Supro 1616T anyone built one or have one?

[Robster]

Nice video of one here:


I can't find a schematic for it but hear the Gretsch 6151 is similar.
What it so different between this amp and a Vibro champ?
Looks like the Supro has much more drive to it.
I would like to build one from scratch since I see no kit for it.
Anyone have dimensions for this little amp?
I have seen pics of them with a 7x10 speaker or an 8 incher on some..
Thanks
Rob

 

[muchxs]

What it so different between this amp and a Vibro champ?

A Vibro Champ has a tone stack. It eats more gain than the simple Supro tone control.

A hot rodded Vibro Champ will eat Supros for lunch and use their bones for toothpicks.

Looks like the Supro has much more drive to it.

Not really. The preamp is pretty wimpy except there's no insertion loss from the tone controls.

The circuit is roughly a Supro 1606 with a cathode biased first preamp stage instead of the 1606's grid leak. Then add trem. Otherwise it has the same supply voltage as the 1606, the same 3.9k cathode resistor for the second gain stage, unbypassed, the same 330 ohm bias resistor on the 6V6 also unbypassed.

Be aware that while Supro didn't list the supply voltage on the schematic it's in the lower 300v range. That's how they got away with the 330 ohm cathode resistor. You're going to want to change that if you use Champ type iron.

I would like to build one from scratch since I see no kit for it.
Anyone have dimensions for this little amp?
I have seen pics of them with a 7x10 speaker or an 8 incher on some.

I've got dimensions for it somewhere. I put them somewhere safe. Now if only I could remember where they are...

I've got a 7"x10" Rola. For real fun it's a 6 ohm speaker. Or maybe 10 ohm I forget which. Now if only I could remember where I put the 1616 cabinet drawing.

 

[Robster]

Thanks Muchxs for the info. Going to do some more research on this amp...

 

[muchxs]

I'm pretty sure it's the same size as a 1606. The 1606 is relatively common.

I'd wire it up on a tweed Vibrolux chassis, probably stick it in a one- off narrow panel cabinet. The repro Fender chassis is a lot nicer than original Supro. Supro used pine blocks to mount a simple steel "C" section in the cabinet. The mounting holes are always reamed. The chrome isn't as nice as vintage Fender and certainly isn't as nice as a repro tweed chassis.

I wish I had a look inside another 1616. I expect the main circuit is mostly like a 1606. On the face of it Supro's "Wired by Trained Rats" wiring looks like... well, they look like they were wired by trained rats. But... the 1606 circuit is super simple and wired on one terminal strip. It was super simple to wire using parts common to radios and phonographs of the era. It's still super simple to wire using parts common to radios and phonographs of the era.

Trick is it's "layered" on a single terminal strip. Like true point to point it's not difficult but everything needs to go where it needs to go and it needs to be assembled in a particular order.

The parts for the trem go on their own terminal strip.

I kept my old 1606 around because it was a super simple build once I got used to it. Eventually I took the time to sketch out the layers of parts on the terminal strip. I can do a lot of old Fender stuff from memory and if I can't remember they're generally laid out logically. Not so with Supro.

 

[Robster]

Yeah, I had a larger Supro years ago. Wiring was on terminal strips and there was plenty of it! I like the style of the Supro cabinet, seen too many Fenders.
Thanks

 

[muchxs]

Yeah, I had a larger Supro years ago. Wiring was on terminal strips and there was plenty of it! I like the style of the Supro cabinet, seen too many Fenders.
Thanks

Seen too many Supros. I like Fenders.

Seriously, Fender's quality was always better than Supro's. That doesn't mean a Supro built on a Fender chassis has to look like a Fender.

I've got a couple old amps that are going to get resurrected as Supros. I have one of those plywood Alamos with the big "A" on the front. Big "A" outside, it's gonna be big "S" inside. Same with the old Made In Long Island '70s Multivox I have.

 

[Robster]

Oh yes, no question Fenders were built far better than Supros.
Good idea on the Alamo and Multivox.
Very hard to find Supro's in my area, it's a Fender/Peavey town.
Rob

 

[anam600]

Nice video but I have not build it.

 

[MadJack]

I'm finding I really like the older smaller practice amps, such as the 1616T. That's where this thread caught my eye. While the amp I'm looking to build isn't that new, I too am looking at building a Supro/Valco, a Comet. Maybe a Spectator, but I prefer the bigger 10" speaker's tone. Something a bit warmer toned and lower gain that the 5F1 Modded PCB Champ 600 I did last year. I've got the cabinet dimensions, the schematics and a few internal photos, but wouldn't mind the chassis dimensions, as I'm looking to bend and punch my own chassis, since (AFAIK) there are none available.