Twang !!

Surfocaster

Joined: Jan 16, 2010
Posts: 214
Somerset, England

Posted on Feb 27 2010 12:14 PM

Hi all
Just wondering how to get a bit of real twang into my tone. Does it come from the pups or is it an inherant sound of certain guitars? The sound im refering to is clear on Martin Cilias Return of the Surf Guitar album. I know he states that he plays a Jaguar on the album but is that all there is to it? At the moment i have just the one guitar, a USA strat with no modifications and playing through the Amplitube Fender software. I should have a couple of thousand available in the next month to upgrade so open to suggestions.
Cheers

Top

DannySnyder

Joined: Mar 02, 2006
Posts: 11075
Berkeley, CA
United States

Posted on Feb 27 2010 05:45 PM

Hey welcome Surfocaster. Twang is in the guitar but can be filtered out by the wrong amplifier. My guess is a software amp isn't going to get very twangy, but I'm willing to be corrected. The typical set up for us surf guys is a single coil pickup guitar with tremolo (whammy bar) into an outboard stand alone Fender Reverb Unit or clone into a Fender tube amp. Round wound style strings are definitely 'twangier' than flat wounds so in that respect surf isn't super twangy. Reverb tanks aren't necessary for twang in and of itself either, but it helps to get the "surf" tone. If you're playing in a full loud band, the piggy back style amps of the early to late 60's are favored. There's tons and tons of info and opinions on this here on SG101 so be sure to make use of the archives.

—

Danny Snyder

"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I am now playing trumpet with Prince Buster tribute band 'Balzac'

Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party

Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF

Top

synchro

Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4549
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
United States

Posted on Feb 27 2010 10:08 PM

Surfocaster
Hi all
Just wondering how to get a bit of real twang into my tone. Does it come from the pups or is it an inherant sound of certain guitars? The sound im refering to is clear on Martin Cilias Return of the Surf Guitar album. I know he states that he plays a Jaguar on the album but is that all there is to it? At the moment i have just the one guitar, a USA strat with no modifications and playing through the Amplitube Fender software. I should have a couple of thousand available in the next month to upgrade so open to suggestions.
Cheers

I ordered that Matin Cilia CD after checking out some samples. He definitely gets a great sound. My presonal recipe for "twang" is single coil pickups (or Gretsch Filtertrons which are mini humbuckers), a clean Blackface amp and a bit of reverb. The twangiest guitar I own is a Gretsch Duo Jet with single coil Dynasonic pickups. The second twangiest guitar in my collection is an American Deluxe Strat.

One thing I've learned through experience is that sometimes less is more. If you try to set the bass tone control too high you can lose clarity so I usually start by setting the bass control slightly below the halfway point and the treble slightly above the halfway point. Likewise, too much reverb can take away from the effect. If you want a lot of reverb in your sound an external tank is the way to go.

As Danny mentioned round-wound strings tend to be twangier than flat-wounds although fresh flats can be a lot brighter than you might suspect. Brian Setzer gets a great sound from 10 - 46 D'Addario round-wounds.

—

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

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

Top

Surfocaster

Joined: Jan 16, 2010
Posts: 214
Somerset, England

Posted on Feb 28 2010 02:01 PM

Thanks for the replies. As im learning surf tunes for the first time im enjoying useing the Amplitube software. It has a mixer which is simple to use so playing along to b/ts and plugging the headphones in gives hours of noiseless practice so i was thinking more in terms of a surf specific guitar. I am allways drawn to the 65 Delux amp with a bit of slapback delay and the 63 reverb tank. Have adjusted eq as you mentioned and am also using a bit of compression. Its a very convincing tone but not any real twang! Guess i need to go to a shop and try a few bits of gear out.
Cheers

Top

DeadRanchHands

Joined: Apr 15, 2008
Posts: 1281
1 Security Pin

Posted on Feb 28 2010 09:48 PM

I think you can get some great twang with Amplitube Fender. However, you have to make sure you're not getting an impedance mismatch with your soundcard, otherwise your highs will disappear.

—

http://www.reverbnation.com/thedeadranchhands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZEW74mHjQk

Top

Surfersaurus

Joined: Feb 10, 2010
Posts: 352
Australia

Posted on Feb 28 2010 11:59 PM

I think a good sounding guitar makes all the differance. Not all guitars are built equal. From my experience I have played some classic all original Fenders from the fifties & sixties that sound 'dead' and have no life, while others have 'life' to them and sound great.
I am fortunate enough to have some nice guitars and amps and that really helps me get a good tone.
A Fender Jaguar works well with a brown 2 x 10 Vibroverb. Brown Fender amps tend to be darker sounding than other model Fenders and Jags can be on the bright side so they make a good match.
I find the original Fender pickups to be the best sounding for my purposes although I would think there would be some great sounding replacement pickups in the market place. All my guitars have the original factory pickups.
There are a few videos on youtube where I am playing the Jaguar into the desk (no amp) and playing 'live' along with the BT. Compare the differance if you like.
BTW, I did some presets for AmpliTube awhile back.
check them out here: http://www.ikmultimedia.com/NewsDisplay.php?Id=2123

Hope this helps (and makes sense!!)

