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Here's my ¢2:
Single coils are pretty much essential. But a Tele would be well down
on any list of choices. In brief:
Strats are cheap, plentiful, sound good and worked for many great surf
guitarists, including Dick Dale, The Shadows, The Crossfires, The
Dartells, The Fireballs, and many more. Not just any Strat will do,
however. Go for the 50s or 60s reissue models for the authentic surf
sound, which is twangy and plucky. Have it set up for heavy strings if
you want the driving Dick Dale sound. Hard to beat the Strats'
verstility, low-cost, and availability.
Most of the surf guitar enthusiasts on this site, however, would steer
your toward Jaguars and Jazzmasters. Which you choose is personal
preference; the JMs were a little noisier due to their broad pickups
and lack of hum-cancelling. Both have "issues" i.e. bad bridge design,
a trem that can only be used lightly, and of course, they are
expensive and hard to find. Jap reissues tend to be cheapest, American
reissues have a more authentic sound and hardware, and the vintage
ones are hard to find, expensive, and not always in good repair. If
you find a good one and can afford it, however, they are the Holy
Grail. The shorter scale neck on the Jag is easier to play if you have
small hands, like mine.
Other alternatives: vintage and even reissue Danelectros are cheap and
plentiful - I've found 'em for $100 in antique stores, with the
amp-in-case. But they are poorly made, and usually have issues too.
Better are the Reverend guitars - very similar to the Dannos, but much
better made. Look for single pickup "Spy" Model (really hard to find),
or the humbucker model with coil taps that allow you to get the
single-coil sound. The Reverends look really cool, BTW. Lots of used
ones in my area, but don't know about general availabity. Reverends
are now sold only from the factory via the Internet.
A lot of people talk about Mosrites. The true vintage ones are very
expensive, as collectors like them. The fact that the Ventures quit
using them after their contract with Mosrite ended makes me believe
they weren't so hot. There are lots of copies, including very good
copies of the early Ventures models that are still made in Asia. But,
let the buyer beware. I'd have to hear and play one before
recommending it.
DePintos are up-and-comers, and the prices are right. Worth a listen,
for sure. Very surfy in appearance. I'd love to have one as an extra
guitar. You can order them on the Internet.
Lastly, Gretsch hollowbodies. Great if you want to play surf and
rockabilly. Expensive, both as vintage and new, however. Be sure to
get one with a Bigsby. The ones with P-90 style single coil pickups
have the surfiest sound.
Teles - One of the Surfaris used a Tele, but they were sort of
proto-surf band anyway. The other guitarist had a Strat. Not a lot of
tremelo bending to their sound; trem has become the cliche of surf
music, particularly in surf guitar's later incarnations. Why anyone
would want to hack up a Tele to add a Bigsby when a Strat would be a
cheaper and better choice is beyond me.
We haven't mentioned amps and reverb tanks yet. This post has tons of
opinions, but most would agree the early 60s Fender amps and outboard
reverb tanks are the way to go. Several boutique amp companies make
great re-creations of these early amps: Victoria and Holland are
especially good. Fender's reissues also get high marks.
Whew!
All that said, it's the playing that makes the sound. If you can't
afford all the gear, start with what you can afford, read this site
for equipment tips, and gradually get caught up in the obsession with
putting together a dream rig.
Best of luck!
Gavin
--- In , "creature_features_fan"
<creature_features_fan@y...> wrote:
> I am looking to buy a new electric guitar, and want an axe that is
> made for surf music. I kinda like the Fender Telecaster, but don't
> know if the two single pickups will give me the optimal sound that I'm
> looking for?
>
> Can anyone with more experience give me some advice? Thanks in
> advance....
>
> The Creature
