Paul McCartney and his Basses

[ShoeManiac]

This was posted in the Basses section:

It's Sir Paul, circa 1990 or so, with a 5 string Rickenbacker.


At this point, I think it would be pretty cool to do a visual accounting for Sir Paul with all of his basses from throughout the years. The ones I can think of?

-1961 Hofner 500/1
-1963 Hofner 500/1
-1966 Rickenbacker 4001 (fireglo, later painted psychedelic colors, finally stripped to natural finish)
-1966/67 Fender Jazz Bass (3 tone sunburst)
-Unidentified Fender Precision
-Bill Black's upright bass
-Unidentified Yamaha bass
-Kay semi-hollowbody
-Zemaitis acoustic bass guitar
-Rickenbacker 5 string
-Wal 5 string

 

[bassplayer8953]

Paul apparently remembers paying even less.

Magazine: Bass Player
Issue: July/August 1995
Title: Paul McCartney - Meet The Beatle
Author: Tony Bacon


Paul had to find a bass guitar of his own, so one day in 1961 he
went shopping in Hamburg. "Eventually I found a little shop in
the center of town, and I saw this violin-shaped bass guitar in
the window." This was the famous "violin bass," a Hofner
500/1, made in Germany and similar in shape to Gibson's early
Electric Bass model. McCartney recalls buying his first violin
bass for the equivalent of about $45, and he insists it was a
right-handed model that he turned upside down, although all
the photographic evidence of the band in those early years
shows him with a production left-hander. McCartney has had a
number of different versions of the Hofner 500/1 over the
years, but he stuck to the model as his sole Beatles live-
performance bass as well as the principal bass for the group's
recordings until late in the '60s.

...and by 1967 (when I turned 17) the going rate on Beatle basses in the US was equivalent to a Fender P or J. My dad bought my 500-1 for my 17th birthday in 1967 for $277, top shelf case included. I'd say by 1967 Hofner was making a bit more on their products than earlier. No thanks to Paul I'm sure...

 

[iamthebassman]

At this point, I think it would be pretty cool to do a visual accounting for Sir Paul with all of his basses from throughout the years. The ones I can think of?

-1961 Hofner 500/1
-1963 Hofner 500/1
-1966 Rickenbacker 4001 (fireglo, later painted psychedelic colors, finally stripped to natural finish)
-1966/67 Fender Jazz Bass (3 tone sunburst)
-Unidentified Fender Precision
-Bill Black's upright bass
-Unidentified Yamaha bass
-Kay semi-hollowbody
-Zemaitis acoustic bass guitar
-Rickenbacker 5 string
-Wal 5 string

*The "Unidentified Yamaha Bass" is a BB1200
*Not to forget the righty Fender Jazz Bass used on BOTR
*Not to forget his fretless Rickenbacker

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

Paul had a Precision Bass?

- Steve

 

[ShoeManiac]

Paul had a Precision Bass?

- Steve

Yup!

IIRC, you can see it in his studio during some of the interview segments of The Beatles Anthology in a rack of instruments.

 

[Meddle]

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;

What is the Strat (copy?) with the colour-matched headstock?

 

[Chrisk-K]

Paul did NOT mainly use a J on White Album. According to Fender, Paul recorded only a few songs with a J, including "Sun King" on Abbey Road, in Beatles recording sessions. Had Paul mainly used a J on one of the Beatles albums, Fender would have advertised it till the end of time.

The right-handed J on BOTR is not Paul's bass. It's Denny Laine's bass. Paul didn't bring a bass to the African recording sessions, whereas Denny did.

 

[john_martin_sai]

Lots of info on who played what here.....plus details and interesting stories for each song.

Link Removed

Surprised to find out that Paul used his Hofner on 'Something'.

 

[ggvicviper]

I would also like to see a pic of him with his P. Does anyone know which songs he may have used it on, if any?

 

[Ejectr]

This was for an earlier take of the song. The version we all know and love features Paul playing his Ric.

When I saw them in '66 at Suffolk Downs in Boston, he played the Hofner on Paperback Writer.

 

[Ejectr]

Another informative web site...
http://www.thecanteen.com/fabguitars.html

 

[BassistDale]

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

Where? Can the pic be reposted, please?

 

[atomicdog]

JD Supernatural: Nice post, but one thing about the timeline: the Beatles recorded Magical Mystery Tour before the White Album, so Paul couldn't have moved from a Fender Jazz Bass to the Ric in the manner stated (his use of the Ric on the MMT is well documented, however).

 

[Stick_Player]

Lots of info on who played what here.....plus details and interesting stories for each song.

Link Removed

Surprised to find out that Paul used his Hofner on 'Something'.

Bogus. How do they know? There is little record as to what exact instrument was used on any Beatles' recording. Speculation or best guess, perhaps. Hofner on Something? Highly doubtful.

Where? Can the pic be reposted, please?

"Supposedly", the very last pictures in studio, as they recorded Come Together. Later/earlier that day they did the cover photos.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[BassistDale]

"Supposedly", the very last pictures in studio, as they recorded Come Together. Later/earlier that day they did the cover photos.

Thanks for all the posted pics, Stick_Player. Much appreciated!

 

[Rahil]

Paul with Jazz Bass, from White Album sessions

 

[FrednBass]

I've always wondered if this is from While My Guitar Gently Weeps sessions...

 

[iamthebassman]

Paul did NOT mainly use a J on White Album. According to Fender, Paul recorded only a few songs with a J, including "Sun King" on Abbey Road, in Beatles recording sessions....

There are several tunes on TWA with the Jazz(Glass Onion, While My Guitar...), and about a third of AR. Not to mention the use of the righty Fender Jazz on a few tunes on AR.

 

[Fenderfellow]

paul and james wrote the book on how to play bass from 1965 to now. there are millions of guys who can now do what they did but they did it first.

 

[ShoeManiac]

Paul with Jazz Bass, from White Album sessions

Here's some video of Macca in the studio during the sessions for The White Album, running through "Blackbird". When you compare the still image of McCartney with Harrison in the studio with this video, it's pretty easy to establish that both are from the same general period. In this case, around the spring of 1968.