Photo of the Day

Okay, I recently bought a Gomez "G" Reverb-Amp. Here is my review.

The semi-important stuff: The amp was completely immaculate & clean. The wiring was done with great craftsmanship. The amp is ascetically gorgeous. The vintage blonde is very pleasing to the eye, and it has the complete retro surf vibe. It is also very light weight, I think around 36 pounds.

Customer service was top notch: In all honestly, Dario seems like the kind of guy would wants his customers satisfied and nothing less. I recieved good communication on the phone and email from Dario. I thank him for that. Also, everything is covered for 5 years, something you can't say for an amp you bought of ebay.

The real important stuff: The "G" Reverb amp sounds awesome. The 15'' Weber alnico speaker is very crisp and clean. There are no harsh highs with this amp and the bass sound stays well defined and clear. You can have an extremely bright sound or a nice bassy sound which I prefer. It really nails the vintage surf sounds that groups like The Chantay's, The Bel-Airs, and The Pyramids have made so famous. One of my favorite bands of all time is the Ventures. I have never been able to match their tone, although I have not been able to do it with the "G" Reverb Amp, I have come closer than with other amps I've used in the past.. But they were not a surf band anyway so that is beside the point.

Reverb: Really good surf reverb without using an outboard! To me an outboard is unmatched, but this is pretty damn good. Now Dario told me he was including a 3 spring reverb pan, but it comes with a 2 in stock. I forgot to check it, so I will have to ask him which he included with mine. I will get back to this when I have more detail.

Tremolo: Sounds good to me, and I won't need a pedal. Good work here Mr. Gomez.

Okay let me wrap this up.

Sound / Features 9/10
Value 9/10
Customer Service/Support 10/10

As Eddie Katcher has pointed out, today is Leo Fender's birthday! He would have been 97!

From Wikipedia: "Clarence Leonidas Fender (August 10, 1909 - March 21, 1991) was an American luthier who founded Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company, now known as Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, and later founded G&L Musical Products (G&L Guitars). His guitar, bass, and amplifier designs from the 1950s continue to dominate popular music more than half a century later. Marshall and many other amplifier companies have used Fender amps as the foundation of their products. Fender and inventor Les Paul are often cited as the two most influential figures in the development of electric instruments in the 20th century."

Read more here.

Here is a Free Information Society biography of Fender.

And let's not forget the 60's surf bands who were early adopters of Fender gear. It has been said that it was the surf bands who cemented the popularity of "The Fender Bass" as a viable electric instrument.

Happy Birthday Leo Fender!

The Madeira - Ruins CD-EP

Hot on the heels of their debut full-length CD comes a great new 5 song CD-EP by The Madeira. Released just in time for their 2006 West Coast tour, this disc features covers of songs by Dick Dale, The Treble Spankers, Paco de Lucia and The Surf Coasters, but done in a way that sounds 100% like The Madeira! Pick this up from the band at any of their upcoming shows, or order it through Double Crown Records.

Tracks: The Victor - Dilmohammed - Almoraima - Intruder #1 - Intruder

The Madeira - Ruins CD-EP - #DCCD25 - $6.00

You may order online at www.dblcrown.com/catalog.html or you may send a Paypal payment to: records@dblcrown.com. Please add $2 for shipping to any US address, $3 to any Canada/Mexico address or $4 to anywhere else in the world.

Just received from the Ghastly Ones email list

BLAST OFF to HORROR!!!!

TARGET: DRACULON, our brand spanking new CD is now available!!!

Go to our MERCH page at www.ghastlyones.com.

Featuring 19 tracks of reverb-drenched, fuzz fueled terror for your spook-a-phonic listening pleasure. We even have a couple of garage-shakin’ vocals to keep your hips twistin’ and your neck snappin’. Here are the tracks…

I've created a new Photo of the Day feature for the site. A new picture is chosen randomly each day, and registered users can leave comments on each photo. If you have a photo you'd like to add, please send it to me along with a title and description! Dig it!

I just received my copy of Pipeline #71 Summer 2006 all the way from jolly old England. Editor Alan Taylor was kind enough to also send me #70 as a promo copy. I sheepishly admit to not being able to find the time to do a proper review. However I have no problem asserting that if you have any interest in instrumental music from any decade since the beginnings of rock and roll (and yes this includes a healthy dose of surf music!) you will be extremely satisfied with this well written and edited 'zine. Both issues are 65+ pages and they are jammed with reading material that will keep you busy for weeks.

