Name: Nowhere Man- The Beatles (Guitar Cover) @sampopkin
Uploaded: 2026-09-20T08:17:00-05:00
Duration: 8 min 17 s
Description: Nowhere Man- The Beatles (Guitar Cover)

Nowhere Man- The Beatles (Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2026-09-20 | Nowhere Man- The Beatles (Guitar Cover)

Heartbeat- Buddy Holly (Tommy Allsup Guitar Solo)

Sam Popkin 2025-09-28 | ...

Heartbeat- Buddy Holly (Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-09-28 | Please subscribe to my Patreon for tabs, gear settings, stems, and unreleased covers!
www.Patreon.com/SamPopkin

Buddy Holly is one of my favorite artists of all time, and I plan on covering nearly all of his songs! Now that I have this Squier 50's Stratocaster, it should be easier

Heartbeat was written by Buddy's old collaborator Bob Montgomery. Before The Crickets success, they played in a duo, aptly titled Buddy & Bob

Buddy recorded the song at Norman Petty Studios on May 28, 1958. The lineup consisted of Buddy on acoustic guitar and vocals, Tommy Allsup on electric lead guitar, Jerry Allison on drums, and George Atwood on bass

Buddy played several acoustics throughout his career. He started out on a Gibson J-45, then in 1958 switched to a Guild Navarre. The Navarre is similar to a Gibson J-200. Later in 1958, Buddy bought a real Gibson J-200 and used it to record his final apartment demos

Tommy Allsup was an excellent lead guitarist out of Texas. He famously played with Buddy on the Winter Dance Party tour, notably at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa on the night Buddy's plane crashed and killed him, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. Tommy was supposed to be on the plane, but lost a coin toss to Valens

Tommy played a 1950's Fender Sunburst Stratocaster, similar to Buddy's but with a tremolo arm attached. He either plugged into Buddy's Fender Tweed Pro amp, or a Fender Tweed Twin

I'm playing my Squier Classic Vibe 50's Stratocaster into my 1965 Fender Bassman. I modded the Squier with some upgrades, including Pure Vintage '59 pickups. And for the acoustic, I'm using my Ibanez 1970's MIJ J-200 copy

#buddyholly #guitarcover #squier

Parisian Girl- The Crickets (Sonny Curtis Guitar Solo)

Sam Popkin 2025-09-27 | ...

Parisian Girl- The Crickets (Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-09-27 | Here's another one by The Crickets- post Buddy Holly. Sonny Curtis plays one of my favorite guitar solos of all time on his Fender Stratocaster. Rest in peace, Sonny!

Written by Sonny Curtis, it was released on The Crickets 1962 album _Something Old, Something New, Something Blue, Somethin' Else_. It was also the b-side to both their singles I Believe In You and Little Hollywood Girl

The lineup consisted of Jerry Naylor on acoustic guitar and vocals, Sonny Curtis on lead guitar, Joe B. Mauldin on bass, Glen D. Hardin on piano, and Jerry Allison on drums. A string section overdub was added later

Sonny most likely played a Fender Stratocaster, although he is also seen playing a Fender Jaguar around this time. The acoustic guitar was most likely Sonny's Martin D-18, although Jerry Naylor might have had a different one

I'm using my Squier Classic Vibe 50's Stratocaster into my 1965 Fender Bassman. I modded the pickups and tuners on the Squier- it has '59 Pure Vintage Reissue pickups in it

I'm playing my 1969 Martin 00-18 for the acoustic part

#thecrickets #sonnycurtis #buddyholly

I Fought The Law- The Crickets (Sonny Curtis Guitar Solo Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-09-25 | ...

I Fought The Law- The Crickets (Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-09-25 | In honor of Sonny Curtis, who passed away last week. He wrote this song and played the lead guitar

After Buddy Holly passed away in February 1959, The Crickets continued as a band with Sonny Curtis leading the group on vocals and guitar, and with Earl Sinks as their lead singer. I Fought The Law was recorded in May 1959 and released by The Crickets in 1960, but was not popularized until 1966 by the Bobby Fuller Four. And later by punk groups like The Clash and Green Day

Sonny Curtis wrote it and played a 1950's Sunburst Fender Stratocaster, just like Buddy Holly's ones. He also overdubbed an acoustic guitar part, likely on a Martin D-18

Sonny later had success as a session player and songwriter. The Crickets backed The Everly Brothers on tour, Sonny played the lead guitar on their hit single Cathy's Clown, and he wrote their 1961 single 'Walk Right Back'. He also wrote and sang the theme song to The Mary Tyler Moore Show- Love is All Around

Jerry Allison and Joe B Mauldin (Buddy Holly's Crickets) played drums and bass, respectively. And Earl Sinks sang lead vocals. The song was released on their 1960 album In Style With the Crickets, which I'd highly recommend listening to

I'm playing my Squier Classic Vibe 1950's Stratocaster into my 1965 Fender Bassman. And my 1969 Martin 00-18 acoustic guitar

Thanks for watching!

#thecrickets #sonnycurtis #ifoughtthelaw

I Want To Hold Your Hand- The Beatles (John Lennon Rhythm Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-09-23 | Thanks @MichaelSokil for lending me this awesome 1982 Rickenbacker 320B, modded to closer match Lennon's 1958 'Hamburg' 325

I Want To Hold Your Hand was The Beatles' 1963 single that put them at the top of the US charts, and propelled their shot at fame. It's one of their most iconic songs, and the guitars play a huge part in its success

John Lennon's rhythm guitar propels the song, matching the intensity of Ringo's drumming. He used his 1958 Rickenbacker 325 electric guitar into a Vox AC-30 amp

While George's lead guitar tone is bright and jangly, Lennon's is warm and muffled. This was intentional, George Martin wanted each instrument to have their specific place in the frequency spectrum

John engaged his bridge pickup, but rolled down the tone knob nearly all the way to get that muffled sound. It's unclear what amp settings he had, but the guitar's tone knob is the main factor in this unique muddy tone

I'm using Michael's 1982 Rickenbacker 320B into my Vox AC-30C2X. I'm micing the amp with my Neumann TLM-103 condenser, placed at the center of the amp's grille. I turned the bridge pickup tone knob down nearly all the way. I also am using an Analogman Bad Bob Boost to drive the amp harder

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:05 John overshoots the slide to the D5 chord, accidentally hitting the 13th fret of the A-string
0:10 John's slide to the D5 on the 5th fret includes the low E-string. He positions the D5 in a strange way, with his middle finger stretching to the 7th fret instead of what most people would choose- the ring finger. He is seen doing this in live performances in 1963 and 1964
0:22 John does some open strumming before the C chord. This beginning is strummed in a swing tempo
0:43 John lightly strums a B7 chord here, instead of stopping altogether
0:46 John hard stops after some of the chords here
0:54 Most people think John plays a G6 chord here (XX5453), as seen live performances. However, in the isolated tracks you can clearly here an open G chord, with the low B note on the A-string
1:21 John hard stops here, after the G5
1:25 I included this muted tapping part as a fun reference to something John is seen doing in live performances. I'm not 100% sure if he did it here, but it's possible he did this in the studio. You can see him later employ this technique for the intro to Get Back
1:27 the open chords John plays here before the C chord includes an Eb note on the 1st fret of the D-string
1:49 John strums harder and faster during the end of this middle-eight. Instead of shuffling the D5, he just down strums a normal D chord XX0232
2:02 John slides from the 2nd to 3rd fret here, to begin playing the G5 shuffle
2:08 John sustains a single B note (2nd fret of A-string)

GEAR:
1982 Rickenbacker 320B (modded)
Analogman Bad Bob Boost
Vox AC-30C2X
Neumann TLM-103

#thebeatles #iwanttoholdyourhand #rickenbacker

From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)- Bruce Springsteen (Guitar Solo)

Sam Popkin 2025-09-21 | ...

From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)- Bruce Springsteen (Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-09-20 | Did you know @brucespringsteen used a Gretsch Country Gent?? He bought it around 1979 and used it during The River sessions. You can see it among his backline guitars on a rack during the famous 1979 'No Nukes' concert, along with a spare Tele and some Rickenbackers

From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come) was an outtake from The River sessions (1979-1980) that didn't make it onto an album, until the compilations _The Essential Bruce Springsteen_ (2003) and _The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (2015)._ But Welsh singer and guitarist Dave Edmunds made it famous when he covered it in 1982

It's not clear which guitar Bruce used for the lead guitar, but to my ears it sounds very different from his usual Telecaster/Esquire 'Mutt'. The Gretsch has a more full, rounder sound with its Filtertron humbucker pickups. Steven Van Zandt played rhythm guitar on his 1957 Fender Stratocaster, then Bruce overdubbed acoustic guitar on a Martin or Gibson J-200

I'm using @MichaelSokil 2016 Gretsch Country Gentleman into my 1965 Fender Bassman amp. Thanks Michael!

