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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink I'm new where do I start!

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I'm glad I found this sight I felt like an outsider being a 16 year old teen and discovering this awesome music. I'm from California, San Diego. I only have a Squier Telecaster and a Gibson Les Paul, is it still possible to play surf music and get the sound? I also have only a Line6 amp does anybody know the perfect settings for it to get the surf sound? I'm also a basic drummer I can play simple surf songs, but I'm still working on those fills. Lastly, where can I get started learning surf music!
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Alan C.

Alan, welcome to the forum. There is tons and tons of info for you to go through at your leisure. But being from San Diego, there are several excellent surf guitarists in the area. You'll learn so much more with some one on one time with them. I suggest you seek them out and ask for a couple lessons, not a long term commitment, but just enough to get you started on your own journey. Best of luck!

Danny Snyder

Latest project - Now That's What I Call SURF
_
"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I'm back playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Welcome to sg101, Alan! Very glad you're here. Though not the usual surf gear, you can certainly play surf music on yours, especially the Tele. I got distracted by gear early on, and it wasted a lot of time, and especially money. Danny's right about finding local surf musicians to help you get started. Have fun!

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Welcome!!!All you need is a guitar (Tele does the job) clean amp and lot of reverb..There are many topics in the forum,how to get the perfect sound.But I think that everything is a mater of your own taste..(guitar,amp,reverb,pedals)
I own a Jack and Danny Tele with a bigsby copy tremolo,a Fender Mustang I V.2amp and a Behringer RV600 reverb pedal.Cheap gear but does the job for me.
The most of guitar players here have Stratocaster,Jaguar,Jazzmaster,Mosrite guitars,Fender amps(tube is perfect) and a Reverb unit (but there are some very good reverb pedals,too).
There is a Youtube teacher of surf music who is one of the best (Bruce Lindquist) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_LuRFHzU-ofioVSnd9KqJA

https://www.youtube.com/user/jamess1400

Check out Bruce Lindquist's YouTube channel for some online lessons. The Tele with a clean setting and reverb will get you on the right path. Also you may want to look into Sierra surf music camp if mom and dad can help.

Alan, welcome to SG101 and to Surf music!
As stated, there is a plethora of information here on the website, especially if you're willing to do searches.
Keep an eye on the daily postings and you'll see contributions from some of the finest players in the genre and really good conversation as to what everyone's using to make their sounds.
Your Tele will be great for Surf. You'll find that folks here use all different types of guitars to make Surf music and like Noel said, don't get caught up in the gear, get caught up in the music!

Cheers,
Jeff

http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock
http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic

Last edited: Mar 26, 2017 10:47:34

I'll add my welcome to you! Spend lots of time listening to surf music. North Sea Surf Radio online is perfect for that. For me, the biggest thing about surf that's different from most other forms of guitar-based music is the emphasis on clean. I was surprised at how sloppy my playing was once I ditched all the stompboxes.

The Reverbivores - we're local favorites!

The Insect Surfers use Gibson guitars with humbuckers, but the Tele will get you into the area of the classic surf sound. Surf doesn't need to remain in the past, so players should go where their interests go. For me, I just feel more connected to the original surf music of the early 60s so that's where I put my focus.
Starting with a clean-ish amp, an outboard reverb unit in front of the amp, and the Tele is a great place to work on old school surf tunes. As your ear/ interest/knowledge increases, you will likely be more discerning about what gear you want to move to. Once you have the gear basics, focus on the picking technique, phrasing, and tunefulness of the songs. Nailing songs is very satisfying. Live up to your own standards, though. I wish I would have "discovered" surf much earlier into my guitar-playing years.
Speed picking (aka Tremolo picking) needs some conditioning to become consistent...important to relax rather than tense-up for this kind of picking.

Lorne
The Surf Shakers: https://www.facebook.com/TheSurfShakers
Vancouver BC Canada

welcome to the forum Alan , you are in the right place .
yes your gear is certainly good enough to get started . I'm not really familiar with Line 6 amps but I know the are modeling amps ...if there's a tweed or blackface setting try that and some reverb set rather heavy , maybe a touch of short delay. That'll get ya in the vicinity , good enough to begin . You'll find that technique and fingering and picking will be 95% of the surf sound , specific gear will get you the rest of the way.
The Bruce Lindquist Youtube channel is full of surf lessons .
Pick a few songs and learn them completely , I'd start with something really simple and go from there . Surf can range from incredibly simple to crazily difficult so start out slow and easy and work your way up .
Any specific songs or artists that get you moving?

