KMC Music Appointed the Exclusive United States Distributor of Supro Amps

Adding a powerful new line to its growing portfolio of MI and pro audio products, KMC Music (www.kmcmusic.com) today announced that Absara Audio LLC has appointed the company to serve as the exclusive United States distributor of Supro amplifiers (www.suprousa.com), the iconic line of guitar amps that have inspired guitarists since the dawn of electrified music.

Out of production since the late 1960s, an entirely new line of vintage inspired Supro amplifiers was introduced to the world in 2014 when Absara Audio LLC acquired the rights to the Supro brand from former Fender amp designer and longtime Pigtronix associate Bruce Zinky.  Zinky and Absara Audio founder and President David Koltai have collaborated to create the modern incarnation of the classic Supro “sound” that KMC Music will now make available to the more than 6500 dealers in its nationwide retail network.  The Supro line-up includes the Coronado, Dual-Tone, Royal Reverb, Saturn Reverb, Thunderbolt, and Thunderbolt Plus models as well as the upcoming Tremo-verb model which will be released in July, through KMC distribution. 

“The appointment of KMC Music to serve as our exclusive United States distributor marks the next giant step forward in the return of this legendary American brand,” Koltai said today. “The explosive success of Supro’s rebirth, combined with our 5-year history of working with KMC Music to build Pigtronix into a powerhouse in the pedal category, has paved the way for Supro to now become a nationally distributed marquee brand for KMC. We are proud to partner with KMC’s visionary new leadership and dedicated sales force to provide dealers with in-the-field brand representation, merchandising support, enhanced logistics and world class customer service.”

According to KMC Music President Mark Terry, “We are proud and excited to be able to offer our retailers the entire Supro product line.  The addition of Supro to our rapidly growing portfolio further strengthens our position as the number one resource for dealers to meet all of their product needs.”

Supro’s origins can be traced back to the early ’30s when the National Resophonic and Dobro guitar companies merged to form a manufacturing entity called Valco. As electrified music started to emerge, Valco began producing guitars and amplifiers under the Supro name. Supro amps delivered the tone of choice for the early ’60s south-side Chicago blues players who in turn influenced the British invasion. By the late ’60s, Jimi Hendrix was playing a Supro Thunderbolt amp on tour with Little Richard and the Isley Brothers; meanwhile, in England, Jimmy Page cut seminal Led Zeppelin tracks using a 1×12 Supro combo amp. Now, some 50 years later, sales of Supro reissue tube amps are increasing worldwide with consistently glowing reviews and numerous awards piling up. Guitar icons such as Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Joe Walsh (The Eagles), Brian Setzer (Stray Cats), Robby Krieger (The Doors), Steve Stevens (Billy Idol), David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Adrian Belew (King Crimson), Eric Krasno (Soulive) and many others are using Supro amps in studios and on stages everywhere.