To get closer to Bruce's Tweed Bassman tone, I'm using a Catalinbread Formula 5F6 pedal. And an Analogman ARDX20 Analog Delay pedal to replicate his Echoplex slapback delay sound

I'm using my Squier 50's Classic Vibe Stratocaster for Little Steven's guitar part, into the 1965 Bassman amp. I'm using an Analogman King of Tone overdrive pedal here

I'm using my Ibanez 1970's MIJ J-200 clone for the acoustic part

GEAR:
2016 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman G6122-62 GE
2024 Squier Classic Vibe 50's Stratocaster
Ibanez Jamboree 698 (1970's MIJ J-200)
1965 Fender Bassman
Catalinbread Formula 5F6
Analogman King of Tone
Analogman ARDX20 Analog Delay
Neumann TLM-103

#brucespringsteen #guitarcover #theriver

Wait- The Beatles (Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-09-15 | _Help!_ and _Rubber Soul_ turn 60 this year! Wait is a song that The Beatles started during the Help! sessions, and was later finished for Rubber Soul

The initial recording session took place on June 17th 1965. The backing featured John on rhythm guitar and vocals, Paul on Hofner bass and vocals, George on lead guitar (with volume pedal), and Ringo on drums

Overdubs were completed on November 11th 1965. They included an extra guitar part, played by George on his volume pedal, maracas, more vocals, and tambourine

George most likely used his Blue Fender Stratocaster for both lead guitar parts. He used a volume pedal for both parts. To hear the difference between his original guitar part and his overdubbed part, I would recommend checking out this video (the June 1965 take without overdubs)
youtu.be/ZVVf8nWgI-Y?si=SUktMJo7vR0d7PQK

John either used his Rickenbacker 325 or his Fender Stratocaster. I determined he probably used his Strat because he is heard using a capo on the 2nd fret. He didn't usually use capos on the small neck of the Rickenbacker

I confirmed that he used a capo because of the interesting chord shapes played in the choruses. The chords are A major to Dmaj7. These are easy to play without a capo, however he plays them with specific inversions that only could be played as G major and Cmaj7 shapes. Specifically, the Cmaj7 shape is played as X320003

Additionally, during the middle eights he does hammer-ons and offs on the Low E-string that would be much more difficult to play without a capo

I'm using my 2022 Fender Custom Shop Journeyman Sonic Blue '63 Stratocaster for all the guitar parts, plugged into my Vox AC-30C2X. I'm using an Ernie Ball VP JR volume pedal for both of George's parts, and an Analogman King of Tone to boost the volume pedal signal

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:13 George' original June '65 Strat part (upper left) starts on the downbeat, then waits to play all upbeats from then on. His overdubbed Strat (Nov '65- upper right) enters, playing XX7675 swells
0:20 John (bottom screen) plays a B9 chord (X2122X)
0:34 George's June '65 Strat (now on bottom screen) enters the chorus late
0:41 George's Nov '65 Strat (upper screen) does some pulsating tremolo swells
0:42 During the middle eights, John does downstroke chugs and occasionally hits the 3rd fret of the Low E-string. George's original June Strat does single-note swells, while his overdubbed November Strat does more intricate down-strums and lead riffs
0:51 George's Nov '65 Strat slides into the 9th fret of the A-string
0:53 George's Nov '65 Strat does a fun hammer-on riff on the A and D-strings
0:56 George's Nov '65 Strat plays C#sus to C# as barred chords on the 9th fret, while the June '65 Strat does them as XX674 to XX664
1:05 George's June '65 Strat plays the Bm swell early
1:10 George's June '65 Strat (bottom screen) plays a Dmaj7 but the volume pedal is off, so no sound is made
1:16 Both of George's Strats do pulsating tremolo swells on the F#m
1:22 George's Nov '65 Strat (upper right) does a cool hammer-off on the D-string
1:41 George's June '65 Strat plays the Bm very early here
1:53 George's Nov '65 Strat (upper right) does a pulsating tremolo swell on F#m
2:07 George’s June ‘65 Strat plays C# A and F# swells, while his Nov ‘65 overdub only does A and F#

MY GEAR:
2022 Fender Custom Shop ‘63 Journeyman Faded Sonic Blue Stratocaster
Vox AC-30C2x
Analogman King of Tone
Ernie Ball VP JR Volume Pedal 6181
Neumann TLM-103

#thebeatles #rubbersoul #guitarcover

And I Love Her- The Beatles (Bass Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-09-12 | Thanks @MichaelSokil for lending me this Hofner 500/1 bass!

Check out my guitar cover of the song!
youtu.be/A4YaLvcQvbc

This is one of my favorite Beatles songs, and it was featured in the movie A Hard Day's Night (1964). Written mainly by Paul, it features lead spanish-classical guitar by George Harrison

Recorded on February 27th, 1964 at EMI studios, the backing track featured John on his Gibson J-160e acoustic guitar, George on his Ramirez Estudio classical guitar, Paul on Hofner bass, and Ringo on bongos/claves

Paul made the interesting choice of playing chords on the bass for much of the song. In some isolations, it sounds like the intro has Paul playing low E string single-string notes. But I determined he probably played chords from the beginning, as the sound is negligible from the verse chords

I'm playing Mike's Hofner into my 1965 Fender Bassman amp. His bass is an HCT 500/1 reissue model with flatwound strings on it. I plugged into the bass channel of my Bassman, with the deep switch ON. I matched the Hofner's pickup settings to McCartney's typical 1964-1965 settings:
Treble OFF
Bass ON
Solo ON

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:38 Paul hits the C# chord three times here, instead of the usual two
0:54 During the middle eight, Paul plays single notes in a more staccato style
1:06 Paul hammers-on from Bb to B here
1:08 Paul releases from a B note (2nd fret) to an open A-string, then resumes to his normal verse playing
1:29 The chords modulate up from F#m to Gm. Paul begins to play G5 to D5 chords
1:41 Paul plays two D5 chords, instead of the usual three
1:42 Paul plays Bb to F notes, instead of walking up from root to third to fifth (as in the prior verses)
1:53 Paul plays the chords in a more staccato style here
2:21 Paul plays the second hit here as a single note G, instead of G5 chord

GEAR:
Hofner HCT 500/1 SB
1965 Fender Bassman
Neumann TLM-103

#thebeatles #hofner #basscover
@HofnerGuitars1887

Im Happy Just To Dance With You- The Beatles (Bass Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-09-08 | Thanks @MichaelSokil for lending me this Hofner 500/1 bass!

Check out my guitar cover of I'm Happy Just To Dance With You, which features Michael Sokil on Rickenbacker 325!
youtu.be/rr2S8A6SBrg

I'm Happy Just To Dance With You is perhaps my favorite early Beatles song, and was featured in the film A Hard Day's Night. The backing track was recorded on March 1st, 1964 at EMI studios

Paul played a great and busy bassline on his Hofner 500/1 Violin bass, plugged into his Vox AC-100 amp

I'm playing Mike's Hofner into my 1965 Fender Bassman amp. His bass is an HCT 500/1 reissue model with flatwound strings on it. I plugged into the bass channel of my Bassman, with the deep switch off. I matched the Hofner's pickup settings to McCartney's typical 1964-1965 settings:
Treble OFF
Bass ON
Solo ON

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:01 Paul enters the song slightly late on a C#
0:13 Paul does a hammer-on from the 1st to 2nd frets of the D-string
0:42 Paul does another hammer-on from the 1st to 2nd frets of the D-string
0:57 Paul quickly switches from E to B, playing 16th notes before the verse
1:13 Paul transitions from E to C# by playing an open A-string note in between
1:20 Paul chromatically walks up from B to C#, for the only time
1:34 Instead of playing G# to F#, Paul plays F# to G# here
1:38 Paul transitions from C# to A by releasing the 4th fret to the open A-string EARLY
1:40 Paul transitions from B to C# by playing an open A-string in between
1:51 Instead of walking up the E major scale from B to E (B C# Eb E), Paul stops abruptly after C#. It's possible this was a mistake

GEAR:
Hofner HCT 500/1 SB
1965 Fender Bassman
Neumann TLM-103

#thebeatles #hofner #basscover
@HofnerGuitars1887

She’s A Woman- The Beatles (GUITAR SOLO COVER)

Sam Popkin 2025-09-04 | ...

Shes A Woman- The Beatles (Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-09-03 | Thanks @MichaelSokil for lending me the Rickenbacker 325!

