The Beatles

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Donald "Duck" Dunn of Booker T. & the MGs

“Paul McCartney was one of my favorite bass players. I didn’t do him justice”: Paying tribute to the Beatles turned out to be a humbling experience for Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn

By Nick Wells published

As a member of Booker T. and the MGs, Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn cut an instrumental version of the Beatles’ Abbey Road. But the experience wasn't all that satisfying...

Paul McCartney's 1960 Hofner bass and a 1962 Fender Stratocaster, played by the Beatles, is headed to auction

Paul McCartney’s “Paul McCartney Woz Here!” Hofner bass and a ’62 Strat played by the Beatles are headed to the auction block – and big money bids are forecasted

By Jonathan Horsley published

Elvis’ “Loving You” Gibson LG-1 acoustic has left the building, too – a little less conversation, a little more auction…

Aclam The Mocker

“A must-have for guitarists in pursuit of those legendary Beatles tones”: Aclam unveils The Mocker, a Fab Four-inspired fuzz pedal

By Jonathan Horsley published

All this Beatles talk got Aclam so excited it dug deep for some NOS Philips OA200 diodes for its take on the Vox UL730 series fuzz circuit – and it got a little weird with the AI on the demo video…

(from left) Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon perform at the Saville Theatre in London in 1968

“There it was, John’s voice, crystal clear. It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it – it’s a genuine Beatles recording”: The final Beatles song, Now and Then, has been released at last – but is it any good?

By Jackson Maxwell published

Built from a John Lennon demo, Now and Then features newly recorded contributions from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, with additional guitar work from the late George Harrison

Paul McCartney

“It was complete carnage... Keith and Ronnie were on their feet. The roof left the building”: Andrew Watt gifted Paul McCartney a ‘64 Höfner with a built-in Univox Super Fuzz circuit – and the Beatle used it on the new Rolling Stones album

By Matt Owen published

Once McCartney released the full potential of his new Höfner, “his eyes widened, and he just started ripping on it”

Paul McCartney's Guitar String

Is this the world’s most expensive guitar string? An Epiphone string Paul McCartney used to record the Beatles’ Rubber Soul is expected to fetch over $5,000 at auction

By Jonathan Horsley published

We often talk about the over-heated vintage guitar market, but the madness has come for secondhand strings now Macca’s is headed to the auction block

A composite of Bernie Marsden and George Harrison

“To put it simply: no Beatles, no George, no me. I still feel very privileged to have called him a friend”: Bernie Marsden on the genius of George Harrison

By Amit Sharma published

In this previously unpublished interview, the late Whitesnake guitar great recalls how the Beatles’ lead guitarist inspired him to pick up the instrument in the first place: “The word ‘lead’ grabbed my attention immediately – I liked the idea of being a leader very much...”

Paul McCartney Höfner 500/1 bass

“Someone somewhere knows what happened to this bass and where it is now”: The Lost Bass Project aims to reunite Paul McCartney with his missing Höfner 500/1 violin bass

By Matt Parker published

The organizers, including GW contributor and Höfner expert Nick Wass, say they have already received hundreds of emails about the iconic instrument

Paul McCartney performs live on stage with Wings at Ahoy on 25th March 1976 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He plays a Rickenbacker 4001S bass guitar

“Wings are underrated. It’s difficult to follow The Beatles. It’s like following God”: How Paul McCartney quit the world's biggest band... and triumphed

By Nick Wells published

In 1971 Paul McCartney announced the formation of his new group Wings, who rose in a few short years from college level to an American stadium phenomenon

The Beatles, performing at a rehearsal for the 'Round The Beatles' TV show at the Rediffusion TV studios in Wembley, London, 27th April 1964.

“I don’t think George was too pleased with what I did with the bassline; I mean, I had to sell it to him!” Did Paul McCartney overplay on this Beatles’ Abbey Road hit?

By Nick Wells last updated

Listen to the isolated bassline on one of the most covered songs in the Beatles catalogue

Devin Townsend

Devin Townsend says the Beatles would have used digital guitar gear: “How can you imagine for a second that they wouldn’t have utilized it?”

By Matt Owen published

In his latest defence of digital gear, the metal maestro suggested the Fab Four would have been fans of such tech had it been available to them in their prime

Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney says the “final Beatles record” is nearing release – and it’s been created using AI

By Matt Owen published

McCartney called upon a process that was used to make Peter Jackson's Get Back documentary to complete the song

Ringo Starr (playing Ludwig drum kit) and Paul McCartney (playing a Hofner 500/1 violin bass guitar) of English rock and pop group The Beatles perform together on stage during recording of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) music television show 'Shindig!' at Granville Studios in Fulham, London on 3rd October 1964. The band would play three songs on the show, Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey!, I'm a Loser and Boys

In 1965 Elvis Presley was playing bass guitar, with a little help from Paul McCartney

By Nick Wells published

Paul McCartney: “He was trying to learn bass, so I was like, ‘sit down, let me show you a few things’”

Former Beatles bassist Chas Newby has died aged 81

The Beatles’ “first left-handed bassist”, Chas Newby, dies aged 81

By Matt Parker published

The bass player and former math teacher was subbed into the Liverpool legend’s early lineup in December 1960 and played one of the most formative shows of the era

The Beatles pose for the press with their newly completed album, 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', at the press launch for the album, held at manager Brian Epstein's house at 24 Chapel Street, London, 19th May 1967. Clockwise from top left: Ringo Starr, George Harrison (1943 - 2001), John Lennon (1940 - 1980) and Paul McCartney.

Listen to Paul McCartney’s isolated bass on Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

By Nick Wells published

Paul McCartney: “That probably ended up being my strongest thing on bass”

George Benson performs on stage during Festival Jardins de Pedralbes at Jardins de Pedralbes on July 4, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain.

George Benson on the time he met Jimi Hendrix, how Peter Frampton changed the course of his career and what Paul McCartney made of his Beatles tribute

By Joe Bosso published

One of the all-time jazz guitar greats on upsetting guitar companies, receiving praise from Frank Sinatra, and what it was really like working with Miles Davis

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney

The Rolling Stones are reportedly working with the surviving Beatles for an upcoming album

By Matt Owen published

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are said to be contributing bass and drums to the upcoming Stones album, which will reportedly be produced by Andrew Watt

The Beatles

The Beatles unplugged: a guide to the Fab Four's acoustic arsenal

By Chris Gill published

Yes, the Rickenbackers, the Casino and the Gretsch are legendary, but the mop-top's favorite flat-tops were similarly crucial to their sound. Here we detail the most important acoustics in their collection

The Beatles

What guitar strings did the Beatles use? Investigating the flatwound vs roundwound debate

By Chris Gill published

Just what did George Harrison, John Lennon and Paul McCartney string their guitars with – and when did they make the switch from flatwounds to roundwounds?

The Beatles

How to replicate the Beatles’ classic tones using today’s affordable guitars, basses and effects pedals

By Chris Gill published

Because sourcing the vintage gear is almost impossible, financially and practically, we've put together a list of gear that's on the market today that will help you nail the Fab Four's sound