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Paul McCartneys 5 String Rickenbacker Bass

#21
FrednBass said:
"I played the Wal, and what I liked was I played very, very
normal bass, really out of the way, because I didn't want to
'feature.' There are one or two moments where I break a little
bit loose, but mostly I try to anchor the track. There's one
lovely moment when it modulates to *C*, so I was able to use
the low *C* of the 5-string--and that's it, the only time I use
the low one, which I like, rather than just bassing out and
being low, low, low. I play normal bass, and then there's this
low *C* and the song takes off. It actually takes off anyway
because a lot of harmonies come in and stuff, but it's a real cool
moment that I'm proud of. That's my Wal moment."

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

I recall this interview. Wasn't he only talking about Free as a Bird, or am I mistaken?
 
#27
Ric5 said:
I know he has the 1964 4001s, and the 4003s5 pictured above. I think he also has 4004ci. I don't know what he has after that.
Click to expand...

He has a fretless 4001, probably 1973 or 74 (don't see checker binding, but the bass pickup is at the half-inch position), and John Hall mentioned recently that PM also has (or had) a 4001V63 (or maybe a C64?).
 
#28
Ric5 said:
That is a stock 4003s5 with black trim and it looks to have a painted fretboard as well.
Click to expand...

Not a "stock" 4003S/5, but a Blackstar 5 which is the reason the fingerboard is painted black. The position markers are tiny "pin dots" and don't show well in this photo (they would be right underneath the A string). Only a handful of five-string Blackstars were made, so I feel safe in saying this may be the ONLY lefty of the breed.
 
#29
That photo probably dates back to the late 1980's or early 1990's. At least just from looking at Macca himself. I can't recall ever having seen him use that bass live. But he did use his Wal 5 string live on the tour that yielded the live album Tripping the live fantastic. Linda bought him the Wal, and he used it on tunes like "Rough ride" and "Figure of 8" as I recall. There's a concert video of that which was released around the same time as the live album.
 
#31
I played a 5 string Ric once at 30th street Guitars in NYC, i think it was converted 4 string because the spacing was impossibly tight, dint know they actually came out like that in production. It was beat up and very expensive but sounded good, def a pick players axe, cant really fit fingers in there.
 
#32
RedMoses said:
I played a 5 string Ric once at 30th street Guitars in NYC, i think it was converted 4 string because the spacing was impossibly tight, dint know they actually came out like that in production. It was beat up and very expensive but sounded good, def a pick players axe, cant really fit fingers in there.
Click to expand...
You can. It just takes some adjustment on your attacking fingers.

I think it took me about 2 months to figure out how to play it like that.

I don't play mine with a pick at all. Sometimes I play the 4 stringer 4003 I have with a pick but usually I don't.

But yes, definitely a pick players axe... unless you adjust it like Ric5 states and widen the spacing out a bit.
 
#34
FrednBass said:
"I played the Wal, and what I liked was I played very, very
normal bass, really out of the way, because I didn't want to
'feature.' There are one or two moments where I break a little
bit loose, but mostly I try to anchor the track. There's one
lovely moment when it modulates to *C*, so I was able to use
the low *C* of the 5-string--and that's it, the only time I use
the low one, which I like, rather than just bassing out and
being low, low, low. I play normal bass, and then there's this
low *C* and the song takes off. It actually takes off anyway
because a lot of harmonies come in and stuff, but it's a real cool
moment that I'm proud of. That's my Wal moment."

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

But he does use the B string in the "Flowers in the Dirt" LP, and not only on "Figure of Eight."
 
#36
FrednBass said:
"I played the Wal, and what I liked was I played very, very
normal bass, really out of the way, because I didn't want to
'feature.' There are one or two moments where I break a little
bit loose, but mostly I try to anchor the track. There's one
lovely moment when it modulates to *C*, so I was able to use
the low *C* of the 5-string--and that's it, the only time I use
the low one, which I like, rather than just bassing out and
being low, low, low. I play normal bass, and then there's this
low *C* and the song takes off. It actually takes off anyway
because a lot of harmonies come in and stuff, but it's a real cool
moment that I'm proud of. That's my Wal moment."

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


Very nice thanks for that
 
#37
Baird6869 said:
Great jacket in any case.

I had a couch like that in 1989.
Click to expand...

You know, the coat actually keyed me in closer on when this photo was taken. It looks more and more like it was from around 1990, because Macca wore that coat in some of the interview segments for The Beatles Anthology. While the Anthology came out in 1995, the interviews and production began as far back as 1990.

The thing is, I've only seen footage of Sir Paul using a couple of basses on that 1990 world tour. The '63 Hofner and the Wal 5 string. Otherwise he was playing guitar or piano on stage. And when he was doing that, Hamish Stuart was playing bass. And he plays right-handed!

Be that as it may, I recall seeing Rickenbacker 5 strings only once in a blue moon back in the early & mid 1990's. I'd love to try one, but I get the feeling that they might disappoint when it comes to string spacing.
 
#39
^ indeed, Hamish Stuart played a 5-string on many of the live performances of songs that Sir Paul was on guitar/piano during those touring years 1989 - 1993

OFF THE GROUND album, from which songs were featured in the performances between 1991 - 1993 surely feature the B string, using mostly the C and D notes (such as on the low C and D on "peace in the neighbourhood" and the low C on "biker like an icon" and "c'mon people")

evidence :)
-

:)
 

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