First post here at Surfguitar101 -- great info here! I'm kinda new to this surf stuff, at least new at trying to play it. Since I just play guitar as a hobby (no gigging plans), mainly using backing tracks, here's what I'm planning for my gear:

Fender CP 50's Strat (already got the guitar)
Fender Pro Junior III or, possibly, a Blues Jr. III
Boss FRV-1 pedal
Boss Tremolo pedal

Does this seem like a reasonable basic setup, considering I don't need a lot of power? Is the FRV-1 also good as for "regular" reverb, in addition to the drippy reverb needed for surf? Based on the reviews here, the FRV-1 will do the surf reverb stuff pretty well... Any other basic items I need to consider?

That'll work, but the Pro Jr isn't really well suited for Surf imho. Great for other stuff.

Also, the Roland Cube series amps are a great bang for the buck and covers a lot of ground. I use a Cube 30X for rehearsal and home practice and it's even giggable at modest volumes. They have a passable surf reverb built in as well as tremolo, delay, onboard tuner, etc..

METEOR IV on reverbnation

Last edited: Mar 06, 2012 11:12:09

If you want a versatile reverb, you may want to consider the Line 6 Verbzilla or its cheap clone the Behringer RV600 Reverb Machine. Their 2 spring reverb settings are suitably drippy for surf - I suspect they might not be quite as "spot on" as the FRV-1 though - and there are lots of other types of reverb as well to choose from - plate, room, hall, huge spacey reverb, even slapback echo - which are great for other musical styles. I have a RV600 which I use for virtually everything I play from surf to modern stuff. I'd still get a FRV-1 if I was looking for a reverb for surf only though.

As for the amp, I'd choose a Fender Superchamp XD over a Pro Junior, but that's just me. Then if you're not dead set on tubes the Fender Mustang amp series might be a good choice too. The bigger models (III-V) have built-in tremolo and reverb tank emulation too. I've heard nothing but praise about them and considering their prices I'd be very tempted to pick up one if I didn't have too many amps already.

Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers.

Last edited: Mar 06, 2012 11:40:27

Hey Oldguy101. Welcome to the reverb capital of the internet!

I'm also for the Super Champ XD over the blues Junior. This amp is made for lower volume surfing, imo.

I'm also rocking the FRV-1. I know its not as good as a tank, but for my bedroom its perfect. Sometimes I throw in a distortion pedal with low gain settings before the frv-1 to give it some grit. I also just picked up a Nocturne Dyno Brain pre-amp that just brings out a more awesome sound in my guitar and pushes the FRV-1 into an even better reverby place.

Welcome. Your stuff is fine for what you want to do.

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"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea

A Princeton Reverb is another great smallish amp - somewhat cleaner and higher powered than a champ (but still not too heavy and not too loud) and has that great 6V6 bottle sound (plus bucketloads of reverb). When I use my strat with my BFPR clone, it sounds beautiful.

Another thing you might want to consider is a Dallas Rangemaster type treble booster. Having that extra mid-high boost makes reverb sound amazing, and the rangemaster circuit gets there through a germanium transistor, which is kinda unique in the RM circuit because its wired in +ve to ground, and its low output impedance can drive the grid in the first stage on your tube amp into positive grid-current territory, yielding smoother entry into clipping in your amp. The result is very subtle coloration of the sound and mid-high freq boost that you can dial in the amount of. Plus if you use one with your smallish amp in situations where you are jamming with others and everything is getting louder, a RM can help elevate your mid-highs above the low end flab that starts to happen as you crank your amp, so it can really help with your sound.

He who dies with the most tubes... wins

Surf Daddies

Last edited: Mar 06, 2012 12:47:03

Hi Guys

I too am new here and having played for years Rock, Southern Rock and Ozzy type stuff, I want to move into Surf. I have always listened to Surf, just never really played much of it until now
My Setup is as follows

Schecter Ultra 3 W/Bigsby
Kay/Knox 1965 MIJ 3 Pickup with Trem
Bugera V22 All tube Amp
Digitech RP355 that has fender 63 reverb Effect

Like Oldguy101, I will just be surfing in my garage most likely and not gigging. I love the site and the great information and looks to be some really cool guys. Thanks for letting em join

InlandPipeline

Further to what cambeezy mentioned, EL84s are designed to operate with a relatively low bias voltage (typically around 10-12V), and if you hit the EL84 grid with a big signal from the (previous) driver stage, they will clip sooner than 6V6s (typical bias voltage 18-20V) or 6L6s (typical bias voltage 30-35V). So if you like overdriven sound, an EL84 is a good starting point in a small bottle tube. However for more clean headroom at higher volumes, amps that use the other types will get you closer to a clean sound. (reverb tends to sound 'better' when the amp is 'cleaner'). JM2CW

He who dies with the most tubes... wins

Surf Daddies

Last edited: Mar 06, 2012 17:25:18

Actually, the BJr's reverb is pretty good. Also, you might replace the AX7s in either/or V1 and V3 with an AY7 to extend the clean range. For more clean sounds, there's always a Billm mod for that.

+1 on the Princeton Reverb (tubeswell) However, they ain't cheap anymore. You can still find non reverb Princeton's for reasonable $$, and they sound great with an outboard tank or a decent reverb pedal. . My practice amp is a SF Princeton (dated Nov. '67 on the chassis) I was playing my RI tank and Jazzer through it this evening. Tone for days....