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Paul Mccartney tone on Abbey Road

#61
There's a funny video from The Beatles Anthology of McCartney, Harrison & Ringo sitting around with George Martin. They're all listening to some early takes of "Golden Slumbers", the first song of the closing medley from Abbey Road. None of them could explicitly recall who played bass on the track. However, George eventually came to the realization that it was either him or John Lennon playing bass on that particular track since it was a fairly fleshed out set of basic tracks: vocal, piano, drums & bass.

And you've got to love this image of George Harrison playing a Jazz bass. This is very likely from the Abbey Road sessions:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#64
Floyd Eye said:
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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I think I said hardly ever, not never! And why would he - the whole Beatles sound is based on a different bass sound from that - some tracks from Abbey Road do seem to be influenced by music of the era (you can hear quite a Britsh blues influence for instance in I Want You) - so that would maybe lead to a desire for a slightly different bass sound.

I always though I Want You (She's So Heavy) sounded like a Jazz bass until I just heard the isolated track. Those quick high scales are incredible!
 
#68
-=DanAtkinson=- said:
To me this confusion over which bass Paul used on which track speaks volumes about the significance of little things like wood or high-mass bridges when it comes to tone. If so many bass players have a hard time telling a Rick from a Hofner from a Jazz in a mix, how much can those little things really matter?

:hiding:
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+1 well said
 
#69
ShoeManiac said:
There's a funny video from The Beatles Anthology of McCartney, Harrison & Ringo sitting around with George Martin. They're all listening to some early takes of "Golden Slumbers", the first song of the closing medley from Abbey Road. None of them could explicitly recall who played bass on the track. However, George eventually came to the realization that it was either him or John Lennon playing bass on that particular track since it was a fairly fleshed out set of basic tracks: vocal, piano, drums & bass.
Click to expand...

I'll REPOST. :eek:

The Beatles don't even remember. And they WERE there.
 
#71
ddnidd1 said:
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.
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Good sense. Fr'example, I think it's well known that on Pepper anyway the engineer laid the bass track on last, with levels set to bring it to the front. So as someone else says here, making a fuss about which instrument played which is, with respect, train-spotter territory! And I love the post which makes the point that concern about which wood, which bridge, all that stuff gets into focus pretty sharply if we can't pick out the tone for sure on really well-known albums and between such different instruments.
 
#72
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=ab...2&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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Ok
 
#74
I find it quite interesting to see so much Höfner use. I've always assumed Abbey Road was about 3/4 Rick and 1/4 Jazz. Apparently I was quite wrong.

I've also thought I Want You was the Rick. Personally, I find those fills that go up to the 19th fret quite difficult to play on my Squier P, and would be probably be just as difficult on a Rick, but I think much easier on a Höfner, it has 22 frets and shaped completely different... maybe I should look into buying that '64 Höfner? (I know guy locally looking to sell his)
 
#75
-=DanAtkinson=- said:
To me this confusion over which bass Paul used on which track speaks volumes about the significance of little things like wood or high-mass bridges when it comes to tone. If so many bass players have a hard time telling a Rick from a Hofner from a Jazz in a mix, how much can those little things really matter?

:hiding:
Click to expand...

Well put! Okay, I admit that I'm curious about these things too (what gear-head wouldn't be?), and there's nothing wrong with it. And yes, I can hear a very definite difference between a 4001 vs a J vs a Hoffner vs a whatever (ALL ELSE BEING EQUAL). Still....
 
#76
winterburn69 said:
I've also thought I Want You was the Rick. Personally, I find those fills that go up to the 19th fret quite difficult to play on my Squier P, and would be probably be just as difficult on a Rick, but I think much easier on a Höfner, it has 22 frets and shaped completely different... maybe I should look into buying that '64 Höfner? (I know guy locally looking to sell his)
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"I want you" is definitely a standout on Abbey Road. I think there are a couple of things that key you in on the fact that this track features the '63 Hofner.

