tralon4242 Posted June 22, 2002 Share Posted June 22, 2002 I am of the "boomers" era who grew up in the fifties and sixties. I've played guitar as a hobby for near 30 years now. I presently play a Fender Stratocaster and have a Martin acoustic. I plug into an old tube guitar amp which has a "vibrato" effect as an added feature. It still works O.K. My alltime favorite group is "the Ventures" who played alot of surf music from "Walk Don't Run" to "Rambunkus". My question is, is that when I plug my electric strat into my amp and play I can't get the same tight crisp sound when I play one of their lead tunes, such as "Pipeline" or "Rambunkus" How did they get this special sound from their guitars. Did they have a special amp? Or did they have a special foot pedal box rig? I really like to know.Can I buy whatever I need to achieve this unigue sound from a guitar outlet store today? Or was the Ventures guitar sound achieved in the recording studio by electronic equipment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted June 22, 2002 Share Posted June 22, 2002 Cool! A surf phreak! SURF RULEZ!!! First of all, I'm not sure, I believe it had something to do with endorsements, but the Ventures used Mosrite guitars. You should be able to get a close approximation using a Fender. But if you have to have a Mosrite, look on Ebay. They'll be hard to find otherwise. Dick Dale, the king of surf, uses a Fender Strat with heavy strings...he uses like a .014 for an E string!!! I'm quite sure he plays thru a Fender amp, probably a Vibrolux Reverb or something similar. "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlh Posted June 22, 2002 Share Posted June 22, 2002 Hey another old fart surf fan! My first album was The Ventures in Outer Space. I think Tedster has it: in a word Fender. Early pictures I've seen of the Ventures they are an all fender band. Stuff like Jazzmaster, Jaguar and the ever present Strat. The amps I remember seeing were old Bandmaster or Bassman head/cabinet rigs with external Fender reverb units. The Mosrite stuff came a bit later. Tedster is probably right, endorsements. Played pretty clean with judicious use of reverb. I remember a Ventures' music band in my home town that sounded pretty accurate using old Sears Silvertone twin twelve amps and noname guitars. Even with the cheesy reverb it worked of course I was about 12 and just about any live music was great to me. Good Luck its a worthy goal. JLH But never fear, you're safe with me... Well maybe. - Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanner Posted June 22, 2002 Share Posted June 22, 2002 Originally posted by tralon4242: [QB] My alltime favorite group is "the Ventures" who played alot of surf music from "Walk Don't Run" to "Rambunkus". My question is, is that when I plug my electric strat into my amp and play I can't get the same tight crisp sound when I play one of their lead tunes, such as "Pipeline" or "Rambunkus" How did they get this special sound from their guitars. sorry to bust the balloon but "ventures" dont -didnt play surf music! that is what they say and its the truth. from site:"the ventures also paved the hiway w/ 2 guitar-bass-drums lineup,their versions of other peoples songs and hits were a staple in the surf band diet -not as part of the genre but as a foundation. during their "surf period" they did not even play the musically correct instruments for their surf sound,still using their 'mosrite guitars'and reverbs. the shallowness of their stuff is due in part to this omission of authenticity and to their generally laid back playing style. they contributed accidentally after 'nokie edwards' joined w/ several strong tunes like 'sputnik' which became'surf rider' when 'the lively ones' covered it and later w/ the surf arranged 'diamond head' filtered thru their "me too" surf approach". s also an ol fart surf fan and player AMPSSOUNDBETTERLOUDER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted June 22, 2002 Share Posted June 22, 2002 The Ventures, huh? "Walk, Don't Run", eh? While Mosrite had the "Ventures" model guitar, from what I can understand about when that company went into full swing, and when "Walk, Don't Run" was released, Fenders WERE probably the first used by the band. No matter. As far as the strings being used, I wouldn't know. But a lot of them early "guitar instrumental" hits of those days were heavy on the reverb. Through the amp, or in the studio's board, is something else I'm not clear on. Now, as for something else.... For years, most of us "boomers" learning guitar would gravitate toward "Walk, Don't Run" as a needed song to learn. And for years, I, And many, many others would play this as Am, G, F, E! But since the days of CD clarity, I've noticed it sounds more like just A! Major! Was I mistaken then, or am I mistaken now? The VENTURES! Dang! Where are they all now.... Whitefang I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted June 22, 2002 Share Posted June 22, 2002 You're right, Whitefang...there was a misplaced major. I'm kinda sure it was a screwup...'cause it sounds weird. But, if you listen to Junior Brown's great cover of it...he replicated the A Major...mistake or not. "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedly Nightshade Posted June 22, 2002 Share Posted June 22, 2002 They didn't have slinky strings back then. Try at least some .011's. What are you using now? Ted A WOP BOP A LU BOP, A LOP BAM BOOM! "There is nothing I regret so much as my good behavior. What demon possessed me that I behaved so