This was a rare early example of George Harrison not playing on the backing track. He overdubbed the double-tracked guitar solo later, but the basic track only features John on guitar

@TheBeatles recorded the song as the B-side to I Feel Fine on October 8th, 1964 during the Beatles For Sale sessions. John Lennon plays the distinct choppy guitar chords throughout the song on his Rickenbacker 325

I confirmed that George was not on the basic track by listening to all the outtakes (takes 1-5), which are widely available via bootleg. George however does play some great fills throughout the song during 1964-1965 live performances. Instead, on the studio version it is Paul who plays these fills on the piano

John was using his 1964 Rickenbacker 'Miami' 325 model, instead of his older 1958 325 'Hamburg'. For this cover, I'm using Michael's 1982 Rickenbacker 320B model, which is a reissue of the 1958 Hamburg one. I'm plugged into my Vox AC-30 amp and mic'ing it with both a Neumann TLM-103 and a Shure SM-57

George used his 1963 Gretsch Tennessean in the middle position for the guitar solo. He double-tracked it using the same settings. I'm using my 1967 Gretsch Tennessean into my AC-30, mic'd with a Neumann TLM-103

Both John and George were plugged into their Vox AC-100 amps, and some echo was added later onto the track. I'm using the Waves Abbey Road Plates plug-in to mimick this echo

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:19 John slides down from the high D7
0:29 John sustains the high D7 slightly longer here
0:37 John starts to deaden the sustain of the chords
0:43 John's E7 X76750 includes the open high E-string
0:49 John strums upwards (as seen in the live NME footage), playing very staccato
0:54 John slides up from A7 to D7
0:57 John hits a D7, then slides from a low C# to D on the lowest string
1:00 John chugs a ghost note on A7, then slides up the low E-string to an A
1:07 John's high E7 includes the high E-string note, fretted at the 12th fret
1:12 John plays an open D7 for the first time, which includes the open A-string
1:26 John's A7 is a ghost note here
1:28 John plays D7 as X5453X instead of high barred
1:33 John accidentally stays on A7, instead of going up to D7. He corrects this eventually
1:46 John's D7 X54530 includes an open high E-string
1:54 John hits just the open A-string here. For the guitar solo section, he sticks to only open chords
1:59 George's doubled guitars are nearly identical, however there are some slight differences. For example here, the second guitar (upper right) slides later to the F# note
2:24 John plays very staccato, and chugs some ghost notes
2:32 John bends up the B-string as he plays the barred A7
2:49 John plays lots more bends on the B-string
2:54 John continues to bend up on the A7 chord, as the rest of the band has moved onto D7

GEAR:
1982 Rickenbacker 320B
1967 Gretsch 6119 Tennessean
2010's Vox AC-30C2X
Neumann TLM-103
Shure SM-57

#thebeatles #rickenbacker #guitarcover

Born To Run- Bruce Springsteen (Guitar Solo)

Sam Popkin 2025-08-28 | ...

Born To Run- Bruce Springsteen (Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-08-25 | Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Bruce Springsteen's landmark album Born To Run- August 25th, 1975. It's my favorite album of all time, and the song Born To Run is the reason I make music today

Bruce and the E Street Band spent over six months recording the song. Him and producer Mike Appel used Phil Spector's Wall of Sound production technique, layering tracks over and over to create its thick sound. Examples of the instruments layered in are glockenspiels, acoustic guitars, saxophones, Fender Rhodes, and a string section

The main guitar riff was inspired by Duane Eddy's twangy leads, and was originally played by bending up the 3rd fret of the A-string to a C#. Future E Street member Steven Van Zandt thought Bruce was playing a C natural, which would make the underlying chord an A minor. Bruce made sure to play the 4th fret of A moving forward, so there was no confusion

*Here is a breakdown of all the guitars on the song, all played by Bruce:*
_Main Riff:_ Telecaster into Deluxe Reverb with tremolo- DOUBLED
_Guitar Solo:_ Telecaster into Deluxe Reverb. tremolo engaged towards the end
_Hidden Guitar Track_: Telecaster into Tweed Bassman with echoplex slapback delay
_Verse Electric_: Telecaster into Tweed Bassman set clean
_Pre-Chorus electric_: Telecaster into Deluxe Reverb with tremolo
_Acoustic 12-string:_ Unknown acoustic- DOUBLED

I'm using my 2007 Fender American Vintage '52 Hot Rod Telecaster and my 2025 Framus Hootenanny 12-string acoustic guitar. My amps are a 2008 Fender ''65 Deluxe Reverb and my 1965 Fender Bassman. I used Analogman King of Tone and ARDX20 pedals, and the tremolo comes from the Deluxe Reverb amp itself

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:00 Bruce often plays E major as a six-string E5 chord- 022400
0:23 The acoustic guitars play open B and high E strings for the entire verses, even on the A and B chords (X02200 and X24400)
0:49 While the other instruments change to a B chord, Bruce's tremolo electric stays on XXX9-10-9 (A major triad). This is similar to Don't Worry Baby by the Beach Boys
2:12 There are no guitars during this bridge section. You do hear a wah wah pedal being used on a fender rhodes
2:25 This guitar part is only heard in bootleg outtakes
2:38 The guitar solo begins
2:52 Bruce steps on the Deluxe Reverb's 'vibrato' (tremolo) footswitch
3:35 The second acoustic guitar diverges from the first and plays chords

MY GEAR:
2007 Fender American Hot Rod '52 Telecaster (Fender '51 Nocaster Pickups)
2025 Framus Vintage 05/024 Hootenanny 12-String
2008 Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb
1965 Fender Bassman
Analogman King of Tone
Analogman ARDX20 Analog Delay
Neumann TLM-103

#brucespringsteen #borntorun #springsteen

Youve Got To Hide Your Love Away- The Beatles (Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-08-21 | My first cover using my new @FramusWarwickOfficial Hootenanny 12-string!

As heard on the Anthology 2 outtake, the backing track featured John on his Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic, George on a Spanish Classical guitar, Paul on Hofner bass, and Ringo on brushes

George then overdubbed a lead 12-string part on John's Framus. What's interesting is he tuned the low E-string down to Drop D

John and George's backing track guitars are very similar in strumming pattern and chords. In order to decipher their differences, I studied the scene in the film Help! where they mime to the song. And I listened closely to isolations, which shed some light as to what George played differently from John

I'm using my 2025 Framus Vintage 05/024 Hootenanny 12-String for John's part and George's overdub. Check out my full length demo of this new guitar!
youtu.be/eXUTLEIeL1E

For George's backing track guitar part, I'm using an Admira Irene Spanish Classical guitar. I am using a pick, as George did on classical guitar

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:02 John hammers-on the D-string 2nd fret. George stays on G
0:03 Both John and George play Dsus4 during the verses- XX0233
0:09 George plays C, while John only plays the top 4 strings- XX2013
0:19 Both John and George hammer-on the G-string 2nd fret
0:29 George plays a regular D chord, while John stays on Dsus4
0:36 George's overdubbed 12-string enters. It is in drop-D tuning
0:37 As seen in the movie, John walks down D by extending his pinky to the 3rd fret of the A-string
0:39 John plays two hard down-strokes before entering the chorus
1:54 John plays two hard down-strokes on C

MY GEAR:
2025 Framus Vintage 05/024 Hootenanny 12-String
Admira Irene Classical Nylon Guitar
Neumann TLM-103

@ModShoes Help! sweater

#thebeatles #framus #guitarcover

If I Fell- The Beatles (Bass Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-08-15 | Thanks @MichaelSokil for lending me this Hofner 500/1 bass!

Check out my guitar cover of If I Fell-
youtu.be/T-pp_EM4jS4

@TheBeatles recorded the basic track on February 27, 1964. The song was featured in their film A Hard Day's Night, and on the album of the same name

Paul McCartney played his 1963 Hofner 500/1 Violin bass into his Vox AC-100 amp

Jump to 0:18 for playing

I'm playing Mike's Hofner into my 1965 Fender Bassman amp. His bass is an HCT 500/1 reissue model with flatwound strings on it. I plugged into the bass channel of my Bassman, with the deep switch off. I matched the Hofner's pickup settings to McCartney's typical 1964-1965 settings:
Treble OFF
Bass ON
Solo ON

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:19 Paul begins by playing straight quarter notes, but switches to a swung pattern for the rest of the song
0:35 Paul plays an open A-string. For most of the song he plays A on the D-string 7th fret
1:08 Paul sustains a G note, instead of playing it twice
1:37 Paul again sustains a G note instead of playing it twice
1:41 Paul again sustains a G note instead of playing it twice
1:45 Paul sustains an A note instead of playing it twice
2:03 Paul plays an open A-string before the regular high A note
2:07 Paul plays a low G note for the first time, on the E-string 3rd fret

GEAR:
Hofner HCT 500/1 SB
1965 Fender Bassman
Neumann TLM-103

#thebeatles #hofner #basscover
@HofnerGuitars1887

I Should Have Known Better- The Beatles (Bass Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-08-10 | Thanks @MichaelSokil for lending me this Hofner 500/1 bass!

