Best amp matchup for classic rock on Surfer Pickups in a STRAT

[Quencho092]

Ok, Lew sold me on the Surfers, I'll be getting them when i get my paycheck. The last step here is a good matchup for the Surfers ampwise. What amp captures the tone of the Surfers the best, but can dish out some good distortion? Anybody have the Surfers? Feedback on how they play on your amps!

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Best amp matchup for classic rock on Surfer Pickups in a STRAT

That's a real good question! To me, pickups like the Surfers (Alnico 5) are my favorite type of strat pickups because they have a perfect single coil tone. Because they have nice round lows and open highs, they sound perfectly mated to any amp with a lot of bottom and complex mids, like a Plexi, Super Reverb, Tweed amp, or JTM 45.
My favorite amps for strats are plexis, Matchless Chieftain, Super Reverb, and Dual Showman Reverbs. Strats don't particularly like Jubilees, Soldanos, or Class A amps with a real bright top end. Not to say that they couldn't, tho, if tweaked right.

[Benjy_26]

Re: Best amp matchup for classic rock on Surfer Pickups in a STRAT

I'd opt for a 59 Bassman RI with good tubes nd quality alnico speakers.

[Quencho092]

Re: Best amp matchup for classic rock on Surfer Pickups in a STRAT

any of you guys ever played the surfers under high gain, how does it sound?

[flank]

Re: Best amp matchup for classic rock on Surfer Pickups in a STRAT

i think there is maybe only 2 or 3 peopel on this forum that have ever tried the ant surfers........ they just have never been tested......... and actually it seemed Lew might have been the first one to try them and review them, and that was only 3 weeks ago

so i dont know if youll get many responses from anybody with experience.......... but i pretty much agree on either a marshall or fender would probably be the best match with them

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Best amp matchup for classic rock on Surfer Pickups in a STRAT

I play those type of pickups under medium to highgain, and like I said, you want an amp with thick dense mids and tight lows to make them sound their best. The noise factor of vintage singles into highgain amps bother some people, but not if you know how to control your guitar. To me, it's one of the best tones in the world to have a strat with slightly hot 50's or 60's type singles running into a big fat highgain tube amp, with or without an OD pedal. As long as my 2nd tone control is the volume for the bridge pickup, I'm fine. I back it off to 7 or 8, so the bridge isn't too bright for a lead tone.