McCartneys basses

greg_mitchell · Post by **greg_mitchell** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 4:24 pm

When did McCartney stop playing the Hofner and start playing his Ric? Did he swap back and forth between Hofner and Ric? I know he also played a Fender Jazz on some tunes from the White Album. What albums did he play which basses on? Did he play any other basses than the ones mentioned?
Thanks
Greg

oreca · Post by **oreca** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 7:52 pm

I'm not an expert on McCartney or basses but I think it's in '65, on Rubber Soul he first started using it.
He still used the Hofner as far as I'm concerned. He did live 'till the end as far as I'm concerned. With the exception of the live broadcast for All You Need Is Love.

He played his RIC bass on Revolver, Sgt Pepper's, and Magical Mystery Tour. Like I've said I'm no expert so I'm not sure about The Beatles (White Album) but I'm sure he must of done atleast a song with it... I don't really remember

.

beefandbones · Post by **beefandbones** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 12:28 pm

Paul might have used his 4001s on Rubber Soul tracks like Think for Yourself and Drive My Car, but the evidence is inconclusive. Mostly it's still the Hofner.

The great leap forward, sonically speaking, comes with Revolver and the Paperback Writer/Rain single. He used the Rickenbacker pretty exclusively on Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, and Magical Mystery Tour. The Rick remained his main bass through the white album, although he used the Fender Jazz on a few songs. While My Guitar Gently Weeps definitely sounds like a Jazz to me, but it's hard to say for sure which other songs might feature the Jazz. But to my ears, the Rick is in effect for most of the album.

After that, he went back to the Hofner for the Get Back/Let it Be stuff, because he was being filmed (and, I suppose, because they were 'getting back'). It should be noted that his Rick is in evidence in the background shots of the Let it Be film, so it was definitely present. After the filming stopped I suspect he continued using the Hofner on-and-off at least through the Ballad of John and Yoko single.

Abbey Road might be the only album to feature all three basses. The Hofner *might* be on the Abbey Road tracks that were started before 4/69 or so. But AR is mostly Rickenbacker and the Jazz. Lots of speculative threads around here on the basses on this album!

byu · Post by **byu** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 9:09 pm

Acording to the Babiuk book, Beatles Gear, "McCartney used his new left-handed Rickenbacker 4001S bass almost exclusively on the Rubber Soul sessions." P.172

beefandbones · Post by **beefandbones** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 8:04 am

Hmm...I thought that Rubber Soul was generally considered to be the twilight of the first Hofner era. It's 'almost exclusively' the Rickenbacker, eh? I'll have to give it another listen!

With Norman Smith engineering the Beatles albums up through Rubber Soul, I believe, the Rick would have probably been recorded the same way as the Hofner had, which could possibly result in a somewhat similar sound. When Geoff Emerick came aboard for Revolver, the bass sound changed a lot, so I suppose changing engineers could account for some of the change in tone, along with the Beatles being increasingly willing to experiment.

If that's the case, for revealing the possibilities of the 4001 and sculpting McCartney's tone, Geoff Emerick should be regarded as a Rickenbacker hero!

teeder · Post by **teeder** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 8:13 am

Emerick = definitely a hero!

But, I still hear "Hofner" all over Rubber Soul, with a few exceptions.

wolfgang · Post by **wolfgang** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 8:33 am

I think the rick was used at least on
Day tripper
Drive my car
Michelle
Nowhere man
Think for yourself (both, normal and fuzz bass)
What goes on (?)
Norwegian wood
The word

Any comment?

roadrunners · Post by **roadrunners** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 8:53 am

na, ive read accounts the say that the only recording in 1965 that the rick made it on to was think for yourself...george said that

apollo11 · Post by **apollo11** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 9:03 am

I would almost guarantee What Goes On? is on his Hofner. Listen to the instrumental break, the four bars with the low E to start off the solo, just after the "tell me why." It has hollow body tone all over it, especially the low e of the 4th repeated bar. This single note, listening cranked up in volume, is one of my favorite bass tones ever. You can hear the depth and vibration of the hollow body.
Anyone agree?

This in one of my all time favorite bass songs by McCartney---during Harrison's guitar solo in the right channel, McCartney is out-doing him, on bass, in the left. Great, hard driven bass tone captured in this song.

bottom4 · Post by **bottom4** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 2:21 pm

http://abbeyrd.best.vwh.net/paulbass.htm

lowendbob · Post by **lowendbob** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:51 pm

I agree Andrew, that is definitly the Hofner on "What Goes On". There was another thread a few months back on this. I think it may have been favorite Beatle songs.

beefandbones · Post by **beefandbones** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 4:20 pm

Good call, Andy! That's a great article I'd forgotten about. I think it's even been updated since the last time I read it.

roadrunners · Post by **roadrunners** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 7:29 am

there is no way that the majority of that album is rickenbacker. Im gonna have to go with what george said about "think for yourself" being the first time the bass was used, and the only track it was used on the album with