Any good online resources? I am trying to get a surf rock band going.
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Does anyone have experience playing surf rock on bass?
- Thread starter Mantis Tobaggan
- Start date
I just learned them like any other song. Flats on a "P" into an overdriven B-15 is the sound you want.
Dick Dale, The Ventures, The Surfaris, The Beach Boys. Pretty much covers it.
It would seem that, historically, a Jazz Bass through a Fender Showman(preferably blond)would be the standard.
Most hardcore surf aficionados don’t count the Beach Boys, as they were a vocal group first, with guitar/ drum accompaniment. You’re missing the Pyramids(“Penetration”), The Bel Airs(“Mr. Moto”), The Tornados(not the UK/‘Telstar’ band, but “Bustin’ Surfboards”), Lively Ones(“Surf Rider”), The Chantays(“Pipeline”)and then revivalists of the last 30 years who have elevated the genre, Los Straightjackets, Laika and the Cosmonauts, Insect Surfers, Man or Astroman, The Mermen, plus the new girls, The Surfrajettes. Then there is this utterly obscure outfit(but big in Japan, obviously) from back in the day that I got turned on to in the past year...
There’s all the separate but equal categories of ‘Hotrod’(Hondells, Rip Chords, etc.), just plain instrumental(where the Ventures really should be listed, The Shadows, The Spotnicks, The Marketts, Davie Allen, etc)and finally Surf Punk and related(everything from Agent Orange to the 5.6.7.8’s).
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I think one of the first songs I learned to play on guitar was "Walk Don't Run" by the Ventures. Not rocket science but some tasty lines in it. Bass for a lot of that stuff was pretty boring but without it , the songs just fell flat. @filmtex covered a few of the popular acts but there were others kind of on the fringe that were also well accepted by the genre. Tellstar (by the Tornados) and just about anything by Link Wray all went over well in the surf community if I recall correctly.
A couple of months ago , we were coming back from a break and the guitar player hit a couple of quick licks from Pipeline (The Chantays.) I said "I know that" and we went into it. The audience loved it. Even though we are anything but a "Surf Band" we still get the occasional request for "Wipe Out."
A couple of months ago , we were coming back from a break and the guitar player hit a couple of quick licks from Pipeline (The Chantays.) I said "I know that" and we went into it. The audience loved it. Even though we are anything but a "Surf Band" we still get the occasional request for "Wipe Out."
Today I decided to see if there was any sort of dedicated surf bass thread on this site, and this is the closest I've found to one. It would be nice to keep this thread active and turn it into a good online resource!
A couple months ago, I joined a surf/instrumental band (mostly covers, but some originals), as they had to part ways with their previous bassist. I'd never learned any of the tunes before, but being a long-time fan of the music made learning the bass parts pretty easy. The material isn't strictly surf stuff, sort of like how the Ventures weren't strictly a surf band per se. They've been very open about song suggestions, and encourage contribution of original song ideas, and we've even incorporated a few songs with vocals in them for the sake of variety.
Flatwound strings are a must, as is some level of string muting, in order to get the right sound. One of the most fun things was coming up with a bass line for "Mr. Moto" (the original Bel-Airs version was recorded when they didn't yet have a bassist). I came up with something super simple and easy but that totally fits with the rest of the tune. One of the most challenging things was coming up with a consistent bass line for "Rumble" (Link Wray) as the bass line on the original recording is out of tune and inconsistent... But I came up with something that pretty much matches the feel of the original and is something consistent that I can play the same way every time.
Sometimes learning the part for a specific tune can be challenging because the original recording wasn't mastered @ A-440, but I can use the pitch shift feature in Soundforge to fix those tunes so that I can play along without having to re-tune up or down a quarter step or so... It also helps a lot when you can find a high-quality stereo version of a particular song, because the instruments (including the bass) were often panned more to one side or the other, and if you can mute one channel and listen only to the channel with the bass in it, it makes it easier to pick out exactly what's being played (was very helpful on "Pipeline" for the high parts). Many surf bass parts were played in a range that overlapped with some of the guitar parts, pitchwise, and most of the time, when you try to play it differently (e.g., dropping down an octave) it sounds really wrong. There's a reason why most of the parts were played the way they were on the original recordings. They sounded the best that way!
