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i recently got in to surf guitar after i discovered the red
elvises. i already have gear, but i got it four years ago with a
metal intent.
i really want to start playing surf but i dont think i can get the
right sound with the ibanez i have now.
any suggestions?
Hello There,
Well, you can play surf with an Ibanez, They don't sound like Fenders
but they sound not bad at all.
I started playing surf with an Ibanez as well. I just bought a Digital
delay and added some reverb on my amp.
I turned some knobs on my Amp and on the Delay until the sound was O.K.
I'm sure when you add a Spring reverb, the sound will be great.
Most original 60'ties surf band used guitars of all kinds of brands.
Only the more "rich" bands could afford Fender gear.
I use a Ibanez 440 STT and it sounds good. It has more body then my MIJ
Jazzmaster.
Hope this helps,
Jerry
-----Original Message-----
From: akira_983 [mailto:]
Sent: vrijdag 26 april 2002 6:33
To:
Subject: [SurfGuitar101] a not so fantasticlly amazing start... ugh
i recently got in to surf guitar after i discovered the red
elvises. i already have gear, but i got it four years ago with a
metal intent.
i really want to start playing surf but i dont think i can get the
right sound with the ibanez i have now.
any suggestions?
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Jerk the humbuckers out and put in a set of 57/62 reissue single coils from
Fender. ta-da - you're surfin for not a lot of loot.
As for rich kids and Fenders - it's hard to believe today, but in the early
60's, Fenders were one of the cheaper instruments, with the Strat and Tele's
being on the low end of the spectrum. They were not 'rich' kid toys till the
CBS era. Fenders were primarily regional, i.e. - Southern Californian -
birthplace of Surf, home of Fender. They didnt take over the world till
Hendrix took a hankerin to one...
Robb
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jerry" <>
To: <>
Sent: Friday, April 26, 2002 1:09 AM
Subject: RE: [SurfGuitar101] a not so fantasticlly amazing start... ugh
> Hello There,
>
>
>
> Well, you can play surf with an Ibanez, They don't sound like Fenders
> but they sound not bad at all.
>
> I started playing surf with an Ibanez as well. I just bought a Digital
> delay and added some reverb on my amp.
>
>
>
> I turned some knobs on my Amp and on the Delay until the sound was O.K.
> I'm sure when you add a Spring reverb, the sound will be great.
>
>
>
> Most original 60'ties surf band used guitars of all kinds of brands.
> Only the more "rich" bands could afford Fender gear.
>
>
>
> I use a Ibanez 440 STT and it sounds good. It has more body then my MIJ
> Jazzmaster.
>
>
>
> Hope this helps,
>
>
>
> Jerry
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: akira_983 [mailto:]
> Sent: vrijdag 26 april 2002 6:33
> To:
> Subject: [SurfGuitar101] a not so fantasticlly amazing start... ugh
>
>
>
> i recently got in to surf guitar after i discovered the red
> elvises. i already have gear, but i got it four years ago with a
> metal intent.
>
> i really want to start playing surf but i dont think i can get the
> right sound with the ibanez i have now.
>
> any suggestions?
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
>
>
>
> ADVERTISEMENT
>
> <
> 032047:HM/A=1026420/R=0/*http:/www.fastweb.com/ib/yahoo-76f>
>
>
>
> <
> pmail/S=1705032047:HM/A=1026420/rand=465331355>
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> .
> Visit for archived messages,
> bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo!
> <> Terms of Service.
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> .
> Visit for archived messages,
bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
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>
>
There's nary a Fender in sight on Pipeline or many other 'classics',
so don't worry too much about it, the main thing is single coils, be
they p90's or strat style and a clean sounding amp. Many oddball
cheapo amps are great for surf, for example, there's a particular
univox model that has a tremolo sound to die for.
--- In SurfGuitar101@y..., "Robb Lowe" <robblowe@h...> wrote:
> Jerk the humbuckers out and put in a set of 57/62 reissue single
coils from
> Fender. ta-da - you're surfin for not a lot of loot.
>
> As for rich kids and Fenders - it's hard to believe today, but in
the early
> 60's, Fenders were one of the cheaper instruments, with the Strat
and Tele's
> being on the low end of the spectrum. They were not 'rich' kid toys
till the
> CBS era. Fenders were primarily regional, i.e. - Southern
Californian -
> birthplace of Surf, home of Fender. They didnt take over the world
till
> Hendrix took a hankerin to one...
>
> Robb
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jerry" <jerry.soetewey@b...>
> To: <SurfGuitar101@y...>
> Sent: Friday, April 26, 2002 1:09 AM
> Subject: RE: [SurfGuitar101] a not so fantasticlly amazing start...
ugh
>
>
> > Hello There,
> >
> >
> >
> > Well, you can play surf with an Ibanez, They don't sound like
Fenders
> > but they sound not bad at all.
> >
> > I started playing surf with an Ibanez as well. I just bought a
Digital
> > delay and added some reverb on my amp.
> >
> >
> >
> > I turned some knobs on my Amp and on the Delay until the sound
was O.K.
