I
don’t surf. Growing up in St. Louis,
Missouri, the opportunity to do so
just never presented itself. Later I
moved to Oregon, and although it
certainly has a healthy surf scene, the
ocean in these parts is usually frigid,
steely gray in color, and full of pointy
rocks and pointy-toothed great whites,
among other life-threatening hazards.
In short, surfing is done here, but it’s
strictly for the masochistic and/or suicidal.
I am neither. Despite my ignorance of
surfing and surf culture, I have, like many
guitarists, fallen under the influence of
instrumental surf rock and the loud, clean,
‘verb and vibrato-drenched guitar tones
that are an essential part of it. Surf guitar
is one of the most distinctive styles in all
of guitardom, and although the music
fell out of popular favor in the early
sixties when the British Invasion hit, the
style and aesthetic has proven itself to
be steadfastly influential—particularly in
underground culture, where surf rock
has maintained a close relationship
with punk, garage, and other
varieties of primitive rock ‘n’ roll.
Though genuine surf rock bands are
something of a rarity these days, elements
of the surf guitar sound continue to show
up in many different styles of