A couple months ago, I joined a surf/instrumental band (mostly covers, but some originals), as they had to part ways with their previous bassist. I'd never learned any of the tunes before, but being a long-time fan of the music made learning the bass parts pretty easy. The material isn't strictly surf stuff, sort of like how the Ventures weren't strictly a surf band per se. They've been very open about song suggestions, and encourage contribution of original song ideas, and we've even incorporated a few songs with vocals in them for the sake of variety.
Flatwound strings are a must, as is some level of string muting, in order to get the right sound. One of the most fun things was coming up with a bass line for "Mr. Moto" (the original Bel-Airs version was recorded when they didn't yet have a bassist). I came up with something super simple and easy but that totally fits with the rest of the tune. One of the most challenging things was coming up with a consistent bass line for "Rumble" (Link Wray) as the bass line on the original recording is out of tune and inconsistent... But I came up with something that pretty much matches the feel of the original and is something consistent that I can play the same way every time.
Sometimes learning the part for a specific tune can be challenging because the original recording wasn't mastered @ A-440, but I can use the pitch shift feature in Soundforge to fix those tunes so that I can play along without having to re-tune up or down a quarter step or so... It also helps a lot when you can find a high-quality stereo version of a particular song, because the instruments (including the bass) were often panned more to one side or the other, and if you can mute one channel and listen only to the channel with the bass in it, it makes it easier to pick out exactly what's being played (was very helpful on "Pipeline" for the high parts). Many surf bass parts were played in a range that overlapped with some of the guitar parts, pitchwise, and most of the time, when you try to play it differently (e.g., dropping down an octave) it sounds really wrong. There's a reason why most of the parts were played the way they were on the original recordings. They sounded the best that way!
I'm in a surf-rock band called Echo Sector. 'Surf' per se is a very wide genre, as has been previously stated. For my approach, I choose to vary the settings on my bass depending on what each song needs. I play an American Jaguar Bass, and I use roundwound strings, not flats. If the song calls for more "thump" less "zing" then I switch settings on my bass for that song. Works really nicely for my band.
IMHO, surf was a genre made to highlight the cutting-edge instruments of the day -- the Fender electric guitars, basses, amps and effects. Surf bands of the day would experiment wildly in order to get as many sounds out of their new electric instruments as they could. I take my approach to surf-rock in this manner. YMMV.
IMHO, surf was a genre made to highlight the cutting-edge instruments of the day -- the Fender electric guitars, basses, amps and effects. Surf bands of the day would experiment wildly in order to get as many sounds out of their new electric instruments as they could. I take my approach to surf-rock in this manner. YMMV.
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I love surf rock! My favorite genre of music! May I be your bass player? Ooops, I guess that you want that position.
Bass? Fender or course. P or J. Most likely a P.
You might want to check out Los Straitjackets for inspiration.
For further surf scholarship, this is one stop shopping...
Who else but Rhino.
While technically not a ‘surf’ band, The Ventures have finally gotten their due in a new documentary...
SurfGuitar101.com
Who else but Rhino.
While technically not a ‘surf’ band, The Ventures have finally gotten their due in a new documentary...
SurfGuitar101.com
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One outfit(from the 90’s)that I failed to mention in post #8 was these guys from Canada...
I like Messer Chups, too. Think it's another good one to add for reference.
I grew up on The Ventures, Dick Dale, and such. I gotta say, the younger generations than mine have been carrying on brilliantly. Hope you find what you're lookin' for @Mantis Tobaggan . Just noticed you're across the bay from me. Here in St. Pete.
Almost forgot Deadbolt. Kinda Hotrod type music.
I grew up on The Ventures, Dick Dale, and such. I gotta say, the younger generations than mine have been carrying on brilliantly. Hope you find what you're lookin' for @Mantis Tobaggan . Just noticed you're across the bay from me. Here in St. Pete.
Almost forgot Deadbolt. Kinda Hotrod type music.
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Insisted for years that they weren’t a surf band........then they released the box set.
