While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Bass Only)

[MissFonebone]

Sexy as hell.

[rogerscottq]

Round-wound strings.

[mtc1982mtc]

FROM BRAZIL

DO POST THE BASS ON "HONEY DON'T".

HUGS!

[MonkeySeeism]

Also they probably recorded it with the usual mic (Di?) and with a 2nd mic close to the strings.

[vmanbeatles]

Paul did play bass in this song. But the reason it sounds so weird for Paul is because he didn't use his Hofter or his Rickinbacker bass. Paul played a fender bass. I think that this the only song he ever used it on.

[zachisaniceperson]

at 0:15 i didnt no he played harmonics. damn, i messed up alot.

[dylanlenn]

my favorite has always been the last minute and a half

[fenderbacker1]

It's a true bass rather than the Fender VI, listen to his fingers sliding on the strings. Only bass strings sound like that as guitar stings sound different due to the thinner windings. I believe the Rickenbacker was used rather than the Fender Jazz. A bass mute was used and the Rickenbacker came with a mute built inside the bridge assembly and it sounds like a Ric anyway, a very distinctive sound. So I say it was Paul, with the Rickenbacker, and utilizing the treble pickup.

[appmanga]

This sounds like John. Paul's playing is generally more melodic. This is pretty stiff and sounds like the style of playing on Back In The USSR and Helter Skelter, which are John.

[LBrilliante]

@appmanga Ummm.. no this is not at all typical of Lennon's playing. This is actually quite typical of Mccartney's playing on the White Album in particular.. I'm So Tired.. Yer Blues.... even Martha My Dear all have this sort of trebly distorted bass sound. John played bass on Back in the USSR and may have played on the original Helter Skelter session but the version on the album is a McCartney overdubbed bassline. This is Paul's signature work on the White Album.

[LBrilliante]

@LBrilliante Also.. notice how McCartney plays off of Clapton's solo and even plays a fill that mirrors Ringo's fill near one of the final "Look at you all"'s. A Fender VI has a light mellow tone and couldn't get anywhere near this deep barking tone under normal circumstances. McCartney in an interview says that he plays the most melodic runs when using the Hofner.. but on the Rick or Yamaha kind of stuck to basics because they had a different feel.

[duoladkoapa]

@gagega1 i think it's John with the Fender VI baritone guitar, but 5 minutes ago, I saw a pic: Paul with a left handed Fender Jaguar bass, the same in TB:RB I thought it was because George played the bass, Macca the piano and Eric Clapton the leads on this, but it seems like actually Paul played the bass.

[gagega1]

I've read a lot about beatles recording, but about this song, I just heard that its John as i heard a lot this is Paul. I always try to find by myself but its a little hard. I think its John. The tone of this bass is the same of helter skelters bass, which is john playing.

[hoobadoobler]

@gagega1

It was Paul playing this song. Paul played the bass, George played acoustic, John played rhythm electric, and Eric Clapton played lead

[beatlefan247]

@gagega1 nah it was paul. the bass in this is alot "bassyer" than helter skelter which is full of treble, since a fender 6 string had strat pickups. This is definatly a jazz bass

[LBrilliante]

@beatlefan247 The book is in serious error that says that the Helter Skelter on the White Album is John.. he may have played bass during the original session but somewhere before the final album mix, McCartney overdubbed. The bass here is TREBLY AND BASSY.. the characteristics of the Rickenbacker bass.i.e. Long Distance Turnaround by YES whose Chris Squire also famously played the RIC.. same sort of tone.

[beatlefan247]

@LBrilliante thos are also the same characteristics on a jazz bass. you need to remember mccartney barely used the sharp punchy tone on his rick and preferedthe wooly sounded of the neck pick up

[martin2sax]

If you start listening from 1:00 you cant believe you are hearing the song

[Junk3t]

Awesome hearing the Rickenbacker 12-string doubling the bass line. That bass part has always sounded very distinctive to me and now I know why!

[MonkeySeeism]

The way these tracks were produced and engineered is just so great.

[LanceHall]

I don't really recall the extra guitar on the album mix, must be mixed really low.

[FlingsPooAtTheZoo]

@LanceHall Yeah, I never quite noticed that guitar at the "I don't know why/how" parts either--after hundreds of listens! But it's THERE in the normal stereo mix in the left channel (NOT in the right channel with the bass!), kinda subdued by Clapton's guitar, the eerie organ, and the piano. Subtle but effective.

[98JMA]

I can't hear the sound . . .