> > I'm sure when you add a Spring reverb, the sound will be great.
> >
> >
> >
> > Most original 60'ties surf band used guitars of all kinds of
brands.
> > Only the more "rich" bands could afford Fender gear.
> >
> >
> >
> > I use a Ibanez 440 STT and it sounds good. It has more body then
my MIJ
> > Jazzmaster.
> >
> >
> >
> > Hope this helps,
> >
> >
> >
> > Jerry
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: akira_983 [mailto:akira_983@y...]
> > Sent: vrijdag 26 april 2002 6:33
> > To: SurfGuitar101@y...
> > Subject: [SurfGuitar101] a not so fantasticlly amazing start...
ugh
> >
> >
> >
> > i recently got in to surf guitar after i discovered the red
> > elvises. i already have gear, but i got it four years ago with a
> > metal intent.
> >
> > i really want to start playing surf but i dont think i can get the
> > right sound with the ibanez i have now.
> >
> > any suggestions?
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> >
> >
> >
> > ADVERTISEMENT
> >
> >
<
05
> > 032047:HM/A=1026420/R=0/*http:/www.fastweb.com/ib/yahoo-76f>
> >
> >
> >
> >
<
ou
> > pmail/S=1705032047:HM/A=1026420/rand=465331355>
> >
> >
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > SurfGuitar101-unsubscribe@y...
> > Visit for archived
messages,
> > bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
> >
> >
> >
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo!
> > <> Terms of Service.
> >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > SurfGuitar101-unsubscribe@y...
> > Visit for archived
messages,
> bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
> >
> >
> >
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
> >
> >
> >
On Fri, 26 Apr 2002, Robb Lowe wrote:
> As for rich kids and Fenders - it's hard to believe today, but in the early
> 60's, Fenders were one of the cheaper instruments, with the Strat and Tele's
> being on the low end of the spectrum. They were not 'rich' kid toys till the
> CBS era. Fenders were primarily regional, i.e. - Southern Californian -
> birthplace of Surf, home of Fender. They didnt take over the world till
> Hendrix took a hankerin to one...
I must strongly disagree here. It's funny you mention 'hankerin'", cause
Stratocasters were EXTREMELY popular in Europe from '60-'64 or so, due to
one reason - Hank Marvin of the Shadows and his Fiesta Red Strat. Europe
was flooded with red Strats because of this reason. They fell out of
favor from '64 to '67, cause everybody wanted semi-hollow electrics, like
the Beatles and other beat groups played (Gretsches, Ricks, Epiphones,
etc.). Hendrix did bring back the interest, and then Clapton solidified
it. But it started with Hank.
I must also disagree with your statement that Fenders were one of the
cheaper instruments. Adjusted for inflation, (US-made) Fenders cost
about the same then as they do today, which means around a $1000 mark,
which is certainly NOT one of the cheaper instruments. I believe the
Gibsons (like today) were more expensive, but Gretsches were
comparable. The other companies, like the various Japanese, Italian,
German guitars were considerably cheaper than Fenders. Fenders definitely
WERE for the rich kids.
Ivan
I'll agree to your Hank Marvin view, but you'll agree that very few big name
music stars from Europe played Strats. Sure, a lot of Shadows fans wanted
them, but even Clapton played a Telecaster during his time in the Yardbirds
(roughly 62-64) before switching to the Les Paul of his Bluesbreakers days.
The Ventures had played a Strat, but as you said - the only landslide it had
up until Hendrix was Marvin and his fiesta red Strat. If memory serves,
wasnt his accquiring the famous red one a 'take what you can get' story? If
anyone knows the details, please share them!
Fenders were cheapo's compared to Gibsons, which were 'the' guitar of the
time, followed by Gretsch, made popular by Chet Atkins, which begat Eddie
Cochran and Duane Eddy using them. Fenders were used by a scant few jazz
musicians, like Jim Fox. Most people dabbled with them, particularly the
Jazzmaster - such as Gibson stalwarts like Lonnie Mack (owner of serial # 7
Flying V which he still plays), but the Stratocaster was a fairly
low-on-the-totempole guitar, whos only 'stars' up till then were Buddy Holly
and Richie Valens. The Telecaster had gotten off to a great start with Jimmy
Bryant, but it too was a fairly low brow guitar until Don Rich and Buck
Owens made them country de facto. I still think Fenders being more popular
with these landmark musicians then say a Gibson (versus someone in say New
York or Europe) were their locale - Leo Fender took his new invention to the
man around town in LA who happened to be Jimmy Bryant, and Jimmy wouldnt
give it back... Buck and Don were in Bakersfield (after coming out of
Seattle, amazingly, as well as Nokie Edwards who was Buck's leadman before
Don!) and of course the whole surf scene (all over SoCal). I agree whole
heartedly they were considerably more expensive than Teisco Del Reys or
Silvertones, but compared to the big name guitars - Gretsch, Gibson, Guild,
etc - they were the low end of that scale.
