cranked up and kept clean will do the
job, from modern tube amps like MesaBoogies and Randalls, to the higherwattage solid-state and digital
modeling amps.
As far as speakers and cabinets go,
the surf setups of old often made use
of large cabinets with 15-inch JBL
speakers. Like the amplifiers they were
paired with, these speakers were tough
to distort, and could produce tremendous
volume and big bass frequencies. Unless
you’re in a serious surf band, though, this
is probably not a practical or affordable
setup, so other speakers and cabinets can
certainly be made to work. To prevent
speaker distortion, something robust with
a high power rating is preferred, and a big
cabinet is nice for getting those thumping
bass tones.
SURF EFFECTS
Where would surf music be without
spring reverb? The drippy, boingy, wet
qualities of the spring reverb evoked
the sound of the ocean and crashing
waves for the early progenitors of surf
rock, and the effect (one of the earliest
guitar effects, as luck would have it) was
immediately incorporated into the music.
Once again, Leo Fender was instrumental
(pun intended) in the proliferation of
this effect, first installing a spring tank
in a Fender amp in 1963. The spring
‘verb most closely associated with surf
guitar, however, is the original Fender
Reverb Unit, a tube-powered, outboard
spring ‘verb introduced in 1961. It looks
like a small amplifier head, and its
juicy tonal characteristics are considered
definitive for fans of the sweet sounds
of vintage surf rock.
For players who do not have a spring
reverb on board their amps, and who
are not prepared to shell out the bucks
for an original or reissue Fender Reverb,
there are plenty of spring reverb pedals
available. Digital recreations from
DigiTech, Wampler, and Subdecay (among
others) are excellent, or there are even
actual, analog spring units in pedal form
available from Demeter, Van Amps, and
Carl Martin. Whatever you do end up
using for reverb, make sure your crank
it up. In surf guitar, too much reverb is
just the right amount.
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