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Well said Gavin.
At 10:20 PM 3/28/2003 +0000, you wrote:
>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
>
>
>
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