 1963:
1963
Hofner 500/1 bass: Hofner had updated its violin bass in
'62, and in '63 gave one to McCartney. First use: Ready, Steady,
Go! broadcast, 4 October. Variations from his first bass
include the neck (two-piece rather than three-piece); machine heads (two-on-a-strip
open-back as opposed to single open-back "rugby ball" tuners); pickups
("staple-top" rather than "diamond logo," with one of the two moved nearer
the bridge); headstock logo (horizontal script rather than vertical lettering);
body (round back rather than flat), and fretboard dot inlay (to the 21st
fret rather than the 19th).  Although
by '65 he'd switched largely to the Rickenbacker bass for studio work,
McCartney appeared and recorded with this Hofner from "I Want to Hold Your
Hand" through Let It Be and beyond. Some time in 1966
he removed the pickguard, and its last Beatles action was the Apple rooftop
session, complete with a "Bassman" sticker from his speaker cabinet (photo
below). McCartney resurrected this bass at Elvis Costello's request
for Flowers in the Dirt, and later for tours, comparing it
to Charlie Chaplain's cane: "You just expect to see it." |
