"Revolver" tones

[Casino4Life]

I am looking to get the best "Revolver" era tones out of my '05 Epiphone Casino. My current amp set up is a Fender Hot Rod Deville 410, short of replacing the stock Epiphone P-90s with Gibson P-90's, is there anything I cand do to get closer tones.

[tweed1]

Might I suggest, start by raising your Epi pickups a little. Don't know where yours were made, but the ones on my MIK Casino sounded much better just by raising them 3/32" and then fine tuning with the poles (I didn't raise over 1 1/2 turns as I didn't know how far until they backed out of the plate). Several places sell the shims, like Allparts. They don't cost much and you can split one side to slip the shim in without much disconnecting. Buy two sets,hack one up to experiment with and then if you like what it does, permanently install the second. You'll be surprised. I'd do electronics next, before changing the PUs.

[Casino4Life]

sounds like. Also does anyone know where I can get the black washer that goes on Lennon's toggle switch? I haven't been able to find one

[RaSTuS]

For one thing I doubt they were using US based amps, a good vox, marshall or similar might get you closer.

[Casino4Life]

I think by then they were using Fender Showmans

[craigh]

I think George was playing a Strat thru a Fender Bassman.

 

 

Craig

[Casino4Life]

Quite possibly. Does anyone know where I can get the black washer that goes around the toggle switch? As in the last post I haven't been able to find one

[tweed1]

Unless there's something unique about the Lennon toggle trim, there's at least 10 different ones on eBay right now. Search black toggle under Musical Instruments.

[charlie brown]

"Revolver" tone??? Well, John, Paul, George, & Ringo, had more to

do with that, than what gear they used...IMHO. Plus, they were experimenting,

a lot more, with the studio "tricks," and/or possibilities, by then.

I would imagine, that if you have similar gear (guitar(s) and amps, stomp

boxes), that most of the "tone" difference, from you to them, is/was THEM!

The subtle nuances, in their playing, is a large part of "The Beatles"

sound. We can replicate their "gear," exactly. But that "Tone," is much

harder to achieve. A lot of it, is how they blend, together, their individual

playing styles, and sense of timing.

 

CB

[Gunner]

Clearly technique and equipment both affect tone. When someone talks about achieving another player's "tone", I take that to mean the tone aspect that is not part of the playing style, finger pressure, etc. For example I think we can all hear a difference when John plays his Casino vs. his Rickenbacker 325. I'm sure if I were sitting in the room with George playing his Country Gent, I could hear a difference if he changed his strings from flatwounds to roundwounds. Yes, he would still sound like George which would be attributable to his playing style and technique, but there would be a difference, which I would call tone (or the equipment aspect of it). I would like to think that most of us can pluck an open E string as well as any Beatle, yet if we used different guitars, strings, amps, etc., there would be a difference. I think these differences are what the OP was referring to.

[Casino4Life]

All good points. I should clear the air and say I wasn't looking to sounds exactly like John, Paul and George but get those Revolver ish tones

[bonzoboy]

George used an SG through much of the Revolver/Rain/Paperback Writer era as well as his Casino.I find to get John's tone on a Casino you need to back off your tone controls on the guitar to about 5 and George usually left his pretty well on 10.

Paul used his Casino on the leads on Taxman-which he insisted he do even though the song was George's. I believe that was just the beginning of Paul trying to take more control over what went on record.By the time Let It Be came about the others were getting more than a little miffed over Paul's growing autocracy and of course we all know that was the beginning of the end.

BTW during Revolver sessions The Beatles were using both 50 and 100W Voxes as well as some Fender amps.As far back as Nowhere Man George and John had used smaller Fender amps in the studio.I recently read an interview where George said that he and John sat facing each other playing the double leads for Nowhere Man each using a small Fender amp.This of course doesn't jive with what George Martin and Glynn Johns say about both going direct into the board for the lead break.They may all be right however as they may well have patched the signal direct into the board and more or less used the amps as monitors.

[amx05462]

yeah they were defenitly using fender amps by then acording to my beatles gear book they used black face fender showmans during the revolver sessions. lotsa luck getting one of those. whew also a vox 7120 tube amp. and a 4120 bass amp.

 

all hard to get stuff. good luck

[charlie brown]

Clearly technique and equipment both affect tone. When someone talks about achieving another player's "tone", I take that to mean the tone aspect that is not part of the playing style, finger pressure, etc. For example I think we can all hear a difference when John plays his Casino vs. his Rickenbacker 325. I'm sure if I were sitting in the room with George playing his Country Gent, I could hear a difference if he changed his strings from flatwounds to roundwounds. Yes, he would still sound like George which would be attributable to his playing style and technique, but there would be a difference, which I would call tone (or the equipment aspect of it). I would like to think that most of us can pluck an open E string as well as any Beatle, yet if we used different guitars, strings, amps, etc., there would be a difference. I think these differences are what the OP was referring to.

 

 

Yeah, I wasn't chastizing the OP...it's just that so often, "Gear" seems

to be thought of, as the essential ingredient, and...most of us know, it

really isn't! But, it can help, for sure. ;>)

 

Just one (good) example, is the "Concert for George" DVD. All the players, in that show, used their own gear, and still managed to get a very credible "Beatles" tone. They all played with George, too...so, knew his style,

and nuances. And, with a lot of rehearsal, they did a wonderful job, of it! So, for me anyway, it will always have more to do, with the player, than the gear. But, that's just my opinion... :)

CB

[Aster1]

Just to chime in, I believe I had read somewhere that George played his Sonic Blue Fender strat for the lead part in Nowhere Man also remember, like bonzoboy, he was using the Gibson SG with tremolo bar on it. Again, if my memory serves me correctly I read Vox amps on the road maybe, but Fender piggyback Showman amps on the recording side of things.

 

Aster