Valco
title: "Valco" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["guitar-manufacturing-companies-of-the-united-states", "guitar-amplifier-manufacturers", "audio-equipment-manufacturers-of-the-united-states"] topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valco" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Valco |
| type | Private |
| foundation | 1940 |
| founder | Victor Smith, Al Frost, and Louis Dopyera |
| defunct | |
| location_country | United States |
| industry | Musical instruments |
| products | Electric and acoustic guitars, amplifiers |
| brands | {{nowrap |
| * Oahu {{refn | Oahu Publishing Company, founded and presided by Harry Stanley, was a musical instruments and accessories distributor. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the company commercialised guitars (mainly from Supro), amplifiers and imported accordions as well.<ref name |
| :: |
| name = Valco | logo = | logo_size = | type = Private | genre = | foundation = 1940 | founder = Victor Smith, Al Frost, and Louis Dopyera | defunct = | location_city = | location_country = United States | origins = | key_people = | area_served = | industry = Musical instruments | products = Electric and acoustic guitars, amplifiers | brands = {{nowrap|
- Airline
- National
- Oahu
- Supro | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | num_employees = | parent = | subsid = | owner = | homepage = | footnotes =
Valco was a US manufacturer of guitar amplifiers from the 1940s through 1968.
Apart from its original products, Valco also commercialised electric and acoustic guitars and basses through its subsidiary companies.
History
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/McKinney_Valco_guitar_amp_(c.1940s).jpg" caption="1940s Valco amplifier, made for McKinney School of Music"] ::
Valco was formed in 1940 by three business partners and former owners of the National Dobro Company; Victor Smith, Al Frost, and Louis Dopyera. The company name was a combination of the three partner's first initials (V.A.L.) plus the common abbreviation for company (Co.)
Valco manufactured and sold electric (since the 1950s), lap steel guitars and vacuum tube amplifiers under a variety of brand names including Supro, Airline, National and Oahu. They also made amplifiers under contract for several other companies such as Gretsch, Harmony, and Kay.
Valco merged with Kay Musical Instrument Company in 1967; however financial difficulties | editor = Tony Bacon | title = Electric Guitars: The Illustrated Encyclopedia | location = San Diego | publisher = Thunder Bay | year = 2000 | pages = 243, 287 | title = History of Henry Kuhrmeyer and the Kay Musical Instrument Company. Contains Engelhardt Information | url = http://www.kaybass.com/history.htm | work = Kay Bass Information and Registration (KayBass.com) | access-date = 2011-10-16 | archive-date = 2011-10-20 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111020051351/http://www.kaybass.com/history.htm | url-status = dead
Replicas and revivals
|total_width = 500 |align = right |direction = horizontal |image1 = National New Yorker, a.k.a. Memphis Minnie Model (1939), Museum of Making Music.jpg |caption1 = 1939 National New Yorker |image2 = 1962 Airline Town and Country refinished.jpg |caption2 =1962 Airline Town and Country |image3 = Airline "Double Pickup Bass" (c.1960), Valco Manufacturing Co. - MIM PHX.jpg |caption3 = Airline “Double Pickup Bass” |image4 = Hohner Acoustic & Supro Resonator At The Folk Festival (Takoma Park, MD).jpg |caption4 = Supro Res-O-Glas resonator guitar |footer = Since Valco's demise a number of manufacturers have issued copies or derivatives of Valco instrument and amplifier models. Eastwood Guitars produces a variety of reissue Airline guitars, | title = Airline Guitars | url = http://www.eastwoodguitars.com/index.php/airline-guitars | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130412052359/http://www.eastwoodguitars.com/index.php/airline-guitars | archive-date = 2013-04-12 | work = (eastwoodguitars.com) | publisher = Eastwood Guitars as well as at least one Supro model, | title = Supro Dual Tone | url = http://www.eastwoodguitars.com/index.php/eastwood-guitars/all-eastwood-guitars/solid-body-guitars/item/supro-dual-tone | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130414002046/http://www.eastwoodguitars.com/index.php/eastwood-guitars/all-eastwood-guitars/solid-body-guitars/item/supro-dual-tone | archive-date = 2013-04-14 | work = (eastwoodguitars.com) | publisher = Eastwood Guitars though all of the former semihollow Res-O-Glas models are now wood solidbodies.
Several of Valco's earlier amplifier models are recreated by Vintage47 Amps of Mesquite, Nevada, using octal preamp tubes, rather than the later miniature noval preamp tubes. | title = Vintage 47 Guitar & Harp Amps | url = http://www.vintage47amps.com/files/ | work = (vintage47amps.com) | publisher = Vintage 47
In late 2013, Absara Audio of Port Jefferson Station, New York announced that it had purchased the rights to the Supro trademark from Bruce Zinky. | title = Supro USA - The Legend Returns | url = http://suprousa.com/ | work = (suprousa.com) | publisher = Supro USA Zinky used the Supro name for a series of amps beginning in 2005 from his company, Zinky Electronics. Absara debuted a series of new Supro amps at the 2014 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. | title = Legendary guitar amp brand Supro set for rebirth in 2014 | url = http://suprousa.com/press-release/ | work = press release (suprousa.com) | publisher = Supro USA | date = December 4, 2013
Bibliography
- {{cite journal | last = Wright |first = Michael | year = 2002 | title = Supro Guitars and Amplifiers Part I - Supro Part 1 | url = http://www.vintageguitar.com/1803/supro-guitars-and-amplifiers-part-i/ | journal = Vintage Guitar Magazine | issue = September 3, 2002
- {{cite journal | last = Wright |first = Michael | year = 2007 | title = Supro Resophonic FolkStar | url = http://www.vintageguitar.com/3286/supro-resophonic-folkstar/ | journal = Vintage Guitar Magazine | issue = April 4, 2007
- {{cite journal | last = ADMIN | year = 2001 | title = National Westwood and Glennwood - '60s Alt-materials Make Short run | url = http://www.vintageguitar.com/1864/national-westwood-and-glennwood/ | journal = Vintage Guitar Magazine | issue = December 12, 2001
- {{cite journal | last = Ray | first = Will | year = 2012 | title = Resurrecting a 1957 Supro Dual Tone | url = http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2012/Mar/Resurrecting_a_1957_Supro_Dual_Tone.aspx | journal = Premier Guitar | issue = March 2012 | archive-date = 2012-12-05 | access-date = 2013-05-11 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121205064754/http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2012/Mar/Resurrecting_a_1957_Supro_Dual_Tone.aspx | url-status = dead
Notes
References
References
- [https://suprousa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1956-Oahu-Supro-Catalog.pdf 1956 Oahu-Supro Catalog]
- "3 Times Electric Guitar Makers Tried to Ditch Wood".
- [[resonator guitar
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