As for the cementing of the popularity, no doubt about your opinion there,
you're dead on. It's popularity did wane with the 70's again, until SRV came
out in '83. In one fell swoop, he not only brought the Fender sound back to
prominence, but drove the vintage guitar market through the roof! The time
of 85-87 when blues-rock staged a comeback was the last time the real Fender
sound had a foothold on the airwaves. Even the grunge explosion didnt do it,
since most of those fucktards pulled out the Fender pickups and taped in
humbuckers. Oh the humanity!
Fender has always done well in my book offering the bargain basement rigs as
well as the top shelf stuff (Squier to Custom Shop). As far as my opinion of
them being bargain basement in 1962, I base that on what I was told by
guitarists who were regulars in music stores around that time. (in the
CIncinnati and Toledo markets, not SoCal). I guess like everything, location
has everything to do with perception.
Robb
----- Original Message -----
From: "IVAN PONGRACIC" <>
To: <>
Sent: Friday, April 26, 2002 1:56 PM
Subject: Re: [SurfGuitar101] a not so fantasticlly amazing start... ugh
> On Fri, 26 Apr 2002, Robb Lowe wrote:
>
> > As for rich kids and Fenders - it's hard to believe today, but in the
early
> > 60's, Fenders were one of the cheaper instruments, with the Strat and
Tele's
> > being on the low end of the spectrum. They were not 'rich' kid toys till
the
> > CBS era. Fenders were primarily regional, i.e. - Southern Californian -
> > birthplace of Surf, home of Fender. They didnt take over the world till
> > Hendrix took a hankerin to one...
>
> I must strongly disagree here. It's funny you mention 'hankerin'", cause
> Stratocasters were EXTREMELY popular in Europe from '60-'64 or so, due to
> one reason - Hank Marvin of the Shadows and his Fiesta Red Strat. Europe
> was flooded with red Strats because of this reason. They fell out of
> favor from '64 to '67, cause everybody wanted semi-hollow electrics, like
> the Beatles and other beat groups played (Gretsches, Ricks, Epiphones,
> etc.). Hendrix did bring back the interest, and then Clapton solidified
> it. But it started with Hank.
>
> I must also disagree with your statement that Fenders were one of the
> cheaper instruments. Adjusted for inflation, (US-made) Fenders cost
> about the same then as they do today, which means around a $1000 mark,
> which is certainly NOT one of the cheaper instruments. I believe the
> Gibsons (like today) were more expensive, but Gretsches were
> comparable. The other companies, like the various Japanese, Italian,
> German guitars were considerably cheaper than Fenders. Fenders definitely
> WERE for the rich kids.
>
> Ivan
Robb writes:
"Marvin and his fiesta red Strat. If memory serves, wasnt his accquiring
the famous red one a 'take what you can get' story? If anyone knows the
details, please share them!"
No, Cliff Richard special-ordered the Strat for Hank direct from the
Fender company, since there was an import ban on US-instruments in the UK
then (which was to lapse in '60 or '61). This was in '59. Hank and the
other Shads picked a Strat for him cause they probably had the '58
catalog, and they simply ordered the top of the line Fender - a custom
color Strat w/ gold hardware. If they had a '59 catalog, Hank would have
probably been playing a Jazzmaster! Anyway, they were big fans of James
Burton (in addition to Buddy Holly), who they knew played a Fender, but
didn't know which model. Being that Burton was so famous, they figured he
would be playing the top of the line model! Only later did they find that
he was actually playing a Tele! (a thought: remember that Gene Vincent's
Blue Caps also got matching Fenders sometime in '58 or '59, and they
weren't from SoCal)
Now, I'm pretty sure that a Strat was about the same price as most of the
Gretsches at the time. I don't think there was a big (or any) price
differential, and Guilds were not very highly thought of at the
time. It's true that the older guys that liked jazz and maybe country
didn't pay much attention to Fenders and probably thought of them as cheap
cause they were solidbodies, but I hardly think that proves them to be
cheap guitars. They were still expensive.
Anyway, besides the success of the Ventures pushing the Fenders (and I
thought we were talking about all Fenders, not just Strats - after all,
Strats were Fender's top of the line instrument from '54 to '59, and even
after that weren't much cheaper from their top of the line Jazzmasters and
Jaguars), we must remember the success of James Burton playing a Strat,
and the Beach Boys - those were the trend-setters of the time. And even
the jazz players started playing the Fender basses in the early sixties.
In Europe on the other hand, once the Hank-mania died down, Fenders were
still in the public eye with Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page all
playing Teles during their Yardbirds days, and even George Harrison
showing up with a Strat in the Magical Mystery Tour movie and associated
videos, and then in the Let It Be movie with a Rosewood Tele. The Kinks
were also playing Teles on occasion. So the Fenders were not exactly
unknown outside of SoCal until Hendrix came about!
On Fri, 26 Apr 2002, IVAN PONGRACIC wrote:
> Jaguars), we must remember the success of James Burton playing a Strat,
Oops!! That should be "James Burton playing a Tele"!!
