Hey everyone! Starter Surf Amp

FwippaMan

Joined: Jun 28, 2019
Posts: 14
East Coast
United States

Posted on Jun 28 2019 12:15 PM

Hello everyone I just wanted to introduce myself to the Forum with a question about guitar amps I am looking to get myself an amp that is not going to break the bank but is going to be the best bang for the buck as far as sound goes, also something that will hold up for quite a while... I'm new to playing surf and I'm really unfamiliar with all the different kinds of gear and what they offer so any advice would be welcome... I'm leaning towards a Twin Reverb just because I know I bet it's kind of a surf standard, but I'm totally open to suggestions thank you everyone

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SilverFlash

Joined: Jul 14, 2015
Posts: 472
Near Atlanta, GA
United States

Posted on Jun 28 2019 02:06 PM

Hi Fwippa, Welcome to the SG101 forum. There is a lot of great information here. Enjoy yourself.

Such a simple question, "What is the best surf starter amp that is not going to break the bank and is the best bang for the buck, and is going to hold up for a while."

You may get a few dozen different answers. And all of them will be correct based on the old adage, " horses for courses." To that end, it would be helpful to know a few things:

Are you, or do you plan to be, a gigging musician?
Will you mostly be using it for home, relatively quiet, practice?
What is your price range?
Dedicated to tubes or open to solid state?
Does weight matter? (A twin is HEAVY.)
Would you like the flexibility of digital modeling?
Do you plan to use the amp's built in reverb? Or a tank or pedal?

I look forward to seeing what is suggested, myself. My budget is somewhat restricted and, as a hobbyist guitarist, I would have a hard time justifying spending more than $500 USD, and even with that restriction it is a hard decision to make.

—

-Tim
MyYouTubeChannel
My Classic Instrumental Surf Music Timeline
SSS Agent #777

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Delrin96mm

Joined: Dec 29, 2017
Posts: 162
United Kingdom

Posted on Jun 28 2019 04:49 PM

Post deleted by author.

Last edited: Mar 10, 2020 15:39:24

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edwardsand

Joined: Jun 29, 2018
Posts: 660

Posted on Jun 28 2019 05:28 PM

You can read through the thread that is at the top of the gear forum: https://surfguitar101.com/forums/topic/3520/ to see lots of suggestions. But once you give your parameters, people here will give you lots of suggestions that are more tailored to what you are really looking for.

In general, the advice comes down to needing something that does a good Fendery clean sound and you need good reverb (on-board or external tank or pedal), and most importantly, it should sound good to you. There are many ways to get there.

Top

FwippaMan

Joined: Jun 28, 2019
Posts: 14
East Coast
United States

Posted on Jun 28 2019 08:06 PM

Hey guys thank you so much for the responses... I don't think I explained myself properly... I am 33 and have been playing guitar since I was 13, so 20 years.. I would call myself an advanced intermediate player, skill wise. I play a Squire Vintage Modified Surf Strat ... there is something about the sound of that particular axe that I love, it chimes like a bell, which is probably due to the lipstick pickups... I really am looking for an amp that has the spring reverb sound already there, as I'm not much of a gear head... I would like to be able to plug in and have it there and ready to go... I plan to be playing with a band... I am open to tubes or otherwise... and REALLY what I am looking for is an amp that will last me for a long time, tbat I won't have to replace & can rely on... so I'd rather get the best one I can from the start and not have to buy another one down the line that is an upgrade... I'm looking to spend around a grand, possibly a bit more... the sounds I dig come from groups like The Mermen, The Aqua Velvets & the Beach Boys... Thanx again guys I truly appreciate the help

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WoodyJ

Joined: Apr 05, 2006
Posts: 1532
Bethlehem, GA
United States

Posted on Jun 28 2019 08:16 PM

Deluxe Reverb, Princeton Reverb or Vox AC15

—

Jack
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)

Top

Samurai

Joined: Mar 14, 2006
Posts: 2141
Kiev, Ukraine
Ukraine

Posted on Jun 29 2019 02:50 AM

Blues junior

—

Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine

New Single is out!

https://waikikimakaki.bandcamp.com/album/rhino-blues-full-contact-surf-single

Waikiki Makaki

https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki

Lost Diver

https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin

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Delrin96mm

Joined: Dec 29, 2017
Posts: 162
United Kingdom

Posted on Jun 29 2019 04:33 AM

Post deleted by author.

