Mean Mr Mustard

owen_liam · #1 02-03-2010, 06:53 AM

Hi guys! Some advice is needed...

Due to ignorance and no small amount of laziness, I'm not usually a player that uses effects. I prefer to laugh at guitar players as they fiddle about with screwdrivers and pedal boards. However, I'm doing a charity gig playing Beatles covers in a couple of weeks and one of the tunes we're playing is Mean Mr Mustard off the Abbey Road medley. On the record, Macca has a massive overdrive that I'm guessing was achieved by pushing the preamp on some old valve thingy-doodah in the studio.

So, perhaps the time has come for me to get a nice fuzz/overdrive pedal! I was wondering if you guys could suggest one that would do the Mean Mr Mustard sound as a start off. I'm not a screaming overdrive Doom Metal player, more of a soul/R&B/funk/classic rock kind of a guy, so something suited to that kind of vintage thing would be great!

I look forward to your suggestions! Cheers.

CamiloDíaz · #2 02-03-2010, 07:06 AM

He is credited playing bass and "fuzz bass", as two different instruments altogether. But some gated fuzz, bassy eq'ing, soft attack (no clankity clank in Beatles, sir!), flatwound strings and an old military band jacket (in psychadelic colors) might do the trick.

bigchiefbc · #3 02-03-2010, 07:35 AM

McCartney used a Tonebender on Think For Yourself, so its probable he used it on Mustard as well. So grabbing either the current Colorsound Tonebender or any of its clones would get you there. The MJM Brit Bender is one, and there are quite a few more, too. The DAM's are well-thought-of but expensive.

owen_liam · #4 02-03-2010, 11:00 AM

Thanks for your thoughts! I'm looking into getting a shot at trying a Tonebender. I think the psychedelic military jacket will definitely enhance the tone!

I'm beginning to think that I'm opening up a Pandora's box with this effects thing...uh oh...

RCCollins · #5 02-03-2010, 11:08 AM

it wasn't just ANY tonebender that was used on "think for yourself" - be sure you get a clone of the appropriate type. If "close enough" is good enough for you i'd try a fuzz face type at lowish gain. you can even get close to the "Mr Mustard" tone with a muff if you have a middy enough setup. IMO it's an absurdly honky tone, almost any low-gain fuzz will do

owen_liam · #6 02-03-2010, 11:49 AM

I think the sound on Think For Yourself is very different from Mr Mustard. Think For Yourself is definitely much more 'honky'; it's more of a melody/lead line than an orthodox bass line (obviously there is a clean bass line on there too). It sounds like what I've heard when messing with guitar fuzz boxes - a clattery trebly sound that isn't very nice! The Mr Mustard is to my ears much fatter and warmer and sounds like it has more bottom freqs. That's more what I'm after. I've been looking through some Beatles literature and can only find references to 'fuzz bass' and 'fuzz box' with no specific references to how it was recorded. I'm sure Think For Yourself was recorded by DIing, perhaps Mustard too.

bongomania · #7 02-03-2010, 11:52 AM

Just based on the subjective tone words used there, I'm thinking a bass-modded Fuzz Face is just the ticket.

owen_liam · #8 02-03-2010, 12:01 PM

Just found this old thread trying to figure out precisely what he used for Mr Mustard:

Beatles Fuzz...Mean Mr Mustard

It seems no one knows!

mccartneyman · #9 02-03-2010, 01:26 PM

Doesn't sound raspy enough to be a Fuzz Face. It's a very controlled, overdriven tube sound. I wonder, since this was approximately the same time as "Revolution," If they just didn't overdrive the console channel and compress it to death. You should be able to get that sound with one of the current line of modeling multi-effects.

**Captain Bob** · #10 02-04-2010, 02:41 PM

Another consideration is the Jazz bass on 'Mustard' as opposed to the Rick on 'Think'.

jetofuj · #11 02-04-2010, 04:20 PM

I wouldn't call FF raspy. Early Tone Benders - with two transistors - are definitely raspy, but at the same time very trebly. Modern Tone Benders (MKIII / Jumbo) are muffish.

I can achive similar to Mr. Mustard tone with FF or - even better - with B:Assmaster.

octaverazor · #12 02-04-2010, 05:18 PM

Fuzz bass on Mean Mr. Mustard is an early moog.

McHaven · #13 02-04-2010, 07:11 PM

Don't believe that for a second. Got evidence?

octaverazor · #14 02-04-2010, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McHaven

Don't believe that for a second. Got evidence?

Depends what you call evidence. It's all over "Abbey Road", used very tastefully of course. "Maxwells Silver Hammer", "Because", "Here Comes the Sun", "Mean Mr Mustard", all have very clear Moog parts. It's also all over the background of the record. Just listen.

bigchiefbc · #15 02-04-2010, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by octaverazor

Depends what you call evidence. It's all over "Abbey Road", used very tastefully of course. "Maxwells Silver Hammer", "Because", "Here Comes the Sun", "Mean Mr Mustard", all have very clear Moog parts. It's also all over the background of the record. Just listen.

I had heard that they used the Moog here and there, but McCartney is specifically credited on that song with "Fuzz Bass". I would think they would have called it something else if it was a Moog.

octaverazor · #16 02-04-2010, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigchiefbc

I had heard that they used the Moog here and there, but McCartney is specifically credited on that song with "Fuzz Bass". I would think they would have called it something else if it was a Moog.

Why? It doesn't say "Fuzz Bass Guitar", it just says "Fuzz Bass" which leaves it wide open for the Moog.

selfblessed · #17 02-05-2010, 03:11 AM

What moog had a built in Fuzz circuit?

bigchiefbc · #18 02-05-2010, 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by octaverazor

Why? It doesn't say "Fuzz Bass Guitar", it just says "Fuzz Bass" which leaves it wide open for the Moog.

Because on "Because" and "I Want You", the Moog is specifically mentioned in the credits. Why would they do that for those songs, and not for Mean Mr. Mustard?

CamiloDíaz · #19 02-05-2010, 05:38 AM

No one is considering the vital importance of the bass and the strings in the overall sound.

Jazz Bass in Abbey Road? Really? I need info on that one, I could swear I hear two very distinct bass sounds in that record: one very bassy and muddy, being of course the Hofner, and a very distinguishable Ric tone in songs like Here Comes The Sun and some of the medley. Please Captain Bob, some hard info on the Jazz Bass issue will be much appreciated.

Fuzz, flatwound, some muting might be involved...

iamthebassman · #20 02-05-2010, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamiloDíaz

Jazz Bass in Abbey Road? Really?

Of course, in fact there are TWO Fender Jazzes on Abbey Road.