I Should Have Known Better is one of my favorite early Beatles songs, and was featured in their 1964 film A Hard Day's Night. It was recorded on February 26, 1964 for the A Hard Day's Night album

Paul played his 1963 Hofner 500/1 Violin Bass into his Vox AC-100 amp. The backing track featured Paul on bass, George on his new Rickenbacker 12-string, John on Gibson J-160e acoustic and vocals, and Ringo on drums

Paul's bassline is bouncy and staccato, although he often sustains notes throughout some sections. He only uses the A and D strings in this song

I'm playing Mike's Hofner HCT 500/1 reissue bass, which has flatwound strings on it. I'm plugged into my 1965 Fender Bassman amp, in the bass channel. I matched Paul's Hofner pickup settings to his typical 1964-1965 switch settings:
Treble OFF
Bass ON
SOLO

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:07 Paul does a hammer-on on the 5th to 7th frets of the A-string, with his pinky
0:12 Paul does a hammer-on on the 4th to 5th frets of the D-string
0:17 Every time there's an E minor at the end of each verse, Paul stays on a G note before descending to an E
1:22 Paul goes to a D accidentally, then plays a different walk-up (B C to D)
1:30 Paul plays a different rhythmic pattern- a syncopated F# before the G
1:32 Paul plays a descending line- G E D B. This is the only time he does this
2:00 Paul plays B-C-B on the B7 chord
2:10 Paul sustains the B note on the A-string, as he goes to the E note on the D-string
2:23 Paul subtly plays a funky syncopated line
2:25 Instead of chromatically walking up C to D, Paul hits an open A-string note after C
2:35 Paul plays a new pattern for the fade-out

GEAR:
Hofner HCT 500/1 SB
1965 Fender Bassman
Neumann TLM-103

#thebeatles #hofner #hofnerbass #basscover
@HofnerGuitars1887

A Hard Days Night- The Beatles (Bass Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-08-06 | Thanks @MichaelSokil for lending me this Hofner 500/1 bass!

Check out my guitar cover of A Hard Day's Night-
youtu.be/Tm9_R14wzbY

A Hard Day's Night was the title track from their film and album of the same name. The song was recorded on April 16, 1964. The backing track consisted of John on Gibson J-160e acoustic and vocals, George on Rickenbacker 12-string lead electric, Ringo on drums and Paul on Hofner bass and vocals

Paul plugged his 1963 Hofner 500/1 Violin Bass into his Vox AC-100 amp for the recording. The tone sounds slightly muddy and distorted, although isolations don't give a lot of clarity

The intro note is hotly debated, but we know for sure Paul played a D note. It took me some time to settle on the 5th fret of the A-string as the exact place Paul played it. In isolations, it sounds closer to the 12th fret of the D-string (an octave up). But I believe this is an artifact from the unclear isolation, or a harmonic overtone of the note sustaining

Watching live performances, Paul almost always plays the 5th fret of the A-string for the first and last notes of the song. This doesn't necessarily mean he did this in the studio, HOWEVER if you listen to the studio outtake (take 1 from Anthology 1), it does sound like Paul is playing the A-string 5th fret

Furthermore, I listened to several isolations of Paul's bass in preparation for this cover. In many of these, there was a harmonic overtone happening every time Paul hit the A-string 5th fret. This overtone was the octave above- a higher D note that would correspond to the 12th fret of the D-string. It's possible Paul's AC-100 amp created this harmonic note, or it was a result of unclear isolations

I'm playing Mike's Hofner into my 1965 Fender Bassman amp. His bass is an HCT 500/1 reissue model with flatwound strings on it. I plugged into the bass channel of my Bassman, with the deep switch off. I matched the Hofner's pickup settings to McCartney's typical 1964-1965 settings:
Treble OFF
Bass ON
Solo ON

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:01 This famous intro note/chord is disputed. See my notes above for an explanation as to why I chose the A-string 5th fret, instead of the D-string 12th fret
0:05 Paul hammers-on the C to D notes on the A-string
0:18 Random notes will sometimes be staccato, not sustained
0:23 Paul does an amazing syncopated/fast line on D
0:30 Paul plays another syncopated line on D
0:36 Paul chromatically walks up F to G for the first time
1:09 Paul chromatically walks down G to F
1:18 Paul plays another syncopated line on D to enter the solo section
1:26 Paul plays another syncopated line on D. Each of them so far have been different each time
1:48 Paul plays these low G notes staccato
2:01 Paul hammers-on low F# to G here
2:09 Paul walks up B to D chromatically for the only time, mimicking George's electric line
2:17 Paul plays a bunch of up-down 16th notes
2:21 Paul ends the song on the A-string 5th fret (disputed, see above)

GEAR:
Hofner HCT 500/1 SB
1965 Fender Bassman
Neumann TLM-103

#thebeatles #hofner #basscover
@HofnerGuitars1887

What Goes On- The Beatles (GUITAR SOLO) 1967 Gretsch Tennessean

Sam Popkin 2025-08-02 | ...

The New 2025 Framus Hootenanny 12-String!

Sam Popkin 2025-07-29 | Thanks @FramusWarwickOfficial for sending me this guitar!

0:27 Intro
1:19 History of Framus
2:02 Paul's Zenith (Framus) Guitar
2:32 I'm A Loser (Unknown 12-string)
3:44 Help!
5:35 Rubber Soul
7:17 John's Hootenanny History 1965-Present
7:56 New Framus Hootenanny Specs
11:22 Hootenanny vs. 1967 Gibson B-25-12

I'm excited about this new addition to my collection! It will come in handy for 1965 Beatles covers. Stay tuned

Here are the specs of my new guitar:
2025 Framus Vintage 05/024 Hootenanny 12-String
Vintage Tinted Nitro Finish
Tortoise Pickguard
Spruce Top
Mahogany Back, Sides and Neck
Rosewood Fingerboard
Trapeze Tailpiece
50 mm Nut Width
19 frets

A big shout out to @NickMartellaro who assisted Framus with this new reissue. Go check out his video on the new Hootenanny

And a special thanks to @perrystanleyNumber9

#thebeatles #framus #hootenanny

Octopus’s Garden- The Beatles (GUITAR SOLO)

Sam Popkin 2025-07-28 | ...

I Saw Her Standing There (Ed Sullivan 2/9/1964- The Beatles [GUITAR SOLO]

Sam Popkin 2025-07-27 | ...

Till There Was You (Ed Sullivan 2/9/1964)- The Beatles [GUITAR SOLO]

Sam Popkin 2025-07-26 | ...

All My Loving (Ed Sullivan 2/9/1964)- The Beatles [GUITAR SOLO]

Sam Popkin 2025-07-26 | ...

Live on the Ed Sullivan Show [First Appearance]- The Beatles (Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-07-19 | Thanks for 10 million total views on my channel! This is a special treat for all you subscribers. Your support means so much to me

0:00 All My Loving
2:09 Till There Was You
4:22 She Loves You
6:44 I Saw Her Standing There
9:20 I Want To Hold Your Hand

This was the moment that changed popular music forever. 73 million Americans tuned into their TV sets at 8pm ET on February 9th, 1964. The Beatles Ed Sullivan performance was one of the defining moments of the 20th century

Despite George being ill and John’s vocal mic being way too quiet, they performed exceptionally well. The image of four young musicians performing their own songs live inspired many Americans bands to form- The Doors, The E Street Band, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and many more

It was one of the last times John used his 1958 Rickenbacker 325 live, as Rickenbacker gifted him a new 325 in New York that same week. George used his 1963 Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar. Their Vox AC-50 amps are not seen, they were probably off to the side of the stage

One of the biggest mysteries surrounding the performance is the fact that they are heard performing a half-step down. They either tuned to a lower pitch (Eb), or somehow the tape machines were running at a different speed. I believe that they tuned to Eb deliberately. Their Washington Coliseum performance two days later has the same pitch. It could’ve been a tactic to sing at an easier (lower) pitch. I tuned my guitars down to Eb for this cover, I did not slow anything down

I studied the video performance, but John and George’s hands are not visible the whole time. For those missing gaps, I either studied the audio or I viewed other 1963-1964 live videos where they perform the same songs
A special thank you to @MichaelSokil for lending me both of these guitars!

