1965 SUPRO MODEL 24

I fully expected to be blown away by this 1965 Supro Model 24 and it didn’t disappoint. 

Made by Valco in the USA, it was reputedly this Supro model that Jimmy Page used on early Zep recordings. I plugged my Tele in and… Oh boy: another amp I don’t want to let go of. It didn’t make me play like Jimmy Page, but it did put a big smile on my face and it’s been in our studio ever since.

Essentially the same amp as a Valco/Supro 1624T, this is a stunning recording amp – sounds amazing with harmonica as well as guitar – sing through your harp mic with the tremolo on and you’re in classic Zep territory. I’m talking myself out of selling it again as I write this listing…

This amp comes from Mike Crossey’s studio collection and has some pedigree (see below). 

See detailed photos below to assess condition – it was re-covered in 2004 to a very high standard (details in Mike Crossey’s comments below) – the handle is not original, but the internals are all as they should be. The amp is as it came to us.

Dave Hunter’s excellent article for Vintage Guitar has the complete lowdown on the Supro Model 24.

It is of course a USA 110v mains unit so will require a step-down transformer for UK/EU use. We can supply high quality UK made transformers if required.

Mike Crossey had this to say about the amp:

The right collector will love this, they rarely come up for sale, especially in this condition.

This amp was used on recordings by: The 1975, Wolf Alice, Tribes, Razorlight (I’m pretty sure Mark Ronson used the model 24 on “bicycle song’ but I was not in the session).

I have the information the seller I bought it from gave me – “This is a hand-wired point-to-point all-tube Supro amp manufactured by Valco Mfg. Co. in early-mid 1965. The serial number on the silver foil sticker is 1-13097. 

The power transformer dates to the 6th week of 1965, the output transformer dates to the 5th week of 1965, and the Valco-stamped Jensen C12R speaker dates to the 8th week of 1965. 

Based on the Supro amp catalogs, this is rated at 17 watts RMS power into the 8 ohm Jensen speaker. The Jensen speaker codes are 220508 550-29 C12R, C7373-2. Officially, this is Supro Model Number S6524 ( The model number “24” issued for model year “65” ).

This is essentially the same amp and circuit as the Supro model 1624T from 1959 through 1962. All that was changed from the 1624T was a longer chassis, the addition of a separate tone knob for each channel, a larger, open-backed cabinet ( For more volume and woody TONE ), and the model number was shortened from 1624 to “Model 24.” 

All of the “24” model amps from 1959-1967 share the same basic circuits and tube compliment ( 3 – 12ax7’s, a pair of 6973 power tubes and a 5Y3GT rectifier tube ). 

The cabinet dimensions are 23.75″ wide, 16.5″ high and 8″ deep. 

This amp is amazingly clean and the circuit has not been altered. The original grillecloth is excellent-plus… No holes, tears or water stains. The amp cabinet was re-covered in 2004 by Pete Mather, who at the time was building amp cabinets for Carr amps, Mojave’ and Heritage amps in Nashville. Pete does impeccable work and the tolex here reflects it. The original tolex wasn’t beat up. The tolex, white stripe and Marshall-style handle are NEW and perfect. The chrome control panel has a few “Sunspots” but it’s very clean with a lot of shine and the lettering is 100% present and totally legible. The original Jensen speaker is extremely clean… No scratches, dings or rust”