Supro was originally part of the Valco parent company that also owned National. The first Supro Dual Tone had two oversized single-coils, but Eastwood’s reissue comes with a pair of dual-coil pickups.

Apart from this, the design is pretty faithful to the original, with a volume and tone control for each pickup and a three-position blade selector switch. A quick look at the spec tells you that the Dual Tone follows a fairly standard singlecut blueprint. A slab body (basswood in this case) with two humbuckers and the usual controls, but if it ain’t broke…

Amping up this unassuming critter gives us a mixed reaction. The tone doesn’t seem as chunky as you might first expect; the vintage voicing of the pickups and the basswood body makes for a less meaty sound but that’s not really a bad thing.

With a bit of crunch, the Dual Tone works perfectly for bashing out some growly punk powerchords, and plugging it through a vintage style fuzz pedal places us squarely in garage rock territory.

Verdict

Had this been a test about attitude, the Supro would have gobbed in the others faces and unapologetically swaggered off with the prize, but we’re thinking in terms of versatility. It definitely appeals to singlecut fans though, who would gladly part with the cash.

4 Stars

Pros: Loads of vibe, range of tones.
Cons: Not as much meat as some.