Dick Dale listing all the ingredients for Surf Music

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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Dick Dale listing all the ingredients for Surf Music

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weird_oh84 Joined: May 24, 2023 Posts: 167	Posted on Aug 28 2023 11:30 AM Jump to 3:00 , Dick lists all the ingredients for Surf Music …” ya use a Precision Bass , NOT Jazz Bass, you see!” Lol https://youtu.be/lup8wnDMcjU?si=q1NPEWTpcg_HtKcE Top
SixStringSurfer Joined: Sep 23, 2014 Posts: 1398 Memphis, TN	Posted on Aug 28 2023 12:44 PM Great video, thanks for posting it! — MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale. New Singles "Finish Line" and "Paradiso" on Bandcamp and website. Top
weird_oh84 Joined: May 24, 2023 Posts: 167	Posted on Aug 28 2023 01:19 PM SixStringSurfer wrote: Great video, thanks for posting it! My pleasure! Im almost tempted to screen record all these little bits of interviews he’s given where he talks Surf Music tech and philosophy….there’s quite a few vids out there Top
Tqi Joined: Dec 07, 2014 Posts: 1222	Posted on Aug 28 2023 02:08 PM - Last edited: Feb 02, 2024 16:44:51 Top
DrippyReverbTremolo Joined: Mar 11, 2023 Posts: 134	Posted on Aug 28 2023 03:21 PM 16 gauge for the high E? Damn. What gauge was the low E? Imagine being the truss rod in Dick Dale's Strat. Top
SixStringSurfer Joined: Sep 23, 2014 Posts: 1398 Memphis, TN	Posted on Aug 28 2023 03:37 PM I have the exact same string gauges as Dick. My gauges are .16 .18. .20 .38 .48 .60 I don't play on wussy strings! — MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale. New Singles "Finish Line" and "Paradiso" on Bandcamp and website. Top
Joheny Joined: Jan 22, 2008 Posts: 34 Tehachapi	Posted on Aug 29 2023 10:22 AM Spoken like a true Dick Dale fan! Yeah baby! Top
Surfadelphia Joined: Sep 04, 2017 Posts: 428	Posted on Aug 29 2023 02:47 PM Dick Dale was one of a kind. Dick was also heavily into martial arts including Zen Archery. With regards to Dick's choice of string gauges, 16-60, in some interviews he would qualify that by saying "but I have steel claws for hands, so it's not for everybody". Top
ELZEB Joined: Aug 30, 2017 Posts: 45	Posted on Sep 06 2023 05:09 AM DrippyReverbTremolo wrote: 16 gauge for the high E? Damn. What gauge was the low E? Imagine being the truss rod in Dick Dale's Strat. In this video he mentions "60 gauge strings". I believe he was still using 014 for the high E as mentioned in his interviews around that time. He switched to a 016 high E later on. — https://soundcloud.com/elzeb Last edited: Sep 06, 2023 05:10:16 Top
N0_Camping4U Joined: May 03, 2012 Posts: 334 Galveston, Texas	Posted on Sep 06 2023 06:02 AM Aw come on, what's wrong with the Jazz bass Dick? They don't sound that dissimilar. After you do the parallel mod it sounds really P-like. Top
Redfeather Joined: Jul 30, 2016 Posts: 881	Posted on Sep 06 2023 11:02 AM I wouldn't worry too much about his opinion on these matters. There are lots of ingredients in surf music and he used some but not all of them. And his modern era bass tone sounded like ass so he's certainly no authority on that. Don't take that as a knock against Sam as a player--I'm only criticizing the way they had his rig sounding. Well, I guess I'm also criticizing how un-surfy his style was but I think that came from Dick's direction, as he wanted a harder "rockier" sound. Top
Goldenbirdies Joined: Jun 21, 2018 Posts: 36 Indianapolis, Indiana	Posted on Sep 06 2023 02:50 PM My memory’s a little fuzzy here but didn’t he give a breakdown of what gear was an absolute must to play surf music in the booklet of the “Cowabunga!” box set? If memory serves it basically came down to if you don’t play his specific style Stratocaster with the exact same string gauges and a Dual Showman with the cabinet filled with a specific material then you’re not playing surf music. Well, I’m not gonna say he’s full of beans but that idea’s a bit much. Top
John Joined: Aug 23, 2007 Posts: 594 Monterey County, California	Posted on Sep 06 2023 04:05 PM In the "Cowabunga" surf box, Dick states what's needed to duplicate the true, original "Dick Dale surf sound." He doesn't say you need certain physical things to play surf music. He describes what HE used to get HIS sound. Furthermore, he goes on to note that it's not just the equipment; it's also technique. He muses that to play this way is very demanding and very different than the style of most guitar players today. Playing a left-handed guitar that wasn't restrung accordingly gave him a lot of his unique sound and style. He told me quite a few times that this music requires a whole-body experience. The power of the music did not just come from your hands; it came from