Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

The Beatles have influenced every part of my musical journey since it began in 69. My first "good" bass was 67 Hofner. Pauls first solo effort had the poster of him sitting with his 4001S. Done deal, had to have one. Why, not because Paul played it, but because of the tone he got with it. Mark

The Beatles have probably influenced everyone in some way, whether they know it or not, since the early '60s.

jps wrote:The Beatles have probably influenced everyone in some way, whether they know it or not, since the early '60s.

True... still one can wonder what would have evolved out of Motown and Surf rock

But.. still when you think of Paul and gear first thought is Hofner... And yeah those things really took on and are used in everything.. oh wait...

The easy answer is Yes.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and most likely paint myself into a corner, but here goes. I was never a fan of the Beatles. For the record, I was never into Yes or Rush. My I-Pod only has one Beatle's song, "I Want You/She's So Heavy". There are a few songs of theirs that I like but not enough to call myself a fan or to have influenced my choice of instruments. When I was quite active in bands, (in my high School and post High School days), I played Fender's, sorry. I listened to and played Punk and Rock and Roll. Strangler's, Pistols, Clash, The Jamb, Killing Joke, Gang of Four, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Hendrix.... I did not even know that MACCA played a Rickenbacker. I love the sound Squire gets from his Rickenbacker and there is no denying the skill of either he or Geddy. But none of the three "pushed" me from Fender to a Rickenbacker. I don't really remember if it was the look of the 4001 bass or the tone of it that caused me to dump my P Bass for a used 4001 but it was a life changing move. From the instant I held that 4001 in my hands, I knew it was a perfect fit. No other instrument ever has ever felt and sounded so right.

Many years would pass before I once again owned a RIC and played music but the memory of that first 4001 was burned in my brain.

Sepp

Yes, thanks to Johnny Marr and Peter Buck.

Probably. While I like the Beatles. They were never a big influence in my guitar choices. If I have to mention any Ric influences, it would be bands like The Jam, The Smithereens, Lets Active, REM, etc. - in other words punk and alternative (with a little hard rock thrown in for good measure) bands.

Well yes and no. There's absolutely no doubt that whatever instruments The Beatles used-and that's all of them, not just Rics, had an effect on not only the masses, but deep inside the circle of the stars of the those days....Doubt me? Look at the Byrds, CCR, The Stones...that list is a veritable who's who in rock and roll.
Personally, I inherited a '64 RM 1997/B16a Supersonic/Framus 12 string from a family member who passed away back in '68. He was a HUGE Beatles fan (as well as other genres of that era), and I learned first hand what the greatness and falacies of Rics are. I've owned pretty much every "popular" style guitar The Beatles have used (sans the Epi Texan, any of the Vox guitars, John's Gretsch & John's 320-12). It just goes with the territory of playing The Beatles music...They evolved so much from '62-'70, that for me, I had to learn what they used during each "era" of their musical journey, and accordingly, utilize the tools of their trade. It has been quite the learning experience, and during that time, have gained knowledge about how different lines and models of guitars played, and in some cases, what can/should be done in order to get them to play the way I want/like them to play.
That is what makes music so wonderful. The ability of it to appeal to the masses, but at the same time, push the masses to make it work for themselves on a more intimate scale....

YMMV

More to the point, if John, George and Paul didn't play guitar, would I have even taken it up in the first place?

fabandgear wrote:More to the point, if John, George and Paul didn't play guitar, would I have even taken it up in the first place?

The most sensible post in all 9 pages.

fabandgear wrote:More to the point, if John, George and Paul didn't play guitar, would I have even taken it up in the first place?

That's a good question. Probably. But, that's because my musical background guitar-wise, is sort of the exception to the rule - my grandfather played guitar in dance bands as far back as the 20s. Also, he was an acoustic guitar luthier (he made me my first guitar, when I was 6 years old). My uncle (my grampa's youngest son, and my dad's youngest brother), also plays guitar. I think grampa influenced both my uncle and I, with regards to wanting to play guitar (he certainly didn't coerce anybody into learning how to play guitar, otherwise my dad would have learned how to play at least some guitar - as it is, my dad has never had any interest in learning how to play guitar). So, with my grampa and uncle both playing guitar (when I was little, I thought it was cool to watch them play), and being guitar influences for me, I probably would have played guitar, irregardless of whether or not the Beatles played guitar.

I would have ended up playing trombone and leading a big band like my favorite orchestra leader!

That's Glenn Miller. What did I win?

yup...Byrds influence more than likely...the instruments are nothing short of amazing..finally I could afford one...CW 360 the sound is 'perfect'

bassduke49 wrote:That's Glenn Miller. What did I win?

Well, if you're In The Mood, you get a ticket on the Chattanooga Choo Choo to Kalamazoo!

...or a String of Pearls! your choice!

fabandgear wrote:

bassduke49 wrote:That's Glenn Miller. What did I win?

Well, if you're In The Mood, you get a ticket on the Chattanooga Choo Choo to Kalamazoo!

I didn't know it went by Cedarburg.