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Ryan wrote:
>
> Hello everyone,
>
> I want to try messing around and learn to play surf music with a
> couple of my freinds. I know absolutely nothing about electric
> guitars, except that I do not want to drop more then say 200-250
> bucks to get started.
Welcome to the gang... I'm also a relative newbie. Got my first guitar
just a little over a year ago, and have been learning what to do with it
ever since.
You may find it can get a bit expensive, depending on what you're
looking to do.
> I found a guy who will sell me a fender bullet squire or some such
> guitar for about 80 bucks. Now, first of all, would that be an OK one
> to start with, or is it way off the wall of what could be a "surf
> guitar".
A bullet strat should be fine. Traditionally, the guitar of choice is a
Fender Jaguar - but the strat is also an excellent surf guitar. Dick
Dale, the father of surf music, plays one. I also play one.
There's a modification you can do to a strat to make it sound more like
a Jag, too. Just unscrew and swap the middle and neck pickups in the
pickguard. The former "neck/mid" setting will now be a "neck/bridge"
setting which will give you the mix of treble and mid that a Jag
supplies.
$80 is a pretty decent price for a bullet strat, providing it's in
decent shape. I got a hardtail Bullet as my second guitar, for $100, but
it came with a warped neck making it unplayable. If you've already
played it beforehand to test it, and found it problem-free, then go for it.
Is the one he's selling a hartail, or tremolo? A hardtail won't allow
you to do those subtle trem dips you find in surf tunes.
> Second, as far as amps and "reverb units"..what do I want to do? I am
> a little confused as to what a reverb unit is as compared to just an
> amp that has a reverb effect... Anyhow, what could I get for starters
> assuming I would want to spend less then 250 on it?
There are many kinds of reverb. Some amps use a digital reverb, some
amps use a spring reverb. The classic surf sound is the spring reverb.
The heart of a spring reverb unit is a long metal box, with springs
stretched inside from one end to the other. The guitar's electrical
signal is amplified, and sent through these springs, causing them to
become magnetised. As they are magnetically attracted to each other,
they begin to "bounce" and cause a reverberation in the electrical
signal as they interfere with each other's magnetic fields. When a
reverb of this type is cranked up to full power, the springs bounce
quite fiercely, giving the outcoming signal a splashy, wet sound - the
sound usually associated with surf bands:
(me, my strat, and my reverb tank)
Most Fender amps come with a spring tank inside them - I have a litle
25r that has an onboard Reverb tank. It's nice, but it doesn't quite
have the oomph of my outboard unit. I can't get that nice wet splash out
of it.
At your price range, I'd suggest ebay or your local pawn shops. I got my
hands on a 64' Premier tank, for a little over $200 on ebay. You may get
lucky and find a tank in your price range.
For example: here's a rack mount spring reverb unit currently at $51,
with just over five hours until close... Might be worth diving onto if
you can't find anything else.
> Sorry for all the demanding questions, but I don't really know where
> to start :)
No prob. everybody's gotta start someplace. :)
As a final note, there are some reverb pedals, but of the ones I've
tried, I haven't been impressed. I'd probably avoid trying to use a
pedal for your reverb, except as a last-ditch effort.
Hope this has been of some help.
-c*
