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Thanks for the encouragement cobalt.
I went and checked out the bullet - it is really really nice.
Basically brand new. He threw in a multivox "1st wave" amp also.
Now, this amp has a reverb knob on it, and a distortion and reverb
hookup in the back. Would I want to get an independant reverb unit
and hook it up?
Also, the bullet is a hardtail, but supposedly I could get a whammy
bar installed. Would that help?
I will fool around with it today and try that little modification you
suggested. Thanks for the help!
--- In , cobalt <Christophert@s...>
wrote:
>
>
> 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.
>
>
ViewItem&item=2522164483&category=1288
>
> > 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*
