Received cutaways in unusual places and horns in others, so that some models are Shops, and the result was unlike anything produced before or since. These fairly expensive guitars came out of molds, not carving Hollow fiberglass bodies (called res-o-glas in company literature) in bright, In 1961, National and Supro guitars debuted with Amps were also builtįor an increasing number of brands, such as Vega and Martin. High frequencies to one amp and the bass frequencies to another. Valco also experimented briefly with other electronicĭevices like the Supro Stereo Converter, which took a mono input and sent the
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National- and Gretsch-branded amps were 70-Watt monsters with numerous featuresĪnd up to 15 tubes. Were mostly covered in conventional tolex with appealing piping. Supro amps, as well as those made for other brands,
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National amps now bore flashy chrome panels,Īnd the largest ones quickly grew to accommodate two 12” speakers, plus effects The beginning of the 1960s, Valco had ceased production of most archtop modelsĪnd revamped its amplifier line. The result was a primitiveĪttempt to replicate the sound of an acoustic guitar that was unique but not very Magnetic polepieces suspended from the saddle. Regular electromagnetic pickup with a coil in the base of the bridge and two Infamous) pickup is often described as a piezoelectric unit, but it is actually a Some models wereĪvailable with Bigsby vibratos or Valco’s own vibrato design, and In 1959 many of these models were radically updated with German carvesĪnd additional small cutaways on the bass side. The Supro Dual-Tone is probably the most famous guitar from this Had also begun building guitars for other retailers’ brands such as Academy and Silvertone. Had introduced a variety of guitars under the National and Supro names, and it
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Valco was hardly a company to rest on its laurels. The six knobs and two pickguards gave the instrumentĪn appearance akin to a Les Paul in a tuxedo. The bound neck was bolted on and inlayed with fancy The solid maple body had ivory-colored binding and a matching plateĬovering the back. Model, complete with a single-cutaway body and two large, chrome-covered Top-of-the-line guitar was designed to compete with Gibson’s Les Paul The National model 1104, also called the Town and Country. Were fairly plain, understated instruments, however, so in 1955 Valco introduced Guitars sold under other brand names, such as Oahu, generally followed Supro Sunburst finish, while the Supro equivalents were at first covered in a plasticįaux-pearlescent plastic commonly referred to as “mother of toilet seat”. The National-branded guitars were available in a dark These small guitars hand peanut-shaped bodiesĪnd chunky, 25”-scale necks the bodies were available with or without cutaways and A number ofĮlectric archtop models were sold with bodies by Gibson, Harmony and Kay, but fitted with Valco-made pickups, hardware and necks.įollowing the leads of Fender’s Telecaster and Gibson’s Les Paul models, Valco introduced its first solidbody Spanish guitars Steels, alongside Magnatone, Gibson and Rickenbacker, and the companyĪlso sold acoustic guitars with National necks and bodies by Gibson. Valco quickly became one of the leading manufacturers of lap
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New serial number system was adopted that allows for reasonably accurate dating
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Guitars ceased with the introduction of metal rationing in World War II, and the focus was placed on Spanish- and Hawaiian-style guitars and amplifiers. The company was based in Chicago (hence the “Chicago 51” postal address thatĪppears on some amps and at this site’s home page). Initials of the owners (Victor Smith, Al Frost and Louis Dopyera), thus V.A.L.Ĭo. Was reorganized into the Valco company in 1942. Name was introduced in the mid-‘30s for cheaper electric instruments. The archtop bodies for the guitars were sourced from Regal and then from Kay, but theĮlectronics were developed and manufactured by National-Dobro. These pre-war electric instruments are fairly rare today, though the lap The 1930s that included electric guitars, lap steels, mandolins and amplifiers.
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The company began producing electric instruments in The Dobro company, another maker of resonator guitars, around 1932 to form the Hugely popular in blues and (a bit later) bluegrass music. Valco company has its roots in the National String Instrument Corporation, whichĬompany is famous as the first manufacturer of resonator guitars, which were