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What organ sounds for surf?
Joined: Mar 09, 2014 Posts: 92 New York 
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Posted on Jul 24 2020 11:07 AM
I'm a guitarist through and through. Don't know much about what organ or keyboard sounds are typically heard in surf music. I record surf music tracks though, and I'd like to add organ/key melody lines. What type of organ sound should I be looking for for that that classic surf sound? —Guitarist for Northern Tides from Hudson Valley, NY. |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 1062 Berlin, Germany 
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Posted on Jul 24 2020 11:35 AM
There are combo organs like the Farfisa used by The Avenegrs VI or Zorba & The Greeks in the 60s. Frequently with wrecking crew side men in the studio there was a Hammond B3. The sound on The Ventures records is quite different than on, say, The Super Stocks or Ghouls recordings. The versatility of the organ concept allows players to create a trade mark sound. But I'm a guitar player myself and even though I used to play a little organ I never got deep enough into organs to tell you more about the settings. —The Exotic Guitar of Kahuna Kawentzmann You can get the boy out of the Keynes era, but you can’t get the Keynes era out of the boy. Last edited: Jul 24, 2020 11:37:56 |
Joined: Jul 30, 2016 Posts: 896 
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Posted on Jul 24 2020 12:15 PM
This topic has come up in the past. I love combo organ and use it in songs a lot. I love Hammonds and use them too. As mentioned already, there are a variety of species you'll find. I think particular brand isn't a big deal. They generally have enough settings that you can approximate anything you want to hear. Here are some models to look up if you want a quick youtube education: Farfisa (multiple models in the "Compact" line) There are a few good free VSTs for combo organs out there. A guy named Martinic created "Combo Model F" and "Combo Model V" and I use them all the time in songs. They were free but then he got hired by Arturia I think and they were removed from wide circulation but I think you can still find them. There's also a new Elka Panther one but it's not free. Probably well worth the price, though. Here's my favorite youtube combo organ demo: |
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Joined: Jul 30, 2016 Posts: 896
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Posted on Jul 24 2020 12:20 PM
Recently Yamaha released the Reface YC, which emulates a variety of old organs, including their own YC-30/YC-45. Lots of demos on youtube, most of which focus on the Hammond setting, unfortunately. It's a good piece of equipment but not great, due to one glaring deficiency: it does not have a bass voicing for the bottom keys. Most combo organs have an octave or so of bass keys that are on their own circuit (sometimes even with its own separate output jack) that lacks all the high end of the main circuit. This is crucial to achieving a full complete sound. For instance, pay attention to the thick bass in the previous demo. So the Reface YC is limited in that way. |
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 2309 Stockholm, Sweden 
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Posted on Jul 24 2020 01:51 PM
Skiltrip wrote:
For that classic surf sound you don't want an organ. You want an electric piano. — |
Joined: Aug 26, 2015 Posts: 252 |
Posted on Jul 24 2020 04:34 PM
How about am Electro Harmonix C9 pedal. As a guitarist, you can play your guitar and (wait for it).... Sound just like an organ! Good range too, including Hammond, Vox and the weird thing used on Telstar. Used subtlety in the mix, no one would really know. Lots of fun and cheaper and easier to handle than a big ol Vox Continental. Which always break down |
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Joined: Aug 26, 2015 Posts: 252 |
Posted on Jul 24 2020 04:36 PM
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Joined: Jul 30, 2016 Posts: 896
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Posted on Jul 24 2020 05:00 PM
I have an EHX Key9 and it's not good. It would never realistically replace a keyed instrument. It does make cool sounds--they just don't sound like a Rhodes! |
Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 11072 Berkeley, CA
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Posted on Jul 24 2020 08:14 PM
Plus 1 for the Yamaha YC Reface. I love mine and have received many compliments from fellow musicians. You can also use it as a midi controller. —Danny Snyder I am now playing trumpet with Prince Buster tribute band 'Balzac' 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 |