INTERESTING NOTES:
_All My Loving:_
0:10 George plays A6 as 57X675
0:13 John plays B XX4442 instead of B7 X21202 like in the studio version
0:39 George slides down from B6 to A6 XX7675
0:58 George turns up his master vol knob before the solo
1:10 George plays two high F# notes in a row, unlike the studio version solo
1:14 John doubles George's final hammer-on notes of the solo
2:03 George switches from X76454 to open E 022100
_Till There Was You:_
2:07 Before the song starts, George fiddles with his volume knob and switches from neck pickup to middle position. John at the last second switches from middle position to the neck pickup
3:18 George begins his solo with the first note on the third beat, instead of the studio version where he starts on the four
4:16 John ends the song with a single low F note
_She Loves You:_
4:29 George switches to the neck pickup for his lead riff
4:38 George switches back to the middle position
4:56 George switches to the neck pickup
5:00 George switches back to the middle position
5:34 George switches to the neck pickup
5:40 George switches back to the middle position
5:55 George does upstrums on the chorus riff here
6:11 George switches to the neck pickup
6:23 George plays a D augmented X5433X, then switches back to the middle position
_I Saw Here Standing There:_
6:44 John plays all downstrums on E7, alternating between single Low-E notes and the chord
7:05 John plays the A to A minor part with his thumb wrapped around the top of the fretboard- 5X7655 to 5X7555
7:09 George plays a low F# to an A-B hammer-on before finally hitting a B chord
7:51 George quickly switches to the bridge pickup for a riff that he also plays on the album version. Then he switches back to the middle position
8:14 George switches to the bridge pickup for his solo
8:30 George hits the low E string hard, in conjunction with an open D string to 2nd fret hammer-on
8:41 George switches back to the middle position
9:15 John ends by shuffling on an A chord, then strumming an E triplet X7999X, before ending on an open E 022100
_I Want To Hold Your Hand:_
9:29 George plays the high G chord X10121212X with his ring finger barred, but when he plays the D chord X5777X he uses his pinky to bar
9:31 John plays his D shuffles with an unusual shape. His index finger is on the A string, while his middle finger is on the 7th fret of the D string, then he uses his pinky to stretch to the 9th fret of the D string. Usually you would use your ring finger with this kind of shuffle, but the short scale of the 325 makes this unusual stretch easier
9:41 John ends the verse by playing B 799877 on a sustained upstrum. This is because he sings his falsetto harmony vocal 'hand...' on that syncopated upbeat as well
9:44 John plays barred G chords- 355433, unlike on She Loves You where he plays an open G
10:25 John plays the intro riff with open C and D chords here, as opposed to high barred ones
11:36 John does hard downstrokes on B7 X21202

GEAR:
1982 Rickenbacker 320B
2016 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman G6122-62 GE
1982 Boss GE-7 (Country Gent)
Vox AC-30C2X
Neumann TLM-103

Thanks for watching!
#thebeatles #edsullivanshow #gretsch #rickenbacker

Rain [Original Tempo/Pitch]- The Beatles (Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-07-16 | Check out my main cover of Rain-
youtu.be/G3o-vsybIYs

The speed and pitch at which The Beatles recorded Rain is still up for debate. All we know for sure is that they recorded the song faster than what is heard on the released version. When they slowed the backing track down, it created that sludgy psychedelic sound you hear

It was released in 1966 as the b-side to Paperback Writer. The key of the released single is roughly G, but slightly flatter than G. They most likely recorded the song in the pitch/tempo of G#, A or Bb

Giles Martin released a Revolver box set in 2022, with an outtake (take 5) of Rain. He named it 'Actual Speed' and it was in Bb. I personally believe this was not the actual speed they recorded it in, as it sounds cartoonishly fast and high pitched

I slowed down Giles's Bb take to the key of A, and used this as the basis for my cover. It sounded more natural than Bb, especially the pitch and tempo of Ringo's drums. I tuned George's guitar to AEAEAC#. This was a rare open tuning for a Beatles track. John's guitar was played in standard tuning

George used his Gibson SG in the strange tuning, most likely into a Vox UL7120 amp. Giles's take 5 lists Paul on lead guitar, but I determined it was most likely George, due to his voice being heard on the backing track

John used his Gretsch 6120 guitar into a Fender Showman amp. Photos from that day's sessions show him playing this new guitar. They also recorded Paperback Writer on the same day

I'm using my 1970 Gibson SG Special into my Vox AC-30C2X. Once again, it is tuned to AEAEAC#.
And for John, I'm using my new 2019 Gretsch 6120 into my 1965 Fender Bassman

I recorded this cover in the key of A, then (see my other video) slowed it down in iMovie by 12% to match the released version's ~G pitch

MY GEAR:
1970 Gibson SG Special
2019 Gretsch G6120T-59VS
Vox AC-30C2X
1965 Fender Bassman
Neumann TLM-103

#thebeatles #guitarcover #gibsonsg #gretsch

Rain- The Beatles (Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-07-11 | Here's my first Beatles cover using my new Gretsch 6120!

The recording history of Rain is very complex and mysterious. The pitch/tempo at which they originally recorded it, and who played the lead guitar is hotly debated. Below, I'll go into further detail

*But for those of you who want a quick summary:*
- I believe George played lead guitar on his Gibson SG
- George is heard talking in the backing track full take, and doesn’t play any other instrument on the song
- He was in AEAEAC# open tuning (thanks @ManWithNoExpression for cracking this code in 2022)
- John played his Gretsch 6120 in standard tuning
- Paul played bass on the backing track
- They recorded the song In A, not Bb as Giles Martin’s 2022 box set tape suggests
- My 'smoking gun' is that the pitch of Ringo's cymbals was too high in Bb. I slowed down the Giles take to A, and Ringo's cymbals matched his usual setup
- I recorded my cover in the key of A, then slowed down my own cover by 12% in IMovie

Rain was recorded on April 14, 1966 during the Revolver sessions. It was released as the b-side to Paperback Writer. The Beatles recorded the song at a faster speed, then slowed it down to the key of ~G (it's slightly flatter than actual G). This created that very deep and low psychedelic tone

In 2022, Giles Martin remastered Revolver, and included a backing track of Rain in the box set. He titled it 'Take 5/ Actual Speed'. If you listen to it, it's in the key of Bb and it sounds very fast. It's hard to imagine Ringo drumming at that tempo, and it sounds cartoonishly high-pitched

I did some tests, and slowed down Giles's take 5 track down to the key of A. It sounded much more natural, but I couldn't prove that they actually recorded it in A. I asked @andrewweiss8744 for some help

Andrew listened carefully to Ringo's drums in the Giles outtake in Bb, and my slowed down 'A' track. He studied the pitch of the cymbals Ringo was using around 1965-66, then compared them to the Rain pitches. He determined without a doubt, that the 'A' cymbals matched Ringo's usual cymbal pitch, not when it was in Bb

After concluding the song was originally recorded in the key of A, I needed to determine who played lead guitar

Ian Macdonald listed George as playing lead guitar, but Giles's 2022 box set liner notes listed Paul on lead guitar. John is always listed as playing rhythm guitar, on his Gretsch 6120

After studying the Giles outtake closely, I heard what was clearly George's voice at the end of the song. This goes against Giles's 2022 liner notes, which claim George was not on the backing track. I believe Giles was wrong, and George plays lead guitar on the backing. Furthermore, it makes perfect sense that Paul's bass is heard on take 5, because it means that all four Beatles played their usual instruments live

While George did also have his Fender Strat and Epiphone Casino at the time of the Revolver sessions, I believe the tone of the lead guitar on Rain is very close to a Gibson SG. It reminds me of the tones heard on She Said She Said and Doctor Robert, when he plugged into his Vox UL7120

To make things even more confusing, the tuning of the lead guitar on Rain is an unusual low open tuning. Ryan Martin @ManWithNoExpression and I had a conversation in 2022 about this tuning, and he was the one who cracked the code. The low E string was downtuned to a super low A note, and the other strings were also downtuned, resulting in the open tuning AEAEAC#

Regarding the amps they would've used- George was probably plugged into his Vox UL7120. This hybrid amp produced the unusual sterile distortion heard on Taxman, She Said She Said and Paperback Writer. John most likely plugged into a Fender Showman or Bassman, which were the amps they used during Revolver to get clean(ish) tones

I'm using my 1970 Gibson SG Special (downtuned) into my Vox AC-30C2X. And my 2019 Gretsch 6120 into my 1965 Fender Bassman amp. My guitars vary slightly from the Beatles 1966 spec. My SG has P90 pickups, and John's 6120 was a double-cutaway model with fake f-holes

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:17 George hammers-on an open note of the highest string, to the 1st fret
0:28 George sustains a low E note (what is usually the open A string)
0:55 George plays X32003 in his open tuning, which is essentially a G6
1:20 George plays a hammer-on from 1st to 3rd frets of the highest string
1:23 George plays an interesting variation of high notes here
1:32 John hammers-on X0000X to A
2:32 My favorite part- George plays an arpeggio of low open strings, and enters late
2:42 George (for the only time) plays a B note on the 2nd fret of what is normally the B string
2:44 John plays lots of 000000 open string chords from here to the end
3:02 George ends by sliding up the highest string, in a raga like fashion. He alternates between highest and lowest strings

MY GEAR:
1970 Gibson SG Special
2019 Gretsch G6120T-59 VS
1965 Fender Bassman
Vox AC-30C2X
Neumann TLM-103

#thebeatles #rain #revolver

Ill Get You- The Beatles (Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-07-05 | Thanks @MichaelSokil for lending me this Gretsch Country Gentleman!

