Riff Tone

Drive My Car

The Beatles

Guitarrock1960s

Original Gear

Guitar1961 Epiphone Casino (Paul McCartney, rhythm riff section)

AmpVox AC30

PickupsP-90 single-coil pickups

Amp Settings

gain4.5

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb1.5

presence5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1965. Main riff played by Paul McCartney on Casino, John Lennon on Rickenbacker 325, George Harrison on Fender Stratocaster (slide/lead, not riff). Gear confirmed for studio session; no pedals used, amp cranked for breakup.

Tone Character(10)

warm and punchyslightly compressededge-of-breakup crunchbright and articulatefull-bodiedpercussive attackvintage semi-hollow resonancetight low endclear midrange presenceclassic British amp chime

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, syncopated rhythm playing and precise muting, but uses straightforward fretting and picking, making it accessible to intermediate players.

Sources

Amp Settings for Drive My Car by The Beatles (guitars and tone)Get a Beatles Style Tone with AMPED 1 - Blackstar Beatles Amplifier 1964-66ish - Gearspace

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account