Which is the most used and landmark bass amp for surf rock, according to your ideas & experiences?

Never surrender in finding a surfcaster

do you use a bassamp instead of a guitaramp? why?

The reality is that we do not wash our own laundry - it just gets dirtier.

www.myspace.com/tumbleweedofsurf

Dual Showman...it it's time (early to mid-60's), nothing else could touch it for bass on stage. It was a pretty good guitar amp, too!

Later on, the Sunns, Kustoms, Ampeg V-series and SVT's, Acoustics, and the big Peaveys took over, but that was way after first wave surf died out.

Jack Booth
(aka WoodyJ)

The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005)
The Hula Hounds (1996-current)
The X-Rays (1997-2004)
The Surge! (2004, 2011-2012)
Various non-surf bands that actually made money (1978-1990)

I honestly think that real surf bass can be played on ANYTHING. Bass amps are all a matter of personal taste. I like ones that can give me more attack and definition than "rumble". Lava Rats bassists all seem to like GK heads and SWR 4x10 cabs. I like my big 'ol Acoustic with the 2x15 cab. There is no real holy grail of bass amps like Showmans for surf.

If money were no object, I'd have a niiiice Eden bass rig. I think they're the king of bass amps, regardless of genre.

~B~

dp

SurfBandBill
I honestly think that real surf bass can be played on ANYTHING. Bass amps are all a matter of personal taste. I like ones that can give me more attack and definition than "rumble". Lava Rats bassists all seem to like GK heads and SWR 4x10 cabs. I like my big 'ol Acoustic with the 2x15 cab. There is no real holy grail of bass amps like Showmans for surf.

If money were no object, I'd have a niiiice Eden bass rig. I think they're the king of bass amps, regardless of genre.

word

-Kyle

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WoodyJ
The ultimate modern bass rig? How about a Mesa/Boogie 400+ with the matching PowerHouse 1000 cab?

i had the opportunity to play out of this head with a 4x10 and 1x15 cab this past week. holy cow!!!

i haven't had the chance to use a 'classic' surf bass amp yet but i HAVE used my ampeg v4 as a bass amp. and i think the modern stuff has quite a bit to say live compared to vintage gear.

maybe it's just my tastes...

If you are trying to get that "classic" surf bass sound then it's interesting to note what was used to get that sound on the early recordings.

Carol Kaye, most notably the bassist on many of the Beach Boys recordings, was the studio musician that played on many of the early surf recordings. Her amp of choice in the studio was a Fender Super Reverb, open-backed 4 x 10, combo amp - playing a Fender Precision with flat-wound strings, felt string mute, and a pick.

So, while Fender Dual Showmen were the amps of choice on stage, most of the recordings of the day featured a smaller combo amp. Also interesting is that the definitive studio bass amp of the day, the Ampeg B-15, wasn't used on a lot of those recordings.

Nowadays, almost any decent bass amp can get that "classic" surf bass tone. I've found my personal version of that tone with Ampeg, Fender, Roland, Traynor, and Vox gear. I've found that it has more to do with strings, mute, and pick than amplifier...although a good amp helps.

Bass Wabbit
The Fabulous Blue Wabbits
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgQj7B3Vql1vxjYxEM29vmQ

Brian

BigBottom
So, while Fender Dual Showmen were the amps of choice on stage, most of the recordings of the day featured a smaller combo amp.

I'm not sure I agree with that statement. Carol Kaye didn't play for Dick Dale, The Lively Ones, Eddie & The Showmen, etc, etc.

According to posts on Carol Kaye's website, she did session work for Dick Dale, the Ventures, the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, Hondels, Marketts, Dwayne Eddy, Gary Usher, RipChords, Annette Funicello, Donna Loren, Sandy Nelson, Santo & Johnny, Hub Cap & The Wheels, Dynatones, Jack Nitzchie prod's, and many others.

So although she didn't play on everything from that era, she did play on a broad enough range of surf era recordings to be consider at least one of the most influential and often-heard bass players of the genre, along with Ray Pohlman. As the "first call" studio bassist in Los Angeles during the surf era, if it was recorded in California, Carol or Ray's bass are probably on there somewhere.

Others may disagree, but in my opinion, if anyone's sound can be called the "definitive" sound of surf bass, it's probably Carol Kaye's.

Bass Wabbit
The Fabulous Blue Wabbits
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgQj7B3Vql1vxjYxEM29vmQ

BigBottom wrote:

Brian

BigBottom
So, while Fender Dual Showmen were the amps of choice on stage, most of the recordings of the day featured a smaller combo amp.

I'm not sure I agree with that statement. Carol Kaye didn't play for Dick Dale, The Lively Ones, Eddie & The Showmen, etc, etc.

According to posts on Carol Kaye's website, she did session work for Dick Dale, the Ventures, the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, Hondels, Marketts, Dwayne Eddy, Gary Usher, RipChords, Annette Funicello, Donna Loren, Sandy Nelson, Santo & Johnny, Hub Cap & The Wheels, Dynatones, Jack Nitzchie prod's, and many others.

So although she didn't play on everything from that era, she did play on a broad enough range of surf era recordings to be consider at least one of the most influential and often-heard bass players of the genre, along with Ray Pohlman. As the "first call" studio bassist in Los Angeles during the surf era, if it was recorded in California, Carol or Ray's bass are probably on there somewhere.

Others may disagree, but in my opinion, if anyone's sound can be called the "definitive" sound of surf bass, it's probably Carol Kaye's.

Hell yeah!

I got a Fender Studio Bass amp.
Put it in a Blackface Fender Twin Head (mojo..) and linked it with a 4 x 10" new made Fender Bassman cab. Pretty decent combination.
Can dial in any tone you want to... from vintage sounding to....Whatever.
Grab one when you can.
Though it's from the late 70s, it still looks good too...

gr,
Andy

www.LosVenturas.be