T H E ✠ S U R F I T E S

Last edited: Mar 01, 2018 05:22:00

Pretty much all I ever played was Strats, since I started learning to play the guitar. Having had a daily relationship with a variety of Strats for the last 22 years, I've learned how to move my right hand so that I don't trip over the volume knob or the pickup switch. In fact, my pinky is almost always within an easy reach of the volume knob, so I do an occasional volume swell or just turn down the volume a bit to clear up the sound or just check that it's all the way up. But I know the volume control location is a problem for a lot of people.

Here's my take on these guitars. As a matter of full disclosure, I should say that I've owned a Jazzmaster for about nine years now, as well, but I've never owned a Jag, so I can't really say much about it, except what I've heard on records. The short scale was always a turn off with a Jag, as were the individual pickup switches (I do a lot of fast pickup switching within songs).

Anyway, here is a partial list of major vintage surf music users (of course, not counting the Shadows, who I dearly love and who are a major influence on me, but who were not a surf band):

Dick Dale
Jim Messina (lead guitar, the Jesters)
Jim Skiathitis & Theo Penglis (both lead guitar, the Atlantics)
Skip Mercier & Willy Glover (lead & rhythm, the Pyramids)
Bob Spickard & Brian Carmen (lead & rhtyhm, the Chantays)
Jim Fuller (lead guitar, the Surfaris)
Paul Johnson (rhythm guitar, the Belairs)
Eddie Bertrand (during the Belairs era, maybe some during E&tS)
Al Nichol (lead guitar, the Crossfires)
Bobby Fuller (lead guitar, Bobby Fuller & the Fanatics, the BF Four)
Larry Weed (lead guitar, the Original Surfaris - he's also seen with a JM)

Looking at this list, I don't understand why so many surf guitarists are down on the Strat. If it's just a matter of looking different than the 'blooze' guys, OK, I can understand that. But here are a few reason why I think the Strat is the ultimate surf guitar.

First, in my experience it has the right balance between the fatness (as epitomized by the Jazzmaster) and edge (as epitomized by the Jaguar), making it incredibly agressive sounding when necessary. Just listen to DD, Messina & the Atlantics. Crank up the reverb, the Fender amp, put it on the bridge pickup, and start double-picking hard - nothing sounds like a Strat. I think the only time that a Jag sounded as agressive was in the hands of Randy Holden of the Fender IV, but all other Jag sounds tend to be much thinner (that I can think of right now, correct me if I'm wrong). On the other hand, the Jazzmaster just sounds too full and refined to ever be as edgy as a Strat.

Second, the Strat also gives you the option of the mellower, neck-pickup tone, and, more importantly, a good 'reverb-drip' tone. Let's keep in mind that the guys that INVENTED the muted reverb drip all used a Strat! The Chantays first and the Pyramids second - the Astronauts got it all from these two bands (who of course got the muted bass-string alternating-single-note rhythm thing from the Belairs - who of course themselves got it from the Fireballs!). (And don't tell me that Pipeline wasn't recorded with a Strat, but some cheapo thing - I know. However, all the subsequent Chantays songs WERE recorded with Strats, and they've got huge drip!)

Third, the middle pickup: Strat's middle pickup RULES! And it's way underutilized! It's an incredible sound, so warm and 'woody', and the other two Fenders don't have it. (of course, the other two have the bridge/neck pickup combination, which is also a great sound, but you can rig a Strat to do that relatively easily.) I never used it in the Cossacks, but I used it for the New World Relampagos project a lot, and now with the Madeira. The middle pickup also gives you the in-between tone so loved by DD and Jim Messina, which can also sound very agressive (check out Banzai Pipeline).

Fourth, the tremolo. Whereas the JM/Jag trem is very smooth and in many ways perfect for surf, it just doesn't get very agressive. But with a Strat trem, you can shake the hell out of that thing and make the guitar sound like a nervous, hormonally amped-up teenager is playing it, which is after all what we're all trying to do, right? Or you can give the notes a vocal quality by continuously manipulating it as you play, a la Hank Marvin or the Atlantics. Can't really do that as well on a JM/Jag trem.

Fifth, no offset body, so you can lean a Strat against a wall or an amp without it taking a spill!

Anyway, that's my take on the whole thing. I do really love to play the Jazzmaster sometimes, and I used it with the Cossacks for about a third of the songs. But the Strat still rules for surf, IMHO.

Ivan

Ivan
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Last edited: Mar 05, 2006 14:39:17

The Jaguar is it for me. I grew up playing a Stratocaster on and off with about 10 other guitars, I could never stick with one guitar. I tried Gibson, Gretsch, even Epiphone. .. Then I got a Jazzmaster and thought I had finally found home. Until my bassist bought a Jaguar, and ironically I never would have played a Jaguar, I always thought a shortscale guitar and a guy who's '6"2 shouldn't work. I guess it does, I kind of get the feeling of how some of the old black blues guys felt with those big hands on the regular scales. I always liked Eddie Bertrand's tone, and sorry Ivan I thought it was pretty aggressive, same with Randy Holden's which we seem to agree on. I also liked the Treblemakers who were about as aggressive as you can get, and I had heard the great sounds on the SPs albums were mostly Jaguars(were not many pictures of those guys), and who could forget Tony Andreason!

