Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

leftybass wrote:

simer4001 wrote:

leftybass wrote:Only the front side had been stripped, IIRC. It wasn't totally finish-free until round #2, when Paul applied his 'handy-work' to it.

I don't believe this to be correct. Paul took the bass to a guy in Soho and had it completely stripped. It was later that Paul stripped it again rounding out the horns. Here is a photo that has been floating around here for a while. The stripped bass in this picture still has the horns intact. I seriously doubt the back is still white and fireglo.

Wonder when this pic was taken....

It was taken in 1970 in the backyard of Cavendish Avenue.

simer4001 wrote:I don't believe this to be correct. Paul took the bass to a guy in Soho and had it completely stripped. It was later that Paul stripped it again rounding out the horns. Here is a photo that has been floating around here for a while. The stripped bass in this picture still has the horns intact. I seriously doubt the back is still white and fireglo.....

leftybass wrote:Wonder when this pic was taken....

It was taken in 1970 in the backyard of Cavendish Avenue.

LOL, I just found where we talked about this same thing on this thread in Nov. 2007..!!

It would be cool if a pic would surface from LIB that still showed the bass in psyhcadelic paint...

You would think with all the film that was shot there would be a a shot of the bass before the stripping.

IIRC, the bass was originally stripped at around the time Lennon stripped his Casino, so that would be around the time of Rev.

It wasn't stripped until early 1969 during the filming of Let it Be. On page 217 of Beatles Gear confirms the year.

simer4001 wrote:

leftybass wrote:Only the front side had been stripped, IIRC. It wasn't totally finish-free until round #2, when Paul applied his 'handy-work' to it.

I don't believe this to be correct. Paul took the bass to a guy in Soho and had it completely stripped. It was later that Paul stripped it again rounding out the horns. Here is a photo that has been floating around here for a while. The stripped bass in this picture still has the horns intact. I seriously doubt the back is still white and fireglo.

I'm still trying to find the issue of melody Maker that shows a full version of this shot. Anyone come across this issue?

Here is a good shot from Wings Over America.

actual_size wrote:

Which songs did Paul use a capoed bass on?

This picture is from "Rubber Soul" sessions, but some think Macca used a capo on "Tommorrow Never Knows", and we all know for a fact Ronn Roberts uses one on his 4001S for that same song.

JakeK wrote:This picture is from "Rubber Soul" sessions, but some think Macca used a capo on "Tommorrow Never Knows", and we all know for a fact Ronn Roberts uses one on his 4001S for that same song.

I think it's a session for 'Rain' where he uses the capo. Legend has it that Rain was recorded in the key of 'A' and slowed down to (almost) 'G' on the record.

Towards the end of the song (just before the backwards Lennon vocal comes in), there is an almighty 'BWANNNGG' which sounds like an open bass string. If playing in 'A', then he could use the open A string, but the riff he is playing up at the octave uses the A on the 12th fret (as well as the D and G strings), so to produce an open A, he would need to capo at 5 and play the E string for the BWANNGG. All the other strings being capo-ed at 5 is not a problem because he plays the song almost exclusively up around frets 12 - 14 on all of the strings.

Just my theory.

Further to the above, if wanting to simulate this today, and playing in G (like the released version), use the capo on the 3rd fret.

BWANNNGGG...

SamBailler wrote:

JakeK wrote:This picture is from "Rubber Soul" sessions, but some think Macca used a capo on "Tommorrow Never Knows", and we all know for a fact Ronn Roberts uses one on his 4001S for that same song.

I think it's a session for 'Rain' where he uses the capo. Legend has it that Rain was recorded in the key of 'A' and slowed down to (almost) 'G' on the record.

Towards the end of the song (just before the backwards Lennon vocal comes in), there is an almighty 'BWANNNGG' which sounds like an open bass string. If playing in 'A', then he could use the open A string, but the riff he is playing up at the octave uses the A on the 12th fret (as well as the D and G strings), so to produce an open A, he would need to capo at 5 and play the E string for the BWANNGG. All the other strings being capo-ed at 5 is not a problem because he plays the song almost exclusively up around frets 12 - 14 on all of the strings.

Just my theory.

+1. I have thought this for years as well.

I disagree. Who's correct? Who knows, but in my opinion...the bass part(to Rain) is played high up the neck between the 10th and 12th frets. But perhaps I've been playing it wrong the last 15 years!!
And, I have always thought(at least since 1974 or so) that the low BWONNNG was played on guitar, as the first note in an arrpegiated chord.

iamthebassman wrote:I disagree. Who's correct? Who knows, but in my opinion...the bass part(to Rain) is played high up the neck between the 10th and 12th frets. But perhaps I've been playing it wrong the last 15 years!!
And, I have always thought(at least since 1974 or so) that the low BWONNNG was played on guitar, as the first note in an arrpegiated chord.

+1. I fake it by playing "Rain" in this tuning:

G (LOW, for the bwonnnng)
G (like 3rd pos on gtr)
D
g
b
gg

iamthebassman wrote:the bass part(to Rain) is played high up the neck between the 10th and 12th frets. But perhaps I've been playing it wrong the last 15 years!!

That's OK for playing in (almost) G along with the released recording, but Macca would have played it frets 12-14 in A, before it was slowed down in post-production.