# Music by Genre > Rock, Folk Rock, Roots Rock, Rockabilly >  Did the Beatles use mandolin?

## Elliot Luber

I was struck by Paul's comments at the George Harrison memorial concert about how they all would sit together and play ukeleles after dinner. Did the Beatles use mandolin at all, and how did or how might this have affected their music?

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## AlanN

Don't know, but there was a photo of Paul disembarking a plane with his first wife in one arm and a tater bug in the other. Wonder which one he preferred?

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## Elliot Luber

Depends on which wife. :-)

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## Amandalyn

I Have seen a pic of George Harrison with a mandolin. ( can't seem to find right now), but here's one that's been on the cafe before- PROOF!

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## mandobob

I know GH had an electric mando by a guy made Hamburger (Detroit?), but that was in the 90's I think. I have asked this very question, and one reply I remember was that it was the OTHER Beatle George (Martin) that nixed the idea.
Not sure he would have had that veto power if one of lads felt strongly enough about it.

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## Tom C



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## Christian McKee

Limited info about George's 5-string can be found at www.hamburguitar.com. It's a nice looking instrument...

Christian

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## Jim Garber

> 


You know, of course that that was Photoshopped from the original (from the Ed Sullivan appearance). original here.



Jim

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## Tom C

Duh....Of course

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## AlanN

Whoever did the photoshop even got the correct hand positions in there. Nice job.

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## Jacob

George used a Vox mando guitar, a short scale 12 string model.
IIRC, it's tuned an octave above normal 12 string guitar.

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## Jim Garber

> Whoever did the photoshop even got the correct hand positions in there. Nice job.


I have a feeling that they copied the hand positions from the original instrument players. George's esp looks odd. 

BTW I think that that mandolin is either a Monteleone or a Dawg model.

Jim

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## jefflester

Hamburger pic from emando

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## kww

What makes a Vox mando guitar a "mando guitar" instead of an electic bandurria, a 12-string small guitar tuned one octave higher than a standard guitar?

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## evanreilly

Didn't a 'Bill Munroe' play on one of their albums?

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## Jason Kessler

To answer the original question: I'm fairly convinced that there is no mandolin to be heard on any Beatles cut.

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## Elliot Luber

They were such experimenters. I mean you can hear BBC recordings of King Lear in their songs, but they totally overlooked the mandolin. Ah, what might have been!

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## Amandalyn

Well, since there's no mandolin played by the Beatles on their recordings, How about which Beatle tunes are best suited for the mandolin? Which ones do you play? Should we make this be a separate thread?

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## Wadefox

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and Norwegian Wood both sound good on mandolin.

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## jefflester

I came across mando tab for You've Got to Hide Your Love Away somewhere, though I can't remember where.

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## jmcgann

I don't have the recording handy but there _might_ be some mando tremolo under a verse or two of "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" on the White Album...

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## mandoisland

AlanN wrote about a picture of Paul with bowlback - I remembered this from an issue of Mandolin World News (Vol V, Issue 1, Spring '80) - I just made a scan:

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## Jim Broyles

_I've Just Seen a Face_ and _I'm Looking Through You_, both sound good on a mando. You can even do them bluegrass and they sound cool.

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## Ted Eschliman

Those of us old enough to remember can't forget the controversial John & Oko Bed-in...

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## AlanN

> I came across mando tab for You've Got to Hide Your Love Away somewhere, though I can't remember where.


Niles wrote out Jimmy Gaudreau's break to this tune, done when he (Jimmy) was in Adcock's pop band. They did it up in bluegrass time, and it had a bounce to it.

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## avanti

The mandolin tremelo on Bungalow is from the Mellotron, an early keyboard sampling instrument that used short pre-recorded tapes for each key on the keyboard. It' also the Mellotron you hear playing the flute sounds at the beginning of Strawberry Fields Forever.

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## jmcgann

You can't beat the Mellotron- Yes and King Crimson...early Bill Monroe (Sally Ann Forrester doubled on accordion and mellotron, little known fact) 

Lester Flatt said he wouldn't have one in HIS band.

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## Shana Aisenberg

I've played Norwegian Wood on zouk (tuned GDAD), works well. Have also played various Beatles tunes on mando.