Joined: Jan 25, 2007 Posts: 1568 Brighton UK
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Posted on Jul 25 2020 01:14 PM
DannySnyder wrote:
They do sound really good. — |
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Joined: Oct 16, 2008 Posts: 551 Madison, WI 
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Posted on Jul 28 2020 09:19 AM
While you could use a Reface YC as a controller, I can't imagine doing that. But I don't like mini-keys. As for bass, the thing only has a 3 octave keyboard, and on the usual setting the keys don't get that far down. I don't miss combo bass. I own 2 Reface YC units. Each is controlled by a 61 key controller. Thus, I get double manuals. If I want bass, I move a unit down an octave or so and I'm ready to go. As for electric piano, I also have the Reface CP. Also tied to a controller, 88 keys for that. For maybe $800 total, I have what I need for hardware organ and piano. |
Joined: Nov 22, 2016 Posts: 79 PNW |
Posted on Aug 01 2020 03:27 AM
Skiltrip wrote:
I am a dedicated guitar player as well. One of my favorite surf bands is Finland’s Laika and the Cosmonauts. They use a Farfisa organ on many of their tracks. When I transcribe I use a photocell vibe on guitar for all of the organ parts. I believe Laika uses vibe on their organ parts. So, you can use a dedicated effect on guitar for all organ parts to give the organ part the same separation as if it were guitar and organ. You can create even more distinction by eqing most of the treble out of the guitar ‘organ’ parts (assuming your guitar parts are typically bridge pickup) or using the neck/middle/neck + bridge pickup to mellow the high end. —Makai Last edited: Aug 01, 2020 03:44:30 |
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Joined: Mar 09, 2014 Posts: 92 New York
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Posted on Aug 18 2020 09:43 PM
Lots of great advice here. Thanks everyone. I found a free Farfisa virtual instrument plugin called Combo Model F by Martinic. Sounds terrific. The second I started playing around with I'm like... yup... there it is, that's what I was looking for! —Guitarist for Northern Tides from Hudson Valley, NY. |
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Joined: Jul 30, 2016 Posts: 896
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Posted on Aug 18 2020 09:54 PM
Just grab any old organ and GET IT ON! (that's what she said) |
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Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 2309 Stockholm, Sweden
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Posted on Aug 19 2020 12:48 PM
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Joined: Aug 18, 2008 Posts: 373 Orange, CA
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Posted on Aug 21 2020 08:30 PM
Bomboras! |
Joined: Jul 01, 2020 Posts: 35 
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Posted on Aug 23 2020 06:45 AM
We use the Yamaha YC-20. Gorgeous sounding, but tuning stability is a problem for the time being...
Surf, spies, cowboys and aliens. We've got'em all covered... Listen to |
Joined: Aug 22, 2010 Posts: 1019 Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers
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Posted on Sep 06 2020 09:22 PM
Organ-like tones obtained from effects on electric guitars allow far more expressiveness and dynamics than organs themselves do. Guitar technique includes bends, slides, vibrato and hammer-ons and the volume fades out with time. These techniques translate into variations in timbre, tone and volume that organs do not deliver. Some organs have a tone pitch variation wheel or lever but its expressiveness can not match a guitar and organ dynamics are staccato (moderated of course by echo-delays etc). The mechanical-robotic sound of organs can work okay in the background, briefly in the foreground, or rarely in the foreground for an entire song as a change of pace, but I find that organ-like guitar tones are far more interesting. —Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com |
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Joined: Aug 26, 2015 Posts: 252 |
Posted on Sep 07 2020 12:30 AM
Here's the Electro Harmonix C9 pedal on one of our own tracks. Not everyone will like it but we had fun and the organ sound was added as a bit of texture for style and feel |
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Joined: Aug 26, 2015 Posts: 252 |
Posted on Sep 07 2020 09:42 AM
Vince_Ray wrote:
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