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Pat -
As a non-guitarist, I think Brian pretty much nailed it down for the
beginning requirements. It all depends on whether you plan to play out in
public in the near future, or noodle around in your basement for the long
term. If/when you do decide to test the waters as a performing surf
musician, there is no substitute for the outboard reverb tank - no matter
what it says in the literature of the Dan-O pedal. Fork out the $300 for a
reissue tank (I hear they make them in black now in addition to blond) and
it will be your friend for life. You should be able to get an acceptable
performance sound from a Fender Tube amp - even a reissue Twin or a DeVille
of some sort (both should be less than $1000) I've heard inexpensive
Danelectro guitars sound good through amps of this caliber & those guitars
only run $200-$400 - which would make a nice backup axe when you finally
break down and get the Jag - a Jap reissue is available for under $1000 & is
the preferred choice (even over the American reissue) among certain Nebulas
I know. So this drummer suggests a) get an inexpensive Danelectro-type
guitar and a stage-worthy Fender amp & you'd be ready to play when that last
minute gig phone call comes (and they do); OR b) suck it up and get the
reissue Jag or Jazzmaster and a reliable practice amp. In the case of the
latter, you'll undoubtedly sit and wonder what the guitar will sound like
through an amp that has some nut to it & break down and buy the good amp
too. In either case, you'll wonder "will this rig really sound better going
through a reverb tank?" and/or "does the tank really make that much of a
difference?" - the obvious answer to both questions is a resounding "yes."
In my opinion, the $35 Danelectro "surf & turf" pedal was meant for people
that play alot of Korn and occasionally throw a butchered version of
"Pipeline" or "Miserlou" into their set while their egomaniac lead singer
gobbles up animal tranquilizers offstage like they were Skittles.
I don't pretend to understand how this stuff works, I just think I know what
sounds good to my ears
toofastjim
The Nebulas
www.thenebulas.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Brian Neal <>
To: <>
Sent: Sunday, October 20, 2002 5:49 PM
Subject: RE: [SurfGuitar101] Guitar n amp question.....
> Hi,
>
> Well just like any new hobby or interest you are getting into you don't
have
> to start big. You don't have to go crazy on the guitar, just get something
> that is functional and will stay in tune, etc. Tube amps are great for
surf,
> but can be expensive for a beginner. Maybe you could start on something
like
> this:
>
> Functional guitar - tremolo bar and single coil pickups preferred if
> possible
> small solid state practice amp
> stomp box reverb pedal
> electronic tuner
>
> If you decide you like the guitar, and still like surf music, you can
> gradually work into the following:
>
> Guitar with single coil pickups & whammy bar (lots of obvious choices
here:
> Stratocaster, Jazzmaster, Jaguar, Mosrite, etc :) )
> Heavy strings, flatwounds a plus
> Real Fender tube amp
> Fender Reverb Unit
>
> Surf guitar is kind of like soccer compared to other sports. You don't
need
> a lot of equipment...the basic ingredients are: single coil pickups,
tremolo
> bar for dipping, lots of reverb, loud and clean tube amp, and some more
> reverb. And don't forget the reverb. Did I mention the reverb?
>
> Let us know what you get! Good luck.
>
> BN
>
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Peristalsis_98 [mailto:]
> > Sent: Sunday, October 20, 2002 3:43 PM
> > To:
> > Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Guitar n amp question.....
> >
> >
> > Okay, so I'm a guy who does not know how to play guitar, and knows
> > only that I want to play surf. I've been looking at equipment and
> > there is a lot of stuff out there. What should I look for? A
> > metalhead friend of mine suggested a Steinberger as a good quality
> > guitar which won't set me back tons of money. However, I'm not sure
> > what kind of differences there are or preferences for surf music. It
> > looks like the amp is important. Anyway if you guys have any input
> > on a good starting setup, I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance,
> > pat.
>
>
>
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