[rothwell59]

It is ment to be John playing the Fender v1,Paul was on the piano....

[TeamMastaPr2]

@rothwell59

John Lennon: electric guitar

Paul McCartney: bass, piano, Hammond organ, backing vocals

George Harrison: lead vocals, acoustic guitar, backing vocals

Ringo Starr: drums, percussion

Eric Clapton: lead guitar

[beatlefan247]

@rothwell59 nah, paul used a jazz bass on this one. john used the fender 6 string on other numbers though

[TeamMastaPr2]

While My Guitar Gently Weeps: Fender Jazz Bass Hey Jude: 6-string Fender IV bass Let It Be: 6-string Fender IV bass The Long and Winding Road: 6-string Fender IV bass All You Need Is Love: Rickenbacker Here Comes the Sun: Rickenbacker Dear Prudence: Rickenbacker Glass Onion: Fender Jazz Bass I Want You (She's So Heavy): Hofner Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (album): Rickenbacker Helter Skelter: 6-string Fender IV Something: Hofner The End: Rickenbacker Oh! Darling: Hofner

[Jcahalane]

@TeamMastaPr2 Fender VI.

[TeamMastaPr2]

@Jcahalane Yeah, sorry! I easily do mistakes between them :p

[MonkeySeeism]

Or possibly a mic.

[MonkeySeeism]

I suspect they had a mike close to the bass itself as well as the actual signal out. That's how they got that great klanky sound.

[Soundilike]

Sound like Mc. Cartney's RICKENBACKER bass with a little help from his friend GEORGE on his 12 string Rickenbacker on occasions, doesn't it? Only the RIC bass has this "knack" sound played hard.

[beatlefan247]

@Soundilike nah it was a fender jazz bass

[TheMarianitotv]

yo can hear mccartney's fingers sliding over strings aswome

[MonkeySeeism]

Still love to listen to this every time I come back to it.

[TeamMastaPr2]

When you listen to a bass track where the 6-string Fender bass were used, you mostly hear more of a picking sound (their picking the strings powerfully).

[LoudGJ]

Holy shit that's the bass? Awesome.

[DerIkke666]

@LoudGJ....that's the Fender VI

[animepwn3r]

@DerIkke666 its not that one, its the Fender Jazz bass, because its muted

[DerIkke666]

@animepwn3r....no it's too crunchy to be a mutet bass.....listen to bass track of helter skelter....

[animepwn3r]

@DerIkke666 go to google and type in "Paul McCartney Jazz Bass" and look at the 1st website

[DerIkke666]

@animepwn3r...you can write everything....it isn't always the truth what you reading....i also have a jazz bass and it doesn't sound like that...not even WITH muting...

[animepwn3r]

@DerIkke666 to me the Fender VI sounds like a more loose sound, like the strings are hitting the frets and what not

[DerIkke666]

@animepwn3r....jajaja.....shit off....the real truth knows only paul or ringo...right???

[animepwn3r]

@DerIkke666 true that, only the beatles know the instruments they used,

[cabfab6]

@DerIkke666 its a fender jazz, plugged into some kind of fuzz distortion. i was reading that on google. but theres pics of paul with a jazz bass on google images playing with george. but idk if this info is correct

[DerIkke666]

@cabfab6...hey...just listen to the bass track of "helter skelter"...and then make a sound comparison...

[cabfab6]

@DerIkke666 they do sound quite like the same bass, im just going on the info i read, but i cant really say what it was

[Grumpfff]

@DerIkke666 Tha Bass Track from helter-skelter was played by Lennon.

[LBrilliante]

@Grumpfff The books say only that Lennon played bass on the original session.. at some point McCartney overdubbed the bass. clear from the tone which is pure Rickenbacker... also.. McCartney is playing bass CHORDS through much of this!!! Lennon wasn't that kind of player .. check out the rythym isolate of Revolution to hear Lennon at work or his bass on Back in the USSR or Long and Winding Road

[MrRockandRollx]

@LBrilliante actually Mccartney is using his fender jazz bass

[wings4ever]

@Grumpfff no it was mccartney

[XtrmMcjohnson]

Whoa.

[MonkeySeeism]

Well I learned something new.

[SirBrianCabrera]

its not a harmony, its an octave.

[The1993HondaAccord]

I wonder if Macca played both the harmony parts on this. Love it.

[elirosen1391]

@The1993HondaAccord That's either John or George doubling him up an octave.

[hoobadoobler]

@The1993HondaAccord

George played the acoustic in this song, that's John doubling Paul on electric.