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Ivan wrote:
> PS I don't think any surf guitar players used the Bassman back in
> the day - not that I'm aware of. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
> But the amps of choice were really only the Showman and the
> Bandmaster - the Bassman was actually used by the bass players! If
> they weren't using a Showman themselves... And Bill was right that
> very few surf bands used combo amps, as well. I wonder why that is?
Kind of dating myself here but "back in the day," my first amp was a
Bassman.
I wanted a piggyback Fender amp because that was what many of the other
local surf bands were using (particularly a couple of bands from my high
school), and I liked the "look" of the cabinet on stage, turned on its end
with the amp sitting on top (which a lot of the local bands had started to
do). A Showman was my first choice, of course, but they were too
expensive. I don't remember considering a Bandmaster, but I ended up
buying a blackface Bassman. I used that amp in my folk rock band days in
'68-'69 (and switched from a Strat to a Gibson ES-335 12-string), and in
one or two cheesy cover bands in the early 70s. When I joined Ray Campi's
rockabilly band in the mid-70s, I bought a Twin Reverb. Somehow, a Bassman
just didn't "look" right in the backline for a rockabilly band!!!
When I recorded the first Jon/Nightriders' record, I borrowed a Dual
Showman (from a friend of Dick Dale's, actually) since I didn't think going
through my Twin was "appropriate" for surf instrumentals. Shortly after
that, I bought my first vintage Dual Showman. I don't have my original
Bassman anymore, but I do have another mid-60's Bassman. I've used it for
one studio recording so far. Nothing wrong with playing guitar through a
Bassman. Just a different tonal range than the other amps. If you play
surf music and only own one amp, a Dual Showman is still one of the nicest
sounding, most versatile, most powerful, and.....<sigh> heaviest to lug
around.
And they still look great in a backline.
john blair
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