Macca's Ric

[nukebass]

I would argue the McCartney sound is as much the Rickenbacker as it is the Hofner. He used it (nearly?) exclusively from Revolver through Magical Mystery Tour and often afterwards. Touring live with Wings he used the Rickenbacker extensively and the Hofner didn't see use until the Tripping the Live Fantastic Tour (following Flowers in the Dirt). The Hofner had to undergo repairs to intonate properly because the original Hofner bass never did.

Lennon stopped using the Rickenbacker by 1965, I believe.

[FretlessOnly]

I don't have the numbers in front of me (too late and I did this research a few months ago), but considering that Paul used his Hofner up through all of Help! and on all of the Let it Be sessions (that he actually played bass on), a Jazz bass on about three songs from The Beatles, plus Old Brown Shoe and Mean Mr. Mustard/Polythene Pam, and John or George used a Jazz or Fender Bass VI on perhaps 10-12 songs from '68-'69, and Macca didn't play on She Said She Said, the numbers crunched out to reveal that Paul used the 4001S on just about the same number of songs for which he used the Hofner, if I recall correctly. How's that for a run-on sentence?

Regardless of the exact numbers, Paul's identity with the RIck is unquestionable.

[JakeK]

Let's see if I can try and get the exact number of Beatles songs (that are released on the Stereo and Mono box sets) I know and believe Paul used the Hofner, Ric and Jazz on and how many songs George and John used the Bass VI and right handed Jazz on.

'61 Hofner Beatle:
Love Me Do (two versions)
PS I Love You
Please Please Me
Ask Me Why
I Saw Her Standing There
Misery
Anna (Go to Him)
Chains
Boys
Baby It's You
Do You Want to Know a Secret
A Taste of Honey
There's a Place
Twist and Shout
From Me to You
Thank You Girl
She Loves You
I'll Get You
It Won't Be Long
All My Loving
Don't Bother Me
Little Child
Till There Was You
Please Mr Postman
Roll Over Beethoven
Hold Me Tight
You Really Got a Hold On Me
Devil In Her Heart
Not a Second Time
Money (That's What I Want)
Revolution

'62 Hofner Beatle:
All I've Got to Do
I Wanna Be Your Man
I Want to Hold Your Hand
This Boy
Sie Leibt Dich
Can't Buy Me Love
You Can't Do That
Long Tall Sally
I Call Your Name
Slow Down
Matchbox
A Hard Day's Night
I Should Have Known Better
If I Fell
I'm Happy Just to Dance With You
And I Love Her
Tell Me Why
Any Time At All
I'll Cry Instead
Things We Said Today
When I Get Home
I'll Be Back
I Feel Fine
She's a Woman
No Reply
I'm a Loser
Baby's In Black
Rock & Roll Music
I'll Follow the Sun
Mr. Moonlight
Eight Days a Week
Words of Love
Honey Don't
Every Little Thing
I Don't Want to Spoil the Party
What You're Doing
Everybody's Trying to be My Baby
Kansas City
Help!
The Night Before
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
I Need You
Another Girl
You're Gonna Lose That Girl
Ticket to Ride
Act Naturally
It's Only Love
You Like Me Too Much
Tell Me What You See
I've Just Seen a Face
Dizzy Miss Lizzy
Bad Boy
Yes It Is
I'm Down
Drive My Car
Norwegian Wood
Nowhere Man
Think for Yourself (regular bass line)
Michelle
What Goes On
Girl
In My Life
Wait
If I Needed Someone
Run for Your Life
Day Tripper
We Can Work It Out
Get Back
Don't Let Me Down
Dig a Pony
I've Got a Feeling
One After 909
Something
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
I Me Mine

