NAD: UPDATE: Supro Amulet! Supro Black Magick + Fender Supersonic 22

stylesforfree · November 2022

Long story short (kinda)....

So, I've been GAsing for a Supro style amp for a while, being

a big fan of that early white stripes sound, I had heard many demos online that got close and so I set out on a mission to save up and acquire one...but alas I never saw them in stock anywhere whenever I had the cash to spare.

Earlier this year I stumbled into a local music shop and saw a second hand Supro saturn for a decent price and I thought to myself 'Jackpot!' now was my chance to finally get hold of the sound I was searching for.

I plugged into it and gave it a test run but was left bitterly disappointed with the sound, it sounded flat and uninspiring. Seeing that I was looking a bit deflated the owner informed me they had just got a bunch of the Supro Delta Kings in and that it would definitely give me that dirty garage/raw blues sound. They pulled a brand new one out the box as there wasn't any on display, plugged it in, switched it on and plugged my guitar in.... but there was no sound...nothing. Dead out the box. I was shocked.

Another one was taken from out the stock room, plugged in and switched on....this one worked. He was right, it sounded pretty damn good, a little bit boxy but it had that sound. I thanked the owner and left to do some research. I started reading about Supro reliability issues and was put off in the end. I was actually pretty gutted but the Supro remained in the back of my mind.

After much deliberation over what would be my first tube amp I bit the bullet on a Fender Supersonic 22 around a month ago. It was on reverb in mint condition for a ridiculously low price and it was well within my budget.

It arrived and I have had a lot of fun over the past month with it. But the Supro still remained in my thoughts. Then last week I was browsing guitars and amps and pedals and I was GASing. So i did a quick search for Supro amps just for kicks and what do I see? The Supro Black Magick IN STOCK at guitar guitar...and....what's this..?? on sale.....HALF-PRICE!?!??!

So I just bloody well bought it didnt I?

blob:https://imgur.com/389d31d2-113e-4383-ae82-be5285f29401

lovestrat74 · November 2022

I was tempted by one of these too. Killer price!

GavRichList · December 2022

I have a blues king 12 for at home and it punches well above expectations, so I too was tempted by these at £599 despite having absolutely no need for one at all. Good grab, bet it sounds splendid and tremendous

Hattigol · December 2022

Coda had them at the same price. It was the standout Black Friday deal anywhere. Great purchase. Enjoy

stylesforfree · December 2022

GavRichList said:

I have a blues king 12 for at home and it punches well above expectations, so I too was tempted by these at £599 despite having absolutely no need for one at all. Good grab, bet it sounds splendid and tremendous

I really had no need either but it's quieter than the fender at idle and has a different sound (one might say, nicer) at lower levels.

Im still tempted by the blues king though. How long have you had yours for?

stylesforfree · December 2022

lovestrat74 said:

I was tempted by one of these too. Killer price!

Yeah, I always felt the supro's were a tad overpriced. I have wanted the 64 for a while, at 5 watts it probably would have been a better idea but I can crank the black magick and no one seems to care too much.

gordiji · December 2022

The ss22 despite the idle noise sounds v.good. I don't use mine on less than vol 3 with the two gains on the overdrive both about midnight. At 4.5 - 5 on the vols it sounds epic. I don't know why there's not more love for them.

GavRichList · December 2022

stylesforfree said:

GavRichList said:

I have a blues king 12 for at home and it punches well above expectations, so I too was tempted by these at £599 despite having absolutely no need for one at all. Good grab, bet it sounds splendid and tremendous

I really had no need either but it's quieter than the fender at idle and has a different sound (one might say, nicer) at lower levels.

Im still tempted by the blues king though. How long have you had yours for?

I’d say 2 years now. Perfect for home use.

lovestrat74 · December 2022

stylesforfree said:

lovestrat74 said:

I was tempted by one of these too. Killer price!

Yeah, I always felt the supro's were a tad overpriced. I have wanted the 64 for a while, at 5 watts it probably would have been a better idea but I can crank the black magick and no one seems to care too much.

Yeah I only play at home so was thinking that it might upset a few people playing at breakup

although there did seem to be conflicting opinions regarding "apartment" volume.

GavRichList · December 2022

lovestrat74 said:

stylesforfree said:

lovestrat74 said:

I was tempted by one of these too. Killer price!

Yeah, I always felt the supro's were a tad overpriced. I have wanted the 64 for a while, at 5 watts it probably would have been a better idea but I can crank the black magick and no one seems to care too much.

Yeah I only play at home so was thinking that it might upset a few people playing at breakup although there did seem to be conflicting opinions regarding "apartment" volume.

