Tone Profile

A bright, punchy, and energetic lead guitar tone with a slight jangle and raw edge, characteristic of early 1960s rock and roll, driven by a cranked valve amp with a touch of studio plate reverb.

Signal Chain

Recording Notes

• Recorded on February 11, 1963, at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios), Studio Two, London.
• Produced by George Martin, engineered by Norman Smith.
• This track was famously the last song recorded during the marathon one-day session for the 'Please Please Me' album.
• The band performed live in the studio, with minimal overdubs for this track. The energy of the live performance is a significant part of the sound.
• Likely recorded to a Telefunken M10 4-track tape machine and mixed down to mono and twin-track stereo.

Recreation Tips

• Use a guitar with bright, lower-output humbuckers (like Filter'Trons) or P90s/single-coils. A Gretsch Duo Jet or similar is ideal.
• Employ a Vox AC30 or a similar EL84-based amplifier. Use the Brilliant or Normal channel, pushing the preamp volume for natural breakup without excessive distortion.
• If your amp doesn't have Top Boost, or if you prefer, try the Normal channel which can be jumpered on some models for more gain.
• Add a subtle, high-quality plate reverb emulation. Avoid overly long or dense reverb tails.
• Use a dynamic pick attack; the original has a very energetic feel, especially in the solo and fills.
• The lead guitar part features distinctive bends and a raw, slightly unpolished feel; don't aim for perfect smoothness.
• Consider the context of the full band – the guitar tone needs to cut through without being overly saturated.

Recommended Gear

• Gretsch G6128T Players Edition Jet FT with Bigsby(guitar)
• Rickenbacker 325C64(guitar)
• Vox AC30C2 Custom(amp)
• Universal Audio Golden Reverberator(pedal)
• Strymon Flint V2 Tremolo & Reverb(pedal)
• Neumann U 47 fet Collector's Edition(mic)
• Royer R-121(mic)
• Chandler Limited REDD.47 Preamp(preamp)