Rickenbacker 4001S:
You Won't See Me
Think For Yourself (fuzz bass)
The Word
I'm Looking Through You
Paperback Writer
Rain
Taxman
I'm Only Sleeping
Love You To (fuzz and regular bass)
Here There and Everywhere
Yellow Submarine
Good Day Sunshine
And Your Bird Can Sing
For No One
Doctor Robert
I Want to Tell You
Got to Get You Into My Life
Tomorrow Never Knows
Strawberry Fields Forever
Penny Lane
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
With a Little Help From My Friends
Lucy In the Sky
Getting Better
Fixing a Hole (most of us believe it was Paul, also going into the George/John bass pile, note about that there)
Mr. Kite
When I'm 64
Lovely Rita
Good Morning, Good Morning
Sgt Pepper Reprise
Day in the Life
Only a Northern Song
All Together Now
It's All Too Much
Magical Mystery Tour
Fool on the Hill
Flying
Blue Jay Way
Your Mother Should Know
I Am the Walrus
Hello Goodbye
Baby You're a Rich Man
All You Need Is Love
Lady Madonna
Hey Bulldog
Revolution 1
Happiness Is a Warm Gun
Me and My Monkey
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Bungalow Bill
Birthday
Don't Pass Me By
Come Together
Ballad of John & Yoko
Old Brown Shoe
Oh! Darling
Octopus' Garden
Polythene Pam
Came In Through the Bathroom Window

Jazz Bass (Paul):
Back in the USSR
Glass Onion
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Martha My Dear
I'm So Tired
Piggies
Why Don't We Do It In the Road
Yer Blues
Sexy Sadie
Long Long Long
Mean Mr. Mustard (with Fuzz)

George, Burns bass/Bass VI/Jazz Bass
She Said She Said
Hey Jude
Cry Baby Cry
Honey Pie
Hey Jude
Back in the USSR
You Never Give Me Your Money
Maxwell's Silver Hammer
Golden Slumbers
Carry That Weight
The End

John, Bass VI/Jazz Bass:
Fixing a Hole (an EMI Studio engineer remembers John playing a Fender bass on this track, model unknown)
Rocky Raccoon
Helter Skelter
Let It Be
The Long and Winding Road

Whew! No one give me he77 about how long this is or how much free time I have or if I'm missing any. I just rolled these off the top of my head. Nothing to it.

[rickaddict]

So basically...what you're saying is that Paul played the Rickenbacker on all of the tunes where the bass sounded fantastic. The ones where the bass sounded mediocre were the Hofner.

I understand now.

[maplered]

Cry Baby Cry and You Never Give Me Your Money are most likely Paul on bass, probably the Rick.

[servant]

I posted this over in the Rock Band Isolated Tracks thread but never got a response (which is OK). Does anyone have any comments regarding this?

On the Anthology footage, which Abbey Road track is it that George Harrison comments on for the bass sound? "Listen to that direct injection. Who is playing that?" It's either You Never Give Me Your Money or Golden Slumbers. George Martin comments that this is take one, and piano and bass are both there, so it can't be Paul. George H must have forgot what song(s) he played bass on. Remember the photo of him in the sunglasses playing the Jazz Bass?

I just listened to both, posted earlier, and something jumped out at me in YNGMYM. From 0:00 - 0:52, the bass tone is very punchy / trebly. From 0:53 to the end of the track, the bass tone changes. Is this all Paul on the Rick, and he just flips the pickup selector switch, or could this be George on the first part and possibly Paul taking over for the remainder of the track on an overdub or punch-in? Have a listen and let me know what you think.

Here is congerz83's link for the You Never Give Me Your Money isolated bass track. I'm leaning toward a punch in or re-record because the amount of headphone bleed changes right when the bass tone changes. ("Oh, that magic feeling" pops out all of a sudden.)

EDIT: Just played the Anthology bit. They were playing back and discussing Golden Slumbers, not YNGMYM.

[MyBBruce]

Whether any of this is true or correct really doesn't matter at this point. I am not knocking Rickenbacker's. As I mentioned I have several. No bass's though. I was just trying to point out that if you asked people what guitar did so in so from the Beatles play. If these were just your average people that actually knew the instruments . They would say John Rickenbacker George Gretch and Paul Hofner. However most of your average fans no little or nothing about Brands of instruments. Or even what Beatles played what part. Let alone instrument. One thing I guarantee they would know. Paul had a guitar that looked like a violin.

