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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink What was your first set-up?

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My first decent rig came together in 1996 when I bought a new Fender Blues DeVille, which though a good amp, was pretty sterile at the limited volume I could could use it. Overkill. Plugged into it was my mid-80's MIJ Fender Custom Esquire, bought used, which was excellent and which I wish I hadn't sold. Now that Esquire is an impossible find. If I had been ready for it, skill-wise and with a venue to turn it up, would have been a fantastic pairing.

My first semi-legit rig 1980 -

"Cherry" sunburst Ibanez PF200

image

And a Fender Super Twin Reverb I picked up at a local shop's going-out-of-business sale

image

Both long gone Sigh

Bill S._______
image

HELLDIVER on Facebook

remora1 wrote:

My first semi-legit rig 1980 -

"Cherry" sunburst Ibanez PF200

image

And a Fender Super Twin Reverb I picked up at a local shop's going-out-of-business sale

image

Both long gone Sigh

Only 180 watts. Must’ve been rough. Smile

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

-

Last edited: Jan 31, 2024 16:09:21

synchro wrote:

remora1 wrote:

My first semi-legit rig 1980 -

"Cherry" sunburst Ibanez PF200

image

And a Fender Super Twin Reverb I picked up at a local shop's going-out-of-business sale

image

Both long gone Sigh

Only 180 watts. Must’ve been rough. Smile

My bandmates called it "the backbreaker" it was HEAVY. And loud - too loud most of the time.

Bill S._______
image

HELLDIVER on Facebook

Tqi wrote:

synchro wrote:

Only 180 watts. Must’ve been rough. Smile

Holy crab, it's flicking TUBE!?

You can heat your home with one of these. Smile

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

remora1 wrote:

synchro wrote:

remora1 wrote:

My first semi-legit rig 1980 -

"Cherry" sunburst Ibanez PF200

image

And a Fender Super Twin Reverb I picked up at a local shop's going-out-of-business sale

image

Both long gone Sigh

Only 180 watts. Must’ve been rough. Smile

My bandmates called it "the backbreaker" it was HEAVY. And loud - too loud most of the time.

I’m in the process of selling my Twin. I love it, but it’s just too much amp for my needs.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

Silvetone 1451 and a twin 12. Still got the amp.

"Turn it down son!"

My first guitar rig (in the mid-1980s) was a Bradley Flying V (house brand for a store called Veneman Music) and a Peavey Bandit 1x12 combo amp. It was loud, but fizzy, so I used a BOSS DS-1 (which I still own) for distortion. It wasn't long before I traded up to a Series 10 superstrat (HSS, I think Series 10 was owned by Kaman, a prominent MI distributor), and in the early 1990s, I got my first Fender Strat (American Standard in Desert Yellow). By then I was using Crate, Peavey and Marshall all-tube heads for playing metal.

My first surf rig came about much later in life and benefitted greatly from not just my experience with guitars, amps and pedals, but from being a grown up with a regular job and time to bulk up my savings account. My first surf rig was a Fender Custom Shop '58 LTD Jazzmaster, Fender RI Tube Reverb and a Fender '59 RI Bassman combo - the perfect setup if you ask me Smile I used a Valco Five-O pedal, a BOSS PH-2 Phaser and a BOSS TU-2 Tuner as my small pedalboard. My backup guitar was (is) a partscaster I call the SURFCASTER OF DOOM - American Pro II body, American Performer neck, Mann-Made bridge and FCS pickups.

image

--
Project: MAYHEM by Hypersonic Secret now available!

I begged my parents for an electric guitar after seeing The Beatles on Ed Sullivan that February night in 1964. They had a friend who was a mechanic and guitar player. He was in a country band and came up with this model for me. It wasn't the solid body guitar with a whammy that I was hoping for but it got me started. I eventually sold it and bought an SG.

image

MIM Fender Strat and a little Fender Tube amp I can’t remember the model.

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chiba wrote:

My first guitar rig (in the mid-1980s) was a Bradley Flying V (house brand for a store called Veneman Music) and a Peavey Bandit 1x12 combo amp. It was loud, but fizzy, so I used a BOSS DS-1 (which I still own) for distortion. It wasn't long before I traded up to a Series 10 superstrat (HSS, I think Series 10 was owned by Kaman, a prominent MI distributor), and in the early 1990s, I got my first Fender Strat (American Standard in Desert Yellow). By then I was using Crate, Peavey and Marshall all-tube heads for playing metal.

My first surf rig came about much later in life and benefitted greatly from not just my experience with guitars, amps and pedals, but from being a grown up with a regular job and time to bulk up my savings account. My first surf rig was a Fender Custom Shop '58 LTD Jazzmaster, Fender RI Tube Reverb and a Fender '59 RI Bassman combo - the perfect setup if you ask me Smile I used a Valco Five-O pedal, a BOSS PH-2 Phaser and a BOSS TU-2 Tuner as my small pedalboard. My backup guitar was (is) a partscaster I call the SURFCASTER OF DOOM - American Pro II body, American Performer neck, Mann-Made bridge and FCS pickups.

I would venture that to be an excellent sounding Surf rig. I really love the ‘59 Bassman.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

synchro wrote:

I would venture that to be an excellent sounding Surf rig. I really love the ‘59 Bassman.

Definitely agree Smile I picked up the Bassman 12-13 years ago on a whim. A friend needed a guitar and asked me to go to this store in Maryland with him. We found him a guitar and I was just looking around and saw this Bassman combo with a price I figured had to be wrong, so I asked about it. "Oh, the jewel light doesn't come on, we're not sure if something else is wrong with it." I made them an offer under their asking price and I think they accepted it just to get the thing off the floor. Turned out the jewel assembly was just loose; once I tightened it up, the light came on just fine. The other problem was a bad rectifier tube. I plugged in a solid state emulator I happened to have and it worked fine, but I had it checked out by a tech anyway and he couldn't find any problems with the rectifier circuit. Amp has been fantastic ever since. Was my first and so far only Fender combo amp and I just love it. It's almost cliche to say it's a good pedal platform, but it is ... and so much more. I even use it for bass!

--
Project: MAYHEM by Hypersonic Secret now available!

chiba wrote:

synchro wrote:

I would venture that to be an excellent sounding Surf rig. I really love the ‘59 Bassman.

Definitely agree Smile I picked up the Bassman 12-13 years ago on a whim. A friend needed a guitar and asked me to go to this store in Maryland with him. We found him a guitar and I was just looking around and saw this Bassman combo with a price I figured had to be wrong, so I asked about it. "Oh, the jewel light doesn't come on, we're not sure if something else is wrong with it." I made them an offer under their asking price and I think they accepted it just to get the thing off the floor. Turned out the jewel assembly was just loose; once I tightened it up, the light came on just fine. The other problem was a bad rectifier tube. I plugged in a solid state emulator I happened to have and it worked fine, but I had it checked out by a tech anyway and he couldn't find any problems with the rectifier circuit. Amp has been fantastic ever since. Was my first and so far only Fender combo amp and I just love it. It's almost cliche to say it's a good pedal platform, but it is ... and so much more. I even use it for bass!

So, do I take it that you continued using the solid state rectifier? That would make sense, and probably result in a bit less tendency towards sag. Great acquisition story.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

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