Figuring out which guitars were used on the song was difficult, as the two-track master tape was erased after the song was released. This means we only have a mono mix to dissect, and I could only hear one guitar when I isolated the tracks. Thanks to @3AbbeyRoadStJohnsWood-k4t for helping me decide what John was playing

The song was recorded on July 1 1963 at EMI Studios. It was released as the b-side to She Loves You

The main electric guitar we hear was undoubtedly George on his Gretsch Country Gentleman. John is often listed as playing acoustic guitar, but I was unable to hear a second guitar no matter how many isolations I listened to

John plays harmonica on the song. But this was overdubbed after the backing track was recorded, so John would've been able to play guitar on the backing

This is a rare instance on my channel, where I have to completely make up a guitar part based on my best guess. With no real audio to go off of, I had to rely on John's playing style at the time. Fortunately, The Beatles filmed a promo/music video for I'll Get You that shows glimpses of John's guitar playing
youtu.be/-K65wYAx-0Y?si=UPKpVkp9yVXrz4E_

The Beatles raised the key of the song from D to E when performing the song live. But this music video shows them playing in D, so it became my only evidence to go off of. John is seen playing a D chord in his banjo-shape XX4232. He also is seen playing G and A chords as bar chords, and occasionally doing pinky shuffles on G and A

Although John is seen playing his Rickenbacker 325 electric guitar in the promo, I decided to use my Gibson J-160e acoustic-electric for this cover. He is seen using his J160 in sessions photos from the day they recorded She Loves You/I’ll Get You

John and George often would plug in their Gibson J-160e's into their Vox AC-30 amps in 1963. This is heard all over Please Please Me and With The Beatles. I plugged in my J-160 into my AC-30 and also mic'd up the acoustic guitar, so what you're hearing is a combination of the amp and the acoustic mic signals. My J-160e is a real 1966 vintage Gibson

For George's guitar part I used Michael's Gretsch Country Gent in the middle position, into my Vox AC-30. He is actually seen using a different guitar in the promo video- his Rickenbacker 420 solid body. But the tone on the released mix sounds much closer to a Gretsch to my ears

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:20 As seen in the promo video, John plays a barred shuffle on G, A, then D
0:38 George slides up from A barred, to D
1:10 George sustains some G chords, before continuing his pulsing rhythm playing
1:32 George plays a D shuffle, but includes a low A note (5th fret of the Low E string)- 557XXX

GEAR:
1966 Gibson J-160e
2016 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman G6122-62 GE
Vox AC-30C2X
Neumann TLM-103

#thebeatles #gretsch #pastmasters

Crying In The Rain- The Everly Brothers (Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-07-01 | One of my favorite @TheEverlyBrothersOfficial songs! Written by Carole King with lyrics by Howard Greenfield

Thanks @MichaelSokil for lending me his electric guitar- a 2016 Gretsch Country Gentleman!

The song was recorded sometime in 1960-1961 in Nashville, and released in December 1961. As with many of the Everly's early recordings, Chet Atkins plays electric guitar chords with a tremolo effect. You can hear this on All I Have To Do Is Dream and Devoted To You

Chet would've used his 1958-59 Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar into his Gretsch signature amplifier, which had a tremolo effect built into it

It's unclear who is playing the acoustic guitars, but it is likely that Don Everly played his Gibson Everly signature J-180 model. This bright sounding acoustic is heard in the left channel. It's possible Phil Everly also played his J-180

An unknown Nashville guitarist plays the classical guitar that is heard in the center. Possible candidates for who played it are Hank Garland, Harold Bradley, or Luther Brandon. It sounds like they are using a pick with the classical nylon, especially during the intro fills

I'm using Michael's Gretsch Country Gentleman into my Fender Pro Reverb amp. I'm using an Analogman King of Tone to boost the amp, and a Strymon Flint pedal to get that tremolo effect

I'm using my 1970's Ibanez 698 acoustic, which is a Japanese copy of a Gibson J-200. The Everly's used J-200's before Gibson made their signature J-180's. I'm also using my Admira Irene Classical guitar with a pick

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:01 Chet's Gretsch and Don's acoustic sustain D chords, while the Classical plays a lead glissando riff. The Classical does not play lead lines for the rest of the song
0:28 The Classical guitar plays a fast triplet
0:40 The Classical plays a syncopated rhythm
1:22 The Classical plays an A6 X02222
1:51 Chet's Gretsch plays a final arpeggio, then ends on a D chord. The Classical plays a final D chord, but Don's acoustic does not

GEAR:
2016 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman G6122-62 GE
Ibanez Jamboree 698 (1970's MIJ J-200)
Admira Irene Spanish Classical
Analogman King of Tone
Strymon Flint
1974 Fender Pro Reverb
Neumann TLM-103

#theeverlybrothers #gretsch #everlybrothers

Too Much Monkey Business- The Beatles (Live At The BBC GUITAR SOLO)

Sam Popkin 2025-06-30 | ...

Too Much Monkey Business- The Beatles (Live At The BBC Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-06-28 | Thanks @MichaelSokil for lending me these guitars!

Too Much Monkey Business was written and recorded by Chuck Berry in 1956. The Beatles covered the song many times, starting in 1960 during their Hamburg days. But the most famous version was from September 3rd, 1963 for the BBC radio program Pop Go The Beatles. This live version appeared on their Live At The BBC compilation in 1994

It features a rare guitar solo from John Lennon on his Rickenbacker 325. To my ears, John is using the bridge pickup. It has a similar style to his other Chuck Berry-esque guitar solos, as heard on Long Tall Sally and You Can't Do That

George played rhythm guitar on his Gretsch Country Gentleman, most likely in the middle position. He does play some lead fills- at the end of each verse and during the outro

Both John and George plugged into their Vox AC-30 amps. John's tone has some slight crunch to it, so I drove my AC-30 a little harder

They downtuned their guitars to a slightly lower pitch, somewhere between G# and A. It’s still played in standard, with A chord shapes. But the overall pitch is lower than A440

I'm playing Michael's 1982 Rickenbacker 320B and his 2016 Gretsch Country Gentleman into my 2010's Vox AC-30C2X

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:06 John slides up to the 10th fret for D shuffle, but for the rest of the song plays D on the 5th fret of the A-string
0:08 George plays his pinky-stretching shuffles by hitting two strings at once with his pinky. Either A and D strings, or D and G
0:15 John plays D9 while George just plays Am. This happens every time in the song
0:40 George plays his A shuffle down on the 5th fret instead of 12th
0:48 John's guitar solo begins. He slides into an Am (XXX555)
0:54 John ends each phrase here on an open D string
1:37 George hits A instead of John. Then George alternates between A and D
2:04 George plays a lead riff to end the song. John slides up G, Ab, to A and they both end on an A bar chord

GEAR:
1982 Rickenbacker 320B
2016 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman G6122-62 GE
Vox AC-30C2X
Neumann TLM-103

#thebeatles #gretsch #rickenbacker

Memphis, Tennessee- The Beatles (JOHN LIVE BBC GUITAR SOLO)

Sam Popkin 2025-06-27 | ...

Matchbox- The Beatles (Mono Version GUITAR SOLO)

Sam Popkin 2025-06-25 | ...

Matchbox- The Beatles (Stereo Version GUITAR SOLO)

Sam Popkin 2025-06-25 | ...

Memphis, Tennessee- The Beatles (Live At The BBC Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-06-23 | Thanks to @MichaelSokil for lending me these guitars!