I also find it odd if Hofner is such an inferior bass. Why is a man worth billions still playing one almost exclusively these days.

Since getting the old Hofner I've had more people say hey that's a beatles guitar. They don't even know it's a bass. I've never had anyone say anything close to that about my Ric's. I have 3 325's and a 350v63. As well as a few 360's.

I've been shopping for a 620 or 660 recently. With that guitar I've heard, Oh you mean a Tom Petty.

I have no doubt in the studio different instruments were used. What was used in live performances probably had something to do with the look they wanted the Beatles to have.

Please understand I am referring to earlier Beatles not the Roof top Beatles .

Good luck with your Mac Ric Project' Hope it's of some success..

[maplered]

I posted this over in the Rock Band Isolated Tracks thread but never got a response (which is OK). Does anyone have any comments regarding this?

On the Anthology footage, which Abbey Road track is it that George Harrison comments on for the bass sound? "Listen to that direct injection. Who is playing that?" It's either You Never Give Me Your Money or Golden Slumbers. George Martin comments that this is take one, and piano and bass are both there, so it can't be Paul. George H must have forgot what song(s) he played bass on. Remember the photo of him in the sunglasses playing the Jazz Bass?

I just listened to both, posted earlier, and something jumped out at me in YNGMYM. From 0:00 - 0:52, the bass tone is very punchy / trebly. From 0:53 to the end of the track, the bass tone changes. Is this all Paul on the Rick, and he just flips the pickup selector switch, or could this be George on the first part and possibly Paul taking over for the remainder of the track on an overdub or punch-in? Have a listen and let me know what you think.

Here is congerz83's link for the You Never Give Me Your Money isolated bass track. I'm leaning toward a punch in or re-record because the amount of headphone bleed changes right when the bass tone changes. ("Oh, that magic feeling" pops out all of a sudden.)

EDIT: Just played the Anthology bit. They were playing back and discussing Golden Slumbers, not YNGMYM.

Golden Slumbers and YNGMYM sound like different basses and you're right George did play bass on Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight.

YNYGMYM sounds like the same bass to me throughout the song even if it is a little bit trebly at some point.

[FretlessOnly]

YNYGMYM sounds like the same bass to me throughout the song even if it is a little bit trebly at some point.

It's my understanding that much of what sounds like bass is really McCartney on either his Casino or Esquire played through a bass amp. The reason this sticks in my mind so strongly is that for years, I marvelled at the opening bass part and how melodic it was for bass. Later, I read in what I considered to be a reliable source (I just can't remember what it is right now) that McCartney plays these lines on either guitar, bass and/or both in places. If you listen closely to the intro, you can hear how just about when the vocals come in, the bass (for real) comes in.

This guitar as bassline was also used as the fuzz bass in Think For Yourself. It's listed as fuzz bass, but it's really fuzz guitar being used to play the bassline.

I don't mean to state these points as unequivocal fact, but they are the results of my assessment of McCartney's playing in the Beatles. I've read numerous books, articles, etc. over the years and this is where I've arrived.

[johnhall]

I just don't see Paul dumping the Hofner he calls baby to play his Rickenbacker. Maybe on certain songs he will who knows. Will it spark a revolution? Probably only if your a Ric fanatic. JMHO

It depends upon which venue you are referring to. The majority of his recorded work has been done with his RIC bass, when he can sit down to play in the studio. Live, the featherweight Hofner is much more kind on his aching back. At age 60 I have begun to sympathize greatly!

[nukebass]

Driving Rain and Choas and Creation list the instruments he plays and only one song lists a Rickenbacker bass. Recently he's been relying on the Hofner it seems.

