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Just come across a YouTube video of the early Beach Boys miming to Surfin' USA, showing David Marks on the left with a Strat fitted with a mildly bizarre-looking (for that instrument) tremolo unit, possibly a Bigsby or variation of a similar type!


Bill

It doesn't look odd to me.

With the aspect ratio corrected (it's an estimate based making the shape of the guitar about right), it just looks like a poor quality photo which isn't capturing the image in fine enough detail, but the bridge looks normal. You can even see the extension on the treble side where the tremolo arm fits.

Indeed, Jim, your corrected, 'de-stretching' of an admittedly poor image certainly helps to provide a clearer view of said tremolo. It was an initial impression that led me to wonder if it was somehow 'non-standard', but I wonder if the guitar has ever been customised with something other than the regular unit...

Bill

There's a very good book called Surf Guitar which I've read, in which David Marks is interviewed about the early Beach Boys.

They all used stock standard Fenders with OE heavy gauge flatwound strings. About the only local LA surf guitar player who was modifying his guitar was Dick Dale.