Whether any given guitar is suitable surf is subjective (and discussed a zillion times here). But as to the more specific question of the humbucker, I'd say that a humbucker in bridge position for a strat is never going to sound the same as a strat single coil, especially when you are talking budget line humbucker.

Humbuckers generally will not give you the twang sound of trad surf. Often they are darker and thicker sounding than a single coil. The single coil generally brings out the high end with a thinner sound. Combined with reverb, this gives you the “surf sound”. You can still get a good trad sound with the middle and neck pickups on the guitars you are referring to (based on the fact that they are single coils).

Rev

Canadian Surf

http://www.urbansurfkings.com/

The guitar and pickup configuration doesnt really matter much. This quote from Terry Melcher, producer of many first wave classics pretty much answers the question:
"...to me it wasn't a matter of what six string electric guitar you were using - it was more the amplifier and the kind of reverberation unit; that is what created what was known as the 'surf guitar sound'...Fender amps and reverb units!"

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psychonaut wrote:

The guitar and pickup configuration doesnt really matter much. This quote from Terry Melcher, producer of many first wave classics pretty much answers the question:
"...to me it wasn't a matter of what six string electric guitar you were using - it was more the amplifier and the kind of reverberation unit; that is what created what was known as the 'surf guitar sound'...Fender amps and reverb units!"

I think Melcher is onto something there ... I mean, Jimmy Page recorded those early Led Zeppelin albums with a Telecaster even though most people think of him as a Les Paul player, and nobody calls his tones on those albums thin.

With a good amp and the right reverb, you can get yourself pretty close to a good surf sound. Don't worry about trying to exactly replicate the "classic" surf sound - get in the neighborhood and then have fun playing!

--
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Stormtiger wrote:

Can somebody please define the classic surf sound. Is it Dick Dale, the Bel Airs, the Astronauts? All those groups sound totally different from each other. Mr. Moto doesn't even have reverb.

You make a great point. When I hear someone use the term “classic surf sound” I tend to think Astronauts, with drippy reverb and a very treble sound, but that’s not completely accurate. There wasn’t and isn’t, one valid Surf sound.

The Ventures never claimed to be a Surf band, but definitely played some Surf songs, and had a sound that was similar. There was a lot of that sort of music happening in the ‘60s. Surf, as Top 40 hits, pretty much ended with the Beatles, but there was a lot of instrumental guitar music that wasn’t recorded by mainstream Surf bands, but used bright, twangy guitar sounds that would seem to have came from the world of Surf music, and this worked its way into what would be thought of as Adult Contemporary, in today’s terminology.

My parents listened to a radio station which sort of bridged a lot of musical turf. They might play songs from the WW II era, one minute, and Beatles the next, but they tended towards songs that were middle of the road, and unlikely to offend the sensibilities of older listeners, whose tastes may well have been shaped in the Big Band era. I remember hearing somewhat generic sounding, Ventures-like music, on that station, later in the decade, when Surf was no longer charting.

I’m not interested in setting boundaries. I like The Astronauts, I like Dick Dale, I like the Bel Airs, I like The Ventures, I like the Marketts; I like clean guitar sounds, usually with prominent reverb.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

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

DaveMudgett wrote:

I agree that there are a lot of different classic surf sounds. And I agree that the amp and reverb unit are a big part of that sound. And I think there are lots of guitars that work well for surf.

My 90s surf/punk/trash/twang band was spun off the rockabilly band I was in - simply the band without the singer. I was using a '55 Gretsch Chet Atkins solidbody 6121 that some idiot had 'upgraded' with late-60s or early-70s blacktop Filtertrons. But that thing was both a rockabilly and surf monster, and I used it extensively for both. Also a '59 6119 single-pickup Tennessesan. I would also sometimes use a Tele - they can scream surf - yeah, a bit edgier and I have to bend the neck to get some detuning.

But even a Gibson style full-humbucker can be made to surf, IMO, with the right reverb and amp and appropriate twists of the dials. It does sound somewhat different, but can be made to sound good. Still, it would not be my first choice by a long shot. Um, not even my second or third choice. But mini-humbuckers on, let's say, a Firebird work pretty well.

I had a Duo Jet with Dynasonics which sounded great for Surf. It was a strong, single-coil sound, and the Bigsby worked very well. With regard to that 6121 with Blacktops; I just shake my head that anyone would do such a thing.

I have the reissue of the 1959 6119 Tennessean. With the trestle braced body, the sound is great, and very bright.

The session guitarists of the ‘60s frequently used Teles for brighter sounds, so such tunes as Hawaii 5-0 were recorded with Telecasters. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of Marketts material wasn’t Tommy Tedesco on a Tele. Vega-Trem makes a unique Telecaster tremolo.

IMO, a Firebird would be a very interesting Surf guitar.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

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

Last edited: Apr 28, 2023 14:56:20

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Last edited: Jan 31, 2024 16:18:28

psychonaut wrote:

To further drive the point home...
Gibson's can surf as well as any Jazzmaster!
https://youtu.be/FjnAsC5XtIU

You can’t argue with that sound.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

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

Tqi wrote:

I swear that song occasionally plays in my car. I have a 40GB hard drive full of some Japanese carpenter's 2005 music taste but don't read Japanese, so have no idea what I'm listening to most of the time.

Good track!

Also hey, remember that time the Jazzmaster was literally built as a competitor to Gibson? I know the Jazz switch isn't the first thing everyone's using for surf, but still.

I'd also like to remind everyone of the Dick Dale Jag-Stang, as well as this video of the same guy going ham on it as a Surf Guitar. On the bridge humbucker. And I still surf on my Daisy Rock from time to time!

If you had told me this morning, that by the end of the day, I would be grooving to the sounds of a JagStang I would have questioned your sanity, but I have to admit to being quite impressed. It sounds great, to my ear. He did some Surfy sounding material, especially at the end of the video, which sounded surprisingly good for a guitar I’d normally associate with a Grunge sound.

Here’s another demo of the same axe, before the refinish.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

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

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Last edited: Jan 31, 2024 16:18:43