[chucksimms]

Our bass player recently acquired a vintage Hofner, and I'm surprised more people don't play them! I know I've often read they're too fragile/junky/insubstantial etc. but it plays beautifully and really has a wonderful and unique tone.
Of course, I do think Macca's best sounding bass work is on the Rick. There are so many songs, especially from the '67-'68 period that I hear his tone and it is truly definitive. His output from that era rates among some of the best recorded and creative basslines in pop ever. Hofner or Rick? I love them both.
As for the 'here's what he played on what' lists: it's George playing a bass (I suspect it's a Jazz bass) on Old Brown Shoe. I read an interview some years ago where George claimed the part, which makes sense when you recognize he's doubled it on guitar. And as for Something... sounds more like the Rick to me but I may be wrong!

[antipodean]

Our bass player recently acquired a vintage Hofner, and I'm surprised more people don't play them! I know I've often read they're too fragile/junky/insubstantial etc. but it plays beautifully and really has a wonderful and unique tone.
Of course, I do think Macca's best sounding bass work is on the Rick. There are so many songs, especially from the '67-'68 period that I hear his tone and it is truly definitive. His output from that era rates among some of the best recorded and creative basslines in pop ever. Hofner or Rick? I love them both.
As for the 'here's what he played on what' lists: it's George playing a bass (I suspect it's a Jazz bass) on Old Brown Shoe. I read an interview some years ago where George claimed the part, which makes sense when you recognize he's doubled it on guitar. And as for Something... sounds more like the Rick to me but I may be wrong!

"Something" is definitely the 4001S - there was an interview with Sir Paul in Bass Player a few years ago where he indicated this to be the case. A good deal of the bass line is played from the 8th to 12th fret and at the time the Hofner's intonation problems ruled it out.

BTW Hofners are great little basses - they are a bit idiosyncratic, but once you're used to them, you're hooked!

[MyBBruce]

LET THE WORLD KNOW YOU WANT PAUL TO BRING BACK THE 4001. JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP!! http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=147641915268984

I truley wish you luck with this but I don't it's going to happen. Paul actually did try shedding the Hofner image after the Beatles. Look at how often Video's like Helen Wheels, With a little Luck, etc featured the Ricenbacker. It's a cool bass no doubt.

Problem is you could talk to just about anyone in the world that knows the name Paul McCartney. If you were to ask them what instrument he plays. Many would say the Hofner bass. Even people like my wife who doesn't know a thing about Guitars knows he plays a violin type guitar. I am sure if there was an Instrument Trivia question and the answer was Paul McCartney - we know what the most popular answer would be. Besides that I remember 10 plus years ago reading an interview where he stated the Hofner was more like playing a guitar than your normal bass. I'm sure he meant live. As to recording he's no different than we are. It's fun to try different things.

I read somewhere that he endeavors to make each song sound different like the Beatles did. Unlike many other Artist where so many songs sound the same..Sort of..Good luck though Seriously. If you pull that off. My hats off to you..I guess even for trying

[maplered]

YNYGMYM sounds like the same bass to me throughout the song even if it is a little bit trebly at some point.

It's my understanding that much of what sounds like bass is really McCartney on either his Casino or Esquire played through a bass amp. The reason this sticks in my mind so strongly is that for years, I marvelled at the opening bass part and how melodic it was for bass. Later, I read in what I considered to be a reliable source (I just can't remember what it is right now) that McCartney plays these lines on either guitar, bass and/or both in places. If you listen closely to the intro, you can hear how just about when the vocals come in, the bass (for real) comes in.

This guitar as bassline was also used as the fuzz bass in Think For Yourself. It's listed as fuzz bass, but it's really fuzz guitar being used to play the bassline.

I don't mean to state these points as unequivocal fact, but they are the results of my assessment of McCartney's playing in the Beatles. I've read numerous books, articles, etc. over the years and this is where I've arrived.

Think For Yourself definitely sounds like a bass. The lower notes are clearly an octave lower than guitar notes. The bass notes on You Never Give Me Your Money don't sound anything like a guitar to my ears. There is some guitar at the beginning of the song and then the bass comes in but I don't think I've ever confused the two for the same instrument.