Valco
Valco was a manufacturer of guitars, guitar amplifiers, and other musical instruments from the 1940s through 1968.
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[edit] History
In the 1930s, Valco was formed 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 Spanish acoustic guitars, metal-faced resonator guitars, electric lap steel guitars, and vacuum tube amplifiers under a variety of brand names including Supro, Airline, Oahu, and National. They also made amplifiers under contract for several other companies such as Gretsch, Danelectro, Harmony and Kay. In the 1960s they began producing solid body electric guitars.
Valco merged with Kay Musical Instrument Company in 1967, however the merged company quickly went out of business in 1968[1] because of financial difficulties.[2]
[edit] Gallery
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Supro amplifier (Michelle Malone's stage)
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Supro guitar (played by Michelle Malone)
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1962 Airline Town and Country
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Airline Tuxedo (reissued)
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Airline JB Hutto model (Res-O-Glas, played by Jack White)
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Wright, Michael (2002). "Supro Guitars and Amplifiers Part I - Supro Part 1". Vintage Guitar Magazine (September 3, 2002). http://www.vintageguitar.com/1803/supro-guitars-and-amplifiers-part-i/.
Article about Valco's Supro brand - Wright, Michael (2007). "Supro Resophonic FolkStar". Vintage Guitar Magazine (April 4, 2007). http://www.vintageguitar.com/3286/supro-resophonic-folkstar/.
Article about Supro's resonator guitars - ADMIN (2001). "National Westwood and Glennwood - '60s Alt-materials Make Short run". Vintage Guitar Magazine (December 12, 2001). http://www.vintageguitar.com/1864/national-westwood-and-glennwood/.
Article about National's map guitars - Vintage Guitar Info Guy (1995-2002). "National/Valco Vintage Map-shaped Electric Models". Vintage Guitars Info. http://home.provide.net/~cfh/national.html#resoglas.
- ^ "History of Henry Kuhrmeyer and the Kay Musical Instrument Company. Contains Engelhardt Information". Kay Bass Information and Registration. KayBass.com. http://www.kaybass.com/history.htm.
- ^ Tony Bacon, ed. Electric Guitars: the Illustrated Encyclopedia. San Diego: Thunder Bay, 2000. Pp. 243, 287.
- ^ Wright 2007.
- ^ Vintage Guitar Info Guy 1995-2002.
- ^ ADMIN 2001.
