Supro 1605RJ 64' Reverb - An Honest Review. Is it a Keeper?

After years of waffling back and forth about this amp, I finally pulled the trigger. This is my honest review of my overall impressions after a week of ownership.
0:00 Intro
1:00 First Impression
4:25 Tone Examples
6:25 Overall Thoughts

[@scottdematteo]

thanks for posting this review, it was super informative and helpful. Keep the great content coming.

[@dreamscuba]

Great video and review. Very helpful. Thank you

[@siriusfun]

Nicely done.This was definitely helpful and confirmed what I was thinking about the top end. Definitely a spitty sizzle that would be problematic with recording. I appreciate all the work you put into your vids, as well.

[@NickHandleyCreative]

Wow thank you, and yes, something a little crispy on the top end. I also thought the reverb was a little tough to tame, but that could just be personal preference.

[@dommmm4106]

Nice review

[@portsideguitar1981]

Nice playing! I thought it sounds really nice with that clean playing.

[@NickHandleyCreative]

Thanks! Supro nice of you to say 😉. I do have a slight bit of remorse for returning it.

[@jameswatson5576]

Nick I completely agree with you, I actually tried it twice and had issues with both. It did have one area it excelled at, low volume edge of breakup. Cleans were definitely not it’s strong suit. Your Vibroverb is the best 5 watt clean I have tried, but if you are just playing clean at home volumes the best I ever had was the Princeton Reissue, my favorite is the 65 with the 12” P12q. Unbelievable with Fender single coils, match made in heaven

[@NickHandleyCreative]

Glad I’m not the only one, and great minds think alike because I do in fact have the 65 PRRI with a 12” speaker. I think that’s my favorite of my amps. I’m looking now at the magnatone starlighter at the moment. No reverb is my only issue

[@jameswatson5576]

@@NickHandleyCreativeAnother 5 watter that had some great cleans was the Laney Lionheart. 2 channels, 3 band eq, bright switch plus another overall tone knob gives a lot of options. Made in England again now too.

[@egor1g]

Wow. I have an absolutely the same experience, but about my Tone Master Deluxe Reverb. I can't take it back though. Great review!

[@NickHandleyCreative]

Never tried a tone master. Seems like they’re pretty popular though, so shouldn’t be too tough to sell?

[@egor1g]

@@NickHandleyCreative it's the toughest I've ever sell

[@NickHandleyCreative]

@@egor1g really? That’s a bummer. What was it you don’t like about it? I have the tube driven deluxe reverb ‘68 reissues so I’d be curious to know what the deal is with the time masters.

[@egor1g]

@@NickHandleyCreative I bought it for low volumes like bedroom lvl. It sounds very mediocre. It sounds great on high volumes though. I'm not happy with pedals also. Gonna sell it even with half price sadly.

[@NickHandleyCreative]

@@egor1g for low volumes I’ve personally found the Princeton reverb to be my favorite. It makes almost no noise, and it sounds beautiful even when the volume is super low.

[@Shiveringpug]

I'm still kinda interested in one of these - perfect size and wattage for my usage. Have tried a few amps, including digital and IR amps but nothing feels satisfying the same way - and I'm not a bluesy tube breakup player. I just play clean at TV watching volume levels with a delay, reverb and a big muff on my tiny pedalboard. Though, wishful thinking makes me think the noisiness that I play with might cover up the flaws you mentioned?

[@NickHandleyCreative]

Like you, I play mostly clean at low volume levels. For that I found (personally) the fender vibro champ reissue to sound a bit better in that realm. I think it’s a little less expensive than the Supro also. The supro definitely looks amazingly cool though.

[@theuserthatishere]

folks forget that supro was not really prograde in the 60"s. fender is, stronger cabinets for gigging endurance, and all around much higher quality

[@ryangunwitch-black]

I haven't seen too much about these. I definitely want the Supro Black Magic. I wonder how they compare.....

