Andrew Watt en Guitar Player.
How did Paul achieve that fantastic distortion on his bass?
As Paul and I were becoming friends, I decided to get him a gift. I got him another lefty ’64 Hofner, similar to the one he played in the
Beatles. However, I added a twist: my guitar tech installed a Univox Super Fuzz circuit on the Hofner that could be activated with a
switch.
When I gave it to Paul, he said, “This is an incredibly thoughtful gift, but why? I already have my Beatles Hofner — why another one?” I
was like, “Just plug it in and give that extra switch a try.” Suddenly his eyes widened, and he just started ripping on it. I told him to
bring it to the recording session, and he couldn’t stop laughing.
I shared the song with Paul the day before, and when we entered the studio with the band, he brought out the bass. During the
breakdown section of the song, he activated the Super Fuzz switch, and it was complete carnage! Everyone was like, “What the fuck
was that?” It was hilarious and so cool. I think we recorded just three takes of that song, but almost immediately, Keith and Ronnie
were on their feet, and Mick dragged the mic into the middle of the room and the roof left the building.
I think Paul really enjoyed that he was just a guy in a band again with friends that he’s known for 60 years. It had been a long time
since he was with equals, just plugging in his bass and doing a session. I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face for a very long time.
Andrew Watt – Interview with Guitar Player, December 2023
