Does anyone have experience playing surf rock on bass?

[Staredge]

Update: I got a nice little 3 piece surf cover band going. I actually play guitar.

The Corvegas

Sounds good! We do Ripper as well, but in a more ‘knife fight in the alley’ style.

 

[Staredge]

I use my Yamaha SBV500 with flats in my band. More of a J sound, although I’m such an inveterate P bass guy. Pickups are hot as hell, though. Have to keep an eye on the gain as the evening gets rolling.

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.

 

[Killing Floor]

I love Shadowy...

And for a current and great band influenced by surf check out Los Bitchos.

 

[squarepeg]

Update: I got a nice little 3 piece surf cover band going. I actually play guitar.

The Corvegas

Sounds good! You've got the surf feel for sure.

I have a little 4 piece surf band. We started out playing covers, but over the past couple years have been writing our own songs. We'd hoped to have 10 recorded last year, but the COVID lockdown kept us from getting to the last two. Hopefully, this year. (I play guitar too).

Strici iz ozadja

 

[MattZilla]

Had a band that started off with a handful of SMSP & Sonic Youth songs then kept the surf sound and arranged some Daft Punk & Odesza songs for it... would’ve been super fun if the two brothers (guit & drums) didn’t start fighting.

 

[wraub]

I wrote a track a while back that's as much surf music as not...
Originally it was written on bass using double stops, then got fleshed out.

 

[2milehighspike]

Another good band that’s not necessarily a “surf” band but definitely has the sound is Southern Culture on the Skids. Mary Huff just kills it, one of the better live bands around.

 

[ChazFilter]

I slapped the doghouse in a rockabilly trio for 11 years, but a good percentage of our tunes were surf rock to mix things up. Being the nonconformist, I played a Ric 4003 with Seymour Duncan pickups. The Ric has a retro-enough look, but also had a “twangier” sound than a P-bass. I kept the amp clean with only a speaker sim to tame the highs.

 

[Camaro69]

As a long time surf music fan, I hope this thread gains some traction. Fortunate to have most of the music mentioned in my collection
Good stuff

 

[landrybass]

Any good online resources? I am trying to get a surf rock band going.

This is a great excuse to share my most recent YouTube video and first attempt at a green screen. It’s goofy! We tried to dress exactly like the Ventures hahaha

 

[MisterFabulous]

These are my favorite 60's Surf tunes so far... More to come. As previous posters have mentioned, there are lots of good bands since the '80's bringing Surf back and doing it well.

Bullwinkle: The Centurions

Point Panic: The Surfaris

Mr. Moto: The Belairs

The Wedge: Dick Dale & His Del-Tones

K-39: The Challengers

Goofy Foot: The Lively Ones

Out of Limits: The Marketts

Bedlam: The Belairs

Surf Rider: The Lively Ones

Walk, Don't Run: The Ventures

Pipeline: The Chantays

Miserlou: Dick Dale & His Del-Tones

Blunderbus: The Chantays

Wipe Out: The Surfaris

Movin': Eddie & The Showmen

Banzai Washout: The Challengers

Midnight Run: The Pyramids

Failsafe: The Original Surfaris

Diamond Head: The Ventures

Moment Of Truth: The Surf Teens

California Sun: The Rivieras

Intoxica: The Centurions

Penetration: The Pyramids

Bangalore: The Blazers

Sliced Tomatoes: Just Brothers

 

[DirtDog]

Well, if you want to be completely canonical about it. Guitars and basses should be these:

 

[DirtDog]

Insisted for years that they weren’t a surf band........then they released the box set.
View attachment 4129777

Yes! I always considered SMOASP a surf band. Like it or not.

 

[Camaro69]

I was already looking a Jaguar, so let’s do some surf tunes

 

[Camaro69]

Any guys here have input on reverb?

 

[andare]

Any guys here have input on reverb?

Drip reverb is essential for the surf sound but on guitar only. Bass would just be dry or have room reverb like drums unless you feature bass as a solo instrument. Drip reverb is quite invasive, i imagine it'd detract from the bassline

 

[Camaro69]

Drip reverb is essential for the surf sound but on guitar only. Bass would just be dry or have room reverb like drums unless you feature bass as a solo instrument. Drip reverb is quite invasive, i imagine it'd detract from the bassline

Thanks!
Yes I should have specified guitar.
Like all effects, there seems to be 100s of pedals. Better yet would be a tank and an early Fender amp. But I have adequate amplification, just need the right reverb

For bass I figured I would stick with flatwounds and dry

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

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).

Most of Dead Kennedys songs are surf rock

 

[Camaro69]

Wanted to add this as one of my favorites

 

[andare]

Thanks!
Yes I should have specified guitar.
Like all effects, there seems to be 100s of pedals. Better yet would be a tank and an early Fender amp. But I have adequate amplification, just need the right reverb

For bass I figured I would stick with flatwounds and dry

For real tube reverb You either get a Fender tank or a Milkman tank. Very expensive and they suck a bit of tone. Can't take them out of the signal chain without physically disconnecting them. Also big and heavy.

The only pedal that comes close is the Surfybear. To me it's the same exact sound as a tube tank but it runs on transistors instead of tubes. It uses the same to reverb tank used in the classic units.

The Classic is just like a tank in that it's not true bypass and it sucks a bit of tone.

The Metal is true bypass, has a volume knob to go even above unity. I would go for this one if you must have the real thing, no compromise.

The Compact uses a smaller tank. It still drips but you have to crank it. Much smaller and it has two settings you can alternate between with a foot switch. Very handy. This is not for the purists but for those who want a real spring reverb with a bunch of controls. It sounds amazing but smaller than the other two.

On youtube JHS pedals and 60 cycle hum have just done a drip reverb shootout.