Paul McCartney and his Basses

[JD Supernatural]

I Think Ive put this in the right place if not mods please move it, Paul for me was a very important bass player, his style and skill on the bass developed over the Beatle years from the early basic root stuff too the melodic bass lines we can hear on tracks like Something & Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds etc
Anyway Ive done some research and Paul basically played 5 bass guitars during his Beatle years. This is a very early GUITAR of Paul's - a Rosetti Solid 7 - it is being played upside down and he has removed the pick-guard - a trend he continued throughout the sixties! Note the number of strings - just three, probably stolen from a piano!! Was this Paul's first attempt at playing a bass?! The picture was taken at Pete Best Mum's 'Casbah Club'.

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Paul started out on 6 string but it was said he was kinda 'forced' onto Bass when Stuart left the band in Hamburg, however, This picture adds further proof to the fact that Paul had his bass BEFORE Stuart left the band.

Paul playing his 1961 Hofner in the Cavern. Opinions vary as to whether the bass, which was purchased in Hamburg, was custom-made left-handed for Paul.

Anyway Paul ended up with Two Hofners (a 61 & a 63), seen here, the pickups are placed differently, the one with the pickup nearest the bridge is the one he still tours with today;

both Hofners are seen here before he removed the pic gaurd from his original model

he used a Fender Jazz mainly on the White album;

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and of course moved onto a Ric for the period around Magical Mystery Tour/ All You Need Is Love !

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before moving back to his 1963 Hofner for Let It Be & the Rooftop performance (minus pick guard)

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[Harper]

Don't forget...

The Yamaha.

And the Wal.

 

[NightTripper]

Thanks for posting these! It was mainly Paul who inspired me to pick up the bass. I love the first picture. I'd like to know more about that.

I've always loved his basses. Of course the Hofner is the most iconic, but I would go for the 4001 or the Yamaha. He used the Yamaha for his McCartney II album - not his most celebrated work, but I think it's great and the Yamaha's tone is killer.

 

[mogpipe]

I would assume he used the Ric thru Sgt. Pepper, as the Hofner appears to be 'laid to rest' on the Pepper cover.

 

[NightTripper]

I've heard that the entirety of Sgt. Pepper was played on the Rickenbacker, but I don't know if that's true.

By the way, does anyone know what became of the 4001? I haven't seen any recent pics or video of him with it. Or for that matter, the Yamaha and the Wal?

 

[Stick_Player]

Don't forget this one (Bill Black's old bass) - used on "Free as a Bird".

 

[ShoeManiac]

I've heard that the entirety of Sgt. Pepper was played on the Rickenbacker, but I don't know if that's true.

By the way, does anyone know what became of the 4001? I haven't seen any recent pics or video of him with it. Or for that matter, the Yamaha and the Wal?

Word has it that Paul has kept pretty much every instrument he's ever had. One exception being the '61 Hofner. He played that on a few ocassions, like the promo video for "Revolution" and in the Twickenham studios segment of the Let it Be film.

After The Beatles called it quits at Twickenham studios the '61 Hofner was stolen. As a result McCartney wound up playing the '63 Hofner for the rooftop concert.

 

[JD Supernatural]

Yes he's played more since the Beatles but I was just concentrating on his days as a Beatle for my research, I believe he had the 61 Hofner completely refurbished but Ive also heard that it was stolen sometime after the Revolution video pictured above.

 

[rockscott]

Great thread, awesome pictures!

 

[JD Supernatural]

Paul purchased his Rosetti in 1960, June the 30th. at Frank Hessy's music shop in Liverpool for £21. There is a reproduction of the HP book for this purchase at Andy Babiuk's book, page 33.

He used it for the first time in July the 2nd., for their performance at the Corporation's Grosvenor Ballroom, Grosvenor Road, Liscard, Wallasey, Cheshire, and until mid-April 1961 (=date unknown??) when he purchased his 1st Höfner 500/1 bass at the small shop in Hamburg city center for 267 DM.

