Clean Tone

Something

The Beatles

Bassrock1960s

Original Gear

BassHöfner 500/1 Violin Bass (circa 1963)

AmpFender Bassman (likely blackface or blonde era), possibly blended with DI

PickupsDual single-coil pickups (neck and bridge, passive)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass7

mid5.5

treble4

presence4

compression4.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, Abbey Road Studios, 1969

Tone Character(9)

deep and thumpywarm, rounded lowsmuted attackslightly hollow midrangesoft, pillowy note envelopevery compressed and evenno audible grit or driveclassic late-60s Beatles bass soundstudio-polished clarity

Difficulty

The part is melodically interesting but technically straightforward, relying on a steady pick technique, palm muting, and dynamic control to achieve the iconic muted, compressed tone.

Sources

How to get that late Beatles Paul McCartney sound?How Can I achieve Paul Mccartney’s bass sound without using his gear (rickenbacker, hofner etc) by just using eq, pedals? Specifically i want to sound my bass on songs like “oh!darling”, “rain”, and “something” by the beatles.How to get McCartney bass tone?Paul McCartney bass tone

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