Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi,
I am desperately looking for the sound of I wanna hold your hand, rhythm guitar of John Lennon.
I have the right ingredients : 325C58 in jetglo ( I think the color is most important ! ) equipped with Glen´s loom, and a old Vox AC30.
But i cannot get the right sound out of these things ! Please are there any secrets ?
Thanks !

Peter

What you are missing of course is the air from 1963 London.

Since the air has changed such a great deal in the last forty years, it is impossible to replicate that "atmosphere" of Beatlemania...



Beatlemania - Not a disease but an incredible simulation!

Use your tone knob. Make it as muffled as possible.

Ontario_RIC_fan wrote:What you are missing of course is the air from 1963 London.

Maybe you mean hair?

I think part of the tone lies in all the analogue recording equipment of the day for a bit as well. You might get close but never exactly the same!

I agree with JB, roll off treble as much as possible. I can hear George Martin playing a Hammond organ, too.

This fellow seemed to nail it pretty well and has the same guitar as you...

I read a really interesting book recently by the engineer from most of the Beatle albums, "Here, There, and Everywhere" by Geoff Emerick. In it he talks a lot about how they were experimenting with changing the sound via the recording process. Odd mics, overdriving the board, etc.

One of the most interesting ones was where they took a bass cabinet put it face to face with Paul's bass cabinet, wired it into the board and used that as the microphone. I don't have the book here, but I think this was for Penny Lane.

Interesting book, not at all flattering to John, George, or Ringo. The author was close with Paul and it shows.

-Harry

JakeK wrote: I can hear George Martin playing a Hammond organ, too.

Where?

I did some research, and it was George Martin who said he did, but Steve Hoffman pointed out that there wasn't a Hammond said it was the muffly tone of the 325. As we've seen before, you can't go by memory, there has to be proof.

Flatwound strings?

This sound like

*dead roundwound strings (if any were around at that time)
*flatwound strings
*too light gauge for the shortscale
*treble rolled off
*quite hard attack of the strings
*tube amp, analogue recorded without any fancy stuff

one of those or a combination

Didn't they use Pyramid strings? Pyramids are flatwound, but with a looser wrap so that they have a more flexible feel.
Just my 2 cents worth!


Jim

Play it like you're beating the **** out of your guitar. It works for me.

FabGearHead wrote:Didn't they use Pyramid strings? Pyramids are flatwound, but with a looser wrap so that they have a more flexible feel.
Just my 2 cents worth!
Jim

Probably not. They probably used Selmer strings. The reported literature seems to indicate they weren't too picky about strings.

As far as THAT SOUND? I can only refer you to the discussion in
Greg's Amplifier and Tube Tech Forum: by Greg Simon/VOX AC15 tube advice needed
I'd give that Pre amp/Gain Stage: 12AU7 (or similar) a try..... trust me, you'll LIKE IT!

Check out this one...

Peter,
just turn the tone pot to muddy. Use the bridge pu. If you are using a AC30, please use the brilliant channel, turn treble and bass to the low position, treble cut to the treble position
You really need the vox-bass cut character to get the right sound.
To me, the Hammond organ is a joke.
The sound of the rhythm guitar in Roll over Beethoven is pretty similar.
Wolfgang