Here's my feeble input. We lost Jim Rudnick, our original drummer to cancer this past May. Jim had been fighting cancer for four years. During one trip to the hospital to see Jim I took a chance and called DD and told him about Jim. I had heard from Linda about how DD was a mentor to many cancer victim's. By the time I arrived at the hospital Jim was on cloud nine. DD had dropped what he was doing and called Jim and spending about 20 minutes talking to an unknown. DD followed up that call with many more over the following months. After Jim passed, Jim's wife, fighting hugh medical bills, put Jim's $4,000 set of drums for sale, but wasn't geting any calls. Guess who wrote a check and now has the drums in his studio. DD continued to make follow-up calls to Jim's wife after his passing.

As for the ego, it's all part of marketing. Anyone remember Muhamed Ali. Can't think of anyone who had a bigger impact on creating first wave surf.

Soundwaves, I wouldn't call that feeble input. Thanks for sharing that.

Don

Soundwaves
As for the ego, it's all part of marketing. Anyone remember Muhamed Ali. Can't think of anyone who had a bigger impact on creating first wave surf.

I just wanted to chime in with my meager comment...

Soundwave's comment above hits the nail squarely on the head. In person, when you meet him in "real life" (ie: off-stage and away from the fans), Dick is the sweetest guy you'd ever meet...very grandfatherly and pleasant. And humble...and humbling.

I can vouch for Dick's humanitarian side as well...He became best friends with my son Scotty, encouraging him thru many tough years struggling with muscular dystrophy. He became my mentor and best friend during this difficult time as well. He helped me to put my failed marriage back together again just before Scotty passed away. He helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel after I lost Scotty. He continues to inspire me to do great things and reach out to help others just as he does without asking anything in return. He saved my husbands life when he recognized he was crashing from diabetes and had gone into a partial comatose state. Over the years having survived the first round of cancer he has continued to reach out to thousands of special needs families without thought to himself. Ego has got him where he is today but the humanitarian side of him speaks volumes to those of us who truly get to know him. He's my hero.
Secretary and Special Events Director at HBISM. Linda

I'm a lover not a fighter, a hugger not a handshaker and I take friendships very seriously...Love the life you live, live the life you love.

JoshHeartless
i don't see anywhere in which we talk ad about him for restringing his guitar weird...he's got a huge ego and tells a lot of stories that can easily be misinterpreted as tall tales...that's what all the bashing is from.

Right here:

BillAqua
For someone who designed so much of Fender's gear back in the 60s you'd think someone would pointed him in the right direction regarding the correct way to string a guitar.

I've never spent a cent on a Dick Dale show, it's tough wanting to see this guy.

maybe it was just a joke buried in the bashing.

www.laundromatvacation.com

This thread got really depressing

cracks open a bud, plugs in new AVRI Strat, plays along with Dick Dale's Surf Beat

JakeDobner
Hey Ted. The reason I created this thread was not to bash Dick, it was to not create a false history of this gear we love so much. I'm around history all day and it is what I do and I just can't stand unsubstantiated history being taken for fact. It is honestly like calling myself your father. We both know it isn't true but I said it anyways and somebody might believe that.

I'm sorry to hear about your cancer. I hope you are feeling better now.

I don't have the book The Soul of Tone. I only have the sections you posted at the beginning of this thread. so I can only comment on that and other books, articles, and interviews with Dick Dale I have read.

JakeDobner
In the Soul of Tone there are two pages on what Dick Dale did for Fender.

"I was the guy that made Leo reach out and do other things, I made him create reverb, echo, and these extra things"

"See, Frank(Sinatra) wanted to manage me"

"Anything that came out of his(Leo Fender) brain, like the six-string bass, I was the one who pioneered it. Even the Fender Rhodes Piano -- I pioneered that one at the Hollywood bowl"

"Freddie, Leo, and I used to be the Three Musketeers... What gets me pissed off is that all these people, including the guys who had been working (at Fender) all those years, have all this so-called knowledge about what was going on with the amplifiers. They don't know shit, because theyw eren't sitting in the room when it was just me, Leo, and Freddie. And there was just one other person who would stick his head in that teeny little room, and that was Forrest White"

"and it was my idea to put the aluminum dust cap on the front. To me, it felt it was giving that metallic click sound when you pick with a pick."

I'n not exactly sure which part you are not agreeing with Dick Dale.
When he says he pioneered something. I don't know Dick's definition but websters is this: to originate or take part in the development of.

So, I don't think Dick Dale is saying he invented or designed or built the things quoted in yout post. I took it as that he was trying equipment out - and offerening suggestions back to Leo on what needs improving. SO it is fair to say he took part in the development of the equipment.

in your quote that DIck Dale says "they don't know shit" I have no idea of what he was talking about. that quote is so out of context.

what I've read in other books is that Dick Dale kept blowing out the speakers and amps untill Leo came to see him play and then he understood why Dick wanted to play with so much volume.

www.laundromatvacation.com

He's not a Fender rep, I'm sure that's guitar historian Tom Wheeler, the guy who wrote "Soul of Tone" from which Jake quoted that started this thread.

Sure, kenpo, I only point it out because of his connection to this thread. I just found it interesting because here's the same guy whose book is used to point examples of Dale's overestimation of his importance to Fender and JBL history, giving him credit for the Showman and JBL's, etc.

In case anyone hasn't seen it, it's on the video link Brian put up on the home page.