your entire body. Dick made this look easy. That said, we didn't have pedals back then. No tuners...we used our ears, a piano, strobe tuners, pitch pipes, or an A-440 tuning fork. Tremolo came from the amp, with a foot switch to turn it on/off. J&TN's first public performance was opening for Dick Dale in 1980 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. He stood just offstage during our set and told our bass player (who played with his fingers) that he should be using a PICK for this kind of music. Dick was outspoken when it came to gear and style, but his frame of reference was always what HE and his band had used in the early days. Dick Dale was unique. There will never be another no matter if you use a Strat (a late 50's Strat to be specific), 16/60 gauge strings, a vintage Dual Showman amp with a Triad transformer, or JBL D130F 15's in a cabinet with fiberglass bunting and "no portholes." You can certainly try since all of these items are still around today, but then there's that "technique" thing. Dick always spoke in hyperbole, but there was also always an element of truth in everything he said. So, there was the "Dick Dale surf sound" and there was surf music. Two different things in his world. — www.johnblair.us www.soundofthesurf.com Top
weird_oh84 Joined: May 24, 2023 Posts: 167	Posted on Sep 06 2023 05:34 PM John wrote: In the "Cowabunga" surf box, Dick states what's needed to duplicate the true, original "Dick Dale surf sound." He doesn't say you need certain physical things to play surf music. He describes what HE used to get HIS sound. Furthermore, he goes on to note that it's not just the equipment; it's also technique. He muses that to play this way is very demanding and very different than the style of most guitar players today. Playing a left-handed guitar that wasn't restrung accordingly gave him a lot of his unique sound and style. He told me quite a few times that this music requires a whole-body experience. The power of the music did not just come from your hands; it came from your entire body. Dick made this look easy. That said, we didn't have pedals back then. No tuners...we used our ears, a piano, strobe tuners, pitch pipes, or an A-440 tuning fork. Tremolo came from the amp, with a foot switch to turn it on/off. J&TN's first public performance was opening for Dick Dale in 1980 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. He stood just offstage during our set and told our bass player (who played with his fingers) that he should be using a PICK for this kind of music. Dick was outspoken when it came to gear and style, but his frame of reference was always what HE and his band had used in the early days. Dick Dale was unique. There will never be another no matter if you use a Strat (a late 50's Strat to be specific), 16/60 gauge strings, a vintage Dual Showman amp with a Triad transformer, or JBL D130F 15's in a cabinet with fiberglass bunting and "no portholes." You can certainly try since all of these items are still around today, but then there's that "technique" thing. Dick always spoke in hyperbole, but there was also always an element of truth in everything he said. So, there was the "Dick Dale surf sound" and there was surf music. Two different things in his world. beautifully stated! I agree about Dick speaking in hyperbolic fashion… he was an EMPIRE ready to take on the world! Top
Brian Joined: Feb 25, 2006 Posts: 19264 Des Moines, Iowa, USA	Posted on Sep 07 2023 09:40 AM Thanks for that insight John! Dick was a force of nature. — Site dude - S3 Agent #202 Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me "It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea Top
Goldenbirdies Joined: Jun 21, 2018 Posts: 36 Indianapolis, Indiana	Posted on Sep 07 2023 11:23 AM If it was implied that I was suggesting DD wasn’t an absolute titan on guitar then I apologize because THAT would be full of beans. Thanks for the clarification on that! Last edited: Sep 07, 2023 11:24:06 Top
SixStringSurfer Joined: Sep 23, 2014 Posts: 1398 Memphis, TN	Posted on Sep 07 2023 01:06 PM John, thank you for the information above. It was very informative and well written. I'll never forget when I was hanging out with Dick and Lana at Sun Studio one day. I said, "my mom used to go see you at the Harmony Park Ballroom." He looked at me, threw his hands up and said "what the hell do you know about the Harmony Park Ballroom!?" Having him say that to me was fantastic! They were both really nice to me that afternoon, it is certainly a day I will never forget. I still talk to Lana from time to time. — MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale. New Singles "Finish Line" and "Paradiso" on Bandcamp and website. Top

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