Surfy Industries Surfyman pedal thoughts

beatcomber

Joined: Jun 30, 2019
Posts: 150
Massachusetts, USA
United States

Posted on Apr 07 2025 08:54 PM

I was about to place an online order for a SurfyMan, when I remembered that the boo-teek guitar shop, The Music Emporium, located right here in my town (Lexington, MA), is a Surfy Industries dealer! After a quick call to confirm they had it in stock, I ran over there at lunchtime and bought one after giving it a quick test drive in the store.

My primary reason for buying it is for use as a headphone amp, for silent practicing at home. (I had been using a Vox Amplug “Blues” (Fender tweed emulator) for a few years, which is pretty good for what it is, but they eat batteries like crazy and tend to die after a year or two.)

After I got it home, I set up a corner of my music room to be my “silent practice station.” It took a little while to get the hang of how to best dial in the controls (I initially used the two volume controls in the wrong way and it sounded very thin/bright), but once I got it figured out, it sounded FANTASTIC - rich and fulsome. My expectations have been exceeded, it sounds really good! What I find particularly impressive is the smoothness of the overdrive (it’s not crunchy, it just gets a little hairy) and the “sag” that is very much like the natural compression from tube rectification.

Using it with my headphones (Grado SR80i’s), it sounds way better with the “vintage EQ” brownface setting vs. the flat “modern EQ” setting, and both of the tremelo settings (brownface or blackface) are equally as good, they’re just different flavors.

I should also mention that the SurfyMan has enough juice to drive headphones very efficiently, which was NOT the case with the headphone outputs on the Vox digital amp nor on the Quilter Superblock US that I used to own, both of which were not quite loud enough even with my easy-to-drive Grados.

I have band rehearsal next week, and look forward to seeing what happens with the SurfyMan placed in front of a blackface Bandmaster.

—

THE HYDRONAUTS…Surf Music from the shores of old Cape Cod.
CLICK HERE to check out our first album, Interstallar Clambake!

Last edited: Apr 07, 2025 20:57:36

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Jerome

Joined: Jun 29, 2022
Posts: 21
1 Map Pin

Posted on Apr 07 2025 11:48 PM

Here's my set-up. The Surfyman really shines !!! The Reuss Understate delivers a sweet compression, sparkle and light drive to the party. Mostly play through the normal channel of my DRRI.First gig with the Surfyman scheduled by the end of April. Can't wait.

Last edited: Apr 07, 2025 23:53:03

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beatcomber

Joined: Jun 30, 2019
Posts: 150
Massachusetts, USA
United States

Posted on Apr 08 2025 05:45 AM

Here’s a question for those of you who already own the SurfyMan…

According to the owner’s manual, the MUTE/BYPASS switch is supposed to mute the OUT and HEADPHONE jacks. I haven’t yet used the OUT jack, but it most definitely doesn’t mute headphones on my SurfyMan, although the power light does turn on and off.

Is my unit defective or is the owner’s manual wrong?

(I just sent an email to Surfy Industries asking them the same question.)

—

THE HYDRONAUTS…Surf Music from the shores of old Cape Cod.
CLICK HERE to check out our first album, Interstallar Clambake!

Last edited: Apr 08, 2025 05:49:37

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beatcomber

Joined: Jun 30, 2019
Posts: 150
Massachusetts, USA
United States

Posted on Apr 08 2025 10:30 AM

FOLLOW UP

I received a quick response from Björn Isheden himself, and the solution is very straightforward:

I dont think your pedal is defective.
But it looks like we made a small mistake when we quality checked your pedal.
Normally we always set the internal selector of bypass mode: "TrueBypass <> Buffered" to TrueBypass.
It looks like your pedal was set to "Buffered mode" by mistake. By design the Mute feature only works in TrueBypass mode.
The buffered mode is a special mode only to be used if you are using very long cables.

For setting the bypass mode to "True Bypass" you need to open the back panel and set the selector to True Bypass.
See picture below.
If you prefer, feel free to send it back to us to have it fixed.

I am sorry for the inconvenience.

I think it’s pretty cool that there is an “easter egg” hidden inside, and the buffering option could potentionally come in handy in certain situations!

—

THE HYDRONAUTS…Surf Music from the shores of old Cape Cod.
CLICK HERE to check out our first album, Interstallar Clambake!

Last edited: Apr 08, 2025 10:33:00

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AgentClaret

Joined: Jan 30, 2024
Posts: 147
United States

Posted on Apr 08 2025 12:20 PM

Would the Surfyman sound good plugged into the effects loop return of a solid state amp less classy than a Quilter that doesn't have a volume control on the loop?

