The Beatles Paperback Writer

The Beatles Paperback Writer


There is some dispute over who played what on Paperback Writer. In the November 2005 issue of Guitar Player Magazine, Paul McCartney claims to have played the song's famous opening riff on his Epiphone Casino guitar, and photos from the song's session seem to verify this claim. McCartney is also widely credited for the songs iconic bass line, but photos from the session show George Harrison playing a Burns Nu-Sonic bass, not an electric guitar. Whether or not Harrison recorded a bass line for Paperback Writer that was later removed and retracked by McCartney remains unclear.