[@cuellar23]

Definitely well constructed amps. I have the earlier Absara Audio NY version with the Eminence speaker and it’s a little ripper. I didn’t get the top end fizz you reported with yours but it is a bit darker than my Vibro Champ Reverb. It’s hard to compare them to Fenders because, well, they’re not Fenders(:

[@NickHandleyCreative]

Yeah it definitely has its own thing going on. Now that I’ve been educated about these amps I’m pretty convinced that the older 1605r is the model to get.

[@knbstone]

I love mine. I have the earlier version with the custom speaker. I don’t think moving to the Jensen did this amp any favors. I think the limited range of tones that this thing makes are rock solid, and stand out as very non-fender. But the thing I value most is the versatility of the various plug-ins in the back… I seem to be very attracted to low watt amps with just tremolo, and I like being able to use this as a standalone reverb tank for those or as a preamp, or as a post-amp to create a giant two amplifier fake stereo… for example, I used it in front of a Fender Excelsior and it was way better than any reverb pedal then I had put in front of it. If you regret getting rid of the one you had, you may want to look for the previous version on Reverb there are some great deals at any given moment. I just discovered your videos. I think the production value is surprisingly high and I like pacing… A lot of videos to get drawn out, and become tedious.

[@NickHandleyCreative]

Thanks for the insight. I’ve been curious about if the previous model might have been the model to get. The 1605R, right? I actually almost pulled the trigger on a used one a few days ago on reverb. Also I think the older ones could have been the ones that were made in USA?? There was something going on with the top end on the 64 reverb. Some type of slight harshness that i couldn’t get rid of. You’re making me think that perhaps it was the speaker.

[@nicero870]

@@NickHandleyCreativeYou are correct. The pre-2020 models were USA made. I bought one of them when it was the 1605R and I switched the speaker to what Supro coincidentally started using in the newer ones. I sort of agree with your review. Fender is the gold standard for me too and if the Vibró Champ Reverb had been available when I got my Supro, different story. I’ve had a Princeton Reverb Reissue for years (still my go-to) but the Supro offers something different, kind of a Fender mixed with…I don’t know what. It’s my studio/small jam practice amp and I dig it for what it is.

[@NickHandleyCreative]

@@nicero870 in retrospect I kinda wish I had just kept it. I agree, it has it’s own thing going on that’s different than fender. At the time I think I was just a bit salty because it felt like I was a victim of a bit of a bait and switch marketing ploy with the ‘assembled in America’ thing.

[@marknielson2099]

I have both the Black Magic 1696 RTH and the 1968RK and love them both. The amps that I have tried to love are Marshall and all that I have owned, I’ve sold… like you said, all subjective.

[@NickHandleyCreative]

So maybe you can shed some light on the manufacturing situation then. Any insight on where the blue rhino tolex Supro amps are made? Did they recently switch to overseas?

[@marknielson2099]

I know the Delta blues models are made in China, but all the rest are “ assembled “ here. What that means, no idea! Try getting your hands on a Victory amp, I just bought a used Duchess lunchbox head and it is nice! Check them out, made in the UK. Thanks Nick, enjoy your videos, stumbled across you on your Vintage II videos which I too bought the ‘57 two burst Strat. It definitely had some QC issues.

[@NickHandleyCreative]

@@marknielson2099 I’ve never had the opportunity to try the victory amps but they do look sweet. Hey since you mentioned you have the ‘57 AVii, have you found it to be a bit stiff in terms of the string tension? If I could get the confirmation that it’s not just mine I could start getting sleep again at night 😆

[@marknielson2099]

I can’t say if the Strat seemed stiff to me, I do play with 9s … could be the maple neck feeling different than rosewood or the 7.25 radius. I have 4 other Strats with both maple and rosewood, with a mixture of radiuses. Don’t know. Thinking about it, 9.5 radius does feel a little more “slinkier “. Love the pickups in the AVII just surprised at the issues. They drilled the neck pocket screws for the neck wrong and instead of plugging or junking the body, they widened the holes by wobbling the drill bit back and forth. Pickguard screws were drilled at an angle…. Should have sent it back but decided to keep it and fix the issues myself. Love the neck, like you, love thicker necks, modern necks have no appeal to me. Fender’s 57/62 v shaped necks are the best.

