Hi all, this is my first post.

I'm originally more of a rock and rockabilly kind of guy, but I've always loved surf music. As I've been trying to pick it up, I've started wondering . . . do you need a tremolo bar to get that twangy, dive-bomby, wiggly sound we all love?

FYI, I play a big ole no-name hollow body with dual humbuckers (like I said, I'm originally a rockabilly guy) and a trapeze tailpiece. It has a beautiful, versatile tone, but when it comes to trem and vibe, I'm at a loss. Any suggestions?

Ask Dick Dale, he doesn't have one. You do need one to get twangy, dive-bomby, wiggly sound we all love, but they aren't necessary to play surf music. However, there is NO DIVE BOMBING in surf music. In fact you can be fined for using that term, this is a warning.

elreydlp
This was posted on another site by kenposurf (sorry George). Talk about irony-an article on Surf from the Gibson Website posted on a Rickenbacker discussion page!

http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/ProductSpotlight/Tone-Tips/myth-busters-dick-dale-520/

Quoting from the article: "Both his first hit single, “Let’s Go Trippin’” (1961), and his first album, Surfer’s Choice (1962) were cut without any spring reverb on the guitar,"

This is true for "Let's Go Trippin'" but almost certainly not true for the "Surfers' Choice" album. DD has claimed the above on several occasions, but you can clearly hear reverb on his guitar on all of the songs on "Surfers' Choice", while you can clearly hear that the guitar is dry on "Let's Go Trippin'" as well as its flipside, "Del-Tone Rock" and the follow-up single "Jungle Fever/Shake-N-Stomp". Just compare the guitar tones on these four tracks to the tracks on "Surfers' Choice". This album was released in November of 1962, and though it collects older live performances, some of which are probably even from early '62, DD has often said himself that he received the first prototype of the reverb unit, and given that it was commercially introduced in '62, it's very likely that he already had it in '61. So, his story doesn't make sense either when listening to the album, or chronologically.

Edit: I'm not referring to the version of "Shake-N-Stomp" which is on the "Surfers' Choice" album but rather the super-rare version that was the b-side of the "Jungle Fever" single, and which clearly doesn't feature reverb.

Ivan
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As stated above Mr. Dale does not use a vibrato unit.

Before I installed a bigsby on my telecaster, I would bend the neck after hitting a ringing note. With some reverb, I could get a fairly decent effect.

elreydlp

IvanP

elreydlp
This was posted on another site by kenposurf (sorry George). Talk about irony-an article on Surf from the Gibson Website posted on a Rickenbacker discussion page!

http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/ProductSpotlight/Tone-Tips/myth-busters-dick-dale-520/

Quoting from the article: "Both his first hit single, “Let’s Go Trippin’” (1961), and his first album, Surfer’s Choice (1962) were cut without any spring reverb on the guitar,"

Note the qualifier "spring reverb". It is possible that some songs were cut using "natural" reverb.

Possible, but highly unlikely. Just listen to the guitar sounds on "Surfers' Choice" - they simply sound like a reverb unit is being used.

Anyway,

Tremolo/vibrato unit on your guitar -

Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube

Survey says, you're gonna want one (a tremolo bar).

(defunct) Thee Jaguar Sharks

Plus! Other stuff not surf: https://soundcloud.com/jamesmileshq
Enjoy every minute

The easiest answer is that if it's integral to the music you love to listen to, than yes you will need a guitar with one.

If you're happy with the Dick Dale approach, there's lots of things you can do to add interest to your playing instead.

But if your favorite part of your favorite songs are the dips, you'll never be satisfied. Play Surfrider with and without a bar. That should answer your question for you. I do play it by bending the low E at the 10th fret on my stoptail guitars, and it sounds okay, but it ain't the same.

I've played Surf on hardtail guitars but I find that I really miss the trem tailpiece. I tend to use it subtly, which is what I think Leo had in mind when he designed both the Strat and the Jazz/Jag tailpieces. One of the cbest examples I've ever heard of a Strat trem in action is Ewa on the Beach, the second track on Frankie and the Poolboys CD.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

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

Rio
I find it's weird playing guitars without a trem, I instinctively keep reaching for one, even when it's not there

I have the same problem. For years I didn't use one but then I got into Gretsch guitars and found that I reach for the Bigsby instinctively these days.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

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

¡Hello everybody!

I am new in this surfguitar forum that I am starting to love. I would like to say that I have been playing for 4 year surf music with my tele and I have always missed a tremolo bar on it. I love the sound of my tele and it suits perfectly Dick dale stuff and so and so. I have developed a very good vibrato with my fingers, I have bent the neck of the guitar (until I heard a little crack one year ago and I stopped doing that)... And this things are OK but can not be compared with the sound of the tremolo bar in surf music. In my band, the 2nd guitarrist has tremolo bar and he makes those typical surf sounds that I cannot make. And sometimes it is frustrating to be the lead guitar and not have tremolo.

Sorry if my English is not very good, but I live in Europe.

Cheers

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