Had a few requests for this!
Really love how John and George knew exactly what a song needed. John isn't doing anything particularly interesting, and yet, it's absolutely a signature John Lennon rhythm guitar part. I've really come to love this J-160E Custom Shop reissue, too. Slapping on Pyramid .13's really brings out that vintage sound. Nothing like it.
And what more can I say about George Harrison's playing? "A Hard Day's Night" is usually known as John's standout album, but we should acknowledge George Harrison's contributions. He made every song catchier! From the iconic "And I Love Her" riff to outstanding lead playing on the title track, he was really the stealth secret weapon, his playing regularly bumping good songs to great.
Same goes for "Any Time At All". This song simply doesn't work without George's Rickenbacker 12-string. Having owned my own 360-12c63 for about 3 months now, I think I cracked that signature Harrison sound. The ingredients are (1) compression, (2) a touch of reverb, (3) enough EQ to eliminate bass frequencies, and, that secret ingredient, (4) artful playing. One example - playing chords via backstrokes on the 12-string results in a completely different sound, a trick I'm appreciating the more I play this guitar. After seeing George clearly using backstrokes in the "If I Fell" scene in the film, I started mixing a few into my takes, and MAN. It bumps that glorious RIckenbacker chime up to 11.
This is really a great guitar song. Take that Rickenbacker 12, add John's driving rhythm, and top it off with a splash of classical guitar overdubs for texture, and WHAM. Instant classic.
Instruments:
- Gibson J-160E 1962 Custom Shop Reissue (Pyramid .13 Flats)
- 2018 Rickenbacker 360-12c63 (Pyramid .10 flats)
- Lucero LC1505 Classical Guitar
- Vox Valvetronix VT100X Guitar Combo Amp
- PreSonus Studio 1824C Interface
- MXL V250 Condenser Mic: acoustic guitars & ambient room mic for Rickenbacker
- Shure SM57 (close-micing the amp)
Waves Abbey Road Plugins:
- Abbey Road RS124 Compressor Stereo
- Abbey Road Plates Stereo
- Abbey Road Chambers Stereo (closing chord)
- J37 Tape Stereo
- RS56 Passive EQ Stereo
Video Equipment:
- Camera: Canon M50
- Edited with Adobe Premiere Pro on HP Envy 32'' All in One
Feel free to leave comments, I'll respond to as many as I can.