Same here… but my other two options are a 100w Twin and a Marshall Bluesbreaker so it’s the lesser of all the evils

stylesforfree · December 2022

lovestrat74 said:

stylesforfree said:

lovestrat74 said:

I was tempted by one of these too. Killer price!

Yeah, I always felt the supro's were a tad overpriced. I have wanted the 64 for a while, at 5 watts it probably would have been a better idea but I can crank the black magick and no one seems to care too much.

Yeah I only play at home so was thinking that it might upset a few people playing at breakup although there did seem to be conflicting opinions regarding "apartment" volume.

It's pretty good at low volume, you lose a bit of the high end but it can be somewhat compensated with a tone adjustment and boost pedal.

GavRichList said:

stylesforfree said:

GavRichList said:

I have a blues king 12 for at home and it punches well above expectations, so I too was tempted by these at £599 despite having absolutely no need for one at all. Good grab, bet it sounds splendid and tremendous

I really had no need either but it's quieter than the fender at idle and has a different sound (one might say, nicer) at lower levels.

Im still tempted by the blues king though. How long have you had yours for?

I’d say 2 years now. Perfect for home use.

Cool, did you ever record anything with it? The blues king 12 is 15 watt right?

stylesforfree · December 2022

gordiji said:

The ss22 despite the idle noise sounds v.good. I don't use mine on less than vol 3 with the two gains on the overdrive both about midnight. At 4.5 - 5 on the vols it sounds epic. I don't know why there's not more love for them.

Indeed, it's an incredible amp. The one I bought had a warehouse G12C installed, low end is ridiculous.

GavRichList · December 2022

stylesforfree said:

lovestrat74 said:

stylesforfree said:

lovestrat74 said:

I was tempted by one of these too. Killer price!

Yeah, I always felt the supro's were a tad overpriced. I have wanted the 64 for a while, at 5 watts it probably would have been a better idea but I can crank the black magick and no one seems to care too much.

Yeah I only play at home so was thinking that it might upset a few people playing at breakup although there did seem to be conflicting opinions regarding "apartment" volume.

It's pretty good at low volume, you lose a bit of the high end but it can be somewhat compensated with a tone adjustment and boost pedal.

GavRichList said:

stylesforfree said:

GavRichList said:

I have a blues king 12 for at home and it punches well above expectations, so I too was tempted by these at £599 despite having absolutely no need for one at all. Good grab, bet it sounds splendid and tremendous

I really had no need either but it's quieter than the fender at idle and has a different sound (one might say, nicer) at lower levels.

Im still tempted by the blues king though. How long have you had yours for?

I’d say 2 years now. Perfect for home use.

Cool, did you ever record anything with it? The blues king 12 is 15 watt right?

It is, aye. Little clip here

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQD7BpGDMNF/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

(And all over my IG to be fair).

Also played all this thing with it:

https://youtu.be/NjA4CU7UZBc

stylesforfree · December 2022

GavRichList said:

stylesforfree said:

lovestrat74 said:

stylesforfree said:

lovestrat74 said:

I was tempted by one of these too. Killer price!

Yeah, I always felt the supro's were a tad overpriced. I have wanted the 64 for a while, at 5 watts it probably would have been a better idea but I can crank the black magick and no one seems to care too much.

Yeah I only play at home so was thinking that it might upset a few people playing at breakup although there did seem to be conflicting opinions regarding "apartment" volume.

It's pretty good at low volume, you lose a bit of the high end but it can be somewhat compensated with a tone adjustment and boost pedal.

GavRichList said:

stylesforfree said:

GavRichList said:

I have a blues king 12 for at home and it punches well above expectations, so I too was tempted by these at £599 despite having absolutely no need for one at all. Good grab, bet it sounds splendid and tremendous

I really had no need either but it's quieter than the fender at idle and has a different sound (one might say, nicer) at lower levels.

Im still tempted by the blues king though. How long have you had yours for?

I’d say 2 years now. Perfect for home use.

Cool, did you ever record anything with it? The blues king 12 is 15 watt right?

It is, aye. Little clip here

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQD7BpGDMNF/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

(And all over my IG to be fair).

Also played all this thing with it:

https://youtu.be/NjA4CU7UZBc

Awesome, thanks for sharing.

stylesforfree · June 2023

So, 6 months on...both amps still in my possession but one of them has to go (after recently acquiring a 68 custom deluxe).

Supro: It's quiet, low noise floor/idle.
Beautiful tremolo that I've started to appreciate more and more as time has gone by, very lush.
Versatile gain stack with the 2 inputs, simple and effective tone knob.
Sounds fine at low to moderate volumes and loses very little high end when I use the Palmer power pad attenuator. Sounds phenomenal when cranked and has the perfect amount of touch sensitivity.

Issue: transformer hum.

