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Paul Mccartney tone on Abbey Road

#41
I always love this question. It leads to pages if posts. But the answer can be easily found. There are three very good sources for what instruments the Beatles used on what record/song: "The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions" by Mark Lewisohn, "Recording the Beatles" and "Beatles Gear" by Andy Babiuk. The answers are in these books. So it really isn't much of a mystery.
 
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#45
toddoutloud said:
A better question is, why should anyone care what bass Macca used?
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There are a staggering number of people that do though. There is also widespread speculation about how tall they were, how big their feet were, what kind of drugs they did ( including their chosen method of delivering them to their systems) and every other bit of useless minutia that had anything to do with them directly or indirectly.
 
#48
When trying to duplicate the sound of an older recorded bass line, people forget or aren't aware that the microphones, mixing console, channel strip, EQ, hardware processors, tape decks, the engineers, etc. all can, and normally do, significantly alter the bass sound. Its not just the bass/amp/strings.
 
#49
Okay here is what I think:
Paul's hofner always came out of tune when he went high on the neck. So I believe in "I want you", he used the Rick because it sound much cleaner and articulated. "Something" is most likely the hofner. I say that because when he plays the low notes, they sound very hollow and muddy kind of. Maxwell's silver hammer is George on the on Fender VI. You can tell because the type of playing is very different from Paul's playing. It also sounds almost like an electric guitar riff. Paul's '66 Jazz Bass sounds scratchy because he was using a pick with roundwounds. (Like glass onion, while my guitar gently weeps, etc.)
 
#53
warnergt said:
There used to be a great site listing all the Beatles gear here:
Invalid Link Removed
but it seems to have gone away.

You can still catch the cached data here:
http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=abbey+road+wanadoo&d=4998654776382592&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=a2740aca,54663997

On Abbey Road, it lists the following:
Come Together - Paul Rickenbacker 4001S
Something - Paul Hofner 500/1
Maxwell's Silver Hammer - George Fender Bass VI
Oh! Darling - Paul Fender Jazz Bass
Octopus's Garden - Paul Rickenbacker 4001S
I Want You (She's So Heavy) - Paul Hofner 500/1
Here Comes The Sun - Paul Rickenbacker 4001S
Because - Paul Rickenbacker 4001S
You Never Give Me Your Money - Paul Rickenbacker 4001S
Sun King - Paul Fender Jazz Bass
Mean Mr Mustard - Paul Fender Jazz Bass
Polythene Pam - Paul Rickenbacker 4001S
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window - Paul Rickenbacker 4001S
Golden Slumbers - George Fender Jazz Bass
Carry That Weight - George Fender Jazz Bass
The End - Paul Rickenbacker 4001S
Her Majesty - NA
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:hyper: Cool, I used to have a NA bass! That means I am cool too! I will admit the tone was always so...uh...transparent.
 
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#57
Wow I never knew the Beatles used a Jazz bass. Oh wait, no they virtually never did (did they ever). So it's still 99% Hofner and Rickenbacker just as us Brits thought. Well there's a thing.

As for McCartney forgetting what bass he used on what, I'm sure he was far more wrapped up with writing the music (along with the other issues mentioned already) to be bothered with that - and he recorded hundreds of tracks - why would he remember - I'm guessing the basses sound fairly similar anyway (as indeed, many basses do even now).

Interesting debate though!!
 
#60
drTSTingray said:
Wow I never knew the Beatles used a Jazz bass. Oh wait, no they virtually never did (did they ever). So it's still 99% Hofner and Rickenbacker just as us Brits thought. Well there's a thing.

He also has a Musicman Sterling (though didn't use it on Abbey Road -although at the time of release, his presence in the cover shot wearing no shoes on the zebra crossing outside the Abbey Road studio was taken by some impressionable people as indicating he was dead) - so maybe one of the sessions guys at the time played it all - Herbie Flowers, or a couple of years earlier it could have been John Paul Jones!!

As for McCartney forgetting what bass he used on what, I'm sure he was far more wrapped up with writing the music (along with the other issues mentioned already) to be bothered with that - and he recorded hundreds of tracks - why would anyone care - I'm guessing the basses sound fairly similar anyway (as indeed, many basses do even now).

Interesting debate though!!
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lol. Never used the jazz bass huh? Okay. Well, Paul may not remember what he used, but there were a lot of other people around and many of them remember and they are all pretty much talking about it. There are forums that rival the size and scope of this one which are dedicated specifically to the gear The Beatles used. Lots of those people hang out there and lots of them say he used the J. That, coupled with the fact that you can hear the damn thing on those tracks is more than enough to convince me. ;)
 
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