Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Anyone happen to know / confirm / conjecture what Paul was using on guitar for Taxman?

I've heard it was his Epiphone Casino, and I'm guessing he was using Fender amps by then; but what I'm really interested in is what he is using to get that awesome fuzz tone on the solos? What was his signal chain?

Still one of my favorite fuzz tones ever.

Peace.

Every time I listen to The Beatles, I'm more amazed; its getting better all the time.

One of the fuzzes the Beatles were using at the time was the Vox Tone Bender (used for the fuzz bass on Think For Yourself). It's possible he used that.

rsm wrote:Every time I listen to The Beatles, I'm more amazed; its getting better all the time.

A spendid time is guaranteed for all!

It was the Casino, likely running through a Fender Showman. It is possible he did use the Vox Tone Bender as well.

Sweet! Thanks for this info!

A little search on the 'Net shows the Vox Tone Bender is probably the grandaddy of all fuzz boxes!

Peace.

Anything is possible, but it sounds like a cranked amp to me rather than a fuzzbox.

The current (January) issue of Guitar Player magazine (with David Gilmour on the cover) has an article on the very last page entitled "40 years ago today" reprinting some discussion Paul had in prior years. A good part of the Q&A article centered on the Taxman solo and feedback tone -- Paul indicated the Epi Casino.


By the way, Kenny did a tasteful version of the Taxman solo at our Mini Con jam on Saturday !!!

Rich F.

8mileshigher wrote:By the way, Kenny did a tasteful version of the Taxman solo at our Mini Con jam on Saturday !!!

Rich F.

Thanks Rich!

I've always heard it was the Vox AC30 cranked and the Epiphone Casino. I can get pretty close with that combination myself. I've heard Macca mention that combination in the past also as being one of his favorites.

Greg

soundmasterg wrote:I've always heard it was the Vox AC30 cranked and the Epiphone Casino.

Greg

According to the RTB book the AC30 wasn't in the studio. The only Vox amp available during the Revolver sessions was the 7120.The rest of the amps were Fenders.

Thanks everyone. Well, I have a Casino (Lennon model), but no Fender amps, AC30, 7120 or Vox Tone Bender, so it would be an approximation. I have an Axe-Fx, so I suppose I should start trying to model a cranked AC30 and/or approximating the distortion I hear...thing is, I've nothing to AB it with. (cranking my amp, of any kind, is not really an option here I'd be sleeping in the car!

Kenny, what did you use on the Mini Con Jam mentioned to approximate or nail this tone?

(Kenny, I'm new to this forum...you work for Ric? You worked on the Bose T1 presets, correct? If so, I gotta say, these presets sound great! )

Peace.

rsm wrote:Kenny, what did you use on the Mini Con Jam mentioned to approximate or nail this tone?

I used whatever was there. (As it was a very informal setting, I didn't do any prep whatsoever. I didn't even bring my own guitar!) I think I was playing Paul A's new red 360WB through a Tube Screamer into an AC30cc2.

My suggestion is to not get hung up on distortion if trying to dial in that sound, it doesn't work like that. That tone comes from a loud guitar with no center block played LOUD, just on the brink of feedback.

You know what's weird? I've had great luck getting the Revolver guitar sound with a Fender Pro Junior amp. No effects, just turn the amp about 2/3 up. Snarl!

(Kenny, I'm new to this forum...you work for Ric? You worked on the Bose T1 presets, correct? If so, I gotta say, these presets sound great! )

Thanks! John and I helped out with that.

The Tone Bender was the Fuzz used all the way from "Rubber Soul" until "The White Album", when George (I think) got a hold of a Fuzz Face.

George and John also experimented with a Gibson Maestro Fuzztone during "With the Beatles". Weird, too, because the only guitars George and John were using were all hollow (Gibson J-160E, Gretsch Country Gent, Ric 325) in some way.

Well I suppose it could have been the 7120 too, though the distortion that thing produces sounds too hard to my ears as compared to Taxman. Could be though....

It doesn't sound like a Fender to me....especially considering the Casino was the guitar used.

Greg

Richard --- follow this link to GuitarPlayer.com and you can read the Paul McCartney "40 Years Ago today" article that addresses the Taxman solo and the Epi and the Vox AC30 choices, etc.



http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/pau ... n-09/92107



Regards
Rich F.

Like this quote from Paul in the article.

“Maybe you could play it like this.” I can’t remember how it happened that I played it, but it was probably one of those times when somebody says, “Well, why don’t you do it then?”

It was George who said,"Why don't you just play it." This was after McCartney told him to really 'attack' the lead. Crank it up. Maybe I missed something, but other than Paul's reference to a Vox amp, I saw no mention of the AC30 inparticular.

The Vox 7120 had a variable distortion circuit which could emulate various 'fuzz' sounds.