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Yahoo Group Archives »

(GASP) Non-Fender Guitars for Surf

Brian Neal (xarxas) - 12 Nov 2001 18:03:18

My impression from looking at photos of first wave bands is that the
majority of guitars present were Fender. There is always at least a
strat, Jaguar, or Jazzmaster present. Not too many tele's. And its
nearly 100% for bass players (Fender nailed that market). Was this
because Fender was the neat new cool thing to have? Because Fender's
plant was in California? Was there a prestige factor too?
Of course a lot of these 1st wave guys were high school kids, so you
see a lot of Kays, Silvertones, Danelectros, etc too.
Are there any non Fender surf guitar players of note? First wave or
otherwise? Of course the Ventures flirted with Mosrites.
From my own admittedly limited experience and taste, my criteria for
a "surf" guitar would be single coils and some form of trem. Anything
else is viable. I saw a while back that Reverend made a cool 2 single
coil guitar (The Spy model?). I think Ferenc from Pollo del Mar has
one. Alas, the guitar no longer appears on their web site. Los
Straitjackets is at least touring with DiPinto Galaxies (4 single
coils!). Danelectro U2 & U3's are have a cool vibe to them but their
bridges make me raise my eyebrows. Their Hodads & newer guitars that
have the built in effects appear to have slightly better hardware.
I have seen pictures of the Insect Surfers playing SG's and Flying
V's but aren't they more of a instro rock band (emphasis on rock vs
surf)?
And it goes without saying that any good guitar player can make do
with just about anything. Just wondering about the
Fender "stereotype" for surf. There is no question in my mind about
Fender quality and sound...top notch in my book; but were there other
factors for their predominance?
Sorry for rambling.

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Dick Messick (flatwound01) - 12 Nov 2001 18:54:02

Interesting observations, Brian. I don't have the answer to your question,
and wouldn't venture (no pun intended . . . well, maybe) a guess. I think
that some of guys on the list who were there for the first wave will have
this answer - I was still in diapers.
How much influence did Dick Dale have on the selection of guitars by the
first wave players? I recall reading in some liner notes that he started
out with a C/W band - wasn't the Strat originally marketed as a sort of
"cowboy" guitar for the Country/Western set (I don't recall where I heard
that)?? That would make his use of a Strat natural as he transitioned to
the instro/early-surf stuff . . . and the rest, as they say, is history.
Also, weren't the Jaguar and Jazzmaster "top of the line" Fenders at the
time? That would make it tough for the high school kids to afford - on
E-Bay I once saw a receipt for a Jazzmaster from 1962 or so - I think the
price at that time was about $350 or so. Considering the time-value of
money, that's about $1,200 in today's dollars - about the same as the 62
RI's go for (if my math's correct)! That would explain a lot of the
Silvertones and Danos, as you mention.
Did some the first wave bands start out as instro bands (working musician
types who could afford the "top-of-the-line" guitars) who evolved into surf
bands as the style became more popular? Then, of course, later bands would
adopt the same equipment to get the same sound, etc.??? I don't know, I
just guessing . . . .
On a tangent: you mentioned the Dano Hodad in your post - I've got one of
those, and although the bridge looks a bit flimsy, it's held up well with
.11 flats. The fake "Bigsby" is a different matter - it's sturdier than it
looks (good thing!), but the nut holding the arm in place unloosens easily -
making for a floppy arm. When I change string next, I'm going to try some
teflon tape or Locktite on it.
I'd love to hear from those who were there "in the beginning" - what's the
real scoop? Good question, Brian!
-Dick

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twangstring - 13 Nov 2001 08:18:26

--- In SurfGuitar101@y..., "Brian Neal" <bneal@z...> wrote:
> My impression from looking at photos of first wave bands is that
the
> majority of guitars present were Fender. There is always at least a
> strat, Jaguar, or Jazzmaster present. Not too many tele's. And its
> nearly 100% for bass players (Fender nailed that market). Was this
> because Fender was the neat new cool thing to have?
Having been a teenage wanabe rock'n'roll guitarist, and having lived
through the NorthEast Coast first wave surf instro era, I can tell ya
that Fenders were simply the guitars to use, mostly because of Leo's
hype ... he literally gave 'em away to notable players of every music
genre ... so you saw those planks EVERYWHERE in pop music. I bought
me a custom "Beach Boyz" Oly white Jag (yes, "custom" ordered from
Fender - white headstock, large block pearl fretboard inlays, red
tortoise pickguard - took a whole month for it to arrive at Jimmy's
Music in NYC, in the Summer of '63 or '64, too long ago to remember
exactly). Why a Jag? 'Cause it looked SO DAMN cool. I shudda got
the sunburst Strat, but what did I know at 17? At least I wuz smart
enuf to get a Deluxe with a separate Fender Reverb Tank.
> Are there any non Fender surf guitar players of note? First wave or
> otherwise? Of course the Ventures flirted with Mosrites.
One of the best 60's teenage Venture cover bands I'd ever heard had a
lead guitarist that used a Gretsch Anniversary hollow body - without
a Bigsby! He'd push the neck to get subtle trem-like FX. His
playing and tone were awesome.
Now I'm rambling too!

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Mike Guerrero (guitarfinkout) - 13 Nov 2001 08:33:29

At 02:19 PM 11/13/2001 +0000, you wrote:
>I believe that block markers on fenders weren't introduced on
>jazzmaster/jags until well after the cbs takeover - more like '66 or '67.
>genre ... so you saw those planks EVERYWHERE in pop music. I bought
>me a custom "Beach Boyz" Oly white Jag (yes, "custom" ordered from
>Fender - white headstock, large block pearl fretboard inlays, red
>tortoise pickguard - took a whole month for it to arrive at Jimmy's
>Music in NYC, in the Summer of '63 or '64, too long ago to remember
>exactly). Why a Jag? 'Cause it looked SO DAMN cool. I shudda got
>the sunburst Strat, but what did I know at 17? At least I wuz smart
>enuf to get a Deluxe with a separate Fender Reverb Tank.
>
> > Are there any non Fender surf guitar players of note? First wave or
> > otherwise? Of course the Ventures flirted with Mosrites.
>
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twangstring - 13 Nov 2001 08:45:23

>I believe that block markers on fenders weren't introduced on
>jazzmaster/jags until well after the cbs takeover - more like '66
or '67.
Like I said, I ordered that Jag "custom" and that's the way Fender
built it. In '63 or '64, definitely before the '65 CBS takeover. If
I only had that guitar today for it's value.

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