Riff Tone

Yesterday

The Beatles

Guitarother1960s

Original Gear

Guitar1962 Gibson J-160E acoustic-electric

AmpDirect to console (EMI REDD.51 desk, possibly with subtle compression); amp not used on studio recording

PickupsSingle P-90 (soundhole, magnetic, passive)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5

mid6

treble6

reverb1

presence5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1965. Paul McCartney played the entire guitar part solo on his Gibson J-160E, mic'd directly in the studio. No electric amp or pedals were used on the original studio recording. Live performances sometimes used a small amp for monitoring, but the classic recording is direct-mic'd acoustic.

Tone Character(10)

warm and woodynatural acoustic resonanceclear and articulatesoft, rounded attackmellow highssubtle midrange presenceno electric colorationgentle, fingerpicked dynamicsintimate and dryno audible effects

Difficulty

The riff requires basic fingerpicking technique and smooth chord changes, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast passages.

Sources

“It’s the exact same model Paul McCartney played on Yesterday during the Beatles’ ’65 Ed Sullivan TV appearance. I’ll always treasure that guitar more than anything”: The heavy metal star whose most prized guitar is an acoustic | MusicRadar

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