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Was Dick Dale's Surfer's Choice made without reverb?
Joined: Nov 14, 2011 Posts: 79 San Diego |
Posted on Feb 06 2017 08:51 AM
A poster on another forum claims this album was made before the guitar reverb effect existed. He said it was all done with open back cabs, "room" reverb and lots of vibrato. The intro on the first song and at 42:10 sound pretty drippy to me... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-49f2qO2OPA) Last edited: Feb 06, 2017 08:57:12 |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 10331 southern Michigan 
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Posted on Feb 06 2017 09:59 AM
There...is...just...no...way. He used reverb. The end of story. —Ivan |
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Joined: Nov 14, 2011 Posts: 79 San Diego |
Posted on Feb 06 2017 11:08 AM
Thanks, that was my thought but I am not an expert on this historical stuff. The album was released in '62, was it actually in '63 that the Fender unit was made available? And if so what was he using to get reverb that early? |
Joined: Mar 13, 2009 Posts: 2367 Twin Cities, MN
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Posted on Feb 06 2017 11:16 AM
Yes. This album was made before reverb existed. But such was the power of Dick Dale, his studio performance was so dominating, so epic, so legendary, that reverb literally sprang into existence (pun intended) on the recording. Those in the know refer to it as "The Immaculate Reverberation". Leo Fender then set out to create a device to generate the effect on demand. He had his engineers capture some of Dick Dale's legendary mojo and then was able to replicate via tube driven spring reverb devices. Thus was reverb born. It is known. |
Joined: Aug 26, 2014 Posts: 138 Kent 
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Posted on Feb 06 2017 11:33 AM
From the Interweb..."It was UA's own Bill Putnam, Sr., who was the first to use artificial reverb creatively on a pop recording in 1947, with the use of the first reverb chamber (the studio bathroom!). The result was a huge hit by The Harmonicats called "Peg o' My Heart" on his own Universal label. Having the ability to control reverb amount and turn the effect on and off at will was a major breakthrough, and a big part of the record's sound." —Wherever you go, there you are http://rogerfowles.co.uk/ |
Joined: Nov 03, 2006 Posts: 693 San Clemente, CA
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Posted on Feb 06 2017 11:35 AM
The Rendezvous Ballroom was a huge echo chamber with high ceilings and hard walls. —Happy Sunsets! |
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Joined: Nov 14, 2011 Posts: 79 San Diego |
Posted on Feb 06 2017 11:45 AM
Josh, I suspect you are joshing me, or more specificially the poster who made the claim. But before I try to set the record straight in the other forum I would like to have a better idea of the very first use of "artificial" reverb, a reverb device. The other guitar forum has nothing to do with surf guitar but there are a lot of members who are into surf music, and they might be and I definitely would be interested in who and what drove the introduction of the electronic reverb effect for guitars that is so much a part of most guitar music today. Wikipedia says the patent for the first spring reverb was granted in 1939, but does not mention its use with guitars. Last edited: Feb 06, 2017 11:46:20 |
Joined: Dec 08, 2007 Posts: 1304 
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Posted on Feb 06 2017 12:14 PM
According to John Blair's liner notes to Rhino's Dick Dale comp: SinNombre wrote: — https://www.facebook.com/coffindagger Last edited: Feb 06, 2017 12:15:35 |
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Joined: Nov 14, 2011 Posts: 79 San Diego |
Posted on Feb 06 2017 12:33 PM
Thanks psycho. Yes, you can definitely hear the drip in 'Miserlou Twist' from 1962, probably the first time drip was recorded I suppose. |
Joined: Dec 31, 2008 Posts: 284 Riverside, CA
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Posted on Feb 06 2017 12:36 PM
Darn, I wish I could vent it on this, but.......in the the interim, pop up and look at Ivan's post. Read it carefully. |
Joined: Aug 29, 2009 Posts: 1556 Israel 
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Posted on Feb 06 2017 01:32 PM
According to Accutronics, the 1st Type4 style small pan was introduced in 1960 by Hammond. When exactly Leo F. pulled one out from an organ for DD to use with his guitar (according to his story - first he used it as vocal effect), must therefore be between that and Surfer's Choice. Last edited: Feb 06, 2017 13:36:00 |
Joined: Jul 30, 2016 Posts: 896
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Posted on Feb 06 2017 01:40 PM
Hopefully it's a long interim. I've always wondered about the inconsistency between Dick's testimony on this matter and the information my ears deliver to my brain and have always just assumed he remembers incorrectly. Or perhaps they were using a unit in addition to room reverb and he's only remembering the latter element. |
Joined: Aug 23, 2007 Posts: 611 Monterey County, California
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Posted on Feb 06 2017 02:02 PM
Fender introduced its new "Reverberation Unit" in late 1961 (its first appearance was in Fender's 1961-1962 product catalog). It was available in stores by the spring of 1962. Dick had a prototype of the unit at the Rendezvous surely by the fall of 1961. Remember, his last day at the Rendezvous was 23 December, 1961. He started at Harmony Park in early 1962. Most of "Surfer's Choice" was recorded at the Harmony Park Ballroom. The LP was released in November, 1962. — |
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Joined: Nov 03, 2006 Posts: 693 San Clemente, CA
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Posted on Feb 06 2017 02:31 PM
I always thought Surfers Choice was recorded at the Rendezvous. Where is the source for Harmony Park. —Happy Sunsets! |
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Joined: Aug 23, 2007 Posts: 611 Monterey County, California
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Posted on Feb 06 2017 02:40 PM
Source for Harmony Park: Nick O'Malley and Art Munson (of the Del-Tones). In terms of the reverb/no reverb debate, here's a short Vintage Guitar article from Dan Forte: https://www.vintageguitar.com/2785/dick-dale-surfers-choice/ — |
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Joined: Mar 13, 2009 Posts: 2367 Twin Cities, MN
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Posted on Feb 06 2017 02:59 PM
Even though I like my version better, I defer to the guy who literally wrote the book(s) about it. Thanks for chiming in, John |
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Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 10331 southern Michigan
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Posted on Feb 06 2017 03:00 PM
John wrote:
Ha! That's great! Never seen it before, thanks for sharing that, John. Yep, I agree with everything Dan Forte writes here. The reverb unit was already commercially available before the album came out and Dick often claims - truthfully in this case, I believe - that he had the prototype, so probably at some point in '61, way before the release of the album. The timeline is very simple and makes a lot of sense. Dick's obfuscation has cast a great deal of confusion on this, unfortunately. —Ivan |
Joined: Apr 29, 2010 Posts: 2472 Venice, CA
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Posted on Feb 06 2017 03:32 PM
I'm using "Dick's Obfuscation" as a song title! ™®© —Insect Surfers |
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Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 10331 southern Michigan
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Posted on Feb 06 2017 03:43 PM
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Joined: Aug 23, 2007 Posts: 611 Monterey County, California
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Posted on Feb 06 2017 03:52 PM
Back in September of 2011, the Seattle Art Museum had a special screening of "Dick Dale: King of The Surf Guitar," a documentary made by Dale's former road manager, Matt Marshall. I flew to Seattle to see the film, the only time it's been shown to the public as far as I know. Matt had total access to Dick's archives AND interviewed Dick's father, Jim Monsour, who produced the "Surfer's Choice" LP. In part of his interview on camera, Monsour states that the "Surfer's Choice" LP was recorded at Harmony Park!! Not the Rendezvous. — |
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