Paul's Playing, Ric vs Hofner
Paul's Playing, Ric vs Hofner
I've heard McCartney say many times that the light weight short scale Hofner allows him to play differently. I've been revisiting the London Town and Back to the Egg albums and then the stuff from the last 20 years. On Egypt Station, he plays some beautiful lines that discard the root note, dispensing with typical, clichéd bass lines and finding passages that are unique. He's all over that fretboard and tastefully so. He's fluid on the Ric and his lines are just as unique, and his playing might have evolved over time. I am definitely not arguing that one style is better than the other nor that he's not as good at playing the Ric. It's just a different instrument all together, seems to always fit the songs. I prefer the Ric because for me 66-78 are golden years for his sound and playing. He didn't use the Ric exclusively at any time, but it dominates his recordings in this period.
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