The Beatles – The Beatles

Mentioned by producer Al Schmitt in this June 5, 2015 VoiceCouncil Magazine interview.

"The U47 – that’s the one I used on Bublé, Paul McCartney and so many others. (...) For Diana Krall and Paul McCartney (and others) I used a Neumann Tube U47 into Neve Preamp and then into a Fairchild compressor. That, to me, is the ultimate."

The U47 was also used for the group vocals on The Beatles, as is visible in this photo from this June 2012 Sound on Sound article.

John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney gathered around a Neumann U47 in Abbey Road, 1968. Photo: Getty Images

Another Neumann U47, also used for group vocals with The Beatles, is visible in this other photo.

Used for the bass and organ on The Beatles, as mentioned by sound engineer Ken Scott in this June 2012 Sound on Sound interview.

"In addition to Paul's bass being DI'd, the cabinet probably would have been miked with a 4038, [Neumann] U67 or [AKG] C12. I would have used two 4038s on the organ, 67s on John and George's guitars, and it could have been anything on George's vocal.”

Used for the bass on The Beatles, as mentioned by sound engineer Ken Scott in this June 2012 Sound on Sound interview.

"In addition to Paul's bass being DI'd, the cabinet probably would have been miked with a 4038, [Neumann] U67 or [AKG] C12. I would have used two 4038s on the organ, 67s on John and George's guitars, and it could have been anything on George's vocal.”

Used for the bass on The Beatles, as mentioned by sound engineer Ken Scott in this June 2012 Sound on Sound interview.

"In addition to Paul's bass being DI'd, the cabinet probably would have been miked with a 4038, [Neumann] U67 or [AKG] C12. I would have used two 4038s on the organ, 67s on John and George's guitars, and it could have been anything on George's vocal.”

Used on The Beatles, as researched by John F. Crowley and shared in this May 21, 2010 ShareMyGuitar blog post.

Paul McCartney slinging a sunburst ’66 Fender Jazz Bass, live at Abbey Road studio!

Apparently not part of Fender’s “gift package” of guitars and amps (they’d included a right-handed Jazz Bass), this sunburst model shows up in Abbey Road studio photos from “White Album” sessions. Its oval-shaped tuners are peculiar to the 1966 model year; Fender basses otherwise featured "clover leaf" tuners.

[http://blog.sharemyguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/SMG_Paul_McCartney_Fender_Bass.jpg]

Paul and George jamming along during the White Album recording sessions

According to Walter Everett in The Beatles as Musicians (Volume 1), this Jazz Bass is played on five tracks: "Yer Blues," "Glass Onion," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Sun King" and "Mean Mr. Mustard." [Everett infers that the right-handed model was also used during the sessions, by Lennon ("Helter Skelter") and Harrison ("Back in the USSR")]. McCartney’s kept most of his instruments, and this probably is no exception.

Note that "Helter Skelter" was a Fender Bass VI being played by Lennon, not the Jazz.

Paul McCartney is known for using Rickenbacker 4001 basses during the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "The White Album," and "Abbey Road" sessions. He owns two: a custom spray-painted version and a natural finish. This usage is evident in The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" music video available on Apple Music.

Paul McCartney is known to use the Celesta in his musical work, both in his solo projects and with The Beatles. This instrument is notably featured in songs such as "Magical Mystery Tour," "Baby It's You," and "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey."

At around 0:41 - 0:47 in this video you can get a closer look at Paul McCartney's Fender Bassman Export-Amp Amplifier Head that he used at the "Rooftop Concert". If you compare the inscription and the six knobs of this amp to the Export-Amp you will not notice any differences.

Secondary Source (speaks for the submission): McCartney was given two Jazz Basses and a Precision; and they sent 4 Fender Twins, 2 Bassman Amps, a whole bunch of effects, and picks, strings and straps. - This text is from the Beatles Gear Book -

This video is a demonstration by Paul Mccartney, showing the Mellotron, and how Beatles used to make Strawberry Fields Forever.

Paul can be seen here playing a Martin D-28.

