Michelle and the 4001S

westtexasrickenbacker · Tue Dec 19, 2006 10:57 am

Did McCartney like the Jazz?

I think the official count is 8 songs on the White Album where he used it. And then we don't read about it being used much more after that.

I think it was also used once on Here Comes the Sun on the Abbey Road album and that is it. I think I read somewhere that George Harrison liked the sound of the Jazz better than the 4001. The nerve!!

maplered · Post by **maplered** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 1:40 pm

Personally, I think he used it on most of the White Album. Its also shown up during the 70's, so I would say it was part of his arsenal of basses. In the 70's, pretty much it was either the Rick or his Fender than later a Yamaha and even a Rick Fretless appears.

bee_atles · Post by **bee_atles** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 3:08 pm

The White Album has it's fair share of Ric too.

lyle_from_minneapolis · Tue Dec 19, 2006 4:57 pm

I would guess the bass on Helter Skelter was a 4001. Sure sounds like one to me, especially near the end.

rickboy88 · Post by **rickboy88** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 7:41 pm

I'm going to quote myself from the Rick corporate forum:

------------

http://www.thecanteen.com/mccartney7.html

(good Ric 4001S pics on the prior webpages)

According this site (which refers to "The Beatles as Musicians, Vol. I"), Paul played the Jazz on:

Yer Blues
Glass Onion
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Sun King
Mean Mr. Mustard

-----------

The bass on Helter Skelter sounds to me like the one on "Yer Blues," but it has been a bit since I've heard both.

rickinroma · Post by **rickinroma** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 9:25 pm

IMveryHO anytime his bass (expecially in white album) sounds a wee bit "out of tune" and "redundantly sloppy" (I am not sure I can get it across with this translation) that's the Jazz Bass...whilst the rick has a more compact and stable tone, both in trebly or bassy sound.

xsubs · Post by **xsubs** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 5:25 am

As we all admire Paul's bass sound so much, I thought I'd chime in...
Greg mentions that DI had begun to be used in the studio around the time of REVOLVER, which is not correct according to the Beatles lead engineer. Here's a quote by Geoff Emerick:
"On Pepper(Sgt. Pepper's LP) we were using the luxury of utilizing one track for bass overdub on some of the things... We used to stay behind after the sessions, and Paul would dub all the bass on. I used to use a valve C12 microphone on Paul's amp,sometimes on figure-eight, and sometimes up to eight feet away, believe it or not. Direct injection wasn't used on the guitars until Abbey Road." [Musician/July 1987][Beatlesongs/Dowlding]

Another interesting note on Paul's bass sound also comes from Geoff. It's related to Paul's sound on the single 'Paperback Writer', IMHO one of the most incredible bass sounds ever.
"Paperback Writer was the first time the bass sound had been heard in all its excitement. For a start, Paul played a different bass, a Rickenbacker. Then we all boosted it further by using a loudspeaker as a microphone. We positioned it directly in front of the bass speaker and the moving diaphragm of the second speaker made the electric current." [The Beatles: Recording Sessions/1988]

Both books are great reading too.
Cheers
Sean

soundmasterg · Post by **soundmasterg** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 8:41 am

Yah Sean, I've seen that. The recent "Recording the Beatles" book goes into this very thing and they theorize that the DI was used earlier and Geoff Emerick's memory is a bit off. They provide some pretty good proof too. A great book.

stephena · Post by **stephena** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 9:36 am

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

An illusion is shattered! I have always loved the sound of the bass on this track, especially as it approaches the final fade, and had always just assumed that it was a Rickenbacker. Now to be told that it was really a Fender...!

(Aside: Why can't I use HTML? I have the "Enable HTML code in message" box checked.)

rickinroma · Post by **rickinroma** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 9:58 pm

I think he doubled the bass on While My Guitar Gently Weeps, playing counterpoints here and there... and one of the bass tracks has a low D (or the song was varied in speed so that the low E sounds like a low D)
...this is pretty clear i.e. at 3m.16s and 3m.49s from start

karl_teten · Post by **karl_teten** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 12:40 am

Emerick is quoted that Lennon played bass during one Sgt. Pepper recording where DI was used in his new book!

stephena · Post by **stephena** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 5:07 am

Hey, Karl!

On "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," it sounds as though the bass was split, with one signal coming directly into the board and another through an amp. Double-tracking might account for what I think I hear, though.

karl_teten · Post by **karl_teten** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 11:20 am

Holy Moly!! Hey Steve!!! What's it been....17 years?!?!? Don't tell the bass guys here about your 4005! lol Send me an email!

stephena · Post by **stephena** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 4:50 pm

Karl... oops. I've already posted pictures in "Rickenbacker Artists » Entwistle with a 4005" and "Rickenbacker Guitars » Impulse Buy - 360/12".

Hey, you actually played my 4005, all those years ago!

beatlefan · Post by **beatlefan** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 11:06 am

sniff-sniff....hmmmm...ANOTHER 4005 on the Ric Forum scene?