This is just a list of guitars, effects, and amps that are often associated with Surf-Rock.
Guitars:
Try to stick with single coiled pickups; humbuckers produce a louder, more full, and smoother sound--generally. Fenders guitars are very often associated with surf music, mainly because of the emergence of the two almost simultaneously.Telecasters usually are not used, mainly because of their lack of vibrato bar (you can always install a Bigsby though). Other single coil guitars are used too, but the scene is dominated by Stratocasters, Jazzmasters, and of course the extremely versatile Jaguar.
Good surf tones can be found in guitars by these makers:
Fender Guitars
DiPinto
Mosrite (made famous by the Ventures)
Teisco Del Rey
Danelectro (I really like these)
Eko
Sparrow (Von Drat surf guitar)
Basses:
To some people, bass is bass. In my opinion, bass lines can be more important than the guitar parts they are created to support. They are what drive the piece, hold it together, and make it memorable. Personally, I like the tone of hollow-body basses. They produce a warm tone, and if set just right can have a tone resembling a double bass. Obviously, Fender produces very good basses for surf tone. Many prefer the tone of the P-Bass over the Jazz Bass for surf.