Paul McCartney is famously associated with the Epiphone Casino, often seen playing it during his time with The Beatles. A user-uploaded photo further highlights this iconic pairing.

Used for the guitar on The Beatles, as mentioned by sound engineer Ken Scott in this June 2012 Sound on Sound interview.

"In addition to Paul's bass being DI'd, the cabinet probably would have been miked with a 4038, [Neumann] U67 or [AKG] C12. I would have used two 4038s on the organ, 67s on John and George's guitars, and it could have been anything on George's vocal.”

The U67 was also used on Let It Be, as mentioned by sound engineer Alan Parsons in this March 9, 2012 Premier Guitar interview.

I remember on Let It Be, Glyn Johns used a [Neumann] U 67 on George’s cabinet. I think Geoff Emerick favored the AKG D19 [on Abbey Road].

Used for the group vocals on The Beatles, as is visible in this photo from this June 2012 Sound on Sound article.

John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney gathered around a Neumann U47 in Abbey Road, 1968. Photo: Getty Images

Another Neumann U47, also used for group vocals with The Beatles, is visible in this other photo.

Used for the organ on The Beatles, as mentioned by sound engineer Ken Scott in this June 2012 Sound on Sound interview.

"In addition to Paul's bass being DI'd, the cabinet probably would have been miked with a 4038, [Neumann] U67 or [AKG] C12. I would have used two 4038s on the organ, 67s on John and George's guitars, and it could have been anything on George's vocal.”

In this picture, George Harrison is playing a rare acoustic version with the capo on the 2nd fret of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" in 1968 on a vintage Gibson Super Jumbo Sunburst guitar.

Eric Clapton gifted a 1957 Les Paul Standard to George Harrison in 1968. This guitar started as a goldtop but was refinished to cherry red, earning it the nickname "Lucy" after Lucille Ball, at the Gibson Kalamazoo factory. Harrison said, “[Eric and I] used to hang out such a lot at that period, and Eric gave me a fantastic Les Paul guitar, which is the one he plays on [“While My Guitar Gently Weeps”]. So it worked out well.”

Used for the group vocals on The Beatles, as is visible in this photo from this June 2012 Sound on Sound article.

John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney gathered around a Neumann U47 in Abbey Road, 1968. Photo: Getty Images

Another Neumann U47, also used for group vocals with The Beatles, is visible in this other photo.

Used for the guitar on The Beatles, as mentioned by sound engineer Ken Scott in this June 2012 Sound on Sound interview.

"In addition to Paul's bass being DI'd, the cabinet probably would have been miked with a 4038, [Neumann] U67 or [AKG] C12. I would have used two 4038s on the organ, 67s on John and George's guitars, and it could have been anything on George's vocal.”

Used for the organ on The Beatles, as mentioned by sound engineer Ken Scott in this June 2012 Sound on Sound interview.

"In addition to Paul's bass being DI'd, the cabinet probably would have been miked with a 4038, [Neumann] U67 or [AKG] C12. I would have used two 4038s on the organ, 67s on John and George's guitars, and it could have been anything on George's vocal.”

Lennon bought a Sunburst Epiphone Casino with a white pickguard and the standard Epiphone “trapeze” tail in 1965 and used it as his main guitar until his early solo year ('70s). He play it live during the Beatles tour at Japan (1966), he also used it in all Beatles' studio albums since Revolver, and during the Beatles self-titled white album sessions he sanded his Casino and removed the pickguard, this model would result in a variety of reissues known as the Revolution Ephiphone Casino. After Lennon's death, the guitar was kept by Yoko Ono.

Ringo acquired this kit in 1968, used it for the recording of The BEATLES, Abbey Road and Let It Be LPs, in addition to the singles that came out with those LPs. This kit featured a 14 "x22" bass drum, an 8 "x12" Tom Holder and a 9 "x13" Tom Holder, and a 16 "x16" Floor Tom. This kit was also used with a 5 "x14" Ludwig Jazz Festival drummer, and on some occasions also used a 5 "x14" Ludwig Supraphonic. This is the famous drummer seen at the terrace concert of the film Let It Be.