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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink Which guitar was used?

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I'm still trying to identify which guitars were/are used on surf songs. Anyone know what was used on "Let's Go"? Also, even though Carl Wilson was always photographed with a Jaguar, I wonder if he ever traded guitars with Al Jardine's Strat - or David L. Mark's Strat for that matter?

How's your digestion now?

Perhaps it's just my ignorance with the Beach Boys catalog, but I don't know of a song called "Let's Go." Are you referring to "Let's Go Trippin'?" Maybe "Let's Go Surfin'?" Or possibly "Let's Go Away for Awhile?"
Or maybe I'm just assuming that it's a Beach Boys song because of the Carl Wilson and Al Jardine references in the following sentence.
And, yes, there are notable photos of Carl with a Jag, but it seems more common to see him wielding a Rickenbacker.
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In fact, he used them so much that they created a Carl Wilson signature model.

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Sorry, that was a confusing post of mine. Let's Go is by the Routers. The very early pics I've seen of Carl Wilson (Beach Boys) usually showed him with a Jaguar.

How's your digestion now?

There are pics and footage from very early on showing Carl with both the white Jag and the Rick. I don't know if there was a period of time where he used only one before getting the other.

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Although...in the old BB videos in the other thread, Carl is playing a Ric 360-12, not the six-string.

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I've seen him using a Ric, but I thought it was a 12 string. Thanks for the info! I wonder what he used on their version of Miserlou.

How's your digestion now?

Let' Go . . .
If that is Tommy Tedesco playing the lead guitar on that track, my guess would be a Telecaster--but it's just that--a guess.

Just to touch on the Carl Wilson Jaguar/Rick tone....
Norm (Shivers13) posted a great in-studio performance of "Dance Dance Dance" (on the BB thread) that is signature Rick tone, and interesting to compare to say, his Jag tone on Fun Fun Fun.

You can't always tell what is being played on which surf recording, but this is one clear case of two different sounds. I prefer Carl's Jag tone generally.

I saw the Beach Boys when the Surf's Up album came out in 74(?) and Carl played a hollow body Guild the entire show.

More importantly...what chord is he playin in that photo above? Is he thumbing a G#...then I thought he was barring a Db with his little finger...I guess just a G#major on the lower strings. Seems like I remember old chords books instructing thumbing the E string on certain chords.

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Stormtiger wrote:

I saw the Beach Boys when the Surf's Up album came out
in 74(?) and Carl played a hollow body Guild the entire
show.

Yes...found this clip from '65(!)showing Carl already had a Guild in his arsenal!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUxMupNEno4&feature=related

Do you know which Guild model? I have a Starfire IV.

How's your digestion now?

I've always read that Carl and David Marks had Stratocasters early on. Here's an early early clip, maybe the first footage of them playing. around the 1:30 mark, it shows both playing strats.

"You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"

^
^
WOW Chris!---great clip

Surfbones wrote:

Do you know which Guild model? I have a Starfire IV.

It looks like the fancier Starfire V?? Guild experts?
Here's another:

Last edited: Nov 30, 2011 12:48:07

I think the Guild Starfire V had a Bigsby, where the Starfire IV does not. Anyone have a picture of Carl's Guild?

How's your digestion now?

Carl was primarily a Jaguar guy in the early days. That's what he played on the Surf/Hot Rod era recordings. In several books it's mentioned he picked up the Rick post Beatles Invasion. He was an instant fan of the band when he first saw them.

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Last edited: Nov 30, 2011 19:19:48

Dug up some more early Carl pics from '62. He apparently used both a Strat and a Jag in the early days. However, from what I've read and seen the Jaguar was his main axe until he switched to the Rick. These pics are from David Mark's excellent book, The Lost Beach Boy. David played a Strat during this time, then switched to a Jag for The Marksmen.

image

image

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Surfbones wrote:

I think the Guild Starfire V had a Bigsby, where the
Starfire IV does not. Anyone have a picture of Carl's
Guild?

Can't find a pic of Carl's Guild, but through the late sixties and seventies he's pictured quite often with Gibson and Epiphone Hollowbodys. Mostly the Gibson.

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SurferBill wrote:

More importantly...what chord is he playin in that
photo above? Is he thumbing a G#...then I thought he
was barring a Db with his little finger...I guess just
a G#major on the lower strings. Seems like I remember
old chords books instructing thumbing the E string on
certain chords.

I use my thumb to barre chords quite often. Gives my index finger a rest.

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If anyone is still interested, here is a picture of Carl with an early version of the Fender 12 String. He used this guitar around the time that Glen Campbell was with the band.

Carl was gracious enough to pose for this picture while I positioned myself with the Brownie camera. It took me a while, and he held that smile long enough for me to get a great shot. I think I released the shutter just in time.

image

Louie7 wrote:

If anyone is still interested, here is a picture of Carl with an early version of the Fender 12 String. He used this guitar around the time that Glen Campbell was with the band.

Carl was gracious enough to pose for this picture while I positioned myself with the Brownie camera. It took me a while, and he held that smile long enough for me to get a great shot. I think I released the shutter just in time.

image

Wow, must be a buzz having a pic like that in your collection!! Shock
Carl always came across as the quiet achiever in the BB's. He maintained one of the lower profiles as far as publicity went, but the contribution he made to that Band with his playing & particularly with that voice was more prominent than what a lot of people realize.
Yes

With the amount of money the BB's made, it wouldn't surprise me if Carl had somewhat of a collection. I distinctly remember seeing him playing a white Telecaster with a Bigsby on a filmclip many years ago, although I can't remember what the song was.

One thing that does throw me is his 12-string in this pic. To me it looks more like a Epiphone of some sort, but you can clearly see Gibson on the headstock! Anyone know what this model Gibson is/was?
Confused
image

Last edited: Apr 04, 2012 08:21:16

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