Tag: vox v251

Paul McCartney’s Bass Tone

One of the greatest bass players of all time was also in one of the greatest bands of all time: The Beatles. Yes, Paul McCartney IS one of the best bass players, something we didn’t realize until playing the game Beatles RockBand. Choosing the bass option allows you to really concentrate on some of the killer bass lines McCartney came up with. He was really that backbone of the Beatles in that regards, and when you listen carefully, you can really feel the warmth and roundness of his amazing bass tone. So lets take a look at Paul’s bass tone and how he got it.

Paul’s Bass: an early 60s’ Hofner 500/1

This bass is the bass associated with Paul McCartney. In fact, when I look at it, I can’t think of anyone else. He used this bass throughout the Beatles famous years, from being on the Ed Sullivan Show, to their infamous rooftop concert on the Apple Building. The Hofner is the biggest piece of the puzzle in Paul’s tone, and really fills that low end. A cool thing about the Hofner is that it is a rather light bass, and pretty compact as well making it a dream to gig with.

Paul’s Amp: Vox Amplifiers

In the early days, he would plug into a Vox AC30, though in late 1962, he switched over to a Vox T-60. Although the T-60 was just not powerful enough to overcome the screams from the growing audiences. So at that point, Paul switched to an AC30 Head with a big bass cabinet sporting Celestion speakers. Soon Paul adopted the AC100 Head to really fill the stage with his bass tone.

So in the end, if you want his bass tone, using a Hofner 500/1, coupled with Vox amplifiers and Celestion speakers will definitely get you there. But it’s Paul McCartney’s bass playing that really attributed to a lot of the sound, so do learn some of his bass lines to get his playing style down, which ultimately leads to getting his sound as well.

Make your Guitar Sound Like an Organ

The sounds of an organ are amazing, but if you’re a guitarist who doesn’t have time to learn how to play the keys, then why not make your guitar sound like an organ? Imagine getting sounds of a combo organ like The Doors and Pink Floyd with your favorite axe, or the famous rotating tones of a Hammond B-3, or perhaps you want those long choir sounds of a church organ. This article will show you various ways to achieve an organ sound with your guitar.

EarthQuaker Devices Organizer
The EQD Organizer is a pedal that is specifically designed to make your guitar sound like an organ. You can get sounds of a Hammond B3, church organs, and also some really experimental stuff. There are blend controls that allow you to specify the amount of your original guitar tone coming through the pedal. I personally own this one and its the only digital pedal on my board. Read the full review (with sound clips) of the EarthQuaker Organizer here or view the Organizer on Amazon.

Vox V251 Guitar Organ
In the ’60s, Vox made a guitar specifically to cop organ tones. It can be used as a regular electric guitar as well. The circuitry was built similarly to their popular Vox Continental combo organ (used by Ray Manzerak of the Doors) which was the organ sound of ’60s psychedelic music. The touch sensitivity of the V251 is done in a way to emulate what its like when you press a key on an organ. So it was easier to make it sound like an organ, rather than a guitar trying to emulate one. Included is a remote power supply to provide the necessary voltages for the Vox Guitar Organ.

Pedal Combinations
Another popular method is stacking an Electro-Harmonix POG2 with some other pedals, such as reverbs, delays, and compressors. Of course some experimentation is needed. Go a step further and add a Leslie Rotating Speaker to the mix to get the warbly tones. One of the closest simulations I’ve heard with using a pedal is actually the Electro-Harmonix HOG, which is a harmonic octave generator. With various settings, I’ve heard this pedal get the closest to the B3 sound.

Any of these ways will get that great organ sound on your guitar. Though if you are looking for a pure authenticity of both sound and the way an organ is played, then only the real thing will suffice. If you just want to cop some organ tones, then these methods are sure to please.