[@marknielson2099]

Definitely get your hands on a Victory, the Duchess is not a high gain amp and is known as their blues amp. Kind of “ Fender-ish” but with a very slight Marshall twinge.

[@NickHandleyCreative]

I wanted to love this amp…. I tried, and tried… I definitely like it, just couldn’t quite fall in love with it. Still on the hunt for a low watt tube amp for the bedroom. Checking out the Milkman half pint but man that thing is expensive !

[@tdunster2011]

A Carr Raleigh is probably the amp you want. If you can get past the price for only a 3w amp you will never look again for another amp for home/bedroom use.

[@NickHandleyCreative]

@@tdunster2011 good tip! If it had reverb I’d be all over it! I pretty much predominantly play clean so reverb is kind of crucial. That’s why I was so excited about the supro. Close but not quite the sound I was looking for.

[@asc95]

​​@@NickHandleyCreativeHave you looked at the Swart Atomic Space Tone Jr? 5 watt champ style with reverb, 13lbs, tube rectified, made in the states. Small company that's been around for awhile. Beautiful too. *Forgot to mention it also has a solid pine cabinet

[@NickHandleyCreative]

@@asc95 I’ll have to give it a look! I ended up grabbing the ‘62 Princeton reissue for the bedroom, but I’m still on the hunt for the ultimate 5 watt. Thanks for the tip!

[@asc95]

@@NickHandleyCreative I think you'll be quite surprised

[@danhooper3819]

I have the regular 1605R assembled in NY as well as the 1690T Coronado Supro., I first boat bought the 1690t, which was an immediate keeper, why the 1605R cost less than the 1690T I will never know, Anyway my two 5-6 watt amps are a 71 Fender Champ which I fully restored and this little Supro that I paid $999 and was not impressed with at all for the price point. I planned on returning the amp but decided to put it through more paces, .and played the amp for many hours, That is when I decided to keep it. It's overpriced but a good solid little amp. I am always on the lookout for a Valco 1960's Supro.

[@NickHandleyCreative]

Yeah it had some mojo. It was the whole smoke and mirrors about where they are built that kind of irritated me to the point of returning it. In my opinion, if you want to charge $999 for a 5w amp that’s made overseas, that’s fine, but be forthcoming about it. Don’t bait and switch people into believing it’s made in America. All this to say, I realize now that the early batches of the 1060r models were indeed made domestically.

[@snorrevonflake]

For this price it should be point to point, as is, half the price.

[@NickHandleyCreative]

A point to point amp that’s made in China would be an interesting proposition. But I totally agree about the price. I’m on the lookout for this amp at $500

[@theuserthatishere]

@@NickHandleyCreative bought a handwired vox wah, fooled me.......made in china...de-cools it a bit for me

[@NickHandleyCreative]

It’s funny, in my other life of drone equipment, the Chinese drones are supreme to anything MIA (in my opinion). With music gear I think it just comes down to a bit of nostalgia about the old days. It’s cool (and somewhat rare) to see some equipment still being manufactured in the same place it’s designed. I personally am ok with paying a bit of a premium for that.

[@DalelCampbell]

Did you break in the speaker?

[@NickHandleyCreative]

Not in any significant way. Probably would have helped a bit

[@BrianRomeroArt]

You can get a real Supro from 1960’s for less money. The original models sound best cranked into overdrive and using the guitar volume controls to vary the break up. Not sure how well that works with these newer 5 watt models.

[@Gubson]

I think these amp deliver best cranked into overdrive. Then use the guitars controls to dial in your tone.

[@NickHandleyCreative]

I’m kind of wishing I had kept it based on the sound. I think I returned it mostly on principal because I felt like they were not forthcoming about where the amps are actually made.

[@Gubson]

@@NickHandleyCreative I hear you, and I guess its a normal reaction to that.

