Lots of reverb and overdrive/fuzz don't mix particularly well. How low have you turned the reverb? Try having the mix and dwell on like 2-3 and the tone on 4-5.

What about the Princeton don't you like? Personally, I'd love a Princeton and would find it very useful for rhythm guitar, especially in a studio setting(not powerful enough for me live).

Listening to your tunes on bandcamp, you have A LOT of reverb on your rhythm guitar. Our first album I had reverb like that but I've consistently dialed the dwell back. I still have a wet drip but I don't have that long dwell that sits over everything and makes everything kind of muddy. It sounds good with the tons of reverb but if your goal is to make people dance then the tons of reverb distracts from linking up with the drums.

You have a reverb/delay pedal. You aren't using the reverb portion are you? And you aren't using the onboard reverb on the Princeton? If you are, definitely don't.

Keep using the Reverb Tank, it will sound the least cavernous out of an onboard/pedal. Just know that the knobs can dial it in from way too much reverb to barely any reverb. Mix and dwell! Dwell determins how long it is and mix determines how much clean signal gets affected by the reverb.

Also, try turning the treble up on the amp and if it is too bright adjust via the tone knob on the guitar.

And you might also want to try setting the Princeton to 10 and then using your guitar to dial off the excess volume.

Sitting right in the band is hard! I've both succeeded and failed at this and it takes practice even when you think you are dialed in right.

I'd recommend to anybody using a tank to become intimate with what the knobs did before adding any effects. And even then, your on amp/guitar tone knobs are your best friend.

I know your question was mainly about choice of amplification and use of reverb, but I'd like to touch on surf rhythm guitar in a more general way. BTW I play rhythm guitar in Meshugga Beach Party and in the past for Frankie and the Poolboys, and do full arrangements for my own band The TomorrowMen. As a guy who plays both rhythm and lead, I genuinely enjoy playing rhythm as much as lead.

In a typical 4 piece instro band, the rhythm guitar is akin to the orchestra backing a vocalist. You have a lot of options that impact much of the overall shape of the song. The challenge for you is to listen to the song and figure out how best to serve it. Balancing the two duties of supporting the rhythm section and supporting,countering or harmonizing the lead melody.

If you listen close to many acclaimed (modern) surf arrangements, I'm sure you'll find that the rhgtr is rarely playing full chords. One of the best strategies for rhgtr is to stay away from the same note register as the lead. So if the lead is playing on the lower three strings, then you play triads higher up the neck. This not only leaves air for the melody, but it allows you to stand out as well, without having to turn up the volume.

A tactic I like is to change things up in a song. On the verse you can double with the snare drum, and on the chorus switch to a strum. The impact of that change can really add to the dynamics of the song. Or listen to the rhythmic pattern of the bass guitar and try to reinforce that, either with chords or a note pattern. The key is to not step on anyone else's toes rhythmically. That creates muddiness, you'll sound weaker and the song will suffer.

It's paramount to listen to the rhythmic pattern and interplay of the drums and bass. If they're really busy, maybe all you need to do are chord washes, or double the bass or snare, or harmonize to the lead part with doublestops. Conversely, if the bass and drums are keeping it simple, you can step up and start to play a gallop or some 1/8th note down stroke chords, or write a simple counterpoint to the main melody.

One final note, you have a lot of control over your volume just using your hands. Your right palm (if you're right handed) can be used very subtly, and your right hand attack has a lot of range as well. I know Jake (for instance) likes to use his guitar's knobs, I personally never do that. Just moving to different registers or dropping from a big chord to a double stop can get the same results, and sound more interesting to boot.

I think the easiest way for all musicians to improve is to develop their ears,and learn to listen critically to the music they like and want to emulate. Listen to the choices other guitarists make and then imagine substituting some of those techniques in your own songs.

Best of luck!!!

Danny Snyder

"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

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

Surf rhgtr is quite a unique style of musicianship as compared to other styles of music. It takes discriminating ears as Danny mentioned and has to fit properly. In doing all the rhgtr along with leads in recordings I found surf rhgtr challenging at first especially doing Astronauts style drip ticks with muting techniques. It is more percussive and your timing has to be perfect. Amp settings, attack and muting are very critical elements. I have the utmost respect for fulltime, dedicated rhgtr surf guitarists. Their precision is above and beyond that of a rock guitarist playing a les paul through a marshall.

The Kahuna Kings

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kahuna-Kings/459752090818447

https://thekahunakings.bandcamp.com/releases

Clarry wrote:

These threads are a fantastic source of advice. Thanks

Tagged; thanks for the honest topic. Much interest; the better of my efforts at home recording recently have come from both dialing back the outboard reverb tank (the gear side) and listening to where the rhythm needs to sit so as to compliment/support the melody rather than compound it & muddy it up. Still training my ear so advice in threads like this is valuable.

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

I'm currently working on rhythm for an upcoming 50 minute set with The Counselors. I haven't played with them for nearly 2 years, so I'm having to learn a couple new songs and relearn some some old songs.

When I first learned their set a few years ago, I was learning like 30+ songs in a matter of weeks, so most of my focus was just on chord and change memorization. But now I remember a few of the songs already, so I was noticing that I really hadn't been paying attention to some of the dynamics Danny mentioned. I'm definitely guilty of playing full chords a lot. Some of the covers we play demand it, and you can clearly hear them in the songs. But some of the songs can be more subtle or need different chord fingerings or neck placement or octave. I'm going to try to re-work how I play some of these songs. The above advice will really help! Thanks!

I like the rhythm guitar in The Supertones. It always fits perfectly in the song:

https://striciizozadja.bandcamp.com/