Go to shows.
There are a handful of San Diego
Surf bands.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Besides the excellent advice you have above, Welcome to SG101!

It is not hard even for those who've been here awhile to go down some long rabbit-hole after searching for something, or find some thread they've forgotten about so don't get discouraged. Seek out some instruction - practice well, and seek out surf events in your area you can attend. As mentioned, there is some world-class talent here who are pretty much also nice folks.

Cool

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Don't forget Alan is under 21, so most shows are unavailable. However, the SG101 convention in Torrance in August is all ages - Hope you can make it Alan. Nothing can show you better than seeing it for yourself.

Danny Snyder

Latest project - Now That's What I Call SURF
_
"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I'm back playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Order a copy of 'Reverb Junkies'.
When you're done watching it, watch it again. And again.

It'll be a crash course as to what's going on around here. It will help you to match up the names and the faces, and it'll help you to get more out of this forum.

-Cheers, Clark-

-Less Paul, more Reverb-

Nobody mentioned the sierra surf camp. Smile Welcome to the forum.

You should also know that most of the classic Surf music of the early 60's was recorded by guys your age!! Practice, practice, practice. And I would bet you could work a good trade with the Les Paul for a Start...keep the Tele. Welcome to the club! All these guys are nice dudes.

Darn spell check! What I meant was you might trade your Les Paul for a STRAT! Best of luck!

I was 16 when I discovered the forerunner to this board. I have a couple pieces of advice for ya.

Regarding gear, don't get bogged down right now. Find a reverb you are happy with and let that be the extent of your gear journey. Also, heavier strings helped me learn how to play surf so I might suggest that to you as well! I'd totally be using that Les Paul over the Telecaster, likely in stark contrast to most surf players. I've gigged with my Gibson ES-355, the telecaster is my least favorite Fender for surf.

Listen to surf music, a lot. It is important to get influenced and to hear what is possible. Then go out and turn those influences into your own style.

Just play with your friends. My friends didn't listen to surf music when I enlisted them into my band. Being in a surf band isn't always about perfectly hitting that 'vibe' that surf music has had traditionally. Don't be afraid to write bad songs, don't be afraid to make mistakes on guitar. I wouldn't worry about trying to find other 'surf musicians', just find friends your age who want to play in a band. We started jamming in basements and bedrooms when we were 16-17 (shitty covers, worse originals, and some original jammy instrumentals) and the band came to fruition when we were 20-21 and we started gigging. Dude, even playing the same chord progression for a half an hour with your friends is going to make you all better.

What everyone else said, with a big +1 on going to shows. There were very few "surf" shows to see around where I lived when I first picked up an instrument and started actively looking, but seeing Dick Dale and then a year or two later seeing the lone local surf band we had at the time was a major shot in the arm.

The first song I ever wrote that my band at the time recorded was on a Line 6 modeling amp. I was happy with it and everyone gave me very positive feedback on it. One of my personal favorite surf albums ever might not have a single piece of Fender gear on it.

In a discussion about an early Man or Astroman? video (like waaaay early) our fellow board member and guitarist for Kill, Baby, Kill!, Noah, said that it's important to remember that "bands do not start out good." I hope I didn't butcher his words there, but he is correct. Don't get too hung up on getting it "right" either.

The Mystery Men?
El Capitan and The Reluctant Sadists
SSS Agent #31

Welcome to the site! I've been playing for years and years, but the surf bug just bit me recently. I feel like a newbie in a lot of ways. We don't have a lot of surf bands around here in Colorado, so I'm working with Bruce's YouTube lessons to change old habits and retrain my brain. I'm used to light strings and bending a lot. I've played a lot of Jam Band music and blues, so heavy strings and using the trem a lot doesn't come naturally.

It's fun music, sometimes deceptively simple. Work with a metronome to get your groove solid and don't worry about the gear too much. And it's OK to have lots of guitars! Big Grin

All opinions expressed by this poster are well thought out and based on actual experience and/or scientific experimentation, except for those which are knee-jerk reactions or good sounding fantasies.

Oh, and hang on to that Les Paul no matter how much you might want something else. I traded off one when I was young that I should never have let go of. Go mow lawns or deliver packages or work in a fast food restaurant if you have to. For around $1000 you can get a '60's Lacquer Fender that will serve you well.

Back to our regularly scheduled forum...

All opinions expressed by this poster are well thought out and based on actual experience and/or scientific experimentation, except for those which are knee-jerk reactions or good sounding fantasies.

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