Heres more pics of the 61 Hofner and Rosetti;

this last one is a bit strange its the 61 bass during the period of Let It Be yet on the rooftop show he used the 63 Hofner ??

maybe he had both basses lying around.

 

[JD Supernatural]

notice the different colour and pickup mounts after the refurbish the bass underwent.

 

[iamthebassman]

Paul purchased his Rosetti in 1960, June the 30th. at Frank Hessy's music shop in Liverpool for £21. There is a reproduction of the HP book for this purchase at Andy Babiuk's book, page 33.

He used it for the first time in July the 2nd., for their performance at the Corporation's Grosvenor Ballroom, Grosvenor Road, Liscard, Wallasey, Cheshire, and until mid-April 1961 (=date unknown??) when he purchased his 1st Höfner 500/1 bass at the small shop in Hamburg city center for 267 DM.

Heres more pics of the 61 Hofner and Rosetti;

this last one is a bit strange its the 61 bass during the period of Let It Be yet on the rooftop show he used the 63 Hofner ??

maybe he had both basses lying around.

'61 was stolen.

 

[iamthebassman]

"he used a Fender Jazz mainly on the White album"

True, the Jazz saw use on "TWA", but I'd say "mainly" on "Abbey Road". In fact "AR" has 2 Fender Jazzes, a lefty and a righty, not to mention the Fender VI.

"and of course moved onto a Ric for the period around Magical Mystery Tour/ All You Need Is Love !"

The 4001S was used as early as "Rubber Soul".

Considering my gig, I gotta know this stuff.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

Paul used this right handed Kay "Jazz Special" bass only on a few occasions including the 1982 Ebony & Ivory video, but I've always wondered if he used it during the Beatles period since it is an early 60's instrument.

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- Steve

 

[Febs]

he used a Fender Jazz mainly on the White album;

and of course moved onto a Ric for the period around Magical Mystery Tour/ All You Need Is Love !

Your chronology is off here. McCartney started using the Ric in 1966. He definitely used it on Sgt. Pepper, which was released in 1967. Magical Mystery Tour was later in 1967. The White Album was 1968, after Magical Mystery Tour.

 

[Stick_Player]

Your chronology is off here. McCartney started using the Ric in 1966. He definitely used it on Sgt. Pepper, which was released in 1967. Magical Mystery Tour was later in 1967. The White Album was 1968, after Magical Mystery Tour.

As was stated above, McCartney used the Ric on most of Rubber Soul (1965). Interestingly, McCartney first saw this bass in 1964. It was manufactured Jan. 1964. He was given the bass during the Beatles' 1965 U.S. tour.

As far as Abbey Road... here's a pic from the Come Together session:

 

[ShoeManiac]

Your chronology is off here. McCartney started using the Ric in 1966. He definitely used it on Sgt. Pepper, which was released in 1967. Magical Mystery Tour was later in 1967. The White Album was 1968, after Magical Mystery Tour.

Agreed.

Both Hofners were used on everything from 1963 up through the Rubber Soul record.

The Rickenbacker 4001 may have made it's first appearance on Revolver. Just looking at some of the early photos of Paul with the Rick seems to lean in that direction...

The Rickenbacker became the primary recording bass for McCartney through the end of The Beatles. The Fender Jazz and the Hofner do make some appearances (The White Album and Let it Be ). And you also have an increasing number of instances where either John Lennon or George Harrison were playing bass while McCartney was playing either guitar or piano on recording sessions.

 

[Stick_Player]

I gotta toss this in. McCartney's Ric listed for about US$515, in 1964. That would be, in TODAY's dollars, about US$3,750.

 

[bassingeorge]

These are awesome pics! Thanks for posting! I'll show these to my dad later...he's a big beatles fan.

 

[Mike M.]

Loved it! Very cool stuff.

Hard to believe that in 1960 they were just a mediocre bar band, who according to some were pretty bad. Four years later, they changed music and culture.

Still amazes me.