Ive been thinking of getting my first tube amp but I'm heavily considering the Surfyman and something else to go with it...

Last edited: Apr 08, 2025 12:21:03

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beatcomber

Joined: Jun 30, 2019
Posts: 150
Massachusetts, USA
United States

Posted on Apr 10 2025 06:52 AM

AgentClaret wrote:

Would the Surfyman sound good plugged into the effects loop return of a solid state amp less classy than a Quilter that doesn't have a volume control on the loop?

Ive been thinking of getting my first tube amp but I'm heavily considering the Surfyman and something else to go with it...

Don’t screw around and just get a good tube amp.

—

THE HYDRONAUTS…Surf Music from the shores of old Cape Cod.
CLICK HERE to check out our first album, Interstallar Clambake!

Top

edwardsand

Joined: Jun 29, 2018
Posts: 798

Posted on Apr 10 2025 09:08 PM

I'd expect it would sound great in a number of SS amps when plugged into the return of an effects loop. At that point, the tone is mostly coming from the Surfyman and the amp is just doing the job of amplifying that sound. Same principle as sending a direct signal to a PA.

There are good sounding solid state amps out there, and the ones I don't like are the ones that have a rather hollow sound profile and create real brittle sounds when overdriven. Others can do things well and you may not even care about overdriven sounds, so give it a try.

That being said, I'm also found of some tube amps (see various other threads I've commented on).

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SixStringSurfer

Joined: Sep 23, 2014
Posts: 1424
Memphis, TN
United States

Posted on Apr 11 2025 01:46 PM

I got to play the SurfyMan with a full band last night. Quilter Tone Block 202 on 10, SurfyMan volume and gain on 3 (had to keep the volume low). This thing sounds killer! I am bringing this rig to both gigs tomorrow instead of my ‘62 Showman. Take a listen.

https://youtu.be/ut9o29OLcZs?feature=shared

—

MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale. New EP Louder Than Life available on bandcamp and website.

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beatcomber

Joined: Jun 30, 2019
Posts: 150
Massachusetts, USA
United States

Posted on Apr 11 2025 02:50 PM

I’ve been having a solid ball with my headphone set-up…
It even overdrives with a very musical breakup. It’s a pretty remarkable pedal.

I have since reordered my pedal board:

—

THE HYDRONAUTS…Surf Music from the shores of old Cape Cod.
CLICK HERE to check out our first album, Interstallar Clambake!

