Supro Lap Steel Serial Numbers
Supro Lap Steel Guitar Serial Numbers
Supro Lap Steel Serial Numbers
Supro Lap Steel Guitar Serial Numbers

Dating Valco Instruments

For your consideration, Garrett Park Guitars presents this 1941 Supro Comet White Lap Steel Guitar. Clean condition, killer blues tone! With original case. Serial Number- G 6173. Pictures of the actual guitar, not stock photos.
Electric Lap Steel Guitar by National-Dobro Corporation, Los Angeles, 1936. Supro Electric Hawaiian. Serial number B213. Ex coll.: Walter Carter, Nashville, Tennessee. Board of Trustees, 1999. Click on any image on this page to see a larger image. Supro was the budget electric guitar line for National-Dobro.

Serial number plate: These tuners are original Kluson open strip tuners. Fine corrosion dust on the tuners, rather than heavier rust, shows that someone in this guitar's distant past did proper maintenance of wiping the tuners down and then dry with a Q-tip or artist brush or such.

The most effective way to date a Valco guitar or amp is by its serial number. From the ‘40s until 1964, the serial could be found stamped into a small metal plate that was tacked onto the back of the headstock or the back of the cabinet. From 1964-1968, the serial was ink-stamped onto a silver foil sticker that is found in the same place. The following is a key for decoding the serial number, but keep in mind that the numbers are approximate.

'N' prefix: 1935

'S' prefix: 1935-36 Free lesson plan templates.

'A' prefix: 1936-37*

'B' prefix: 1937-38

'C' prefix: 1938-40*

'G' prefix: 1941-42

'G' suffix: 1943-47

V100-V7500: 1947

V7500-V15000: 1948

V15000-V25000: 1949

V25000-V35000: 1950

V35000-V38000: 1951

X100-X7000: 1951

X7000-X17000: 1952

X17000-X30000: 1953

X30000-X43000: 1954

X43000-X57000: 1955

X57000-X71000: 1956

X71000-X85000: 1957

X85000-X99000: 1958

T100-T5000: 1958

T5000-T25000: 1959

T25000-T50000: 1960

T50000-T75000: 1961

T75000-T90000: 1962

T90000-T99000: 1963

G5000-G15000: 1963

G15000-G40000: 1964

Starting with '1-': 1964-68

Starting with '2-': 1968

*'A' and 'C' prefixes also occur in some pre-1936 serials.

However, some of these plates and many of these stickers have disappeared over time. Often the speaker codes or potentiometer codes can help, assuming that these parts are original and legible. Pot codes can be decodedhere, and speaker codes can be decoded here. For dating pre-Valco acoustic instruments,see this page.

The 1966 Supro guitar and amplifier catalog featured the following guitars. Click on the images for full size versions, or click on the model names below for more about each instrument

Supro Guitars

Supro Arlington
Supro Lexington
Supro Normandy
Supro Stratford
Supro Carlisle
Supro Clermont
Supro Croydon
Supro Colt
Supro 12 String
Supro Vagabond

Supro Bass Guitars

Supro Taurus bass
Supro Pocket bass

Steel Guitars

Supro Lap Steel Serial Numbers

Studio Four

Supro Lap Steel Guitar Serial Numbers

Jet Airliner
Comet

Supro Lap Steel Serial Numbers

Supro Amplifiers

Supro Statesman
Supro Sportsman
Supro Taurus
Supro Thunderbolt
Galaxy
Supro Lap Steel Serial Numbers

Combo
Royal Reverb

Supro Lap Steel Guitar Serial Numbers

Big Star
Corsica
Supreme
Trojan
Super Six
Dual-Tone
Bantam

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