Well let me start a happier post. I have a fued, if you will with some one on another music forum, that maybe someone here can shed some light on. This guy is arguing that Dick Dales song MISIRLOU was recorded without reverb? I can hear the reverb, but would like to see what you guys say.
Also he is saying The band The Astronauts got the first reverb unit made by fender, and used it first. Now that one I cant be sure of, but he is saying Leo Fender liked them so much, that he gave Dick Dales reverb to them, and built a new one for Dick. Anyone ever hear this story before?

I have also read interviews with DD where he says he did not use reverb on the Miserlou single...that always struck me as awful strange too.

However its pretty well established that Leo Fender made the reverb unit for DD, initially for vocal uses. DD took it and applied to his guitar and ran with it. All the other bands who went out and got reverb units were doing it to get that DD sound. The Astronauts had access to a lot of equipment since they were backed by RCA. Phil Dirt has speculated they used those massive reverb chambers in those fancy studios on their recordings. I don't know, it sounds like a tank to me. It would seem they were not the first to use reverb, however were themselves very good at wielding the reverb sound.

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Thanks. I hear reverb in misirlou, its not a very "wet" sound, but the Reverb tank was also new, and maybe had not been totaly "tweeked" to what we know as the Fender reverb tank, or maybe he just didnt crnak the dwell, I dont know. But if thats not reverb,t hen i have no buisness even lisening to surf music. I think the guy i am disputing , is thinking of Lets go Trippin, and have told him so. I really dont think Leo Fender would give away one of his biggest endorser/ testers equipment to a yet established band. Im not knocking the Astronauts, as I like some of there songs, but in no way would they get priority over Dick for equipment. I just dont see that happening. here is what he says...............

"they(The Astronauts) first stopped by the Fender factory. They met Leo there and he had been impressed that the band had always featured his Showman amps in various pictures along the way.

That got them free "loner" guitars and amps from Leo (while Leo never gave anything away for free, he never expected to get these guitars and amps back. And he didn't!). The guitars were all Olympic White Jazzmasters (two rhythm guitar players and one lead guitarist) and despite playing other Fender models during their day, they ALWAYS recorded with their Jazzmasters and Showman amps.

While in the factory, lead guitarist Rich Fifield noticed the prototype Reverb unit sitting on Leo's bench and asked Leo about it. Leo told him what it was and that he was making it for Dick Dale. Rich plugged it in and it blew him away. He then asked Leo if he could borrow it for the band's recording sessions at RCA and Leo said, "Sure."

SO...

The very first recordings of the prototype Fender Reverb unit can be heard on early Astronauts recordings. For a good listen, grab the CD's below. Their singing wasn't all that notable, but the guitar work is world class! And, as you would expect from RCA, the quality of the recordings is phenomenal."

I dont buy it........

You know, come to think of it, this Astronauts story is very similar to the one that Chantays tell! From Bob Dalley's book, Surfin' Guitars:

Bob Spickard: "I can remember, at this time , the first reverb unit I ever played through. It was Dick Dale's and we used it without Dick ever knowing about it (until he reads this). Rob Marshall's father was in electronics and knew someone at Fender Musical Instruments. He was able to borrow Dick's reverb unit, which was in for service at this time. We were so impressed with this new gadget after playing around with it for a few hours, that Brian and I took our share of the profits from the January dance and bought each of ourselves one."

Dick's prototype reverb unit sure got around!!

It's interesting to note that as early as January of '62 the Chantays remember DD using a reverb unit. And according to the Fender Amps book, the year of the introduction of the reverb unit is listed as 1961. They say that the '61 catalog showed a brown tolex model with a leather handle and a flat logo, but instead of grill cloth, the front panel was also covered in brown tolex. So, given that the reverb unit had been around for a while, there's no reason why DD couldn't have used it to record Miserlou which was released in September of '62. In fact, it's a bit surprising that the Shake-n-Stomp/Jungle Fever single, released in March of '62, didn't feature it. I guess DD was still trying it out and wasn't completely sure how to use it.

Anyway, yeah, the chronology would certainly suggest that Miserlou DOES feature the reverb unit - as does the sound of it.

Ivan

Ivan
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you can definetly hear the drip in the first few measures while he picks the open E.

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WaimeaBay
thanks for that history lesson Ivan, interesting read. I thought you were an economics guy

Hey Dan, you know the saying "when you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail"? I'll just say, "when you're an academic..."

Ivan

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WaimeaBay
thanks for that history lesson Ivan, interesting read. I thought you were an economics guy

Hopefully, Ivan can supply enough reverb to meet the demand!

CORNY, hehehe

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SurfMaui
Also he is saying The band The Astronauts got the first reverb unit made by fender, and used it first. Now that one I cant be sure of, but he is saying Leo Fender liked them so much, that he gave Dick Dales reverb to them, and built a new one for Dick. Anyone ever hear this story before?

Given the way these stories work, which is a lot like Dick Dale's memory, it's quite possible that the Astronauts story is a variant of the documented Chantays one that Ivan cites. "I seem to recall" - an actual example of the process, folks - that certain events in the Biblical life of Christ appear to have been lifted from the autobiography of Josephus.

IvanP
You know, come to think of it, this Astronauts story is very similar to the one that Chantays tell! From Bob Dalley's book, Surfin' Guitars:

Bob Spickard: "I can remember, at this time , the first reverb unit I ever played through. It was Dick Dale's and we used it without Dick ever knowing about it (until he reads this). Rob Marshall's father was in electronics and knew someone at Fender Musical Instruments. He was able to borrow Dick's reverb unit, which was in for service at this time. We were so impressed with this new gadget after playing around with it for a few hours, that Brian and I took our share of the profits from the January dance and bought each of ourselves one."

Dick's prototype reverb unit sure got around!!

If the story's not simply borrowed from someone at some point, then possibly the unit the Astronauts received was a new production unit originally intended for Dick Dale.

Rather more likely, though, would be that Leo Fender just told everybody that this one was Dick Dale's or had been intended for him. To use another Christian allusion, a bit of decayed wood is always more valuable if it's part of the True Cross.

I suppose it would be possible to consult some of the Astronauts on this story. The reverb unit, not the Biblical stuff.

Edward's two cents worth....

Hummmmm. Our boy Leo was a pretty crafty dude and even though DD was like his adopted son, those Astronauts' guys had a MAJOR record deal (which Dick did not.) Steve Shoals had inked them an eight record package. My guess is that whatever they wanted to borrow and carry up the street to an RCA recording session was NO problem.....ed

Traditional........speak softly and play through a big blonde amp. Did I mention that I still like big blonde amps?

I've always heard the story as being from the Chantays, and that Dick hated Pipeline because they had a huge hit with it, and they had used his tank for it. all Hear say of course, but Thats what I was told when someone requested pipeleine once, and he said oh you mean sewerline.
makes you wonder???
Jeff(bigtikidude)

Jeff(bigtikidude)