Looking for 1965 Supro Handle Replacemnet

[Tom Phillips]

I need a replacement handle for a 1965 Supro Amp.
Attached photo 1 shows the old handle assembly and photo 2 shows the detail of the end cap hardware. It doesn’t show in the photo but one end of the plastic handle is cracked clean through.

The original is a molded plastic part with a cheesy stitching pattern silkscreened in white. Supro soon switched to a different design and even the current re-issue models use a different handle style. The new handle style uses complete different endcap hardware so I do not want to use the new style because I do not want to drill a different hole pattern in the existing 1965 cabinet.

I have searched quite a bit and have not found a form fit & functional replacement. I’m now looking at old equipment and luggage from which to salvage a handle. I came really close with a NOS Tektronix P/N 367-0040-00 replacement handle from 1981. The hardware end caps fit the old footprint but the leather handle cracked halfway through at first bend.

Does anyone have suggestions to help me locate a suitable handle?

TIA,
Tom

[Enzo]

I don't see no pictures, man...

So you have good hardware but the leather/handle part is bunk? Could you not have a local old hippie leather guy make one up, or maybe more practically, go to a show repair place and ask them to make one up.

Aha, photos have now appeared for me.

My leather idea won;t look like that molded part, but would look realistic. A good leather man can form the slots for the hardware loops so it will lie flat.


Any chance the old handle break can be heat welded back together?

[nickb]

What are min/max distances between the slots in the handle?

[J M Fahey]

This is what you actually need, the real thing that cheesy injected plastic one is trying to imitate.


You can get them from shops supplying the luggage and handbag market or as Enzo said, any old hippie ... or depending on where you live, in any Sunday open air market you might find a small stall were somebody with an industrial/shoe-leather repair sewing machine can improvise one.
I´d order a couple as spares, go figure.

If you have a couple idle hours, get some leather, strong waxed polyester tread and a couple "leather needles" and make one yourself.
It´s FUN !!!!!
this guy has 4 or 5 tools but really you only need to buy the large needles and strong thread, everything else is just an accessory:

[52 Bill]

At the store, we order handle replacements from Ohio Travel Bag. They may not have the exact same one, but they may have something that will work.

They have a lot of handles that fit guitar cases as well.

[Steve A.]

I've had good luck dealing with shoe repair shops- they seem to be less pricey than the luggage shops that the rich folk patronize...

Steve A.

[Tom Phillips]

Enzo & Juan – Making a handle will be my last ditch approach because:

1. The customer bought this amp because he owned the exact model (A Supro Royal Reverb) 50 years ago. It is in original condition and part of the nostalgic allure will be to keep it looking as much as possible like the original.
2. I can find a leather craftsman locally but the final appearance of the product would either need to be a compromise or would be very expensive to produce a one off. The remaining local shoe shops are all hacks and have lost all desire and capability to do custom work. They can put on a new set of heals or sell you some new laces but trusting them for other work on your prized shoes will get them destroyed.

I thought about heat welding or gluing the old handle but I wouldn’t trust the fix or the integrity of the rest of that 50+ year old handle.

Nick – The min/max distances between the slots in the handle are 3.75” (95mm) and 5.25” (132mm)

52 Bill – The Ohio Travel Bag web site has a great on-line catalog of parts. They actually have some handles that look almost identical to the plastic original with the exception that they are real stitched leather. Thanks for the suggestion. At the least I’ll be able to download some good photos of what is available to show the local luggage repair shop. At worst, I can order direct from Ohio.

Meanwhile, I have found a candidate handle that I salvaged and saved from some past part out project and I still have some other equipment in storage that may be good donors. I’ll keep working the issue.

Thanks again all.
Tom

[loudthud]

This one looks close except the attachment brackets are different and it's made of leather.

Gibson Gold Tone Black Leather Figured Handle

I may be able to locate the Tektronix part, but it will take a week or two.

[J M Fahey]

Cool, hope you solve it in an acceptable way.

No glue will hold, and wouldn´t even trust fusing and slamming together both mating faces for the very good reason that if it broke *there* then it´s the most highly stressed point of the entire handle.

In fact, wouldn´t even trust an unused original handle very much because after 50 years plasticizers (specially old type ones) must have partly evaporated or downgraded (did they use phtalates in 1965?), only justification might be in an amp which just sits in one place, wouldn´t carry it much by the handle if playing dates.

I have lots of 15/20 y.o. plastic parts, think parts trays and bins, which are brittle enough to crack when held by an edge or corner, while they were flexible way back then.

Nostalgia is fine, I´m quite the nostalgic myself, but to face the truth, some things can´t be brought back.

Just last night I had my hair crew cut quite short, it was ridiculous having a few hairs here and there, very long, to give the illusion my skull was covered with *something*, he he.

[Tom Phillips]

I found a handle I like at https://ohiotravelbag.com .
Thanks for the tip 52 Bill. Their web catalog was well organized including photos, dimensional info and stock availability. I also discovered that the old Tektronix tube scope handles are a little short for the Supro application. I'll post photos of the new handle after I complete the repair.
Cheers,
Tom

[J M Fahey]

Now all you need is to silkscreen the faux stitches

[Tom Phillips]

Now all you need is to silkscreen the faux stitches

Ha! Not required.
I found a handle of the required format made of real leather with real stitches. My customer is happy with the upgrade and neither of us are worried that some plastic related mojo will be affected.

[Tom Phillips]

To close out this thread, attached is a photo of the installed replacement handle from the Ohio Travel Bag site that 52 Bill recommended. The replacement was their P/N L-176SM-BLK. It was supplied, as shown in the second photo, with hardware loops but did not include end cap hardware. I used the cleaned up original end caps which was the preferred approach for the job anyway. This turned out to be a good and proper looking handle replacement for this amp as well as a significant upgrade. Valco apparently used the similar shaped plastic handle for only a very short time and the modern Supro branded amps use a different style handle with a completely different mounting hardware footprint. Additionally, there were no suitable handles available from the existing amp parts suppliers so this turned out to be a good solution.
Thanks again 52 Bill.
Cheers,
Tom

[Enzo]

wow, at first glance I thought you had caught a bit of tolex under the panel, but then realized it was the reflection of the handle in the mirror-finish of the metal panel.

[Tom Phillips]

I had the same thought when I first reviewed my photos. The 50+ year old amp cleaned up really well and the customer commented on that upon first glance.