First, the tuning/intonation. Frankly, it sounds a little bit out of tune on the track. You might also notice the tuning issues on some of the songs from the rooftop concert portion of Let it Be, too. Notably when he's playing higher up on the neck on "Don't let me down". That tuning/intonation issue was a chronic issue. So much so that the Hofner was retired from service during McCartney's solo career. That is until Elvis Costello enlisted him to play bass on his song "Veronica", and specifically asked him to play the Hofner. At that point McCartney had the guys at Mandolin Brothers in New York work on setting up the Hofner, and it plays much more in tune, now.

Then there are the fills on "I want you". Those have always been a little jarring to hear. But if you watch Let it be, and you see The Beatles sitting around Twickenham studios jamming, you'll notice McCartney just noodling on the '61 Hofner between songs, but doing so REALLY FAST. And that noodling is very reminiscent of some of the fills you hear in "I want you". I've heard him quoted that the Hofner was really easy to play because of it's size & scale. That footage from Twickenham studios definitely highlights that.
 
#77
ShoeManiac said:
"I want you" is definitely a standout on Abbey Road. I think there are a couple of things that key you in on the fact that this track features the '63 Hofner.

First, the tuning/intonation. Frankly, it sounds a little bit out of tune on the track. You might also notice the tuning issues on some of the songs from the rooftop concert portion of Let it Be, too. Notably when he's playing higher up on the neck on "Don't let me down". That tuning/intonation issue was a chronic issue. So much so that the Hofner was retired from service during McCartney's solo career. That is until Elvis Costello enlisted him to play bass on his song "Veronica", and specifically asked him to play the Hofner. At that point McCartney had the guys at Mandolin Brothers in New York work on setting up the Hofner, and it plays much more in tune, now.

Then there are the fills on "I want you". Those have always been a little jarring to hear. But if you watch Let it be, and you see The Beatles sitting around Twickenham studios jamming, you'll notice McCartney just noodling on the '61 Hofner between songs, but doing so REALLY FAST. And that noodling is very reminiscent of some of the fills you hear in "I want you". I've heard him quoted that the Hofner was really easy to play because of it's size & scale. That footage from Twickenham studios definitely highlights that.
Click to expand...

Hmmm. I've only seen Let it Be once, I found it quite depressing, it paints a very sad picture of the greatest band ever. I suppose being that the Höfner is a short scale those fills would be WAY easier to play. I've listened to the isolated track a few times and never noticed it being a bit out of tune, guess my ears don't work right :S

...slightly off topic, anyone ever try adding an octave pedal to Beatles songs? usually sounds great IMO. I always use an octave on I Want to Hold Your Hand, Lady Madonna and during the outro of I Want You among others. Other stuff like Hey Bulldog and Come Together doesn't need anything else.
 
#78
winterburn69 said:
Hmmm. I've only seen Let it Be once, I found it quite depressing, it paints a very sad picture of the greatest band ever. I suppose being that the Höfner is a short scale those fills would be WAY easier to play. I've listened to the isolated track a few times and never noticed it being a bit out of tune, guess my ears don't work right :S
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+1

The Let it be film is absolutely depressing. And that's because you're seeing the beginning of The Beatles breaking up. I suspect it's the rancor and pain which is clear in the movie that might be the reason why The Beatles haven't reissued the film during the DVD or BluRay era. It's uncomfortable to watch them during their stay at Twickenham film studios.

Billy Preston's presence along with moving the sessions to the studio at Apple Records really helped to save the project. And on the subject of Let it be, it was 44 years ago TODAY that The Beatles performed their rooftop concert atop the Apple Records building on Saville Row in London!
 
#79
I don't get depressed watching it to see absolute genius at work I never get tired of it the breakup was inevitable you can't contain a force with that much talent it is just not possible and for me one of the saddest days of my life is when John was killed that monster destroyed my dream of my beloved Beatles getting back together for one last concert.
 

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