Seth

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## evanreilly

uuuhhhhhh....
I always thought it was Wilene's (a.k.a. Sally Ann) husband Howdy who played the Mellow-tron in the BGB.

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## allenhopkins

Have none of you listened to "Beatle Country" by the Charles River Valley Boys? For shame! A wonderful album of Beatles tunes by the Cambridge-based band, featuring New England mandolin legend, the late Joe Val. Also augmented by Nashville sessionists Buddy Spicher on fiddle and Craig Wingfield on Dobro. Recorded in the mid-'60's, and available on eBay even as I write this...
Wonderful Val-led mandolin instrumental on "She's A Woman," great stacked Osborne-style harmonies on "And Your Bird Can Sing," excellent bluegrass adaptations of "What Goes On" and "I've Just Seen a Face." But the absolute high point to me is their take on "Yellow (or "Yaller") Submarine" with Bob Siggins on Grandpa Jones-style frailed banjo.
I sat in the audience many times at Club 47 in Harvard Square, watching the CRVB -- one of the most inventive and experimental of the northern city-billy 'grass bands. "Beatle Country" (Elektra Records) was their only major-label LP, though they did at least one for Prestige Folklore. It's still around, and to my mind it blows away all the recent attempts to record bluegrass "tribute" albums of rock music (the Reno boys' "Hayseed Dixie" efforts, e.g.). A real respect for the great Beatles songs is evident on every track, and even when the adaptations are playful, they're still musical and interesting.

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## an uncalloused fingertip

George Harrison had a longtime affection for the ukulele. He used to carry two ukes so that another guy could play along if he wished. And he said it always made him smile to see a grownup playing the ukulele. Never read or heard of any of these guys playing the mandolin though.

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## Paul Kotapish

I just checked in Andy Babiuk's obsessive _Beatles Gear_ compendium, which lists every instrument the fab four ever played, touched, or even winked at, and there is no mention of mandolin anywhere that I could find. 





Indian mandolinist Snehashish Majumdar did play at the memorial "Concert for George," so there is at least a tangential connection between the mandolin and the Liverpool lads.

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## Elliot Luber

Yeah. I have the DVD. He played a nice F4. BTW, "Eleanor Rigby" (I previously wrote it as "She's Leaving Home," but that was a mistake) sounds great on Mando. The violin parts translate well to cross picking.

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## TeleMark

> You can't beat the Mellotron- Yes and King Crimson...early Bill Monroe (Sally Ann Forrester doubled on accordion and mellotron, little known fact)


If you like the Mellotron, check this out... A guy made his own Mellotron out of a bunch of old Walkman tape decks. VERY cool. Love the DIY aspect.

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## Bob DeVellis

I've heard an unconfirmed rumor that George Harrison bought a Howe-Orme from McCabes's at some point. Given his uke interest, it's conceivable that a Howe-Orme would catch his eye but I've never heard anyone say that this is a stone-cold fact.

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## WireBoy

Telemark,
 #The MelloMan !!! what a great little pool of fun stuff at Mysterycircuits.com. #check out mellotron.com for the whole mellotron story. #fascinating stuff.

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## Peter Hackman

> Well, since there's no mandolin played by the Beatles on their recordings, How about which Beatle tunes are best suited for the mandolin? Which ones do you play? Should we make this be a separate thread?


The Charles River Valley Boys issued an album of Beatles songs
about 40 years ago. I believe it's available on CD.
BG treatment, mando much in evidence.

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## allenhopkins

See my August 14 post above. "Beatle Country" is available on vinyl and CD through eBay -- 10 sources listed as of today. A great album!! (And I'd say that even if Jim Field weren't in my college class...)

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## Jmoss

> Have none of you listened to "Beatle Country" by the Charles River Valley Boys? #For shame! A wonderful album of Beatles tunes by the Cambridge-based band, featuring New England mandolin legend, the late Joe Val. #Also augmented by Nashville sessionists Buddy Spicher on fiddle and Craig Wingfield on Dobro. #Recorded in the mid-'60's, and available on eBay even as I write this...
> Wonderful Val-led mandolin instrumental on "She's A Woman," great stacked Osborne-style harmonies on "And Your Bird Can Sing," excellent bluegrass adaptations of "What Goes On" and "I've Just Seen a Face." #But the absolute high point to me is their take on "Yellow (or "Yaller") Submarine" with Bob Siggins on Grandpa Jones-style frailed banjo.
> I sat in the audience many times at Club 47 in Harvard Square, watching the CRVB -- one of the most inventive and experimental of the northern city-billy 'grass bands. #"Beatle Country" (Elektra Records) was their only major-label LP, though they did at least one for Prestige Folklore. #It's still around, and to my mind it blows away all the recent attempts to record bluegrass "tribute" albums of rock music (the Reno boys' "Hayseed Dixie" efforts, e.g.). #A real respect for the great Beatles songs is evident on every track, and even when the adaptations are playful, they're still musical and interesting.