Top

LaFleur

Joined: May 20, 2009
Posts: 525
Leipzig
Germany

Posted on Mar 01 2010 05:17 AM

Speaking of amplitube fender, what USB-Audiointerface cable will do the best on a non apple PC?

—

http://www.reverbnation.com/bangmustang
http://www.facebook.com/bangmustang
https://soundcloud.com/bang-mustang

Top

ratfink5

Joined: Jan 05, 2010
Posts: 50

Posted on Mar 01 2010 08:04 AM

Fender single coil, thru a fender amp..Then I get my best twang by droping the mids way down and the bring the treble up just south of icepick then bring the bass up to fill the sound out until you hear what you like.
Then pick as close to the bridge as you can.

Top

Surfocaster

Joined: Jan 16, 2010
Posts: 214
Somerset, England

Posted on Mar 01 2010 05:09 PM

Seems to me the general opinion is the guitar is the main source of the twang that im looking for. Its interesting as Charlie Hall (programmer of Hank Marvins echo units) recommends playing an electric guitar acoustically as you can feel the natural resonance in the instrument which may well shine through when amplified. Also very intersting that Martin never felt the need to experiment with different pickups in his guitars. I look forward to trying out Martins amplitube presets but frustratingly i havent loaded xgear and cant find the cd for it. However. my Atlantics tab book arrived today complete with picks and fridge magnets no less !! That'll keep me busy.
Cheers

Top

twoslices

Joined: Mar 04, 2011
Posts: 9
Temecula,Ca

Posted on Mar 05 2011 07:52 PM

fresh strings on every gig or recording.The strings the thing

Top

SirBLaughs

Joined: Apr 03, 2011
Posts: 2
the Concrete jungle, NYC, USA

Posted on Apr 04 2011 09:15 AM

Fender Jazzmasters are best known for their "surf-twang."

