November Birthdays 
I just got back from a vacation in Arizona where, among other things, I made a visit to the very impressive Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. The museum is heavy on ethnomusicology, but I was surprised by a very nice display on Dick Dale. It features a blonde/brown face reverb unit and 2x15 Showman setup along with his Custom Shop signature Stratocaster:
Also this prototype Fender Contempo organ belonging to DD:
Among some other displays elsewhere, here is an immaculate '63 in Foam Green! (it looks blue in my picture). Refin? I don't know. Stunning guitar. So clean, I thought it must be a reissue...but it isn't.
This Gretsch is the one Duane Eddy used to record so many of his early classic hits on.
Here is the mixing console from the Phoenix studio where he recorded those hits. The placard mentions "Rebel Rouser", but obviously so many more. There was also a display to Lee Hazelwood nearby.
Surf music was mentioned elsewhere, with video of Dick Dale playing Miserlou (the old footage with the Del Tones we have seen beginning with his then white Strat "floating" in the dark at the beginning) and even some Ventures footage of them performing Wipe Out. Given the breadth of the musical history and traditions covered in this huge museum, I thought that was pretty cool. Check it out if you are in the area.