Chuck Berry wrote and recorded this song in 1959, and The Beatles quickly added it to their live repertoire in the early days

The version you hear on the 1994 Live At The BBC compilation was recorded on July 10 1963, from a BBC radio program (Pop Go The Beatles)

I believe John played the guitar solo on his Rickenbacker 325, because George is playing the intro riff throughout the song while John sings. And George continues to play this riff as the guitar solo is happening

George used his Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar on the middle position, which produces a warmer, quackier tone. John also sounds like he is using the middle position, but his amp must have been turned up loud because his lead tone is somewhat distorted

I'm using Michael's 1982 Rickenbacker 320B and his 2016 Gretsch Country Gentleman into my Vox AC-30C2X. I turned the gain up a bit for John's guitar, to get that crunchy tone

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:23 John goes to the 4th fret of the A string sooner here, and continues to do this throughout the song
0:35 George sometimes does a B shuffle with his pinky, whereas before he just hit a B5 over and over
1:21 John's guitar solo begins
1:31 John includes the open B string in this phrase
1:39 John slides down to a G note from G#/B

GEAR:
1982 Rickenbacker 320B
2016 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman G6122-62 GE
Vox AC-30C2X
Neumann TLM-103

#thebeatles #gretsch #rickenbacker

Matchbox- The Beatles (Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-06-20 | Thanks @MichaelSokil for lending me his Gretsch Country Gentleman!

@TheBeatles recorded this song on June 1 1964. It was released in the U.K. on the Long Tall Sally EP, and as the b-side to Slow Down in the U.S. It was originally written and recorded by Carl Perkins in 1957. Ringo sang the cover, and later sang another Perkins song (Honey Don't) later in 1964

The backing track included George on rhythm guitar (the intro riff that kicks off the song), and John on 12-string electric. John had just acquired his new Rickenbacker 325/12 guitar 3 months earlier, so he most likely used that

George either used his Gretsch Country Gentleman or his Gretsch Tennessean guitar. The intro riff has a spongey tone to it, that I attribute to the Country Gent. It's possible the solo was Tennessean, but I went with the Gent as well. George overdubbed and double-tracked his solo, but you mostly hear one guitar

I'm using my 1999 Rickenbacker 360/12V64 12-string electric for John's guitar part. This is a reissue of the 12-string that George used during this period. For George's parts I'm using Michael's 2016 Gretsch Country Gentleman

Both guitars are plugged into my Vox AC-30C2x. The Beatles would've used Vox AC-50's during this period. I'm using an Analogman King of Tone for the solos and the 12-string part. And a Boss GE-7 EQ pedal to boost the mids for the 12-string part as well

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:03 John's 12-string enters before the downbeat
0:11 George alternates between A and C notes
0:12 John plays a D-string note early before the D chord begins
0:22 John hits the D and G string here (for the A shuffle riff)
1:05 George starts to mimic John's riffs
1:15 George hits an open D string during his solo
1:17 The doubled guitar solo reenters at the end of the solo
1:36 John plays a variation on his main riff, not hitting the D-string
1:42 John doesn't hit the G string (at first) for the D riff
1:43 George goes back to his normal playing, doesn't mimic John anymore
1:49 George alternates between D and F# notes
1:51 George plays a descending lead lick, then ends on A6
1:51 John plays two A chords, then a D chord. Then ascends chromatically on the Low E-string. Instead of playing an E major scale to get to A, he plays E-G-G#-A. Then ends on A6, like George

GEAR:
2016 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman G6122-62 GE
1999 Rickenbacker 360/12V64
Vox AC-30C2X
Neumann TLM-103

#thebeatles #12stringguitar #beatlesmusic

Gretsch Shootout- Gent vs. 6120 vs. Tennessean

Sam Popkin 2025-06-19 | ...

Behind Blue Eyes- The Who (Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-06-17 | Here's my first cover featuring my new Gretsch 6120!

This @thewho5803 song was recorded in 1971 for their album Who's Next. It's mostly an acoustic ballad until the end, when Keith Moon's drums and Pete's electric guitar kick in

Pete Townshend used his new 1971 rig for the whole Who's Next album- a 1959 Gretsch 6120 into an Edwards Light Beam volume pedal, into a 1959 Fender Tweed Bandmaster 3x10 amp. These three items were gifted to him that year by Joe Walsh

For acoustic, Pete was using his 1968 Gibson J-200 Super Jumbo Acoustic. He had used this starting in 1968 for the recording of the Tommy album

I'm using my Ibanez Jamboree 698 acoustic, which is a 1970's Japanese copy of a Gibson J-200. It has Martin Monel 12 gauge strings on it

For Pete's electric parts, I'm using my new 2019 Gretsch 6120 into a Calatinbread 5F6 overdrive pedal, into an Analogman ARDX20 delay pedal, into my 1965 Fender Bassman amp. His guitar had a good amount of short (slapback) delay on it

The Catalinbread Formula 5F6 pedal is an amp-in-a-box pedal that tries to replicate the tones of a Fender Tweed Bassman 4x10. I am just starting to use my 6120, so I'm trying out different setups to get Pete's tones

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:01 Pete starts the song by picking an Esus4 chord 022200
0:17 Pete picks a Cadd9 chord with high open E, but on the way back down releases the low D string (this happens every time he plays Cadd9)
0:29 Pete hammers-on a Dsus XX0233
0:35 Pete strums an Asus2 chord, then resumes picking it
0:51 Pete strums an E, then moves up to 04X200
1:36 Pete strums Dsus to D instead of picking
1:51 Pete stops hard on G/C 3X2013
1:57 Pete slides down from E5 0799XX
2:21 Pete's 6120 enters, sliding down from the 12th fret of the Low E-string
2:22 Pete's pedal steel-esque bends- he bends up the G-string on the 11th fret while hitting the 12th fret of the B-string
2:50 Pete includes an extra E note on the D-string here
3:13 Pete's acoustic does two fast strums in a row here
3:21 Pete's acoustic plays an A/B X0444X
3:35 Both guitars end on an Asus2

MY GEAR:
2019 Gretsch G6120T-59 VS
1970's Ibanez J-200 copy
Catalinbread Formula 5F6
Analogman ARDX20 Analog Delay
1965 Fender Bassman
Neumann TLM-103

#thewho #petetownshend #whosnext

For The Love of Gretsch 6120s! From Twang to Grunge & Punk

Sam Popkin 2025-06-15 | Did I forget any of your favorite 6120 players? Share yours below in the comments

I can't stop geeking out about my new guitar- a 2019 Gretsch G6120T-59 VS
So I thought I'd share my favorite knowledge about this classic guitar model

0:19 My Journey with the 6120
5:11 History and Specs
9:03 Early 6120 Users
12:12 1960's British Users
14:45 Jimmy Johnson, Joe South and Muscle Shoals
17:00 Buffalo Springfield, Crazy Horse and CSNY
19:58 Pete Townshend!
26:17 Brian Setzer
27:47 Bruce Springsteen
28:31 My 6120 Specs, Plans For Covers
33:40 Country Gent/6120/Tennessean SHOOTOUT

Gear Used:
2019 Gretsch G6120T-59 VS
2016 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman G6122-62 GE
1967 Gretsch 6119 Tennessean
1969 Martin 00-18
2021 Epiphone Casino USA
1965 Fender Bassman
Catalinbread Formula 5F6
Analogman King of Tone
Strymon Flint
Analogman ARDX20

Songs Referenced:
youtu.be/rIbMbXjbW98?si=QjyWvAmhR22b4nr5
youtu.be/sRaa9loXllY?si=XxOzziz99eVnN2QD
youtu.be/n-c66SJPuUI?si=HNYgQyPrw6tK8csN
youtu.be/BIWU4CHbR04?si=2nfH4zospUoKJpcg
youtu.be/yYvkICbTZIQ?si=tZiMtTX_EkVyUhdJ
youtu.be/9g2eU9YGwWQ?si=vqGRPRwISD34ZN3h
youtu.be/A134hShx_gw?si=AUk6IXnUGPVOWIqk
youtu.be/tjuDzk1EK1U?si=bKmQFAQ8WhkDiJPD
youtu.be/80_39eAx3z8?si=sVezK0MQ71tTiubk
youtu.be/m5FCcDEA6mY?si=BNdDmU3ZVVmm2zn-
youtu.be/Jtb10ZwbReY?si=iaVX1MBWFqdx8dXo
youtu.be/6y1c3xllo8c?si=l_KNVAGPFqHNhlIi

Check out @fivewattworld for a great short history of the 6120
Thanks for watching!

@thewho5803 @neilyoungchannel @gretschguitars

#gretsch #petetownshend #gretschguitars

So How Come (No One Loves Me)- The Beatles Live BBC GUITAR SOLO

Sam Popkin 2025-06-05 | ...

Young Blood- The Beatles (Live At The BBC Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-06-04 | Thanks @MichaelSokil for lending me these guitars!

