GEAR 2021: Supro has announced its first new products of 2021 with an aggressive expansion of its tube combo lineup plus a new stereo chorus pedal.
There are updates to such Supro favourites as the '64 Super, ‘64 Reverb, and Black Magick models, while its Robert Keeley collab continues with the Keeley Custom 12. But the big news is the vintage-inspired and affordable Delta King series, which looks to offer Supro's very own Blues King series some stiff competition as the best compact guitar amplifier for old-school rock 'n' roll and blues tones.
- NAMM 2021 is cancelled, but we'll be covering all the big January gear announcements right here on MusicRadar.
Delta King
There are 1x8, 1x10 and 1x12 options in the Delta King series, each available in a choice of two custom tweed with black stripes, and black with cream stripes. The Delta King combos have single-ended Class A tube power sections and are voiced to recreate the rock 'n' roll tone of the 50s and 60s British Invasion.
The 15-watt Delta King 12 (RRP $649) is the flagship model in the series, and packs a number of cool features into its compact control panel, with its FET-driven boost, a Pigtronix FAT high-gain mode for adding extra heat, three-band EQ, a master volume and analogue spring reverb.
Under the hood you will find a 12AX7-driven preamp and a 12AU7 triode in the power amp, and it houses a single 12-inch DK12 speaker in a poplar cabinet.
The 5-watt Delta King 10 (RRP $549) shares much of its larger sibling's tone profile, and likewise uses a 12AX7-driven preamp and 12AU7 triode power amp, and features the FET boost and Pigtronix FAT high-gain mode. The main difference besides the more modest power output is the 10-inch speaker, and a two-band EQ.
The Delta King 8 (RRP $449), meanwhile, is a single-watt tube combo that should work well for the home and even better for the studio, with a line out positioned before the master volume so you can find send some pure tube dirt to your DAW, or indeed as an outboard overdrive going into a larger amplifier.
There are controls for volume, tone and master volume plus a switch to activate the FET boost. As the name suggests, it features an eight-inch BK8 speaker.
Keeley Custom 12
The Keeley Custom 12 was designed in collaboration with pedal guru Robert Keeley of Keeley Electronics, and expands upon its the Keeley Custom 10's 1x10 format with a single 12-inch Celestion G12M-65 Creamback speaker and 25-watt of power.
As you would expect from an amp with Keeley's name on it, the Keeley Custom 12 is configured to play nicely with your pedalboard. Its ECC83S-based tube preamp preamp and 2-band EQ are voiced for taking gain pedals in front of them, while a wholly transparent effects loop is on-hand for modulation.
The Class A power section features a pair of Tung-Sol 6V6GT tubes. The cabinet is clothed in Supro's distinctive Blue Rhino Hide tolex with white piping and a silver/blue grille clothe on the front. It is priced $1199.
As for the updates, the trio in question all receive speaker upgrades, with the '64 Super and ‘64 Reverb now featuring eight-inch Jensen C8R speakers, and the Black Magick 12-inch combo featuring a Jensen P12Q.
Supro Chorus pedal
The Supro Chorus is an all-analogue, bucket bridge-driven chorus/vibrato unit with full stereo operation that allows you to increase the delay time on one side of the stereo field while shortening it on the other.
It features four controls on the enclosure for Speed, Depth, Time and Dimension – plus a Vibrato toggle switch that removes the clean signal, leaving only pitch modulation for that characterful seasick tone.
The Dimension control is where this gets really interesting. It mixes the stereo channels together so you have two delay lines that are being modulated in opposite directions. When in the Vibrato mode, you can use the Dimension control to dial in a double vibrato effect.
You can even hook an expression pedal up to the Supro Chorus and control the rate of the effect on the fly.
The Supro Chorus is priced $259 and takes 9V DC power to get it going.
See Supro for more details.
