Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hey gang. I have a Beatle guitar arriving today and want your opinions on the best Beatle twelve string songs. I thought of Hard Day's Night and Ticket To Ride. What else goes well with a 360/12v64?

If I Needed Someone, You Can't Do That, Words Of Love.

Ah, the "Words of Love" debate... Supposedly George said that the chimey hyper-bright guitar work on WOL was actually his Tennessean with the bridge pickup only and the amp EQ set as bright as possible. It sure sounds like a Rickenbacker to me -- but then again (having owned and/or played a bit with a scatter-wound equipped 360-12 AND a vintage Hi-Lo Tron Gretsch) the Hi-Lo Tron is just about the closest thing to a vintage toaster in the world of guitar pickups.

I believe there have been several polite, brief discussions of this over at the BeatGear Forum (20-30 pages, 300 posts, lots of cursing, etc.).

I'd venture to say WOL was the Tennesean, having played one of the same vintage. WOL is bright and ringing, but not quite rick sounding to me.

You Can't Do That has the meanest sounding 12 string ever recorded. Then John's Rick comes in on that 7th chord sounding as serious as an air raid siren. Paul and Ringo lock in with that groove. Awesome song.

I vote for "I Call Your Name" as one of the toppermost.

I call your name

When I received my Danelectro 12 the other day, I listed all 12string songs in order of recording date:

Can't buy me love
You can't do that
I should have known better,
If I fell
I call your name
A hard day's night
Matchbox
Any time at all (?)
Eight days a week
Ticket to ride

the second 12string:

If I needed someone
And your bird can sing, Anthology version

right?

p.s. John used his 325/12 on
Every little thing

>> with the bridge pickup only and the amp EQ set as bright as possible<<

There were years and years where I think the setting never changed.

Wolfgang, "Can't Buy Me Love" with a 12-string? I think the recording predates the Rick 12. I also think "If I Fell" didn't have the Rick 12, and maybe not "Matchbox" either.

Words of Love is Gretsch HiLoTron, through and through, IMO. I'm thinking AC30, too, of course. I had a Gretsch Annie with HiLoTrons that would absolutely NAIL that tone.

I agree with Jerry about "You Can't Do That". Every word, in fact. I couldn't have said it better!

Chills up and down my spine!

I'm pretty sure that last little lick in "If I Fell" is the 360/12.

hello Paul,
they made the last overdubs on "Can't buy me love" the same day they recorded "You can't do that". 25 Feb 64, although the "Can't buy me love" tape was recorded earlier in Paris.
The 12-string is heard in the intro/chorus, strumming some chords, isn't it?.
In "If I fell" we have the acoustic J160 and an electric, to me again the Rickenbacker, probably the neck pu. Best heard in the outro.
On "Matchbox" John played his 325 Miami (the signature lick guitar part and the solo in one take. But he misplayed the solo, so he dubbed and doubled it. But, for some reason you can hear the original misplayed solo in the mono mix of the song. He was hitting some lower notes he shouldn't. Btw, he used the Accent vibrato, too).
George is playing the 12 string Rick as
rhythm guitar.
But, so far, nobody joined my opinion to Matchbox, yet. But to me, the 12-string is heard, anyway.

p.s. Is "misplayed" an english word for playing something wrong, to play a wrong note?
My dictionary has no entry...

I think it would be misplayed (one "s")...

Thanks, Lawton,
misplayed is the word I wanted to use. I made a correction. Thanks again.

Listening to Matchbox again, I'm very inclined to agree with you--the solo might very well be the 325, with a little vibrato arm and maybe some trem added.

Wolfgang, I was prepared to fight you to the finish on "Can't Buy Me Love". Forever, I just that it was his Gent on the bridge pup, and he was doing a quick upward stroke back by the bridge on Em7, Am, F6, G6. In my mind he was on the AC30 with full treble boost. In my own playing and recording the song, I had gotten (what I considered) the same sound using my own Country Classic and AD30VT. I KNEW this had to be the sound.

HOWEVER - before shooting my mouth off, I went looking for one of my Beatles CDs with the song, and the first CD I came to was "1". So, with the firm conviction that I would soundly prove you wrong, I started playing it and....dang, you are probably right.

"1" has a real stereo mix of CBML, as opposed to most others which always sound mono. And if you turn off the left speaker, there it is, under Paul's vocal on the right -- single hard strokes of those chords on what sounds to me now like the Rick. He only plays them during the chorus parts including outro, and the lead break is clearly the Gent, but I believe you're right.

I guess I'm not 100% convinced -- maybe 95%. But it WOULD make sense. He had just gotten the Rick in New York, and he was probably anxious to use it on a song as soon as he could. The overdub session on Feb. 25 would have been the perfect occasion. So I bow to you, Mr. Gebert!

And I agree on "If I Fell" -- I think the whole song was the 360/12, not just the end piece.