Supro Folk Star S-444 Resophonic Guitar (1964)
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Supro Folk Star S-444 Model Resophonic Guitar (1964), made in Chicago, serial # G-27484, Festival Red finish, molded fiberglass body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, black hard shell case.
This shiny red metal and plastic creation is one of the Valco company's odder fretted experiments (and that's saying something!), a Reso-Glas resonator guitar aimed at the 1960s "folk set". Supro billed this model as "Hootnanny's newest star" when it was introduced 1964; they even put it on the first page of that year's catalog. It is built around a 1930s style single cone resonator set into molded fiberglass body with a partial wood core, neatly combining 1930s and 1960s technologies. The coverplate looks right out of 1932, while the bright red Reso-glas body screams "Jet Age"!
The 1964 Supro catalog described the model 444 as "the famous grandpappy of hill country guitar music...beloved friend of folk-country artists". "Now in a modern fiberglass body, super durable, finished in "Gay Festival red" they continued, adding for good measure "most powerful of the non-electrics...nothing else to carry-self contained". The original price was $137.50, soon lowered to $125, plus a stiff $52.50 for the "formed plush case". Thankfully a chipboard alternative was provided at $16.50 which most buyers probably chose!
The body is a unique non-cutaway shape with a flat top but dressed away edge, with the typical white rubber grommet at the join of the top and back halves. The single-cone resonator is set into the face below two oddly small Dobro-like screen holes and above a vaguely deco-looking Supro tailpiece. The bolt-on "Kord-King" neck has a dot-inlaid rosewood fingerboard with a full 24 1/2" scale, longer than many Supro guitars. It is topped with a white plastic faced "Gumby" headstock with a black plastic Supro logo and fitted with their bespoke Kluson Deluxe tuners with "butterfly keys".
The instrument was re-named renamed Vagabond after 1964 and does not appear to have sold all that well in either guise, although it stayed in the catalog through 1968. One assumes players lusting after an authentic pre-war "Blues approved" National guitar were put off by the bright red Fiberglass body, while those looking for the promised "True sound of authentic Blue Grass style" would have picked a Martin D-28! Taken on its own merits the Folk Star is not as quite loud as the average National pre-war resonator guitar but has a very distinctive tone; odd, somehow goofy but endearing, and one of our dark-horse favorites; a great plastic blues machine if there ever was one.
Overall length is 40 3/4 in. (103.5 cm.), 15 1/2 in. (39.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This is a nicely all-original instrument showing some general wear but no alterations. There is some play and handling wear overall, most visibly corrosion spots to the plating on the coverplate. The red lacquer neck finish has minor rub wear along the edges and some feelable dings and dents. The molded fiberglass body has survived nicely (that was the original idea!) showing only light wear overall. The G string tuner is noticeably bent but works fine. The instrument plays very well with a nice straight neck (for a Valco product, anyway) and the original frets show hardly any wear. This is an oddball but fun and cool knock-around instrument with a unique sound, just as it was in 1964. It sounds perfect doing the intro the Kinks' "Lola" for sure! Overall Excellent - Condition.
This shiny red metal and plastic creation is one of the Valco company's odder fretted experiments (and that's saying something!), a Reso-Glas resonator guitar aimed at the 1960s "folk set". Supro billed this model as "Hootnanny's newest star" when it was introduced 1964; they even put it on the first page of that year's catalog. It is built around a 1930s style single cone resonator set into molded fiberglass body with a partial wood core, neatly combining 1930s and 1960s technologies. The coverplate looks right out of 1932, while the bright red Reso-glas body screams "Jet Age"!
The 1964 Supro catalog described the model 444 as "the famous grandpappy of hill country guitar music...beloved friend of folk-country artists". "Now in a modern fiberglass body, super durable, finished in "Gay Festival red" they continued, adding for good measure "most powerful of the non-electrics...nothing else to carry-self contained". The original price was $137.50, soon lowered to $125, plus a stiff $52.50 for the "formed plush case". Thankfully a chipboard alternative was provided at $16.50 which most buyers probably chose!
The body is a unique non-cutaway shape with a flat top but dressed away edge, with the typical white rubber grommet at the join of the top and back halves. The single-cone resonator is set into the face below two oddly small Dobro-like screen holes and above a vaguely deco-looking Supro tailpiece. The bolt-on "Kord-King" neck has a dot-inlaid rosewood fingerboard with a full 24 1/2" scale, longer than many Supro guitars. It is topped with a white plastic faced "Gumby" headstock with a black plastic Supro logo and fitted with their bespoke Kluson Deluxe tuners with "butterfly keys".
The instrument was re-named renamed Vagabond after 1964 and does not appear to have sold all that well in either guise, although it stayed in the catalog through 1968. One assumes players lusting after an authentic pre-war "Blues approved" National guitar were put off by the bright red Fiberglass body, while those looking for the promised "True sound of authentic Blue Grass style" would have picked a Martin D-28! Taken on its own merits the Folk Star is not as quite loud as the average National pre-war resonator guitar but has a very distinctive tone; odd, somehow goofy but endearing, and one of our dark-horse favorites; a great plastic blues machine if there ever was one.
Overall length is 40 3/4 in. (103.5 cm.), 15 1/2 in. (39.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This is a nicely all-original instrument showing some general wear but no alterations. There is some play and handling wear overall, most visibly corrosion spots to the plating on the coverplate. The red lacquer neck finish has minor rub wear along the edges and some feelable dings and dents. The molded fiberglass body has survived nicely (that was the original idea!) showing only light wear overall. The G string tuner is noticeably bent but works fine. The instrument plays very well with a nice straight neck (for a Valco product, anyway) and the original frets show hardly any wear. This is an oddball but fun and cool knock-around instrument with a unique sound, just as it was in 1964. It sounds perfect doing the intro the Kinks' "Lola" for sure! Overall Excellent - Condition.