Favorite surf guitar

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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Favorite surf guitar

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Kawentzmann Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 1058 Berlin, Germany	Posted on Jan 31 2009 10:52 AM Nice one! — The Exotic Guitar of Kahuna Kawentzmann You can get the boy out of the Keynes era, but you can’t get the Keynes era out of the boy. Top
MissingLink Joined: Jul 23, 2008 Posts: 488 Edge of the East China Sea	Posted on Jan 31 2009 11:47 AM Beautiful. Top
NoisyDad Joined: Mar 04, 2006 Posts: 215 West Hartford, CT	Posted on Feb 01 2009 12:35 AM Thunderbolt, you should post a sample of how that Yamaha sounds! I'm sure a few folks here would love to hear it. — http://www.aquatudes.com http://www.facebook.com/theaquatudes Top
Thunderbolt Joined: Sep 03, 2008 Posts: 27	Posted on Feb 01 2009 02:10 PM NoisyDad Thunderbolt, you should post a sample of how that Yamaha sounds! I'm sure a few folks here would love to hear it. I'm gonna have to hang out in the "Recording Corner" a while before I'm comfy with the ins and outs of recording and doing clips. In fact, I'm pretty clueless about all things related to recording. Maybe in a few weeks I might try and put something up. Top
HallmarkSweptWinger Joined: Jul 27, 2006 Posts: 1284 Berlinesia, Germanifornia	Posted on Feb 07 2009 04:47 AM Thunderbolt This is my 1965/66 Yamaha SG-2 named "Link". It kinda melts in your hands, very lightweight too. [image](http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/9467/yamahabody1mo5.jpg) Oh wow!!! I am searching for this one! If you like to sell it please contact me. Or interested in trade maybe? I got nearly 30 guitars.. I don`t know exactly... too much for sure... I love those old Yamahas! Got different models yet,old and new. They`re great for surf definitely! They don`t sound like a Fender but have their own character! For me the Surfguitar is the Jazzmaster. Got 5 pimped up japanese and they`re all different, but all are real surfsound and got a great sporty feeling! Mosrites and Hallmarks are really great too, but I like to play hard surf picking with thick flats (13-56) and therefore the Jazzmaster is the No.1 in surf for me. twang cheers! Ralf Kilauea — Twang cheers! Ralf Kilauea www.kilaueas.de https://kilaueas.bandcamp.com/album/touch-my-alien Top
SuRfAcE Joined: Feb 22, 2009 Posts: 20 Phillip Island, Australia	Posted on Feb 22 2009 11:17 PM New here...but might as well post some gear! I played a Les Paul for years right through the late seventies and eighties...not the ultimate surf guitar. 10 years back I started to buy cheap pawn shop strats and stuff and modify them...I realized I had strat envy all those years. I think the strat is the ultimate surf guitar, however it is a bit "usual"...lots of reasons, but the fulcrum vibrato is fabulous compared to the roller bridge tuning night mare of the jazz/jags (much as I like their mojo and surf aesthetics)... So...I have found that cheap guitars, especially strats can make some excellent modding platforms, play well and stay in tune...here is one that I literally wore out...the subject of many hardware and electronic mods, eventually used to test my DIY sustainer and some DIY piezo projects (hence the extra knobs). The body was extensively hollowed and a surf approved swooosh hole right through the guitar...wonderfully resonant and light as a feather... For a quirky look, I'd like to make a surf version of the ibanez iceman...hehehe Instead, I made this...my telecaster... This guitar was originally a 25th aniversary squier but everything has been changed over...the bridge pickup is a genuine fender wide range humbucker..."kerang"...the neck pickup a new SCn..."smooth". The bridge is a khaler hybrid (can be locked fixed) and while it can do extreme bends and perfect tuning (thanks to locking tuners and LSR nut) it actually has a feel not unlike a bigsby. So...not your usual "surf guitar" and a sound of it's own. Very fendery, but with a twist. It is equiped with my DIY sustainer that allows infinite sustain and harmonic generation...but the guitar is just a lovely guitar to play, a familiar shape...but something a little different for surf