Supersonic 22: does the fender thing very well, thick clean channel that has a somewhat Tweed style breakup when cranked on the phat setting.
Gain channel can be clean and shimmering or all out crunchy doomer rock. EQ is responsive and works to great effect.
FX loop is perfect as I use a lot of modulation, delay and verb pedals, super useful.
Reverb sounds very good, voiced perfectly imo.

Issues: idle noise and hum. Reverb has a slight buzz if you don't use a perfect tip top quiet 12AT7 tube. Channel switching pops.

I prefer the black magick sound overall but it's not as versatile as the supersonic, but I think at the end of the day, tone/sound/feel wins.

So supersonic is gonna have to go.

dazzajl · June 2023

Interesting read. They’re is a definite Supro GAS swirling in the air here at the mo.

GoFish · June 2023

i'd guess that the 68 deluxe has you covered for some Fender sounds and is quieter overall. Not as versitile as the Supersonic though.

I'd hang onto all 3 for a little while if you can, give it a month or two. But you're right that versitility isn't as important as the tone/sound/feel. It's funny cause people (not us enthusiasts) will repeatedly chose convenience over quality.

stylesforfree · June 2023

dazzajl said:

Interesting read. They’re is a definite Supro GAS swirling in the air here at the mo.

I am still gasing for a supro comet, or as it's now known, the amulet.

dazzajl · June 2023

stylesforfree said:

dazzajl said:

Interesting read. They’re is a definite Supro GAS swirling in the air here at the mo.

I am still gasing for a supro comet, or as it's now known, the amulet.

It does seem like someone at Supro sat down and wondered what they could do to make a Princeton that’s more tuned to what I want from it.

stylesforfree · June 2023

dazzajl said:

stylesforfree said:

dazzajl said:

Interesting read. They’re is a definite Supro GAS swirling in the air here at the mo.

I am still gasing for a supro comet, or as it's now known, the amulet.

It does seem like someone at Supro sat down and wondered what they could do to make a Princeton that’s more tuned to what I want from it.

Inedeed, I just wish their prices were a bit lower.

Also, there's very few places around that stock their amps and even fewer places that I can visit to try one out.

Luckily the black magick was extensively demoed and there's a fair few amateur raw recordings through budget mics of it on SoundCloud.

I prefer the older style of the amps with the blue rhino hide tolex though.

I reckon eventually I'll buy the amulet to try out.

stylesforfree · June 2023

GoFish said:

i'd guess that the 68 deluxe has you covered for some Fender sounds and is quieter overall. Not as versitile as the Supersonic though.

I'd hang onto all 3 for a little while if you can, give it a month or two. But you're right that versitility isn't as important as the tone/sound/feel. It's funny cause people (not us enthusiasts) will repeatedly chose convenience over quality.

The Supersonic sounds great but it's super fussy about what tubes you put in it, they all need to be very low noise/well made with zero microphonics.

It's gained way too high really and the negative feedback could do with being modified so it wasn't as hissy.

I didn't pay a lot for it so if I sold it I could recoup most of what I paid or I could invest some money and get an amp tech to take a look at lowering the noise floor and the reverb buzz.

Or I could pay for a conversion and have it all handwired.

I think eventually I'll just go for a smaller lower wattage amp head with an fx loop for all modulation pedals.

I really do love the black magick though

dazzajl · June 2023

stylesforfree said:

dazzajl said:

stylesforfree said:

dazzajl said:

Interesting read. They’re is a definite Supro GAS swirling in the air here at the mo.

I am still gasing for a supro comet, or as it's now known, the amulet.

It does seem like someone at Supro sat down and wondered what they could do to make a Princeton that’s more tuned to what I want from it.

Inedeed, I just wish their prices were a bit lower.

Also, there's very few places around that stock their amps and even fewer places that I can visit to try one out.

Luckily the black magick was extensively demoed and there's a fair few amateur raw recordings through budget mics of it on SoundCloud.

I prefer the older style of the amps with the blue rhino hide tolex though.

I reckon eventually I'll buy the amulet to try out.

I wish all prices were a bit lower frankly. These are very expensive times we live in. The Amulet is about £300 cheaper than the Princeton though and US made. Which I know matters a lot to some people. Still doesn’t help me get one mind.

Currently not even sure if the Amulet, Black Magick Reverb or even the Rhythm Master is the one best suited to the job here.

stylesforfree · June 2023

dazzajl said:

stylesforfree said:

dazzajl said:

stylesforfree said:

dazzajl said:

Interesting read. They’re is a definite Supro GAS swirling in the air here at the mo.

I am still gasing for a supro comet, or as it's now known, the amulet.

It does seem like someone at Supro sat down and wondered what they could do to make a Princeton that’s more tuned to what I want from it.

Inedeed, I just wish their prices were a bit lower.