well?" -Henry David Thoreau Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Soloway Posted June 23, 2002 Share Posted June 23, 2002 Guitar Player magazine had a really good group discussion on surf music a few years ago with a panel that included one of the guitar players from the Ventures, Dick Dale and a contemporary surf player. They all agreed that there were certain elements that were basic to getting the classic surf sound. Top of the list was very heavy strings. As mentioned above Dale uses 14's and 13's were really common at the time that the music was originally recorded. That gives a natural snap to the tone that's almost impossible to get on lighter strings. I seem to recall that they all all favored very powerful amps so that they could have a lot of head room for clean tones. It's been quite a while sonce the article, but I believe Dale uses a Fender Dual Showman. As for the Mosrites, I don't believe those came along until after the signature recordings had already become hits. I'm an old fart as well, and I have recollections of originally seeing the pictures of Ventures all playing Fenders including at least one shot when one was playing a Strat and the other a Tele. www.solowayguitars.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salty Tonk Posted June 23, 2002 Share Posted June 23, 2002 The Ventures ,Wow.I was just listening to some the other day.That's what I grew up on.My dad has every album,I think anyway."Apache" I love it.My earliest memories of music are The Ventures.My band plays "pipeline" sometimes.Strat into a Dano reverb pedal into Fender Blues Jr. It seems to work. jgc2002 is not responsible for damages ,injuries and or death as result of above post.Side effects include nasuea,dizziness,dry mouth,vomiting,blurred vision,nervousness,loss of memory and in extreme cases sexual side effects. www.mp3.com/salt_creek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtrmac Posted June 24, 2002 Share Posted June 24, 2002 I think you have to use "bridge cables" as we used to call those heavy gauge Flatwound strings. I remember some of the slightly older guys in the neighborhood that used to do the Ventures stuff had this type of strings on their guitars. Also good for that Duane Eddy "twang". Heavy Reverb is a must. Mac Bowne G-Clef Acoustics Ltd. Osaka, Japan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Posted June 24, 2002 Share Posted June 24, 2002 I heard that when The Ventures would get bored on the road, the lead and bass players would switch instruments for shows. I've done that before in bands, pretty fun really. -David http://www.garageband.com/artist/MichaelangelosMuse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted June 24, 2002 Share Posted June 24, 2002 jgc; if memory serves, "Pipeline" and "Apache" were originaly done by other people. I just wish I can remember WHO! I know the Ventures covered those tunes, though. And as an amusing aside, I remember an instructional record album my stepbrother had that was put out by the Ventures on how to play guitar "Ventures style"! Came with a booklet and all. Odd system of learning. Sorta like "paint with numbers" for guitar! Whitefang I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g. Posted June 24, 2002 Share Posted June 24, 2002 And somewhat related: if you are from the UK, think Shadows! <-- greenboy ---<<<< secret agent man . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binky_dup1 Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 Dick Dale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc taz Posted July 3, 2002 Share Posted July 3, 2002 Don't forget the Fabulous Wailers. These guys were in the scene before the Ventures, and in fact influenced them. By the way, I'm not an old fart like some of you (at least not yet ). My dad happens to have most of their records in vinyl and I've listened to most of them. I'm also in a band with him now, and we play quite a few of their songs. I play bass for them, though we won't come out (to play venues, parties, etc) until the fall. If I were playing Ventures on guitar with modern stuff, I'd go with a American standard strat, .011-.052 strings (good w/o being too heavy) and maybe a vibroverb amp. (I use a P-bass Special from 1994 and a peavey TKO 115...maybe someday I can get one of those rumble bass amps or an Ampeg SVT II stack.) The Fabulous Wailers website sevenstring.org profile my flickr page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaeton Posted July 3, 2002 Share Posted July 3, 2002 Yes, gtrmac's beat me to the final straw.... Flatwound strings. Gotta have em or there'll always be `something amiss' in the tone. The bigger the better, the deader the better. I cut my guitar teeth on ventures tunes (pipeline was my first) and i figured out fairly early on that my strat, D'Addario Chrome 11's and enough reverb to cloak a battleship was the key. That's where that huge rubber-band-like THUD comes in. Dr. Seuss: The Original White Rapper . WWND? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlh Posted July 3, 2002 Share Posted July 3, 2002 Whitefang, Pipeline was originally done by the Chantays and I think Apache was the Shadows. I love this thread! After Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire" (my first r&r recording) this early instrumental rock was what turned my crank for years. I guess it still does. But never fear, you're safe with me... Well maybe. - Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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