Issue #70 features an incredibly in-depth interview and discography of George Tomsco and The Fireballs. There is also a feature on Mike Vernon and 3 Balls of Fire. Issue #71 has a lengthy interviews with Bob Spalding (the 5th Venture!) and our very own Ivan Pongracic of The Madeira / Space Cossacks. Plus coverage of Pipeline 2006, the 14th Pipeline convention that featured The Flames, Bob Spalding, 3 Balls of Fire, George Tomsco, The Original Rapiers, and The Surfin' Gorrillas. Each issue also features an extensive reviews section of recent releases.

Head on over to The Pipeline Magazine website and buy a subscription now! Back issues are also available so you can get caught up.

First of all, you may have noticed things look a little different. Hopefully for the better. I've finally got my hands around the coding aspect of themes, and was able to customize one of the stock themes. This isn't the final product though, and I would still appreciate any new ideas from you guys. It is even possible to create multiple themes, and each registered user can pick his own from a list!

I also want to thank Joe, aka norcalhodad, who created a great set of topics icons for the news stories. He also made the cool Downloads logo. Thanks Joe!

Again, I don't want to discourage anyone from making more topics icons. They can be used in different themes.

Second, I have created an "Encyclopedia Review Board" sub-forum in the forums area. Here we can discuss terms for the site encyclopedia. I hope this encyclopedia will supplement our FAQs (which also need a lot of work!), and will be useful to newbies and visitors.

And finally, I am planning on adding a "Photo of the Day" feature to the site. I will add a block that will feature a thumbnail that will change every day. Clicking the thumbnail will bring up a full size version of the photo with a caption and perhaps even with a rating and comment system. So while I am working on that, I need photos! Anything surf music related is fine: bands, gear, album covers, beach scenes, whatever! Please email your photos to: brian at surfguitar101 dot com.

Thanks everyone for your continued interest in the site!

The Krontjong Devils: "Sizzling Sampan & Other Favorites!" EP
Double Crown Records, 1999 (DC4509) (www.dblcrown.com)

I was absolutely floored with this Krotjong Devils EP; these devils truly tear it up!

The Krontjong Devils are: Kees de Vries on guitar and organ, Hendrik Jan Horst also on guitar and organ, Gerhard Rinsma on bass, and Nico Plantenga on drums. These Devils hail from Groningen, Holland. The tunes for "Sizzling Sampan" were recorded in 1999, and released by Double Crown on gold vinyl.

The EP begins with "Sizzling Sampan", a tune that definitely lives up to its title. This tune is a spicy plate of pad thai served up in floating restaurant. High-energy guitar lines, driving drums, who could ask for anything more?

Today, I had the time and the inclination to sort through the sacred-old-milk-crate-full-of-surf-LPs and the Converse shoeboxes full of old cassettes. As I started spinning some of the contents on the record and cassette players, I thought to myself: "Man, there were quite a few surf bands back in the 1980s, maybe I should share this info with my pals up on SG101." So here I am at the keyboard, attempting a brief essay on 1980s surf rock in hopes of offering something of value to those who might not otherwise have heard about this often-overlooked decade in the development of surf music.

Impala: "El Rancho Reverbo"
Icehouse Records, 1994 (www.icehouserecords.com)

"El Rancho Reverbo" was the first release by Impala, back in 1994. So, obviously, this is not a "new release" by any means; however it is new to my CD player! Recorded in Memphis TN at Sam Phillips Studio, "El Rancho..."' does hearken back to the simpler times of twist, twang and reverb.

Impala features John Stivers on guitar; Scott Bomar on bass, Farfisa organ and guitar; Justin Thompson on tenor sax; and Jeff Goggans on drums. Additional players include Alex Green on Hammond organ and "Sunrise" on trumpet.

The CD kicks-off with the oh-too-short "El Rancho". This 31 second tidbit begs to be developed into a full-fledged theme suitible for the next Sergio Leone spaghetti-western episode. "El Rancho" whets the appetite, and leaves you thirsty for more, gringo.

The second cut, "Odalisque" is a stomping surf number full of drive and reverb. A catchy melody, rolling drums and a haunting tone makes this cut particularly memorable.