or rock and a bit quirky in it's baby blue livery, racing stripe pickup ring in tortoiseshell and a whole lotta chrome! Oh...the selector is 3 way gibson like toggle plus a pull volume knob to put the pickups out of phase...middle knob and mini toggle controls the sustainer. Thguitar is passive unless the sustainer is activated...a blue light comes on to match the guitar Some of the things I value these days is a good sound with no noise...this thing is dead quiet...tuning stability, reliability and something with a unique sound. Perhaps not a legit surf approved instrument...but it does the job for me...with extra bite! pete — 1 Mahogany HSS squier strat with trick wiring and noiseless SD JB pups... other 1 Baby blue telecaster with tremolo, Fender WR-HB and DIY sustainer... amp...fender hotrod deluxe + 15" cab! Top
blisterchicken Joined: Mar 22, 2009 Posts: 13	Posted on Mar 22 2009 06:01 PM Eliot Easton of the Tiki Gods, (and the Cars) uses a Gibson SG. He has a good Surf Guitar sound. I think it's all in the amp myself. I have a Gibson Les Paul Slash Model I won in a video contest, (wouldn't pay $2K for that bad boy), and I have an Ibanez RG 470 I bought for $200. I can get surf sound out of both with the right setting on my VOX Tube amp. Especially the single coil pick up on my Ibanez. Thinking of going frankenstein on my Ibanez and changing out the Humbuckers for some soapbars. I know the Lockdown Tremolos aren't in vogue, but figure I can rework the guitar & call it a SurfCaster. But yeah...I played a Fender Hwy 1 Strat on a Deluxe Twin Reverb at George's on JAX Beach....there's nothing else like it. Played a J Masics Jazzmaster as well. Nice...made in Japan & it had a groovy purple sparkle finish. Didn't play a non Masics model. Should have....now I'm going to wonder if they sound different. I have a Strat or a Jazz Master in my future..but Damn, I spent $200 and have 3 guitars. My Amp was $170...so for now I'm satisfied. So far I haven't taken the next step to start a band. So until I do & get cabbage thrown at me for using unholy equipment...I'll hold off on the big purchases. Did anyone mention any vintage Teisco guitars. I played one at the Clarkston Surf Guitar Festival last year and it was sweet. There are several different offshoots. And I played a sweet Kimberly as well. Haven't played any of the Eastwood, Italia, or DiPinto knockoffs. They might be a less expensive route. Or better yet, cheap ass Silvertone or Danelectro lipstick pickup units. I just know that Strat feels perfect. Dick Dale told me, "Yeah there are a lot of fad guitars out there, but nothing has the pure power punch of rock quite like a Strat." Thats pretty funny. He basically is calling the Gibson Les Paul a Fad guitar! LOL But I can see why the Jazz Master is so popular. It's got that Coco Beach atomic age look. A little cooler than a strat I think. I might just grow an extra nad and surf it up with my Les Paul. No one lese it doing Surf Music with a LEs Paul....are they? At least I'd be different. And no one can deny it's a sweet unit. I saw a guy up in Athens with a Les Paul with the P-90's. He was playing some sick shit, (the good sick!). I like Psychedelic as well...so I suppose I want to find my own sound and then start a band based on that sound. I know my Les Paul gets that Chicken pop sound in the Neck Position. — Ride that tube into space! BlisterChicken Top
JakeDobner Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle	Posted on Mar 22 2009 06:08 PM My ES-355 makes an excellent surf guitar when I am not discerning of quality. Last edited: Mar 22, 2009 18:53:40 Top
DannySnyder Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 11048 Berkeley, CA	Posted on Mar 22 2009 06:47 PM JakeDobner My ES-355 makes an excellent surf guitar when I annoy discerning of quality. that makes no sense Jake. — Danny Snyder "With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF Top
DannySnyder Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 11048 Berkeley, CA	Posted on Mar 22 2009 06:49 PM blisterchicken I like Psychedelic as well...so I suppose I want to find my own sound and then start a band based on that sound. I'm sure there's a few guys out there using Les Pauls. Don't worry about status quo, if your ears like what they hear then go forth. However, if you want the 'classic' surf sound then start looking at Fenders. — Danny Snyder "With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF Top
