The Beatles Guitar Rig - Instruments, Amps & Pedals
What more can we say about the Fab 4 that hasn't already been said? Quite simply, the greatest band of all-time! So if you want to sound like them, this is the place for you - covering the gear used by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison!
The Beatles Guitar Rig - Instruments, Amps & Pedals
No band in history has had a bigger influence than the Beatles. Although only together for 10 years, they left an indelible mark on pop culture, so it's no surprise that you may be looking to replicate their legendary tones. Let's dive in:
Guitars
Early on, John and Paul became synonymous with the jangly sounds of their Filter'Tron pickup equipped Gretsch & Rickenbacker guitars. George is seen weilding his hollow-body Gretsch Country gentleman on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964. John is playing a Rickenbacker, and Paul is of course, seen with his iconic Hofner Violin Bass.
Into the mid '60s, the Beatles began favouring different guitars. In '64, John, Paul and George each bought matching sunburst Epiphone Casinos. John and George later had theirs stripped back to natural, while Paul claims to this day that it is his favourite guitar!
In '65 John and George bought a pair of Sonic Blue Fender Stratocasters. George later repainted his to become the "Rocky" strat.
George acquired several more guitars, including a Cherry Red 1964 Gibson SG and the 1957 "Lucy" Les Paul, which was gifted to him in 1968 by Eric Clapton. Fender gifted him an all-Rosewood Telecaster which he played at the infamous rooftop concert.
On several tracks such as "Tax Man" and "Back in the USSR", Paul played guitar parts, so the band bought a Fender Bass VI for John or George to fill in on bass.
Amps
The Beatles' story with amps is far less extensive. In the early '60s, they struck a deal with Vox - who supplied all of their amps (perhaps the best free advertising deal of all time!) John and Geroge used AC30s on stage, while had a custom 100W amp for his Bass, dubbed the "Superbeatle". The Aclam Dr. Robert is an emulation of that "superbeatle" amp.
In 1968, they ended the deal with Vox and struck a new one with Fender. John and George used silver-panel Twin Reverbs and Paul went through a silver-panel Bassman.
Effects
In the '60s, guitar effects were few and far between. John briefly dabbled with the WEM Pep Box fuzz during the Revolution and White Album eras, but most of the effects used we ones they were pioneering in the studio: such as tape doubling, which can be replicated excellently by the Strymon Deco or TC Electronic Mimiq Mini. They also experimented with tape flanging, reverse effects and Leslie rotating speakers.