Last edited: Mar 10, 2020 15:39:01

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Tqi

Joined: Dec 07, 2014
Posts: 1222
2 Security Pins

Posted on Jun 30 2019 06:30 AM

-

Last edited: Feb 02, 2024 14:47:23

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FwippaMan

Joined: Jun 28, 2019
Posts: 14
East Coast
United States

Posted on Jul 02 2019 09:45 AM

I'm so glad I came here first to get some advice... I wasn't aware that there wasn't an amp that already had the RIGHT reverb unit built into it & that the sound is from an external reverb tank... is that the correct assessment? I brought up the Twin Reverb because I truly thought that amp had the " surf" sound... but with all the great advice it looks like I'll start buy getting the surfy bear tank & find myself a nice Fender amp to pair it up with... keep the advice coming, I really appreciate the help

Top

FwippaMan Joined: Jun 28, 2019 Posts: 14 East Coast	Posted on Jun 28 2019 12:15 PM Hello everyone I just wanted to introduce myself to the Forum with a question about guitar amps I am looking to get myself an amp that is not going to break the bank but is going to be the best bang for the buck as far as sound goes, also something that will hold up for quite a while... I'm new to playing surf and I'm really unfamiliar with all the different kinds of gear and what they offer so any advice would be welcome... I'm leaning towards a Twin Reverb just because I know I bet it's kind of a surf standard, but I'm totally open to suggestions thank you everyone Top
SilverFlash Joined: Jul 14, 2015 Posts: 472 Near Atlanta, GA	Posted on Jun 28 2019 02:06 PM Hi Fwippa, Welcome to the SG101 forum. There is a lot of great information here. Enjoy yourself. Such a simple question, "What is the best surf starter amp that is not going to break the bank and is the best bang for the buck, and is going to hold up for a while." You may get a few dozen different answers. And all of them will be correct based on the old adage, " horses for courses." To that end, it would be helpful to know a few things: Are you, or do you plan to be, a gigging musician? Will you mostly be using it for home, relatively quiet, practice? What is your price range? Dedicated to tubes or open to solid state? Does weight matter? (A twin is HEAVY.) Would you like the flexibility of digital modeling? Do you plan to use the amp's built in reverb? Or a tank or pedal? I look forward to seeing what is suggested, myself. My budget is somewhat restricted and, as a hobbyist guitarist, I would have a hard time justifying spending more than $500 USD, and even with that restriction it is a hard decision to make. — -Tim MyYouTubeChannel My Classic Instrumental Surf Music Timeline SSS Agent #777 Top
Delrin96mm Joined: Dec 29, 2017 Posts: 162	Posted on Jun 28 2019 04:49 PM Post deleted by author. Last edited: Mar 10, 2020 15:39:24 Top
edwardsand Joined: Jun 29, 2018 Posts: 660	Posted on Jun 28 2019 05:28 PM You can read through the thread that is at the top of the gear forum: https://surfguitar101.com/forums/topic/3520/ to see lots of suggestions. But once you give your parameters, people here will give you lots of suggestions that are more tailored to what you are really looking for. In general, the advice comes down to needing something that does a good Fendery clean sound and you need good reverb (on-board or external tank or pedal), and most importantly, it should sound good to you. There are many ways to get there. Top
FwippaMan Joined: Jun 28, 2019 Posts: 14 East Coast	Posted on Jun 28 2019 08:06 PM Hey guys thank you so much for the responses... I don't think I explained myself properly... I am 33 and have been playing guitar since I was 13, so 20 years.. I would call myself an advanced intermediate player, skill wise. I play a Squire Vintage Modified Surf Strat ... there is something about the sound of that particular axe that I love, it chimes like a bell, which is probably due to the lipstick pickups... I really am looking for an amp that has the spring reverb sound already there, as I'm not much of a gear head... I would like to be able to plug in and have it there and ready to go... I plan to be playing with a band... I am open to tubes or otherwise... and REALLY what I am looking for is an amp that will last me for a long time, tbat I won't have to replace & can rely on... so I'd rather get the best one I can from the start and not have to buy another one down the line that is an upgrade... I'm looking to spend around a grand, possibly a bit more... the sounds I dig come from groups like The Mermen, The Aqua Velvets & the Beach Boys... Thanx again guys I truly appreciate the help Top
WoodyJ Joined: Apr 05, 2006 Posts: 1532 Bethlehem, GA	Posted on Jun 28 2019 08:16 PM Deluxe Reverb, Princeton Reverb or Vox AC15 — Jack 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) Top
Samurai Joined: Mar 14, 2006 Posts: 2141 Kiev, Ukraine	Posted on Jun 29 2019 02:50 AM Blues junior — Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine New Single is out! https://waikikimakaki.bandcamp.com/album/rhino-blues-full-contact-surf-single Waikiki Makaki https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki Lost Diver https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin Top
Delrin96mm Joined: Dec 29, 2017 Posts: 162	Posted on Jun 29 2019 04:33 AM Post deleted by author. Last edited: Mar 10, 2020 15:39:01 Top
Tqi Joined: Dec 07, 2014 Posts: 1222	Posted on Jun 30 2019 06:30 AM - Last edited: Feb 02, 2024 14:47:23 Top
FwippaMan Joined: Jun 28, 2019 Posts: 14 East Coast	Posted on Jul 02 2019 09:45 AM I'm so glad I came here first to get some advice... I wasn't aware that there wasn't an amp that already had the RIGHT reverb unit built into it & that the sound is from an external reverb tank... is that the correct assessment? I brought up the Twin Reverb because I truly thought that amp had the " surf" sound... but with all the great advice it looks like I'll start buy getting the surfy bear tank & find myself a nice Fender amp to pair it up with... keep the advice coming, I really appreciate the help Top

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Hey everyone! Starter Surf Amp