I find different guitars like/respond to different amps. My Tele's/Strats LOVE the SF Vibrolux or Super Reverb (and the 65 Deluxe too) while my Jazzmasters seem to really like the less scooped mid vibe of the Tweed Deluxe clone (JM's I find to be very picky and don't get on with many amps which by rights they should!). Everything gets on good with the BF Bassman although it does tend to break up early. Nothing seems to like the Vibroking which I assumed would be the "holy grail" of surf guitar amps, but it isn't, at least not to my ears. Again, breaks up very early and not in a nice way. This is all single coil research, I don't really use humbuckers.
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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »
What's everyones favorite surf amp?
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Joined: Jul 05, 2010 Posts: 60 Perth 
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Posted on Feb 27 2020 06:32 AM
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Joined: May 09, 2008 Posts: 1385 Isle of Kent, MD 
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Posted on Feb 27 2020 08:07 AM
Mine is my 65 Twin, but its too frickin' loud. The twin matches well with my Strat with standard pickups. I love the tone. I'm hoping to go smaller club amp this summer, if dollars permit. I want that 65 Twin sound in a small amp. Maybe Surf.The most dangerous of genres... Surfcat MARCH OF THE DEAD SURFERS! (2024) - Agent Octopus BANDCAMP - Agent Octopus Last edited: Feb 27, 2020 08:07:50 |
Joined: Apr 13, 2018 Posts: 1378 New Orleans
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Posted on Feb 27 2020 11:59 AM
ArtS wrote:
If you have $500, you can get an SPL Reducer. It’s a power soak, not an attenuator. No tone loss and you can turn it down to silence. I use it with the ‘62 Twin and it’s absolutely wonderful. It’s also very interesting to hear the tone change as the gain is adjusted. Higher gain stops sounding good to me after about 10 o’clock, but it’s cool to hear how smashed and dirty it gets past that. https://spl.audio/studio/reducer/?lang=en —Daniel Deathtide |
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Joined: May 09, 2008 Posts: 1385 Isle of Kent, MD
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Posted on Feb 27 2020 01:20 PM
Thanks Tide. Part of the problem is I'm in my late 50s and lugging the 200 lb, awkward 65 twin is tweaking my back, knees.... —Surf.The most dangerous of genres... Surfcat MARCH OF THE DEAD SURFERS! (2024) - Agent Octopus |
Joined: Sep 23, 2014 Posts: 1422 Memphis, TN
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Posted on Feb 27 2020 01:39 PM
Art, have you tried a Quilter Tone Block 202? Great sounding, clean Fender tones at 4 pounds! —MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale. New EP Louder Than Life available on bandcamp and website. |
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Joined: Apr 13, 2018 Posts: 1378 New Orleans
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Posted on Feb 27 2020 02:26 PM
Right, copy that. I feel you - that ‘62 is heavier than the 120w ‘74 TR! I use Showmans for shows; I think I’m never going to bring a Twin to a show again! I guess you should just get a Tonemaster Twin? —Daniel Deathtide |
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Joined: May 09, 2008 Posts: 1385 Isle of Kent, MD
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Posted on Feb 27 2020 03:37 PM
nah,I'm still a tube guy, that's why I'm thinking of the vibrolux or deluxe. Appreciate all your suggestions! —Surf.The most dangerous of genres... Surfcat MARCH OF THE DEAD SURFERS! (2024) - Agent Octopus |
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Joined: Sep 23, 2014 Posts: 1422 Memphis, TN
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Posted on Feb 27 2020 03:49 PM
I'm a tube guy as well... I have a '76 Princeton, and a '65 Bandmaster (Bassman transformer). Having said that, I play through the Quilter more than anything else. It's so clean, loud, and light as a feather! MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale. New EP Louder Than Life available on bandcamp and website. Last edited: Feb 27, 2020 15:50:29 |
Joined: Feb 15, 2007 Posts: 2847 Fredericksburg, Virginia
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Posted on Feb 27 2020 05:22 PM
I am a tube guy as well. I have Brownface amps and I use my Quilter more than anything! Killer surf sounds and ONLY a few pounds. —Matt "tha Kat" Lentz Last edited: Feb 27, 2020 17:23:41 |
Joined: Dec 11, 2013 Posts: 2537 Akron, Ohio
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Posted on Feb 27 2020 05:49 PM
Look at all the Quilter love from us tube guys! —The Kahuna Kings https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kahuna-Kings/459752090818447 |
Joined: Mar 03, 2020 Posts: 11 Florida |
Posted on Mar 03 2020 08:22 PM
Here is my surf tone monster combo...'64 Gemini II & '65 Mosrite Ventures. |
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Joined: Mar 03, 2020 Posts: 11 Florida |
Posted on Mar 03 2020 08:23 PM
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Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4502 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Mar 03 2020 08:48 PM
I’ve never had to occasion to play an Ampeg Gemini, but I’ve heard that the reverb is exceptional. There seems to be a degree of regional preference when it comes to amps. When I live in Minneapolis (during the late ‘70s) Ampegs were popular and Peaveys were not well regarded. In Denver, at the same time, Peaveys were loved and Ampegs were all but unheard of. I’d love to try one out. —The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. |
Joined: Jul 12, 2018 Posts: 38
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Posted on Mar 09 2020 08:11 AM
