I use a Gretsch Corvette through a Deluxe Reverb clone..
The Atomic Reverb!

The Pacifics - The Big Beat from Dublin

Evil Sons - Wild Two-Piece Trash

I like old Fender stuff, but in a more complex setup...

Live I have a 64 Bassman head going through a TAD 4 x 12 cabinet with Celestion VIntage 30. My guitar is a custom jaguar, built by a german guitar builder. It's like an old jag without the knobs. I use a RI reverb tank, a Maxon Delay and a Fulltone Soulbender.
In the studio , I use my old 63 Jaguar and a multi amp setup. I got this idea from Dave Wronski and it sounds great. A Blackface Deluxe and the Bassman plus an old reverb tank plus an Echoplex EP2 with long delay and big reverb. Then I have a Pro Reverb with a short slapback. Every amp goes on its own track and then I mix the wet amps to the left and right and the dry one in the middle. I'm pretty happy with the sound I got on our last record TWANG MACHINE.

Apart from that, I saw guys with the strangest stuff getting a good sound, so I guess it's up to the player.
But it's easier to get a surfy sound from old Fender amps or other tube amps from that period. New amps are too clean or too distorted, you don't get the "breaking up a little"- point easily...

Since my earlier post I've been doing some experiemnting with my humbucker Tele. It gets a Jaguar sound with both pickups on in single-coil mode.

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The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

taliachman73
that looks similar to the Nokie Edwards Tele in the 90s...I understand his had a coil-tap switch as well as on the guitar he's playing now. don't you miss the whammy bar?

That's the problem, no whammy. Other'n that it's a pretty good Surf axe.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

well its okay...Dick Dale doesn't use whammy very much either.

I like this thread because I believe it is possible to get a good surf sound that isn't necessarily a Fender sound.

I started to get away from Fenders guitars when I was playing a gig and someone complimented me on my Jazzmaster, Jaguar, and Stratocaster by saying the only way to get a real surf sound was to use Fenders. At that point, I realized that I was taking the conventional approach, and what is the point of being a guitar player if you are going to take the conventional approach to anything?

I was already using a Korean-made Burns Marquee that had Fender Custom '54 pickups installed. I liked the neck and how it stayed in tune but I was disappointed that it still sounded like my other Fenders. Next, I got a DiPinto Galaxie. I rewired it so the two middle pickups are in series and I installed a pull-switch tone control that gives me the neck and bridge pickups. I normally just use the neck and bridge pickups like a regular two-pickup guitar. The middle two pickups have a lot of output so I use them when I want feedback. The DiPinto has a giant swimming-pool route for the pickups which allows the guitar to resonate easily for improved feedback.

Finally, I got a hold of another Burns Marquee and installed Burns "Brian May" Tri-Sonic pickups:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri-Sonic

The Tri-Sonics have a great single-coil sound but they don't sound like a Fender. However, I can get it to sound a lot like a Jazzmaster when the bridge and neck pickups are selected.

These days, I still use my Burns with the Custom '54 pickups, but my second guitar is an '87 Strat + with the dreaded Lace Sensors. The Strat has lighter strings than the flatwounds on my Burns so I use it for songs that require a lot of string bending. The Strat + is a rare blue-turquoise color that girls seem to like, so it also performs a decorative function.

If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.

mad_dog - I love my Dipinto Galaxie too. After purchasing mine, my quest for a Jaguar or Jazzmaster ended a period of trying out various models and being discouraged by the sound/quality to price ratio of Fender and the likes. The Dipinto was a good investment. My favorite position is bridge and neck both engaged. The only thing I am not crazy about is the finish of mine. I purchased the silver sparkle and gold pickguard combo because I found a good deal on Ebay. I am thinking of refinishing the body and keeping the other gold details, think maybe a midnight blue might look nice. Later.

I like the silver sparkle as well. I just don't like it being the "Los Straitjackets" model guitar. I am not really a fan of theirs. Oh well.

I would love to get a more traditional rig, but since I'm only Surf jamming about once every other week with friends, I can't justify any purchases over $200 right now until becomes a serious side project.

That said, I'm using a Peavey Vypyr 75 modeling amp and a Squier Double Fat Strat with the volume rolled back. The guitar is holding me back the most since I can get match the Showman tone quite easily with the amp. It's got enough reverb to keep me happy and has Slapback and Tremolo effects (not at the same time though).

My squier is a good distorted rock backup with its cheap HH pickups (better for surf than my fender HH), but lacks any real clean surf vibe. Eventually (soon?), I'll get something to replace it. But it won't be a $2k strat anytime soon. I'm hoping I can find a MIM strat in a pawn shop that would accept an SKS as trade. If not, I may end up with a cheap Xaviere or Agile strat copy.

2001 American Series Double Fat Strat
Peavey 5150 212 Combo
Peavey Vypyr 75
Squire Standard Double Fat Strat - Satin Black
*Johnson J-Station

I got used to the painted neck. You could take a very fine sandpaper to your neck to give it a bit of a tooth. Try it, you might like it.

Cheers!