Who Wants Free Tickets for Dick Dale at Grand Central Miami?

How did Dick Dale (AKA the Grandaddy of Shred) finally stop setting speakers on fire? "With the output transformers that Leo Fender and I built together," the 75-year-old King of Surf Guitar explained to Crossfade, "and the 15-inch D130 speakers. "Back then, the transformers were 10, 12, and 15 watts...

By S. Pajot

April 22, 2013

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How did Dick Dale (AKA the Grandaddy of Shred) finally stop setting speakers on fire?

"With the output transformers that Leo Fender and I built together," the 75-year-old King of Surf Guitar explained to Crossfade, "and the 15-inch D130 speakers.

"Back then, the transformers were 10, 12, and 15 watts. And to handle my power, Leo designed an 85-watt output transformer peaking at 100 watts. It was like going from a VW to a Testerossa."

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Dick Dale at Grand Central Ticket Giveaway Instructions

1. Head over to Crossfade's Facebook page.

2. Find the Dick Dale at Grand Central update and leave a comment.

3. From the pool of commenters, we'll randomly select one lucky party person to surf rock with Dick Dale in downtown Miami. So keep an eye on your Facebook messages.

4. Last thing ... You only have until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24, to enter.

"In those days, they didn't have that kind of stuff," Mr. Dale told us. "And these amplifiers were created specifically to handle what I was doing after I blew up 50 amps and caught speakers on fire.

"You know, that's what happens when you deliver amperage greater than the speaker can hold. It heats up the wire, the wire ignites the comb, and you're gonna get a speaker in flames!"

But even a lil' stage fire can't stop the King ...

"I smoked the speakers in London at the Royal Albert Hall and my bass player was like, 'Dale! Dale! There's smoke!' And all I could say was, "Shut up and keep playing!"

Dick Dale. With Gold Dust Lounge and Skinny Jimmy and the Stingrays, plus DJ Haitian Hillbilly. Thursday, April 25. Grand Central, 697 N. Miami Ave., Miami. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets cost $20 plus fees via ticketfly.com. Call 305-377-2277 or visit grandcentralmiami.com.

Follow Crossfade on Facebook and Twitter @Crossfade_SFL.

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