 
The first time I met Joe Val and his band was at 
Bean Blossom. #I think it might have been 1973 or 1975. #
They were standing by a car warming up. I introduced
myself as being from California. #They were very friendly.
The odd thing was, before anything was said about any
albums and right after shaking hands, they dove right
into these excuses for making Beatle Country. #
I mean, I had never heard of it or would I have if it
were not for that experience. #They said that they had
received a lot of criticism for making it. #They were really
sensitive about this. #Just another funny Bluegrass moment.
What Grassers go through...

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## Yonkle

he only Beatles song I can think of that sounds like it has a mandolin in it is "All Together Now" Jd

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## Spruce

> ""Beatle Country" is available on vinyl and CD through eBay -- 10 sources listed as of today. #A great album!! #(And I'd say that even if Jim Field weren't in my college class...)"


I ran into Jim Field a couple years ago at IBMA. #Hadn't seen him in 20 years...
Wound up playing some Beatle's tunes--good clean fun...




> "I just checked in Andy Babiuk's obsessive Beatles Gear compendium, which lists every instrument the fab four ever played, touched, or even winked at, and there is no mention of mandolin anywhere that I could find. "


I just got a copy of Recording The Beatles, and it's just unbelievable...
A gear junkie's wet dream... #

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## Soupy1957

Some very artistic stuff you folks are doctoring up....lol.......I'm sure they may have messed with them. 
  I was thinking back the other day to an old Rod Stewart song "Mandolin Wind" which I may try and learn. But I'm pretty sure it wasn't Rod playin it.
  -Soupy1957

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## Elliot Luber

Does anyone know if Ron Wood, now with the Stones, played mandolin on "Mandolin Wind" and "Maggie May?" He was the guitarist with Stewart's Small Faces.

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## Paul Kotapish

> Does anyone know if Ron Wood, now with the Stones, played mandolin on "Mandolin Wind" and "Maggie May?" He was the guitarist with Stewart's Small Faces.


Ray Jackson of folk/rock band Lindisfarne played the mandolin parts on "Maggie May" and "Mandolin Wind" for the _Every Picture Tells a Story_ sessions, for which he was paid the handsome sum of £15. Jackson claims that he made up the hooky little lines, and when the mandolin solo section of "Maggie May" was featured in an advertisement for a bank some years back, Jackson sued Stewart for more money. 

There's a story about the lawsuit here. I have no idea how the suit played out.

Here's a 2004 interview with Jackson.

Jackson's situation is not unique, and there are plenty of classic recordings out there where the most distinctive elements of the song were contributed by anonymous and underpaid session players. That's one reason why the best and most savvy side players charge top money for their work, and why many top producers will require a slice of the royalty action in addition to their basic fee.

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## Soupy1957

That's also a much more attainable goal, (to be a session musician rather than a world-star hero), for which many musicians desire. 
  Think of it.......you get to go into the studio every day, play music on the instrument you love, with any number of very sucessful artists, and all types of music.
  I cite a guy example: Billy Preston, and his work on the Beatles material, (i.e.: "Get Back")
  -Soupy1957

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## Larry R

Ironically the first song I ever learned on mandolin (last Christmas Day) was Norwegian Wood. It just came to me like magic.

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## Elliot Luber

Dave Mason is the king of session men. Besides his headlining work with everyone from Stevie Wonder to Mama Kass and Traffic, he sat in with acoustic guitar on Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower," The Rolling Stones' "Beggar's Banquet," and Billy Joel -- I think it was "Piano Man" or "Turnstiles." But I guess he was just following in Jimi Page's shoes. He played on everyone's albums before Led Zeppelin.

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