Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I tried but haven't found any info on this. I'm thinking he or his tech may have indicated something in an interview. Anyone?

Try here:

http://www.askpaulaquestion.com/















JK

i think a lot of these older professional musicians are not that technical about their basses and just leave mods and repairs to roadies and repair/luthier persons. some may not even know what you're talking about or have memories that far back...they just play.

I think you're right about him just playing and not being too technical. Of course there is his famous quote about which strings he uses, "long shiny ones"! I think he just knows what sound he wants and gets it regardless of the equipment. I mean if you listen to different eras his sound is pretty much the same whether he's playing the Hofner, Rick, Yamaha, or Wal. The only time I think it's really noticeable is on the White Album when he uses the Jazz.

I'm fairly sure he used the neck pickup exclusively on his Hofner,...so maybe the same with the Rick.

In which case, the bridge pickup sound wasn't an issue.

And,....did Ric even have that capacitor on a '64 bass?

I think its an act. I think Paul is very technical. Don't let the "long shiny ones" line fool you. I think Paul knows exactly what he likes and doesn't like on his instruments. Look at all the changes he made to the 4001. Are we to believe that he hasn't cracked it open and played around with it? I don't buy it for a second.

Off topic (what isn't?), but I believe George was very technical. He always knew what sound he wanted, which guitars/amps made what noise and what strings he wanted. Perhaps in the early days, he wasn't so technical, but I think the older he got, the more knowledge he gained. Think about the extensive collection of guitars/amps he had. I have no doubt George knew what was up.

Paul, too, is technical and cares about his stuff and knows what he wants. Look at his large collection. He probably knows what strings do what, and wants them all changed out as a set. I'm sure he also has different deals with different makers and the "long shiny ones" quote was so he won't expose anybody.

John, on the other hand, was not technical at all. The Beatles' Gear book stated that when the person who turned the V81 325 into it's current state began work, John had some missing knobs, loose pickups (the disconnected middle pickup?) and some missing strings on the guitar, and whatever strings were left were a mixture of flat and roundwound, implying that he rarely changed strings as a set. He also had a very small collection of guitars, compared to that of George or Paul. He also used whatever was in his hand and had no care to what he really liked.

I think John's only fascination with the technical side of music were with 4 track machines in 1967-1969 and the experimental and creative posibilities they offered.

simer4001 wrote:I think its an act. I think Paul is very technical. Don't let the "long shiny ones" line fool you. I think Paul knows exactly what he likes and doesn't like on his instruments. Look at all the changes he made to the 4001. Are we to believe that he hasn't cracked it open and played around with it? I don't buy it for a second.

paul did not make those changes to the 4001s, rickenbacker repair dept. did. he gave them the bass and a timeline to finish before the wings tour. when he got it back ...the rear pickup and surround were changed ( why was the surround changed ?)because it was not working and the aluminum tailpiece assy as it was cracked. the body was also sanded and sealed against sweat and grime. other things were also done, but this is besides the point. i'm not saying he's stupid, just that he's foremost a player and lets the proper people do the repair work.

remember...we're a strange bunch who pick apart everything about our instruments down to glue, materials and windings and there are others who have never taken off their pickguard or take their instruments to a music shop to have the strings changed or polished. difference...we are technical fanatics,,,others are just players. nothing wrong with either expertise.

BAD RONBO, KiLLeR DWaRfS wrote:

simer4001 wrote:I think its an act. I think Paul is very technical. Don't let the "long shiny ones" line fool you. I think Paul knows exactly what he likes and doesn't like on his instruments. Look at all the changes he made to the 4001. Are we to believe that he hasn't cracked it open and played around with it? I don't buy it for a second.

paul did not make those changes to the 4001s, rickenbacker repair dept. did. he gave them the bass and a timeline to finish before the wings tour. when he got it back ...the rear pickup and surround were changed ( why was the surround changed ?)because it was not working and the aluminum tailpiece assy as it was cracked. the body was also sanded and sealed against sweat and grime. other things were also done, but this is besides the point. i'm not saying he's stupid, just that he's foremost a player and lets the proper people do the repair work.

remember...we're a strange bunch who pick apart everything about our instruments down to glue, materials and windings and there are others who have never taken off their pickguard or take their instruments to a music shop to have the strings changed or polished. difference...we are technical fanatics,,,others are just players. nothing wrong with either expertise.

They made some changes back in the 70's. That bass has been modified several times before and after.