This song was originally recorded by The Coasters in 1957, the b-side to their single Searchin'. Another song The Beatles often covered

The Beatles recorded this live BBC version on June 1, 1963 for the radio program Pop Go The Beatles

John plays an interesting lead guitar part on this song, similar to his single note licks on Matchbox and Nothin Shakin'. George sang lead vocals, so most of his guitar playing is rhythmic

John played his 1958 Rickenbacker 325 and George played his Gretsch Country Gentleman. They both plugged into Vox AC-30's

I'm using Michael's 1982 Rickenbacker 320B and 2016 Gretsch Country Gent into my Vox AC-30C2X

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:00 George joins John for the single note walkups, but then switches to rhythm/chord playing when he sings
0:03 John does a hammer-on from 3rd to 4th frets of the A string
0:05 John plays an open A note, then E
0:07 John plays an E, then open A
0:10 John plays two E's in a row, one of the common riffs he plays later
0:11 John plays a C note, then an E before ending on an open A
0:16 George plays a single note riff for each chorus, but it differs from the riff John plays
0:25 John ends the chorus on an F note
0:30 John plays a different riff for this verse, focusing on open A notes and hammer-ons
0:36 George occasionally plays an A shuffle (2nd to 4th fret of D-string)
0:57 John starts the C# to D chord slides before George
1:00 John hits a hard upstrum on D, before playing a G shuffle riff
1:49 George plays two A notes in a row, repeating the earlier chorus riff
1:52 George ends the song on A9, while John plays a late A6 and tremolo-picks the D-string

GEAR:
1982 Rickenbacker 320B
2016 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman G6122-62 GE
Vox AC-30C2X
Neumann TLM-103

#thebeatles #gretsch #rickenbacker

So How Come (No One Loves Me)- The Beatles (Live At The BBC Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-06-03 | Thanks @MichaelSokil for lending me his guitars!

This song was originally recorded by The Everly Brothers on their 1960 album A Date With The Everly Brothers- one of my top 10 favorite albums of all time. It was written by Felice Bryant

It's a rare example of John and George harmonizing together- George on high harmonies. They recorded it live on July 10 1963 for the BBC program Pop Go The Beatles

John played his 1958 Rickenbacker 325 guitar into a Vox AC-30. George played his Gretsch Country Gentleman into an AC-30 as well

George copied the guitar solo heard on the Everly's version. This was originally played by Hank Garland on a Gibson ES-345

I'm playing Michael's 1982 Rickenbacker 320B and his 2016 Gretsch Country Gent into my Vox AC-30C2x

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:36 George plays a lead riff, sliding up the G and B strings
0:56 George begins his guitar solo
1:30 George slides up the G and B strings one fret too short
1:53 John ends the song on a G bar chord, while George plays a G9

GEAR:
1982 Rickenbacker 320B
2016 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman G6122-62 GE
Vox AC-30C2X
Neumann TLM-103

#thebeatles #gretsch #rickenbacker

Live New Guitar Reveal- June 1, 2025

Sam Popkin 2025-06-02 | Sorry for the lag at the end

A Shot of Rhythm and Blues- The Beatles (Live At The BBC Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-06-02 | Thanks @MichaelSokil for lending me these guitars!

This song was originally recorded by Arthur Alexander, and became a frequent cover in the Beatles live setlists. And for good reason! It's one of their best Live BBC recordings

They recorded their most famous version on August 1, 1963 for the BBC radio program Pop Go The Beatles. This was later released in 1994 on Live At The BBC

This was around the time that George brought his Gretsch Country Gentleman in for repair, and he used a Maton Mastersound as his replacement for a few weeks. I'm not 100% sure which was used on this live recording, but it's possible it was the Maton

John played his 1958 Rickenbacker 325 guitar into a Vox AC-30. I'm playing Michael's 1982 Rickenbacker 320B and his 2016 Gretsch Country Gent into my Vox AC-30C2x

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:14 John switches from D to D7
0:16 John plays a G7. He plays a regular G bar chord for most of the song
0:31 Ringo rushes the beat during his fill, so everyone speeds up
0:42 George plays G then B notes before playing a different riff for the A turn around
0:43 John plays a complex strumming pattern for A
1:06 John does not switch to D7
1:28 George plays C# then E notes before the D chord
1:32 George plays lead bends
1:33 John plays G7
1:41 This is hard to hear in the original mix, but in isolated tracks I was able to determine George is playing slides to E notes here
1:44 George plays a double-stop slide, then a descending lick. This includes a quick ascending hammer-on on the D-string
1:47 George plays a few D notes instead of the main riff, then continues on the main riff in G
1:48 John plays G7
2:14 John ends on a regular D. George plays a high D bar chord

GEAR:
1982 Rickenbacker 320B
2016 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman G6122-62 GE
Vox AC-30C2X
Neumann TLM-103

#thebeatles #gretsch #rickenbacker

Happiness Is A Warm Gun- GUITAR SOLO (The Beatles Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-05-30 | ...

Nothin’ Shakin’- The Beatles Live at the BBC (Guitar Solo)

Sam Popkin 2025-05-29 | ...

Nothin Shakin- The Beatles (Live At The BBC Guitar Cover)

Sam Popkin 2025-05-25 | Thanks @MichaelSokil for lending me this awesome 2016 Gretsch Country Gent!

Check out my Pattern to access tabs, gear settings and more-
www.Patreon.com/SamPopkin

Nothin' Shakin' [full title- Nothin’ Shakin’ (But The Leaves On The Trees)] was originally recorded by Eddie Fontaine in 1958. The Beatles performed it live at the Star Club in Hamburg in 1962, and it was one of George Harrison's covers he sang live in the early days

This version I'm covering is the most well known- their July 10 1963 radio performance on Pop Go The Beatles. It aired on July 23 1963 and was never performed again

George sang lead vocals and played lead guitar on his new Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar. John played rhythm guitar on his Gibson J-160e, plugged into the amp (not acoustic). This is evidenced by the woody tone of the P-90 pickup. Both John and George plugged into their Vox AC-30 amps

John's guitar playing on it is somewhat unusual. He mostly played single-string fast-picked notes, similar to his style on Matchbox. George plays a blistering guitar solo on the bridge pickup

I'm using Michael's Gent on the bridge pickup into my Vox AC-30C2x. And my 1966 Gibson J-160e, also plugged into my AC-30

INTERESTING NOTES:
0:08 John plays B notes, but includes an E on the D-string too
0:19 John plays B notes on the G-string, for the only time
0:42 George plays a normal D major, instead of D7
0:57 John plays A before the downbeat, George plays on the downbeat
1:01 George emphasizes a syncopated up-strum on D7
1:12 John plays a B#9 "Hendrix" chord then B7
1:26 John plays E before the downbeat. He does this for most of the rest of the song
1:40 George's guitar solo begins
2:56 George plays a descending blues G and B string figure
2:57 John and George both end the song on A6

GEAR:
2016 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman G6122-62 GE
1966 Gibson J-160e
Vox AC-30C2x
Neumann TLM-103

#thebeatles #gretsch #guitarcover

With The Beatles- FULL ALBUM GUITAR COVER by @sampopkin

Sam Popkin 2025-05-22 | Big thanks to @juodet @DRguitar918 and @mendips09 for playing on these tracks and helping me complete my first full cover of a Beatles album!

0:00 It Won't Be Long
2:11 All I've Got To Do
4:14 All My Loving
6:24 Don't Bother Me
8:51 Little Child
10:36 Till There Was You
12:51 Please Mister Postman
15:24 Roll Over Beethoven
18:10 Hold Me Tight
20:43 You Really Got A Hold On Me
23:43 I Wanna Be Your Man
25:42 Devil In Her Heart
28:11 Not A Second Time
30:19 Money (That's What I Want)

Individual Links:
youtu.be/65wDbgEXxMk
youtu.be/2a7FrMGJeA0
youtu.be/KXiH9b8z3R4
youtu.be/aE1FAe0uabk
youtu.be/QNqm074entg
youtu.be/u0yx2TVicKY
youtu.be/TToD31ztMU0
youtu.be/_ez6wCxUJ8g
youtu.be/LJIwWF9QU6g
youtu.be/XlfWZxGKEdM
youtu.be/AhNtKF33qTQ
youtu.be/9aNV_JRBvX0
youtu.be/Lh-OrWJdoyA
youtu.be/3cPd9Fe8iO0

GEAR USED:
1966 Gibson J-160e (mine)
Admira Irene Classical Guitar (mine)
1967 Gretsch 6122 Country Gentleman (borrowed from Peter Siegel)
1982 Rickenbacker 320B (owned by @MichaelSokil )
2016 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman G6122-62 GE (owned by @MichaelSokil )
1980's Greco Rickenbacker 325 Copy (@mendips09 )
Rickenbacker 325c64 Luthier Copy (@juodet )
Custom Made 'Rickenbacker' 325C58 (@DRguitar918 )
Epiphone EJ160e (@DRguitar918 )

#thebeatles #withthebeatles #guitarcover