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The best bass for surf, and pretty much any other genre you'd care to name
We’re talking about the Fender Precision bass. While you may see old clips of surf bands toting Danelectro and Mosrite basses, the Fender Precision was by far the most popular four-string with the surf set.
The P Bass was born in 1951 as a four-string brother to the Telecaster. This early incarnation became best known as the ‘Telecaster Bass’ when it was later reissued in 1968. After rounding off the edges in 1953, Fender went for a full revamp of the P Bass in 1957, giving the instrument a contoured look to match the company’s Stratocaster guitar. A classic was born.
Pipeline is a classic surf record by The Chantays. Here's a YouTube clip of the band performing the song on The Lawrence Welk Show in 1963, dressed like The Beatles for no apparent reason. Dick Dale and the late Texan blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan later recorded the song as a guitar duet. Check out Dick’s incredible hair in this promo clip - terrifying!
By the way, Pipeline is also the name of a magazine dedicated to instrumental rock.
