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Can you play Beatles without a Hofner?

#82
I read or saw a video or something........that Paul palm muted on many Beatles songs. I think that that might be the key to getting a somewhat bass type sound similar to The Beatles' songs.

So any kind of bass palm muted will work. Doesn't have to be a Hofner.

Any band playing Beatles songs are not going to sound like The Beatles anyway so why should a Hofner bass be necessary?

Of course, any bass will work for Beatles songs.

I think that it was so cool to read right here on TalkBass (#77) that JRA played fretless bass for his band's cover of Beatles songs! Outstanding!
 
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#83
Yeah, you can, but...

I think you owe it to yourself to embody Paul as much as possible, and I think that means wrestling his transcendent musical genius out of that dinky, ridiculous, sorry excuse for an instrument. I had a nice German-made reissue that I used for a little tribute one-off, and eventually sold because it became basically wall art. Still, if I was going on stage for an all-Beatles set, I would probably grab one of those Hofner Ignition series basses and have at it.
 
#84
Of course you can.

I did a live 50th-anniversary Sgt. Pepper's complete album performance (with horns, strings, sitar, et al) with a Greco hollowbody and my Warmoth Jazz w/flats and a pick. It sounded fantastic, and the mostly Boomer audience absolutely loved the whole thing. Nobody cared that I didn't use a Hofner.
 
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#85
Can you play Beatles without a Hofner?

Yes.

paul-mccartney-1989-flashback.jpg
 
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#86
One band I play with does several Beatles songs. I use a VT Bass pedal to get a very round tone and I use this pedal for all of the Beatles tunes. I have a Hofner but it wouldn't really be practical for a lot of the other songs we do so the pedal works well in this case.
 
#87
rickenhawk said:
Our band has started playing some more Beatle tunes. It occurred to me that in all Beatle cover bands I have seen the bassist plays a Hofner. In rare occasions like The Analogues, the bassist has all the basses Sir Paul used with the band. They are as true as possible to using the same gear as the Beatles in the 60's.
We are talking about playing the Rooftop concert and I would rather play my Rick. I do not have a Hofner. I don't think our guitar player would be expected to play a Rosewood Telecaster but there seems to be an unwritten rule for bassists and Beatles; especially the Rooftop. Any thoughts?
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Yes, but you also need a Beatle haircut, jacket, boots and come from Liverpool :laugh::laugh::laugh:.
 
#92
What's the goal? A Beatles tribute band or a band that plays Beatles songs.

Even if it is a tribute band, play the instrument you prefer. Play a good song, not a perfect reproduction of what was recorded on the album.
 
#93
SoulReflection said:
Yes, but you also need a Beatle haircut, jacket, boots and come from Liverpool :laugh::laugh::laugh:.
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Around Christmas time, I was playing for a corporate party in a ballroom at a hotel. One of the other ballrooms had a Beatles Tribute band, with the whole "Liverpool Pub Band" shtick, complete with haircuts, white suits, fake accents, and a Hofner.

At one point after we were done and loading out, an older couple walked by and said something to the effect of "we wish we were at your party, you guys are a lot better than them...". I don't mean to disparage, but they were out of tune and had poor time. A lot more shtick than substance, and while we weren't doing any Beatles covers, people walking by knew enough to recognize that we were at least in tune and tight.

That is all to say, if you're going to do Beatles covers, you should probably make the effort to be in tune, have good time, and play the songs well rather than look the part.
 
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#99
Cave Puppy said:
Regarding Beatle basses - be careful what you wish for. They take some getting used to and can be difficult to wrangle. One of the reasons Paul got the one he did was because it was symmetrical and wouldn’t look as weird on a lefty. Plus Hofnër were one of the only brands around that could be had at that time. I don’t think he would’ve picked the violin bass if there were better options available to him in the UK.
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It’s Höfner, fer cryin’ out loud. Jeez man get your act together.
 
#100
bass12 said:
I think the only reason it would matter is for the visual aspect. So unless you're getting all dressed up with the wigs and whatnot I wouldn't be too concerned. Honestly, people get way too hung up on these kinds of details. Makes me think of this local Beatles tribute band where the bassist was right-handed but learned to play left-handed because that's how Paul played. Right, 'cause the right-handed bass playing is what would have given away the fact that we weren't actually watching Paul McCartney. :facepalm:
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It boggles my mind that he's able to do that!
 

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