll sound like Jimmy Page if they buy them. Whatever.
But what's missed in all this (sadly) is that there's a reason Page dug the Supros in the first place. They sound
great. Whether it's the Thunderbolt, or the Corsica, or the Dual Tone (all claimed by various "experts" as THE AMP
Page used), they, and many other models, are great sounding amps.
They are also, at this point, getting to be very expensive amps. And there's nothing wrong with paying a grand for
a Thunderbolt if you want one. They sound awesome for guitar, they're loud enough for clubs, and they aren't too
heavy to carry. They are point to point (true point to point - not hand loaded circuit board like vintage Fenders.
Not that either is better, but Fenders aren't, technically, point to point). They're well made, with good parts and,
in general, tougher cabinets than other budget tone monsters like Danelectros.
But, some things have gone plain loco in the vintage market. Example A? People are paying over $4,000 for the Supro
Dual Tone (AKA the 1624T). And while this is a killer amp, that's just insane (unless I'm selling it, in which case,
it's worth every penny). Why are the prices so high for this model? You guessed it - it's the latest that has been
swept up by the "as played by Jimmy Page" tidal wave.
But let's say you're interested in tone. Not who played what. You want to sound like you, and you want a really cool
amp to do it with, and you don't have an extra 4 Large kicking around your wallet. What's a tone freak to do?
Well, if you like the sound of that Supro (and it IS a sound worth having, no matter who owned, played, looked at or
smelled the damn thing), try and find a circuit that's similar and go from there. What gave that model Supro its
unique and cool tone? Well, as they say, everything affects everything, but the main contributors to that tone
machine are the pretty basic 12AX7's in the preamp and the cathode-biased oddball output 6973 tubes. These have an
overdrive all their own - not quite a 6V6; not quite an EL84. They definitely have their own thing going. Chime
and midrange grit at the same time - and they're largely responsible, I'd guess, for when people call these model
Supros slightly Vox-like in their overdriven mode
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What's an affordable, well made, very cool and not ridiculously expensive amp that's like the 1624T? I'd say you
might want to look at the Univox 202R. The early version of this amp is true point-to-point (before 66 or so, it
seems - there's not a lot of information on Univox amps). Later versions are printed circuit board, like the great
little Univox U45 amps (they are mini tone MONSTERS). But the circuit and cap and resistor values stayed pretty
much the same. If you can, it's always better to find the point to point ones, as they're easier to work on and
tougher built - but the PCB ones are good amps, too. Univox amps were made in Japan (all the ones I've seen) - most
of the ones I've been under the hood of were made at the Guyatone factory, and then imported to the United States
and branded with various names (see below for some of the other names for this amp).
These are single 12" combo amps with Reverb and Tremolo (both VERY nice - a good throbbing smooth trem and a
cavernous verb). Chanel one has a Volume and Tone knob, plus the 'verb and trem. Channel two has only volume and
tone, but you can patch the two together for a fuller, raunchier sound. "Normal" and "Bright" inputs for each
channel. Earlier models have the following tube lineup: 12AX7 (3), 6AN8, 6AV6, 6973 (2) and a 6CA4 rectifier.
I've seen them with ceramic Jensens that seemed original. Mine, a very early model, has a "Deerfield" ALNICO, (looks
to be original) with no other markings or speaker codes (your guess is as good as mine - anyone know about
"Deerfield"? Drop me a line). Most examples of the 202R have a gold control panel with big round black knobs that
look like old Magnatone knobs. They are frequently two-tones, with a dark covering, then a white stripe in the middle,
topped off by a handsome wheat-colored grille cloth. They're lookers.
How does it sound? Pretty incredible. At low volumes it has a slightly dark, incredibly warm clean sound. Think of
Peter Green's tone on "Albatross." Clean, but wooly. It can get bright, but you'll need a Tele or a similarly bright
guitar to coax that out of it. It's got that classic mid-60's budget American midrange-y tone to it that's to die for.
Turned up and it really starts to release some beautiful overtones from the 6973s. These are a relatively strange
output tube for a guitar amp?they were used mostly in old Wurlitzer Jukeboxes, but they make guitar amp appearances
in some Supros, the awesome Magnatone 280s and 480s and a few Univox models. As stated above, they have their own
thing going, and it's a good thing at that. A very warm, yet raunchy and still creamy overdrive that cuts well
through/with a band. Also, while 6973s were VERY hard to find for a while, and NOS examples were obscenely priced,
Electro Harmonics is making a new version that sounds great and costs under 35 bucks a pair. The new EH tube is a lot
like their highly respected 6V6 - nice and rugged with a very robust tone. So you won?t have to shell out ridiculous
money to re-tube your new tone beast.
These are still available for under $400 with regularity. It will probably go up, as people find out more about the
obscure brands (or, err, the MORE obscure brands) in their search for great 60's tone on the cheap. But, even for a
fair amount more than $400, these are great amps. For low volume work, they have a very impressive clean, and turned
up they sound like garage heaven. Get yours now before Jack White or somebody discovers them. Or before I start a
website saying Jimmy Page used it on EVERYTHING he EVER recorded!
A final note about Univoxes and their various rebrands. The same amp could (and will, on eBay) frequently wear
several names. There is, of course, Univox. BUT, you could find the same amp with a "Lafayette" badge. Mine has an
"Apto" badge (imported to New York by the "Apto" Accordion Company). I've seen one that looked just like these with
a Magnavox badge. So, familiarize yourself with the basic look of this model and ask questions about the tube lineup,
and you may find yourself with a very cool Univox 202R. No matter what the name on the faceplate, the tone is
something special. Happy hunting.
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*pics of the Univox courtesy of www.univox.org
*Pics of the Apto are from me.
Bio: Rob Roberge is the author of Working Backwards From the Worst Moment of My Life (due Oct 10th), the novels More Than They Could Chew (Perennial Dark Alley/Harper Collins, February 2005) and Drive (Hollyridge Press, 2006). He teaches writing at the Antioch University Los Angeles, MFA in Creative Writing and the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, where he received the Outstanding Instructor Award in Creative Writing in 2003. He plays guitar and sings with several LA bands, including the legendary Punk pioneers, The Urinals. In his spare time, he restores and rebuilds vintage amplifiers and quack medical devices. For news and more info, visit & or email at either www.myspace.com/robroberge or www.robroberge.com |
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