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Paul McCartney and his Basses

#241
mcarp555 said:
Now of course, everyone swears nearly all of the White Album, and most of Abbey Road are done with the Jazz. Whatever Paul plays, it just sounds like Paul.
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I know the photos of Paul playing the Jazz Bass are from the White Album sessions, but I think identifying what track he used it on is pure speculation. The White Album certainly has a few different bass sounds, some quite unusual. The only photo I've ever seen of Paul in the studio during the Abbey Road sessions shows him with his recently refinished Ric, supposedly during the sessions for "Come Together". Any use of the Jazz Bass on this album is once again pure speculation, unless we are talking about a track where George is known to have played bass where the right handed Jazz Bass (or perhaps the Bass VI) would have been used.

- Steve
 
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#242
mcarp555 said:
Possibly. But without corroborating evidence to back it up, it can be very difficult to know for sure. Many people have very strong opinions about it, but Paul tends to get the same sound, whatever he plays. When someone says, "Oh, he's playing the XXX there", I take it all with a grain of salt, unless there's strong proof behind it.
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I don't really care about correct historical about what he played on what song actually -I think Paul McCartney himself doesn't remember all of each - but I do always hear nuance of detail from song per song in his bass playing, no matter what the bass might be,.. but I agree with you, no matter what, it's always his 'Paul McCartney Sound'.
 
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#244
I agree, however one could argue that the increased presence of the bass and inventiveness of the playing on Beatles records from mid '65 on was made possible in part due to Paul's switch to the Ric. Would "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" have sounded the same on the Hofner?
 
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#245
Even though there is no evidence the Hofner was used on Paperback Writer or Rain, it was the Hofner that Paul chose to use in the video they produced to market these songs:

thebeatlesrain.jpg
 
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#247
N. Kentucky Bass said:
Even though there is no evidence the Hofner was used on Paperback Writer or Rain, it was the Hofner that Paul chose to use in the video they produced to market these songs.
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Geoff Emerick confirmed that the Rickenbacker was used during these sessions. He describes the recording process in in Mark Lewisohn's book The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions. Paul still used the Hofner for live performances even after the Ric became his preferred bass in the studio, so I'm not surprised that he used it for the video.

- Steve
 
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#249
bassfiddlesteve said:
Possibly, and unlike the blocks & binding Jazz Bass this one is still string righty. It seems like Denny had a few different Fenders.

- Steve
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If you watch Rockshow you can see all of Denny's Fender basses....all in one song. First time you see him during "Maybe I'm Amazed" he's playing a black P. A verse later he's playing a sunburst Jazz. Finally, for the end of the song he's got a blonde Tele. Can you say "lazy editing"?

See for yourself:

Still a great video, though.
 
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#250
Skokiaan said:
If you watch Rockshow you can see all of Denny's Fender basses....all in one song. First time you see him during "Maybe I'm Amazed" he's playing a black P. A verse later he's playing a sunburst Jazz. Finally, for the end of the song he's got a blonde Tele. Can you say "lazy editing"?
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LOL. I've always noticed that. My bassist friend and I used to comment about the "seamless" bass changes on that song.

- Steve
 
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#251
bassfiddlesteve said:
I agree, however one could argue that the increased presence of the bass and inventiveness of the playing on Beatles records from mid '65 on was made possible in part due to Paul's switch to the Ric. Would "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" have sounded the same on the Hofner?
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Actually I think they might. The Ric gave him more confidence because of the Hofner's intonation problems, but as you suggest, it was just one factor among many. The bass parts on Motown records (Jamison & Kaye), the emergence of great bassists in the wake of the British Invasion (Entwistle, et al), and the freedom multi-tracking gives you to develop parts were also important to the growth of Paul's sound. But even on the Hof, he's capable of being quite nimble. He's commented in the past about how the lightness of the bass allows you to move around the fretboard. And his playing on the Hof during Get Back on the rooftop is a good example of that.

N. Kentucky Bass said:
Even though there is no evidence the Hofner was used on Paperback Writer or Rain, it was the Hofner that Paul chose to use in the video they produced to market these songs:
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Paul has always been market-savvy, and I think many times it was a conscious choice to use the Hofner in public. It's part of the Beatles' 'Image'. Why else would he use it for Let It Be?
 
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#252
"Why else would he use it for Let It Be?"

It's always been my understanding that the whole idea behind what eventually became the LIB album was that they "get back" to the way they used to write and record(minimal overdubbing, etc.), so in keeping with that mindset he dusted off the Hofner.
 
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#253
The dexterity on the Hofner isn't surprising. It's a short scale bass. Paul's main instrument was a guitar, which is closer in size to a short scale bass than a 34-inch normal scale electric bass. The similar muscle memory/size of the Hofner is a no brainer for easing playability of his active basslines.

Here's a good read in favor of short scale basses: http://www.innertainment.net/medium.html
 
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#254
iamthebassman said:
"Why else would he use it for Let It Be?"

It's always been my understanding that the whole idea behind what eventually became the LIB album was that they "get back" to the way they used to write and record(minimal overdubbing, etc.), so in keeping with that mindset he dusted off the Hofner.
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Well, the original plan was no overdubbing, but even so, why would that mean using the Hofner instead of the Rickenbacker? None of the others went back to using "old" instruments.
 
#255
mcarp555 said:
Well, the original plan was no overdubbing, but even so, why would that mean using the Hofner instead of the Rickenbacker? None of the others went back to using "old" instruments.
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Because that was the bass he used in the early days of their recording career.
You've never heard of instances where Paul was all gung-ho for doing something and the others, especially towards the end, were not?
As I said, that was my understanding, if you know the answer please deliver.
 
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#256
There probably is no single "right" answer, and certainly no evidence either way. But given that the whole Get Back idea was simply to record without overdubs or studio "trickery" (as all of them agreed), I fail to see how using one instrument over another makes any difference. Certainly there's no sign of Rickenbacker, Gretch or Ludwig at any point with the other three.

But as with "Beatle Paul" from the Coming Up video, the Hofner is a visual image that equates to "Beatles" in the mind of many people. I would include Paul in that group, as he has likened it to Charlie Chaplin's cane.
 
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