I've got the luxury of using the bandmate's '61 blonde piggyback Showman and a reissue Fender (blonde) tank. The other guitarist uses the same bandmate's blonde piggyback Bandmaster with the same type of tank. We actually swapped a while back as the 15 in Bandmaster cab was great for rhythm work but a bit too dark for my Jaguar on leads. On the other hand, the other guitarist had a (modern) Jazzmaster that was/is very trebly especially through the 2x12 Showman cab. We swapped and now it's all Goldilocks. THIS is the classic Fender and/or surf tone although we're trying to devise a way to keep him from selecting that bridge pickup. I recently acquired a 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue as I hadn't had a Fender combo in forever and wanted to do some experimenting in a covers act vs my standard EL84 based amps. I also thought it might be a handy and compact backup for the blondes since they are vintage and therefore occasionally persnickety. For better or worse, the blondes and the blackface are miles apart. This may be a statement of the obvious to most but it's amazing how different two clean tones from two different amp models from the same OEM can be. The DRRI reverb gets fairly deep and surf-y but again is far removed from a tank. In fact, a Topanga pedal (another item I bought as a backup) gets much closer. The DRRI is certainly useful for demos, recording (demos, that is), and home practice. To be fair there are some big names that use the DRRI as their primary backline live - Los Straitjackets for one. Certainly size/weight and reliability (or the ability to pick up a replacement on short notice) are crucial for a touring act especially one that may travel by air. But I've been cursed/blessed by using the real thing and finding alternatives and substitutes usually lacking in one or more areas. Edit: I just saw the mention of the Vibro-King upthread. I used one (an oxblood-blonde version) on a (non-surf) session in Chicago many years ago and it did the business. My bandmate (who owns our vintage amps) who is a gearhound noted that the Vibro-King's cabinet design and choice of materials were underwhelming (no finger joints) and that any amp might suffer from this but especially one that is considered a 'mass-boutique' ie high end from a mass-market OEM. Pete Townshend could use any amp he likes and chooses the Vibro-King. A wag might point out that his damaged hearing might prevent him from noticing its flaws but obviously he has an army of techs and sound men helping him. Last edited: Mar 09, 2020 08:39:57 |
Joined: Apr 02, 2019 Posts: 339 |
Posted on Apr 28 2020 08:48 PM
dickey wrote:
agreed 1000%. i've been looking for another one for years. i've always been an ampeg for surf guy. the v-series amp reverb destroys fender amp verb, and the midrange shaping circuit on the v4/vt-22 is incredible. fun fact on the gemini, my favorite man or astroman record was recorded on one. such a good sound. Last edited: Apr 28, 2020 20:49:49 |
Joined: Feb 22, 2019 Posts: 190
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Posted on Apr 29 2020 02:31 AM
It’s growing!
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Joined: Apr 07, 2009 Posts: 149 Michigan
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Posted on Apr 29 2020 10:02 AM
Quilter guys: do you use a setting that approximates a brown or blackface kind of tone? I know at least one Quilter model had a "surf" setting and I wondered where it really fell on the spectrum. — |
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Joined: Feb 15, 2007 Posts: 2847 Fredericksburg, Virginia
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Posted on Apr 29 2020 10:38 AM
I have been more than satisfied with my Quilter amp. I have 2, the first version of the Micro Pro 200 (8 inch speaker) and the 101 mini head. The 101 has the "surf" setting. I use them live and for practice. I have not used them for recording, though. I have a 62 Bassman, 62 Bandmaster, and my last Showman, which is blackface. I think the Quilter does a great job packing in a very clean sound in such a small package. I don't think it has the warmth and sounds like a brownface but I think it does capture the clean blackface sound nicely. —Matt "tha Kat" Lentz |
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Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4502 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Apr 29 2020 11:14 AM
Matt22 wrote:
And that ain't bad. I wonder how it would do with the Surfy Industries Brownface emulator pedal. —The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 1054 Chicago IL.
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Posted on Apr 30 2020 08:53 AM
My go to amp in the Reluctant Aquanauts was a '65 Bandmaster that I traded a mutt Gretsch Anniversary for the head. I can't remember what sorta speakers we put in the cab but they weren't original. Combined with an original 1965 reverb tank it was perfect. I sold it for a Telecaster. It sorta kills me a little each time I see this clip. Totally regret offloading that amp and tank. About 5 years ago when I made a failed attempt at getting back into surf music I picked up another Bandmaster, again a '65. I paired it with a Gomez G-Spring and it's pretty close to my first Bandmaster, at least what I can hear in my head. I had a Showman for a little but it didn't have that magic I hear in a Bandmaster. Why the Bandmaster? I think I'd probably fall even more in love with a brownface Bandmaster but the blackface models are plenty, and cheap. The cab is the trick I think. Some reason a closed back cab and a reverb tank just add the extra something I hear in traditional surf guitar. I'm getting old and losing it so don't take anything I say seriously.
"as he stepped into the stealthy night air... little did he know the fire escape was not there" https://www.facebook.com/reluctantaquanauts/ |
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