JakeDobner Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle	Posted on Mar 22 2009 06:56 PM DannySnyder JakeDobner My ES-355 makes an excellent surf guitar when I annoy discerning of quality. that makes no sense Jake. Whoops! I fixed of now. I am typing from my phone and it auto corrected for me. I forgot a space am and not and it thought I meant to spell annoy. Top
koa Joined: Apr 05, 2009 Posts: 8 Oaklandia, California, USA, Earth	Posted on Apr 16 2009 01:40 AM Well, I guess I'm answering wrong really, because I don't play trad surf. I play spaghetti western surf. I had to build my own guitar to get what I wanted. It's an archtop made of poplar (yes, poplar) with a tele pickup in the bridge position and an ancient gretsch mount jazz pickup in the neck position, a bigsby any a 26inch scale. It's got twang to beat the band. eventually I'll own a jazzmaster to round things out. Top
Muddslide Joined: Mar 25, 2009 Posts: 76 Gypsy Caravan	Posted on Apr 16 2009 08:42 AM koa Well, I guess I'm answering wrong really, because I don't play trad surf. I play spaghetti western surf. I had to build my own guitar to get what I wanted. It's an archtop made of poplar (yes, poplar) with a tele pickup in the bridge position and an ancient gretsch mount jazz pickup in the neck position, a bigsby any a 26inch scale. It's got twang to beat the band. eventually I'll own a jazzmaster to round things out. I am certain I speak for others here when I say this is intriguing and I'd love to see pics! I play lots of different instro styles myself but am fairly new to playing surf. I like to play faux- crime jazz, Link Wray-Duane Eddy-Davie Allan kind of stuff (just 50s-60s rock and roll instro) and some more experimental things. I did just recently purchase a Yamaha EGV (cheaper version of the SGV with a Strat pup configuration) because I love the looks, thought it would be fun to mod/upgrade and I wanted something with a trem. But there are lts of times I think I'd be just as well off having a decent Telecaster with a bigsby. Someday I may reduce down to just that, possibly with an identical backup. Top
zak Joined: Sep 24, 2007 Posts: 2728	Posted on Apr 16 2009 08:50 AM This post has been removed by the author. Last edited: Sep 23, 2009 22:48:11 Top
DannySnyder Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 11048 Berkeley, CA	Posted on Apr 16 2009 09:35 AM koa Well, I guess I'm answering wrong really, because I don't play trad surf. I play spaghetti western surf. Koa, if you haven't seen it yet, you may find this thread interesting: — Danny Snyder "With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF Last edited: Apr 16, 2009 10:17:14 Top
Klas Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 2292 Stockholm, Sweden	Posted on Apr 16 2009 09:59 AM DannySnyder koa Well, I guess I'm answering wrong really, because I don't play trad surf. I play spaghetti western surf. Koa, if you haven't seen it yet, you may find this thread interesting: Here's a better link without the term "spaghetti western" omitted everywhere in the posts... http://www.surfguitar101.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=87 — T H E ✠ S U R F I T E S Last edited: Apr 16, 2009 10:14:51 Top
DannySnyder Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 11048 Berkeley, CA	Posted on Apr 16 2009 10:16 AM Thanks Klas. Link fixed. Maybe in SG101 2.0 we can get the search function to assign a different color to the keyword besides white. — Danny Snyder "With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF Top
Brian Joined: Feb 25, 2006 Posts: 19266 Des Moines, Iowa, USA	Posted on Apr 16 2009 12:54 PM I can probably fix that now. What color would you prefer? — 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
DannySnyder Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 11048 Berkeley, CA	Posted on Apr 16 2009 01:09 PM Let's take a poll how about red? — Danny Snyder "With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF Top
JakeDobner Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle	Posted on Apr 16 2009 01:57 PM Antigua Top