Tone Profile

A warm, intimate, and melancholic solo acoustic guitar tone. Characterized by the natural resonance of a down-tuned steel-string guitar played fingerstyle, it's clear and direct with subtle studio ambiance.

Signal Chain

Recording Notes

• Recorded on June 14, 1965, at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios), Studio Two.
• Paul McCartney was the sole musician on the initial track, performing vocals and his Epiphone Texan acoustic guitar simultaneously.
• The Epiphone Texan FT-79 (Paul's specific model, serial number 19183) was tuned down a whole step from E standard to D-G-C-F-A-D.
• This tuning allowed Paul to play the song using G major chord shapes, while the actual key of the song is F major, which suited his vocal range.
• Engineered by Norman Smith and produced by George Martin.
• A string quartet, arranged by George Martin, was overdubbed on June 17, 1965, but this profile focuses on the initial guitar recording.

Recreation Tips

• Use a quality steel-string acoustic guitar, ideally a dreadnought or jumbo model like an Epiphone Texan or Gibson J-45.
• Tune your guitar down one whole step: D-G-C-F-A-D.
• Play fingerstyle, emulating Paul McCartney's gentle but articulate approach. Focus on clean notes and consistent rhythm.
• Record with a large-diaphragm condenser microphone. Aim it towards the 12th fret or where the neck joins the body, approximately 6-12 inches away for a balanced tone.
• Experiment with mic placement; moving closer can add proximity effect (bass boost), while further away captures more room sound (though the original is fairly dry).
• Use a clean, high-quality microphone preamp. Avoid overdriving the preamp to maintain clarity.
• Apply minimal EQ; a slight high-pass filter (e.g., around 80Hz) to remove low-end rumble might be useful, but the original sound is quite natural and uncolored.
• Add a touch of subtle, natural-sounding reverb (e.g., a short plate emulation or a small, realistic room reverb). Avoid long or overly wet reverb tails.
• Do not use compression, or use it very sparingly, to maintain the natural dynamics and transient detail of the acoustic performance.

Recommended Gear

• Epiphone Masterbilt Texan Acoustic/Electric Guitar(Guitar)
• Gibson J-45 Standard(Guitar)
• Neumann U 87 Ai Condenser Microphone(Mic)
• AKG C414 XLS Condenser Microphone(Mic)
• Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (or similar audio interface with clean preamps)(Preamp/Interface)
• Universal Audio UAD EMT 140 Classic Plate Reverberator Plugin(Plugin)
• Valhalla Plate Reverb Plugin(Plugin)
• D'Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze Light Acoustic Strings (.012-.053)(Strings)