Clean Tone
Help!
The Beatles
Bassrock1960s
Original Gear
BassHöfner 500/1 Violin Bass (early 1960s model)
AmpFender Bassman Blonde (early 1960s head + cab)
PickupsDual single-coil pickups (neck and bridge, passive)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass7
mid5
treble4
presence3.5
compression2
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1965, Abbey Road; McCartney played his Höfner 500/1 through a Fender Bassman amp for most of the 'Help!' album sessions. No evidence of DI for this track.
Tone Character(9)
deep and thumpyrounded low endslightly muted attackwoody, hollow resonancemellow highspunchy but not aggressiveshort sustainno audible distortionclassic 60s pop/rock bass
Difficulty
The bass part is straightforward, mostly root notes and simple fills, played fingerstyle at a moderate tempo. There are no advanced techniques or complex rhythms.
Sources
The Beatles' guitars & amps: what they played on every album | Guitar WorldBesides getting VOX for free, why did The Beatles play mostly VOX, it doesnt seems to fit with their clean style of sound, wouldn't a Fender style amp or maybe even Marshall have fit way better? : r/GuitarAmpsHow Can I achieve Paul Mccartney's bass sound without using his ...
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Create Free AccountBassrock1960s
Original Gear
BassHöfner 500/1 Violin Bass (early 1960s model)
AmpFender Bassman Blonde (early 1960s head + cab)
PickupsDual single-coil pickups (neck and bridge, passive)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass7
mid5
treble4
presence3.5
compression2
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Sources
The Beatles' guitars & amps: what they played on every album | Guitar WorldBesides getting VOX for free, why did The Beatles play mostly VOX, it doesnt seems to fit with their clean style of sound, wouldn't a Fender style amp or maybe even Marshall have fit way better? : r/GuitarAmpsHow Can I achieve Paul Mccartney's bass sound without using his ...
Notes
Studio recording, 1965, Abbey Road; McCartney played his Höfner 500/1 through a Fender Bassman amp for most of the 'Help!' album sessions. No evidence of DI for this track.
Tone Character(9)
deep and thumpyrounded low endslightly muted attackwoody, hollow resonancemellow highspunchy but not aggressiveshort sustainno audible distortionclassic 60s pop/rock bass
Difficulty
The bass part is straightforward, mostly root notes and simple fills, played fingerstyle at a moderate tempo. There are no advanced techniques or complex rhythms.
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- Blackbird · riff
- Helter Skelter · riff
- Here Comes the Sun · riff