Paul McCartney and his Basses

[bassfiddlesteve]

Sorry Steve, I meant his Rivoli, not his Casino.

But was it Paul's Rivoli? The evidence suggests it was:

• It's next to Paul, alongside his Rickenbacker bass.
• It's a right-handed model but it appears to be strung lefty like his Casino.
• The two right-handed Fender basses are next to John and George.

However, the Rivoli was never seen outside of two photos taken at this session which leads me to believe it was something that Paul borrowed or tried temporally. Perhaps his '61 Hofner had already gone missing and he felt he needed another backup while the Rickenbacker was being refinished.

- Steve

 

[DavyR]

Rivoli? Well, McCartney IS a vegetarian ...

 

[gareth]

Anyone know why Paul stopped using Wal basses?

 

[Harper]

Anyone know why Paul stopped using Wal basses?

I read something in an interview once where he feels like people expect the Hofner when they see him live, a bit like "Charlie Chaplin with the cane and the mustache".

 

[Craig4003]

I think as he's gotten older he's tended to favor the lighter weight and shorter scale length of the Hofner. But yeah, it is sort of his trademark, as well.

 

[Skokiaan]

But was it Paul's Rivoli? The evidence suggests it was:

• It's next to Paul, alongside his Rickenbacker bass.
• It's a right-handed model but it appears to be strung lefty like his Casino.
• The two right-handed Fender basses are next to John and George.

However, the Rivoli was never seen outside of two photos taken at this session which leads me to believe it was something that Paul borrowed or tried temporally. Perhaps his '61 Hofner had already gone missing and he felt he needed another backup while the Rickenbacker was being refinished.

- Steve

The '61 Hofner did not go missing until about April 1969.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

The '61 Hofner did not go missing until about April 1969.

Yeah, my original post is from before the Get Back movie was released where you can see the ‘61 Höfner at Apple Studios.

- Steve

 

[rick harper]

O the Rickenbacker stories I could tell!

 

[rick harper]

i had to use rickenbacker flats on my two 4000's...they have a neat 'thunk' 4001s don't have.i tried changing to slick as glass ernie balls, was in colorado '79. strings went flat against neck. needless to say i flipped. put the old strings back on: no problem. surprised Rickenbacker don't make 4000s anymore...maybe a special order...it's hilarious to me macca had the nut put on upside down as seen in the get back film...and "i don't know what these knobs do, actually..." i play music man stingray and jazzbass now....rics were stolen...

 

[Skokiaan]

i had to use rickenbacker flats on my two 4000's...they have a neat 'thunk' 4001s don't have.i tried changing to slick as glass ernie balls, was in colorado '79. strings went flat against neck. needless to say i flipped. put the old strings back on: no problem. surprised Rickenbacker don't make 4000s anymore...maybe a special order...it's hilarious to me macca had the nut put on upside down as seen in the get back film...and "i don't know what these knobs do, actually..." i play music man stingray and jazzbass now....rics were stolen...

No way that nut was upside down, unless someone just did it, perhaps during a string change. He'd been using that bass over three years by this time.

Also, the controls are the same as his Epiphone Casino - two volumes and two tones with a selector switch.

 

[rick harper]

i'm talking about the rickenbacker bass when the A string couldn't stay in place. was slipping off the nut. no slot big enough. no, it was definitely a right handed nut. he plainly says so to g martin. probably happened when he had the tapewounds put on, and somebody messed up. when he got it fixed they took the paintjob off too. around jan 15. i've always wondered how the scratchplate got broken at the bottom. great photos of him at that very time w/ that bass before he mangled the cutaways w/ sandpaper, somewhere....regards!

 

[Chuck_G]

Ran across this earlier today: https://www.hoghillmillblog.com/. Not exclusively bass-centric, but lots of photos & info about Paul's solo-years studios & instruments.

 

[Marc Kruithof]

The '61 Hofner did not go missing until about April 1969.

Anybody else noticed this in the bottom right corner?

 

[Blazer]

Anybody else noticed this in the bottom right corner?
View attachment 5255216

Yeah, does that mean that it has been found? Or is it a replica?

 

[Blazer]

I think as he's gotten older he's tended to favor the lighter weight and shorter scale length of the Hofner. But yeah, it is sort of his trademark, as well.

Err... His choice of guitar contradicts the weight issue...

Because a Gibson Les Paul is known for being quite a hefty beast.

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

Yes, but Linda McCartney found it, the lefty Les Paul, and gave it to him as a present. I'm sure he treasures it. It's rare, to be sure.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

Yeah, does that mean that it has been found? Or is it a replica?

It’s a replica that was made for him.

- Steve

 

[bbjonz]

It's been almost two years since anyone posted to this thread! In my previous posts, I've asked questions about and posted pics of Macca with Fender Jazz Basses. Just came across this one, which is apparently from the 1976 Wings show in Tucson. It's the only pic of him playing his Jazz on stage of which I'm aware. I wonder if he stayed at his ranch (which he still owns) out on Redington Road? It's on the other side of town from the TCC.

 

[bassnyc1]

Wow! So cool to finally see a Pic of him using that bass live. Watching Wings Over America, you can see it on a stand in the background. I always wondered if he actually ever used it. I think that's the same bass he used in Africa when they recorded Band On The Run. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[bbjonz]

Wow! So cool to finally see a Pic of him using that bass live. Watching Wings Over America, you can see it on a stand in the background. I always wondered if he actually ever used it. I think that's the same bass he used in Africa when they recorded Band On The Run. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Yeah, I was kind of surprised to find it. IIRC, BOTR had an insert with photos from the sessions, and one shows him playing Denny Laine's right-handed Jazz Bass flipped upside down. I think this is the photo.