Rare Photo - McCartney Plays 4001S

[SamBailler]

Just to clarify, the first BWANNNGGG comes in at 2:31, and is repeated as the first beat of each alternate bar during the fade-out. It starts just as the backward vocal is introduced to the mix just after everything stops.

My original post on the topic mentions the BWANNNGG just before the backward vocals.

[wolfgang]

yes, now I agree, Francesco and Sam,
but then we have to decide wether it was a guitar playing the arpeggio, or if Paul played bass on the fast backing track, with the bridge pu in use over a guitar amp and /or treble booster, providing these psychedelic raindrops. It sounds really dark for an open A-string on guitar.
This is what you are talking about!

Wolfgang

[SamBailler]

yes, now I agree,

This is what you are talking about!

Wolfgang

Thank You Wolfgang, I thought I was going mad. My apologies if I didn't make it clear where the BWANNNGGs were .

[rickinroma]

Wolfgang, the weird sound must be due to the fact that the backing track was played in A while the final version was slowed down to G

try to record a guitar into a backing track playin in A....slow it down to G...not only the speed and the tuning will be affected. Even the sound of it will appear pretty weird

and if you record it into the backing track going on in G, and then listening to in G without slowing it down, you will notice the difference even with the 1st one recorded in A and heard in G

On top of it, the 1st note of the arpeggio sounds like it is an open low E (on A chord) and slowing it down (since the final version is in G) it sounds like a low D, hence the idea of being a potential bass guitar note

[SamBailler]

Again, to my ears, the guitar arpeggios are played the same throughout the song. Only the bass changes at 2:31 to play the 'open' BWANNNGS. I would even go as far as suggesting that, if McCartney played in G, after the song had been slowed down, then the capo on 5 would only make sense if he had detuned his E string to D (capo fretting a low G). That would greatly enhance the flapping open bass string sound I am hearing.

[wolfgang]

hello Sam, hello Francesco,
I can't stop now. So I made another test. Here is my latest speculation about Rain:

What we know: The basic track (drums and guitars) were played very fast in the key of A
and recorded at a tape speed 12% too fast.
Slowing this down to the normal tape speed slows the track down to the key of G,
resulting in an "unusual sonic texture, deep and murky" (Geoff Emerick).

All vocals, tambourine and the bass were recorded in normal speed, so Paul played
the bass in G.

Now my speculation: the BWANNNGS were made in the following way:
In the still fast basic track an additional guitar was added (playing an open A arpeggio a,e,a), recorded 12 % too fast (same as the basic track) but in additional double speed (say 30inch/sec instead of 15inch/second). After all, slowed down to the desired speed, we have an additional guitar in the fade out, sounding an octave too low. That means a guitar in the pitch of a bass guitar.

Is this rubbish?
Well I sped up the song from G to A, I listend to Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, but the guitars and drums sounded normal. Then I doubled speed to the fade out sequence,
and Donald's nephews were singing, but there it was:
a natural sounding electric guitar playing the BWANNNGS a, e, a and again a, e, a...

Wolfgang

[bigbajo60]

+1... At first "normal" listen, I thought the tonality was that of a slowed down guitar string.

With the speed adjusted, I personally am left with no doubt that it is a six-stringer providing that twang'd note.

Just my .02... YMMV.

[rickinroma]

an additional guitar in the fade out, sounding an octave too low. That means a guitar in the pitch of a bass guitar

genau, you got it

[SamBailler]

Wolfgang, that sounds pretty amazing and very plausible, but I'm going to need a 3rd guitarist with an octave pedal! I will just have to stick to replicating it on the bass in performance, I do a very good impression of a slowed down guitar. This unfortunately still leaves the unanswered question:

Which Beatle track from 65/66 requires Macca to capo at the 5th?

[leftybass]

Wolfgang, that sounds pretty amazing and very plausible, but I'm going to need a 3rd guitarist with an octave pedal! I will just have to stick to replicating it on the bass in performance, I do a very good impression of a slowed down guitar. This unfortunately still leaves the unanswered question:

capo2.jpg

Which Beatle track from 65/66 requires Macca to capo at the 5th?

Sam, I think you are right.

The note on 'Rain' is made with a bass. Probably the one in the picture, although that pic is probably from the Rubber Soul sessions. Some have said that 'Michelle' was recorded with a capo-d bass, but I dunno.....

For a guitar to make the note, it would have to be detuned an octave. With the 4001-S capo'd, the lines can be played AND the note can be plucked......all in one performance take if need be.....no overdub.....could be on the record, though.

[wolfgang]

"Which Beatle track from 65/66 requires Macca to capo at the 5th?"

I always thought it was the fuzz bass part of Think For Yourself.
Don't know why.
But it is for Rubber Soul There is a corresponding photo with Paul, George Harrison and George Martin. I can't attach it, but it is one of brammy's.

Wolfgang

[rickinroma]

the BWANNNGS is a guitar

http://files.me.com/clay.blair/j3f55n.mp3

[simer4001]

The first video shows the back of the 4001S during the Let it Be sessions. The bass still has the fireglo neck. Which tells me the bass was obviously sanded down during the Let it Be Sessions because it pops up again in the second video link in Mapleglo, during "Two of Us

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6jPdtOh ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1Y3PlmwnRM

[DavyR]

I remember John Biscuiti saying that Paul's pickups were wired the wrong way just like they were on his (former) 4001V63. ala, up: HS, down: Toaster
There are quite a few pics of Paul playing his 4001s on Beatle sessions with the pickup switch down. It's been suggested that the wiring harness was flipped on his bass (since left handed ones weren't readily available I suppose?) and down meant toaster.

Yes, we collectively came to that possible theory a long time ago. I just can't believe that they made a 60's HS sound like a toaster back then, given that Paul plays over the toaster too.
I still think it's wired in reverse.

It appears that McCartney only played thru the neck toaster PU of his 4001 RIC. The PU selector is always set for one PU in all these pics. This would also be consistant with his Hofner setting preference in which the neck pickup is only selected. The Hofner appears this way in all the pics, also. LOL! When selecting the Hofner neck PU only you engage a high-filter (cut) cap. McCartney probably thought that this setting was adding more bass since he was so untechnical. The Hofner is permanently set that way now. So, if I'm correct, to attempt to reproduce the McCarteny sound one would have to select the neck PU only. Also, hard to believe that all the Beatles' records were actually recorded this way. But it's no doubt true! LOL!

[JakeK]

From the "Hey Bulldog" session