How to Sound Like The Beatles Using Modern Guitar Gear

(Image credit: Jim Gray/Getty Images)

Awhile back, the gang at Reverb.com posted a fantastic "Potent Pairings" video. The series shows guitarists how to sound like their favorite bands using various modern pedals—pedals that, in most cases, were never used by the bands themselves.

This time around, Potent Pairings checked in with the Beatles.

"Recreating the actual rigs [the Beatles] used is, let's just say, out of reach for most," writes Reverb's Peter Schu. "If you can budget $100,000 to get a Neumann U47 in front of a ’63 Vox AC-30 pumped with a WEM Pep Box and run through a Fairchild 660, by all means, go for it.

"For the rest of us, we'll settle for the delightful JHS Colour Box and a few other affordable pedals to get the job done. Check out the settings below and play along."

In the clip, which is titled "How to Sound Like the Beatles Using Modern Guitar Gear, Part One," guitarist Joe Shadid runs through "A Hard Day's Night" (0:00), "Nowhere Man" (0:31), "Taxman" (0:47), "Paperback Writer" (1:00), "Think for Yourself" (1:18), "Revolution" (1:45), "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" (2:05) and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" (2:31), all the while pairing modern pedals with guitars in order to match the Fab Four's original sounds.

Below, you can see all the pedals used in the video.

What do you think of the sounds Schu gets for each song? Do you miss the ultra-trebly sound of the Sonic Blue Fender Stratocasters George Harrison and John Lennon used on "Nowhere Man"? Any other thoughts? Be sure to let us know on Facebook (where you probably found this story) or in the comments section below.

For more information, including exact knob settings and much more, head here.

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Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.