[@ronaldmay1283]

10 years ago they were made in New York

[@NickHandleyCreative]

Is that what it is? It’s been driving me mad because I have seen some listings that say it’s made in America.

[@Lowtech14]

They used to be assembled in usa. When Absara owned them. The electronic chassis was always made in China. The cabinet and speaker were usa, and it was put together in USA.

[@kevinwagner8697]

i thought they were made in Long Island N.Y.?

[@NickHandleyCreative]

So did I. That’s why I wasn’t critical of the price, but also why I returned it once I found out the truth.

[@havaden96]

i went with the marshall 5C instead. Has an effects loop for your reverb, better eq and very much the same specs. only i paid 200$

[@NickHandleyCreative]

Is that a tube amp? If so, dang that’s a steal at $200!

[@havaden96]

@@NickHandleyCreative Sadly discontinued by now. But it was absolutely a steal! those small 8" speaker amps only sounds good when cranked up a bit in my opinion. the low volume clean tone is really unforgiving.

[@thelastnic]

For the money I cant justify about a grand for a 5 watt amp Thanks for your opinion on this, it was kind of on my radar but the money, eh. I will keep shopping because the world is full of amps....

[@NickHandleyCreative]

Yeah I was in the same boat. If the supro was hand built in America and perhaps sounded a little better I wouldn’t have minded paying $1000 for it, but as it is I feel like the price is a bit on the high side for what you get, so I returned it.

[@larsheuker]

In my opinion these arent bedroom amps at all, made to be cranked. I have 2 supros, a small 64 super and a bigger 25 watt supreme. The supreme is much better at bedroom levels despite being much louder. The small speaker doesnt allow much frequencies at lower volumes. Sometimes i run them stereo and turn them down and have a pretty cool tone for at home too. But i prefer both cranked. I just accept ill never be able to get gigging/rehearsal tone at home

[@NickHandleyCreative]

The bugera ps-1 power soak has changed my bedroom level life. I love those things.

[@Foe1971]

I was under the same impression regarding the country of manufacture. Bummer.

[@NickHandleyCreative]

Thank you! I thought I was taking crazy pills for a moment.

[@kevinwagner8697]

i think their head offices are in N.Y. and thats what they promote, not where they are actually made. @@NickHandleyCreative

[@NickHandleyCreative]

Yeah. I don’t like that smoke and mirrors stuff. It left a bad taste in my mouth, which is why I ultimately sent it back, even though it had some things I liked about it.

[@Lowtech14]

That Jensen 8” ceramic speaker sucks. Fizzy. The Eminence speaker that came in original version is much better. Fwiw, this amp was never made in America. Original version (1605r) was assembled in America. Electronics were always MIC. The cab and speaker were MIA.

[@NickHandleyCreative]

Fizzy is the perfect description for what I was hearing on the high end. Maybe I’ll grab one of the original 1605r’s if one ever pops up for a good price.

[@The2ndProtectsTheRest]

Get the Supro Black Magick Reverb and you’ll sell some of your fenders…guaranteed

[@NickHandleyCreative]

I’ll have to give it a try. I’ve been trying/wanting to love supro amps. They look so cool. I’ve had two that I couldn’t quite get over the hump to like more than the fender stuff, but I haven’t spent any significant time on the black magic other than a few strums trying it in a guitar center

[@The2ndProtectsTheRest]

@@NickHandleyCreative Black Magick with a P90 equipped guitar is just mystical! I sold my HotRod Deluxe and have contemplated selling my DeVille, since getting the Magick

[@NicholasANappiNick]

Fooled me I thought usa

[@NickHandleyCreative]

Designed in America Made in China Assembled in America…. Not confusing at all 😆😆😉

[@katedeng4063]

same😭

[@jasondorsey7110]

​@@NickHandleyCreativeA chinese-made amp built in america...what's confusing about that? =P

[@roncarter2188]

A great amp back in the 1960s but today the biggest piece of crap made! Save your money it's nothing but overpriced junk.