Top

Surfocaster Joined: Jan 16, 2010 Posts: 214 Somerset, England	Posted on Feb 27 2010 12:14 PM Hi all Just wondering how to get a bit of real twang into my tone. Does it come from the pups or is it an inherant sound of certain guitars? The sound im refering to is clear on Martin Cilias Return of the Surf Guitar album. I know he states that he plays a Jaguar on the album but is that all there is to it? At the moment i have just the one guitar, a USA strat with no modifications and playing through the Amplitube Fender software. I should have a couple of thousand available in the next month to upgrade so open to suggestions. Cheers Top
DannySnyder Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 11075 Berkeley, CA	Posted on Feb 27 2010 05:45 PM Hey welcome Surfocaster. Twang is in the guitar but can be filtered out by the wrong amplifier. My guess is a software amp isn't going to get very twangy, but I'm willing to be corrected. The typical set up for us surf guys is a single coil pickup guitar with tremolo (whammy bar) into an outboard stand alone Fender Reverb Unit or clone into a Fender tube amp. Round wound style strings are definitely 'twangier' than flat wounds so in that respect surf isn't super twangy. Reverb tanks aren't necessary for twang in and of itself either, but it helps to get the "surf" tone. If you're playing in a full loud band, the piggy back style amps of the early to late 60's are favored. There's tons and tons of info and opinions on this here on SG101 so be sure to make use of the archives. — Danny Snyder "With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo I am now playing trumpet with Prince Buster tribute band 'Balzac' Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF Top
synchro Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4549 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.	Posted on Feb 27 2010 10:08 PM Surfocaster Hi all Just wondering how to get a bit of real twang into my tone. Does it come from the pups or is it an inherant sound of certain guitars? The sound im refering to is clear on Martin Cilias Return of the Surf Guitar album. I know he states that he plays a Jaguar on the album but is that all there is to it? At the moment i have just the one guitar, a USA strat with no modifications and playing through the Amplitube Fender software. I should have a couple of thousand available in the next month to upgrade so open to suggestions. Cheers I ordered that Matin Cilia CD after checking out some samples. He definitely gets a great sound. My presonal recipe for "twang" is single coil pickups (or Gretsch Filtertrons which are mini humbuckers), a clean Blackface amp and a bit of reverb. The twangiest guitar I own is a Gretsch Duo Jet with single coil Dynasonic pickups. The second twangiest guitar in my collection is an American Deluxe Strat. One thing I've learned through experience is that sometimes less is more. If you try to set the bass tone control too high you can lose clarity so I usually start by setting the bass control slightly below the halfway point and the treble slightly above the halfway point. Likewise, too much reverb can take away from the effect. If you want a lot of reverb in your sound an external tank is the way to go. As Danny mentioned round-wound strings tend to be twangier than flat-wounds although fresh flats can be a lot brighter than you might suspect. Brian Setzer gets a great sound from 10 - 46 D'Addario round-wounds. — The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. Top
Surfocaster Joined: Jan 16, 2010 Posts: 214 Somerset, England	Posted on Feb 28 2010 02:01 PM Thanks for the replies. As im learning surf tunes for the first time im enjoying useing the Amplitube software. It has a mixer which is simple to use so playing along to b/ts and plugging the headphones in gives hours of noiseless practice so i was thinking more in terms of a surf specific guitar. I am allways drawn to the 65 Delux amp with a bit of slapback delay and the 63 reverb tank. Have adjusted eq as you mentioned and am also using a bit of compression. Its a very convincing tone but not any real twang! Guess i need to go to a shop and try a few bits of gear out. Cheers Top
DeadRanchHands Joined: Apr 15, 2008 Posts: 1281	Posted on Feb 28 2010 09:48 PM I think you can get some great twang with Amplitube Fender. However, you have to make sure you're not getting an impedance mismatch with your soundcard, otherwise your highs will disappear. — http://www.reverbnation.com/thedeadranchhands http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZEW74mHjQk Top
Surfersaurus Joined: Feb 10, 2010 Posts: 352 Australia	Posted on Feb 28 2010 11:59 PM I think a good sounding guitar makes all the differance. Not all guitars are built equal. From my experience I have played some classic all original Fenders from the fifties & sixties that sound 'dead' and have no life, while others have 'life' to them and sound great. I am fortunate enough to have some nice guitars and amps and that really helps me get a good tone. A Fender Jaguar works well with a brown 2 x 10 Vibroverb. Brown Fender amps tend to be darker sounding than other model Fenders and Jags can be on the bright side so they make a good match. I find the original Fender pickups to be the best sounding for my purposes although I would think there would be some great sounding replacement pickups in the market place. All my guitars have the original factory pickups. There are a few videos on youtube where I am playing the Jaguar into the desk (no amp) and playing 'live' along with the BT. Compare the differance if you like. BTW, I did some presets for AmpliTube awhile back. check them out here: http://www.ikmultimedia.com/NewsDisplay.php?Id=2123 Hope this helps (and makes sense!!) Top
LaFleur Joined: May 20, 2009 Posts: 525 Leipzig	Posted on Mar 01 2010 05:17 AM Speaking of amplitube fender, what USB-Audiointerface cable will do the best on a non apple PC? — http://www.reverbnation.com/bangmustang http://www.facebook.com/bangmustang https://soundcloud.com/bang-mustang Top
ratfink5 Joined: Jan 05, 2010 Posts: 50	Posted on Mar 01 2010 08:04 AM Fender single coil, thru a fender amp..Then I get my best twang by droping the mids way down and the bring the treble up just south of icepick then bring the bass up to fill the sound out until you hear what you like. Then pick as close to the bridge as you can. Top
Surfocaster Joined: Jan 16, 2010 Posts: 214 Somerset, England	Posted on Mar 01 2010 05:09 PM Seems to me the general opinion is the guitar is the main source of the twang that im looking for. Its interesting as Charlie Hall (programmer of Hank Marvins echo units) recommends playing an electric guitar acoustically as you can feel the natural resonance in the instrument which may well shine through when amplified. Also very intersting that Martin never felt the need to experiment with different pickups in his guitars. I look forward to trying out Martins amplitube presets but frustratingly i havent loaded xgear and cant find the cd for it. However. my Atlantics tab book arrived today complete with picks and fridge magnets no less !! That'll keep me busy. Cheers Top
twoslices Joined: Mar 04, 2011 Posts: 9 Temecula,Ca	Posted on Mar 05 2011 07:52 PM fresh strings on every gig or recording.The strings the thing Top
SirBLaughs Joined: Apr 03, 2011 Posts: 2 the Concrete jungle, NYC, USA	Posted on Apr 04 2011 09:15 AM Fender Jazzmasters are best known for their "surf-twang." Top

SurfGuitar101 Forums » Surf Musician »

Twang !!