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Good setting for guitar surf sound?

I'm trying to get that wah wah 60s surf music sound (revived in the 90s by the movies Pulp Fiction and Johnny Suede) for my guitar (real instrument, not software).

Unfortunately, it's not a preset in GB2.

I haven't been playing guitar long enough to know the right manual settings and experimenting is getting me nowhere.

I was under the impression that the Jam Packs 1 added new instruments and that the surf sound for guitar was one of them, but as far as I can tell, the Jam Packs are all loops and add no new real instrument settings. (Am I right about this?)

Posted on Sep 6, 2005 8:03 PM

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18 replies

Sep 7, 2005 9:23 AM in response to Scott Laughlin-Richard

Scott is right. You may also want to add a basic EQ so that you can adjust the sound of the American Clean amp. If you are hearing a "wah wah" sound, it might be the Tremalo, but they rarely even used that.

If I remember correctly, the surf sound was accomplished with the very basics. A Stratocaster with a Fender Amp and the reverb cranked to full.

Do a search in the iTunes music store with "Dick Dale" as your search criteria. BTW-One of the tunes in the Pulp Fiction soundtrack is by The Tornadoes, which are from my home town of Redlands. Heard them at the bowl a few years ago and they were awesome.

Sep 11, 2005 8:17 AM in response to I.M.H.

I love this sound, probably because I was a teen when it became popular. Thanks for posting how to make the sound in GB. Perhaps we'll hear a revival and reinterpretation of this sound sometime in the future. History may not always repeat or reinvent, but it would be fun to see what shape something like this would take. I am rather tired of the the repetitive sounds I hear today. Where are the innovators? (Just a rhetorical question... not looking to start a thread of responses.)

Sep 12, 2005 11:36 AM in response to Brian Battles

I thought Grunge was a good innovative sound. But haven't heard anything better since. I like the fact that some bands are reaching into the past. One group is actually reaching back 200 years-- the East Village Opera Company.

But to answer the original post, do this--

Choose American Clean guitar. Double-click the track to edit the instrument. Turn the reverb setting to 100%. Add Amp Simulation and choose either American Clean or American Crunch. Save this custom setting as "Surf Guitar".

Good setting for guitar surf sound?

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