Diggey, Drip lives in the high frequencies. Boost your treble and it'll make a big difference. Then find that sweet spot that's just before you get to ice-picky tone.

That being said, drip is over rated. It's not the be-all end-all of surf music. Good technique and good melodies are far more important.

Danny Snyder

"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

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

The hearing loss idea is interesting, but wouldn't this also erase the sound from recordings if it were a frequency that was no longer as discernible?

I've struggled not so much in getting a bit of "drip" but in pulling it forward out of the background. Even with palm muted notes, it is such a tiny, quiet sound. I have the same result using a SurfyBear into a Quilter as I do with a Gomez combo and it's built in tank (now replaced with a SurfyPan, not much improvement). It must be something about my playing for both systems to act the same way, but I am not sure what more to try. A boost pedal or EQ has helped "ping" the reverb, and makes it behave a little differently, but still not that splash I hear elsewhere. Also, when I turn the reverb up a little more to try to augment it, I get ringing feedback like tones which are not what I want to be happening.

Good luck in your quest, and please report back!

Last edited: Aug 27, 2021 22:03:25

I do not know what string guage The Astronauts used back in 1963. For me, the heavier the strings, the better to get a distinct drip. I like snapping a thin pick (.63 or thinner) with a heavy palm mute on the 3 low strings. The 3 high strings get a lighter palm mute but further away from the bridge by a few mm.

Also...a reverb tank should be off a wood floor and either on a rug or on an amp stand. If the springs are already vibrating from the internal speakers, there's going to be less drip.

It's the combination of a snappy thin pick, palm mute, and the standard "6-6-6" setting on the tank. I know that pickup output is also a factor but a clean boost placed before a tank will get you a harder punch going into the springs.

_

Hi, I'm Gellert, guitarist for The Fintastics.

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DannySnyder wrote:

Diggey, Drip lives in the high frequencies. Boost your treble and it'll make a big difference. Then find that sweet spot that's just before you get to ice-picky tone.

That being said, drip is over rated. It's not the be-all end-all of surf music. Good technique and good melodies are far more important.

Agreed! I have nothing against drip, but it’s not all that there is to a Surf sound. Reverb drips; it’s part of the effect. Crank up the reverb, mute lightly, and drip (of some sort) will ensue. You can fine tune it a bit, and it’s going to vary from device to device, but drip happens.

What I think is far more important is finding a good sound. The Astronauts, playing Baja is a great sound, but it’s not the only great sound. Take a listen to Dick Dale’s Summer Surf. It’s not over-the-top reverb, cranks to 11 and a half, but it’s a wonderful sound. Plug into a Deluxe Reverb and set the reverb up a bit and you will not sound like a 6G15 plugged into a Showman, but it’s a great sound. Listen to the Shadows and Hank Marvin’s use of various delays into a Vox AC-30, that’s an amazing effect.

Since 1966, I’ve played Rock, Country, Classical, Jazz and Surf, through a variety of amps and reverb. At the end of it all, I sound exactly like … me. If I play Surf, I go for a bright sound and set the reverb to taste. It sounds like me, playing Surf. If I mute properly, I get some pleasing drip. It doesn’t sound like the Astronauts, or Dick Dale, but it sounds good, and that’s all that counts.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

cirecc wrote:

I can get drippy reverb on the neck and middle pickup settings as well. Sometimes, I actually prefer the middle setting since it adds a little girth to it. You do need some treble, but that’s always a balance between getting a nice drip and ice pick highs. I think stiffer picks help (I get good results from tortex and heavy celluloid). Palm muting helps for sure, but a little more dig in your picking can also be enough though the ringing notes will cover some of the drip sound you are missing. I guess it depends on which drippy sound you want at which moment.

That’s a good point. Many of the classic Surf recordings were of a Jaguar on both pickups. Ice pick highs are not the stuff of Surf music.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

cirecc wrote:

synchro wrote:

Ice pick highs are not the stuff of Surf music.

Someone should tell my reverb unit that. I swear it thinks they are.

It’s a common problem. I’ve played gigs where I knew that my guitar sounded harsh. I didn’t like that, but it was hard to prevent. That’s one of the reasons I play Gretsch guitars, because they are less prone to the ice-pick effect. Of course, one can always resort to turning down the treble at the amp.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

cirecc wrote:

synchro wrote:

cirecc wrote:

synchro wrote:

Ice pick highs are not the stuff of Surf music.

Someone should tell my reverb unit that. I swear it thinks they are.

It’s a common problem. I’ve played gigs where I knew that my guitar sounded harsh. I didn’t like that, but it was hard to prevent. That’s one of the reasons I play Gretsch guitars, because they are less prone to the ice-pick effect. Of course, one can always resort to turning down the treble at the amp.

With the 'verb, I pretty much played a 57RI duojet exclusively after the first couple of years. Yeah, unfortunately, sometimes turning down the treble/tone enough to get rid of the ice pick means that you sound like you're under a blanket.

I'm still playing the duojet though my jazzmaster and jaguar are seeing more use these days. One our upcoming stuff (new band), you can hear a '66 double anniversary with tv jones filtertrons mixed in there as well.

A Duo Jet with Dynas makes a great Surf guitar and no one would suspect it, were they to see one on stage. I had one of the Cadillac Green ‘57 RIs and used it as my main axe when we were a quartet. When we became a trio, I went to a hollow-body with Supertrons. I loved the Duo Jet and think of a Dyna-Jet as a Tele on steroids with a Bigsby. It doesn’t get much better than that. If I were to buy another guitar in that price range, it would be another ’57 Duo Jet RI, in green … with a shortened Chet arm.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.