BEATLE'S BASS SOUND

[DEEPBASS]

How can I best adjust my Starfire II bass and Fender Rumble 500 to "sound" like Paul McCartney's Hofner?

 

[fronobulax]

Good question and no idea. I await informed responses and the result of a personal side bet about how long it takes to mention another bassist whose tone is of great interest.

While waiting I will note that there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that much of a person's tone comes from their plucking hand. Whether you use a pick or your fingers, moving where you plunk, up or down the neck, can bring you closer to someone else. There are other tricks if you use fingers.

Oh yeah, since it can make a difference, what year is the Starfire? Newark Street (current production), 90's, 70's or 60's?

 

[jp]

I was able to get very close to his sound on my Hofner Club through a Portaflex, but I also used to get a workable sound on my Epiphone Rivoli.

Of course, you have to start with a set of flatwounds. I'd set my EQ on my bass and amp to get full lows, full lower mids, and highs cut to almost zero. On my Rivoli, I would use a small piece of sponge near the bridge to slightly dampen sustain. Also, probably because of the low-powered amps of the time, you might want to add a little compression and a touch of overdrive to get close to his tone. YMMV.

Most importantly, of course, as frono mentions, technique plays a huge role, especially when choosing to use pick or fingers and muting with the picking/plucking hand. This is a song-by-song decision, and deciphering whether Macca was using his Hofner or a Fender Jazz.

 

[DEEPBASS]

Good question and no idea. I await informed responses and the result of a personal side bet about how long it takes to mention another bassist whose tone is of great interest.

While waiting I will note that there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that much of a person's tone comes from their plucking hand. Whether you use a pick or your fingers, moving where you plunk, up or down the neck, can bring you closer to someone else. There are other tricks if you use fingers.

Oh yeah, since it can make a difference, what year is the Starfire? Newark Street (current production), 90's, 70's or 60's?

How can I best adjust my Starfire II bass and Fender Rumble 500 to "sound" like Paul McCartney's Hofner?

How can I best adjust my Starfire II bass and Fender Rumble 500 to "sound" like Paul McCartney's Hofner?

 

[Nuuska]

Paul's fingers are not the key - they are only the tools - the key is his head

 

[fronobulax]

Paul's fingers are not the key - they are only the tools - the key is his head

Yeah if we really want to revisit that, at some point it is the player, not the equipment. Since the question was about tone I focused on things that changed tone. Sir Paul's head may be making the decisions but his hand is executing them. If I don't know what Sir Paul was thinking then I try and copy his equipment and what he actually is doing. But the more I can get into his head, the better chance I have of getting the same tone.

 

[HeyMikey]

And while you guys as on the subject, please tell me know how to sound just like him when I sing.

 

[guitarlover]

As I understand Paul oftrn plays bass with a pick, so his fingers are certainly not the key ;-))

 

[walrus]

There's a great bit of banter on a bootleg around the Rubber soul period - it's on Anthology also - where they stop at the beginning of a song and Paul says something like "Wait! I forgot my plectrum!".

walrus

 

[fronobulax]

As I understand Paul oftrn plays bass with a pick, so his fingers are certainly not the key ;-))

Probably being too literal here. You hold a pick with your fingers and how you hold it and where you pluck effect tone so whether Sir Paul uses a pick or not, I still maintain his fingers are a component of his tone

 

[Guildedagain]

Hollow Body bass, flatwound strings, neck p'up with treble rolled off, vintage Blonde CG6-A Fender Bassman with 2x12 cab optional.

A 2x12 Bassman can be devastating for bass, just not with any basses Fender made.