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2.25am
15 May 2015
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It’s the only electric guitar riff in the song — preceding the “I need a fix” part and following the same melody as the sung lines it precedes. It sounds like an electric guitar playing a middle-range melody on the deepest string(s), with a sound effect of controlled power. I’d say George did it, but it could be John…
A ginger sling with a pineapple heart,
a coffee dessert, yes you know it's good news...
10.39am
26 January 2017
Offline George. I think. Where’s Dark Overlord when you need him?
I've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
11.06am
Reviewers
17 December 2012
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Both John and George are credited with lead guitar, but John plays a normal guitar while George plays a fuzzed guitar, and since that riff sounds very fuzzed to me, it would have to be George.
"I only said we were bigger than Rod... and now there's all this!" Ron Nasty
To @ Ron Nasty it's @ mja6758
The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
11.48am
14 December 2009
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I’ve often wondered about that bit…it’s so weirdly distorted, I can’t think offhand of another Beatle guitar part with that particular brand of “heavy” tone. I can imagine it being achieved with a wah pedal, not being manipulated but frozen in one position…or I guess some other kind of fuzz box, whatever type they had available.
Paul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
1.17pm
Reviewers
17 December 2012
Offline It would have probably been a fuzzbox, @Von Bontee @vonbontee, as The Beatles used them consistently through their career.
They are known to have used one of the first invented, the Maestro Fuzztone:
in 1963-64, as it can be seen in pictures of them at work:
They later used the Pep Rush fuzz pedal:
They also used the Vox Tonebender and the Fuzz Face during the Get Back sessions, so it could be an early use of one of those.
Given just how harsh it is though, I lean toward the Maestro.
The following people thank Ron Nasty for this post:
Martha, vonbontee"I only said we were bigger than Rod... and now there's all this!" Ron Nasty
To @ Ron Nasty it's @ mja6758
The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
4.47pm
15 May 2015
Offline Thanks Ron Nasty and vonbontee! If it was George, I wonder if John coached him on what he wanted, since the riff sounds very specific, not free-form. Then I wonder if or when John told other Beatles what to do, was he as annoyingly perfectionistic as Paul?
A ginger sling with a pineapple heart,
a coffee dessert, yes you know it's good news...
6.44pm
15 May 2015
Offline Listening to it again, I think he (George?) is also using that vibrato lever doo-hickey (the official name) on electric guitars that allow you to bend the notes up and down or wobble them like taffy.
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GardeningOctopusA ginger sling with a pineapple heart,
a coffee dessert, yes you know it's good news...
1.07pm
10 March 2017
Offline The vibrato you’re referring to is actually George bending the strings highly. Eric Clapton does some high bends on While My Guitar Gently Weeps so it’s possible that he learned his bending technique from him.
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