Also, there's very few places around that stock their amps and even fewer places that I can visit to try one out.

Luckily the black magick was extensively demoed and there's a fair few amateur raw recordings through budget mics of it on SoundCloud.

I prefer the older style of the amps with the blue rhino hide tolex though.

I reckon eventually I'll buy the amulet to try out.

I wish all prices were a bit lower frankly. These are very expensive times we live in. The Amulet is about £300 cheaper than the Princeton though and US made. Which I know matters a lot to some people. Still doesn’t help me get one mind.

Currently not even sure if the Amulet, Black Magick Reverb or even the Rhythm Master is the one best suited to the job here.

What's the job?

dazzajl · June 2023

The job is just to sit in my house and make noises I like. Which is actually a much harder job now that I don’t see another band in the future. In a live setting all I really wanted was an amp that cut through and could and sound sharp and articulate with some gain. This was important because the sharp and articulate part was not guaranteed to come from me.

Now I want something that can offer the moon on a stick and somehow do all things. I want a warm clean tone that has some sparkle and shimmer with deep and rich trem and reverb. Then it needs to get a little more LoFi and have a filthy crunch with thick swampy verb and trem. And be able to do all this either loud or not disturbing the folks on the other side of the wall AND without the need for pedals.

Obviously none of those amps are going to do all of that but which one would be the best starting point for a compromise, involving pedals and/or attenuation//

stylesforfree · June 2023

Supro comet if you can find one used. Otherwise wait for a price drop on the amulet, hotrox have them listed at £1038 at the moment.

If you want to go vintage some of the older Acetone amps might be worth checking, SA-2 et al.

Other amps that might tick the box:
Second hand vox AC15 (make sure its the AC15C1)
Supro 1648RT with attenuator
Orange Crush 35RT (solid state but can be had for under £190 2nd hand)

I keep watching and listening to demos of the amulet, it does sound might fine. I really want to see a gutshot of the newer supro amps with the black tolex, just to see if they're new designs or the old circuits rehashed and put in a new dress.

JohnPerry · June 2023

Got my Amulet a good chunk cheaper than that from Hotrox. They had a random special offer on it. Worth seeing if they might repeat it

dazzajl · June 2023

JohnPerry said:

Got my Amulet a good chunk cheaper than that from Hotrox. They had a random special offer on it. Worth seeing if they might repeat it

*stokes chin*

stylesforfree · June 2023

JohnPerry said:

Got my Amulet a good chunk cheaper than that from Hotrox. They had a random special offer on it. Worth seeing if they might repeat it

Do you mind/feel confident taking the back panel off and snapping the circuit one day when you get a chance?

Also, im curious how much you paid if you dont mind me asking.

andy_k · June 2023

dazzajl said:

The job is just to sit in my house and make noises I like. Which is actually a much harder job now that I don’t see another band in the future. In a live setting all I really wanted was an amp that cut through and could and sound sharp and articulate with some gain. This was important because the sharp and articulate part was not guaranteed to come from me.

Now I want something that can offer the moon on a stick and somehow do all things. I want a warm clean tone that has some sparkle and shimmer with deep and rich trem and reverb. Then it needs to get a little more LoFi and have a filthy crunch with thick swampy verb and trem. And be able to do all this either loud or not disturbing the folks on the other side of the wall AND without the need for pedals.

Obviously none of those amps are going to do all of that but which one would be the best starting point for a compromise, involving pedals and/or attenuation//

Sounds like a pretty accurate description of the Black Magik RT TBH.

JohnPerry · June 2023

stylesforfree said:

JohnPerry said:

Got my Amulet a good chunk cheaper than that from Hotrox. They had a random special offer on it. Worth seeing if they might repeat it

Do you mind/feel confident taking the back panel off and snapping the circuit one day when you get a chance?

Also, im curious how much you paid if you dont mind me asking.

PMd

Neckwringer · June 2023

dazzajl said:

The job is just to sit in my house and make noises I like. Which is actually a much harder job now that I don’t see another band in the future. In a live setting all I really wanted was an amp that cut through and could and sound sharp and articulate with some gain. This was important because the sharp and articulate part was not guaranteed to come from me.

Now I want something that can offer the moon on a stick and somehow do all things. I want a warm clean tone that has some sparkle and shimmer with deep and rich trem and reverb. Then it needs to get a little more LoFi and have a filthy crunch with thick swampy verb and trem. And be able to do all this either loud or not disturbing the folks on the other side of the wall AND without the need for pedals.

Obviously none of those amps are going to do all of that but which one would be the best starting point for a compromise, involving pedals and/or attenuation//

Did you turn that Tremlord on!!?

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NAD: UPDATE: Supro Amulet! Supro Black Magick + Fender Supersonic 22

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