Last edited: Apr 11, 2025 14:52:52

Top

beatcomber Joined: Jun 30, 2019 Posts: 150 Massachusetts, USA	Posted on Apr 07 2025 08:54 PM I was about to place an online order for a SurfyMan, when I remembered that the boo-teek guitar shop, The Music Emporium, located right here in my town (Lexington, MA), is a Surfy Industries dealer! After a quick call to confirm they had it in stock, I ran over there at lunchtime and bought one after giving it a quick test drive in the store. My primary reason for buying it is for use as a headphone amp, for silent practicing at home. (I had been using a Vox Amplug “Blues” (Fender tweed emulator) for a few years, which is pretty good for what it is, but they eat batteries like crazy and tend to die after a year or two.) After I got it home, I set up a corner of my music room to be my “silent practice station.” It took a little while to get the hang of how to best dial in the controls (I initially used the two volume controls in the wrong way and it sounded very thin/bright), but once I got it figured out, it sounded FANTASTIC - rich and fulsome. My expectations have been exceeded, it sounds really good! What I find particularly impressive is the smoothness of the overdrive (it’s not crunchy, it just gets a little hairy) and the “sag” that is very much like the natural compression from tube rectification. Using it with my headphones (Grado SR80i’s), it sounds way better with the “vintage EQ” brownface setting vs. the flat “modern EQ” setting, and both of the tremelo settings (brownface or blackface) are equally as good, they’re just different flavors. I should also mention that the SurfyMan has enough juice to drive headphones very efficiently, which was NOT the case with the headphone outputs on the Vox digital amp nor on the Quilter Superblock US that I used to own, both of which were not quite loud enough even with my easy-to-drive Grados. I have band rehearsal next week, and look forward to seeing what happens with the SurfyMan placed in front of a blackface Bandmaster. — THE HYDRONAUTS…Surf Music from the shores of old Cape Cod. CLICK HERE to check out our first album, Interstallar Clambake! Last edited: Apr 07, 2025 20:57:36 Top
Jerome Joined: Jun 29, 2022 Posts: 21	Posted on Apr 07 2025 11:48 PM Here's my set-up. The Surfyman really shines !!! The Reuss Understate delivers a sweet compression, sparkle and light drive to the party. Mostly play through the normal channel of my DRRI.First gig with the Surfyman scheduled by the end of April. Can't wait. Last edited: Apr 07, 2025 23:53:03 Top
beatcomber Joined: Jun 30, 2019 Posts: 150 Massachusetts, USA	Posted on Apr 08 2025 05:45 AM Here’s a question for those of you who already own the SurfyMan… According to the owner’s manual, the MUTE/BYPASS switch is supposed to mute the OUT and HEADPHONE jacks. I haven’t yet used the OUT jack, but it most definitely doesn’t mute headphones on my SurfyMan, although the power light does turn on and off. Is my unit defective or is the owner’s manual wrong? (I just sent an email to Surfy Industries asking them the same question.) — THE HYDRONAUTS…Surf Music from the shores of old Cape Cod. CLICK HERE to check out our first album, Interstallar Clambake! Last edited: Apr 08, 2025 05:49:37 Top
beatcomber Joined: Jun 30, 2019 Posts: 150 Massachusetts, USA	Posted on Apr 08 2025 10:30 AM FOLLOW UP I received a quick response from Björn Isheden himself, and the solution is very straightforward: I dont think your pedal is defective. But it looks like we made a small mistake when we quality checked your pedal. Normally we always set the internal selector of bypass mode: "TrueBypass <> Buffered" to TrueBypass. It looks like your pedal was set to "Buffered mode" by mistake. By design the Mute feature only works in TrueBypass mode. The buffered mode is a special mode only to be used if you are using very long cables. For setting the bypass mode to "True Bypass" you need to open the back panel and set the selector to True Bypass. See picture below. If you prefer, feel free to send it back to us to have it fixed. I am sorry for the inconvenience. I think it’s pretty cool that there is an “easter egg” hidden inside, and the buffering option could potentionally come in handy in certain situations! — THE HYDRONAUTS…Surf Music from the shores of old Cape Cod. CLICK HERE to check out our first album, Interstallar Clambake! Last edited: Apr 08, 2025 10:33:00 Top
AgentClaret Joined: Jan 30, 2024 Posts: 147	Posted on Apr 08 2025 12:20 PM Would the Surfyman sound good plugged into the effects loop return of a solid state amp less classy than a Quilter that doesn't have a volume control on the loop? Ive been thinking of getting my first tube amp but I'm heavily considering the Surfyman and something else to go with it... Last edited: Apr 08, 2025 12:21:03 Top
beatcomber Joined: Jun 30, 2019 Posts: 150 Massachusetts, USA	Posted on Apr 10 2025 06:52 AM AgentClaret wrote: Would the Surfyman sound good plugged into the effects loop return of a solid state amp less classy than a Quilter that doesn't have a volume control on the loop? Ive been thinking of getting my first tube amp but I'm heavily considering the Surfyman and something else to go with it... Don’t screw around and just get a good tube amp. — THE HYDRONAUTS…Surf Music from the shores of old Cape Cod. CLICK HERE to check out our first album, Interstallar Clambake! Top
edwardsand Joined: Jun 29, 2018 Posts: 798	Posted on Apr 10 2025 09:08 PM I'd expect it would sound great in a number of SS amps when plugged into the return of an effects loop. At that point, the tone is mostly coming from the Surfyman and the amp is just doing the job of amplifying that sound. Same principle as sending a direct signal to a PA. There are good sounding solid state amps out there, and the ones I don't like are the ones that have a rather hollow sound profile and create real brittle sounds when overdriven. Others can do things well and you may not even care about overdriven sounds, so give it a try. That being said, I'm also found of some tube amps (see various other threads I've commented on). Top
SixStringSurfer Joined: Sep 23, 2014 Posts: 1424 Memphis, TN	Posted on Apr 11 2025 01:46 PM I got to play the SurfyMan with a full band last night. Quilter Tone Block 202 on 10, SurfyMan volume and gain on 3 (had to keep the volume low). This thing sounds killer! I am bringing this rig to both gigs tomorrow instead of my ‘62 Showman. Take a listen. https://youtu.be/ut9o29OLcZs?feature=shared — MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale. New EP Louder Than Life available on bandcamp and website. Top
beatcomber Joined: Jun 30, 2019 Posts: 150 Massachusetts, USA	Posted on Apr 11 2025 02:50 PM I’ve been having a solid ball with my headphone set-up… It even overdrives with a very musical breakup. It’s a pretty remarkable pedal. I have since reordered my pedal board: — THE HYDRONAUTS…Surf Music from the shores of old Cape Cod. CLICK HERE to check out our first album, Interstallar Clambake! Last edited: Apr 11, 2025 14:52:52 Top

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Surfy Industries Surfyman pedal thoughts