I also like the fact that you can put really heavy flats on the Jaguar and still play some good leads. Especially on the frat, and early 60s rock and roll stuff.

I see your points Ivan where the Strat is THE guitar, but I could make arguements about each pickup setting on the Jag, and a case that the trem has a nicer softer touch to it. But haven't we been down this road atleast 2 times in the past? So I'll hold back. I think it all comes down to what you like.

I do like the Jaguar because it's different, sometimes I fill in for rockabilly bands, and it sounds like no one else, and with the 60s rock and roll we are doing lately it's nice to have a slightly different sound. I would like a Jazzmaster and a Mosrite, but I just can afford those right now. Hell, even a sunburst 50s Strat with a maple neck might cure my Bobby Fuller bug. But it is nice being exclusive with one guitar for a few years.

"as he stepped into the stealthy night air... little did he know the fire escape was not there"

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Ivan,
well for old times sake maybe we should really get into it then. But, I think this has been our most civil debate when it comes to our guitars of choice.
I think the best part of this new forum is adding pictures. Here's some Rosewood neck shots.

I think Bobby got the maple neck Strat later on. Every photo I've seen and in some live tape of Bobby with this Strat he has the neck pickup screwed in down below the pickguard. Might be the secret to Bobby's tone.

image

"as he stepped into the stealthy night air... little did he know the fire escape was not there"

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BillAqua
Ivan,

I think Bobby got the maple neck Strat later on. Every photo I've seen and in some live tape of Bobby with this Strat he has the neck pickup screwed in down below the pickguard. Might be the secret to Bobby's tone.

image

I always wondered why he started with a white rosewood strat, then the sunburst w/t rose wood and ended up with a maple necked.

Do you think he was looking at pictures of Buddy Holly and finally got his dream strat, the one just like his idol?

Its something to think of our heros milling over pics on album covers looking for the smallest detail to try to figure out how their heros got "that sound".

The Thunderchiefs

Ivan, I cannot help but get a cheesy tone out of the Strat. I remember several people saying that in the past. You are just a master of the strat.

And what color is your Jazzmaster?

One more thing Ivan.

Practice makes perfect when leaning a offset body guitar against a wall. I never have trouble leaning my Jags.

Do not however balance an acoustic at the top of the stairs without neck support. I thought I was pretty damn special getting it to sit and rest. Then I turned my head and I hear a sound like some punk rock kid playing my acoustic. There was severe rattling for a couple weeks. But not anymore.

for some reason I find that strats, especially new ones. . .the pickups seem dead on them. I don't know. . .maybe cause so many people play them, I just find them really boring sound wise. That being said, it is all how you play. I used to get a sound out my 100 dollar Ibanez that had people wanting to buy that guitar from me

One of my High school frineds had a Ibanez Strat copy and one pick up.
It sounded amazing. He got 5 other Ibanez's after that and all of them sucked big time. I think what was good about it was it had Really good wood, and a simple Strat style trem. All the others had those Floyd Rose
double locking things, and they all sounded like water logged wood, with rubber bands, compared to the older one.
Jeff(bigtikidude)

drpluto
for some reason I find that strats, especially new ones. . .the pickups seem dead on them. I don't know. . .maybe cause so many people play them, I just find them really boring sound wise. That being said, it is all how you play. I used to get a sound out my 100 dollar Ibanez that had people wanting to buy that guitar from me

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Ivan, Bill, those are some awesome posts! Thx.

I happen to think that guitars are tools, and like all tools, you need the right one for the job. You can never have enough tools, or guitars! Each one is unique from each other, and we should use them all if we can.

But, what do I know? I don't own any of these, I have a Strat clone that I'm upgrading and will be using for a while, probably forever...I love that clone. But I know I'll buy a JM, a Mosrite, and a DiPinto (among others) in the near future as well. Bless my guitar greedy soul.

Jeff, I have a Washburn ML custom shop, it has the Floyd Rose tailpiece/bridge, it's a hassle to change the strings on it and set it up properly, so I let a pro tech do it. But, when it comes to dive bombs and heavy tremolo work, the FR is killer. The locking plate keeps it from going out of tune and I can get some serious dive's on it all day and stay in tune. The intonation can be nearly perfect with a FR, and you can get the action so amazingly low, with no fret buzz, even with .13 gauge strings. IMO, the greatest tailpiece's/bridge's ever are the Bigsby, and the Floyd Rose.

As for sunbursts, I'd take a solid color over them anyday. Sunbursts are too common for me, I like to be a bit different.

~Ace

I'm Batman...No not <I>that</I> Batman. :p