Might be the most important beatles-related video of the century!

Ringo definitely used Stringos

Our band recorded at Abbey Road in 1969. We kept our gear in the same room as the Beatles kept theirs. One day we snuck in there and looked inside Ringos trap case, and instead of finding cymbals and the like, it was filled to the brim with Fender light gauge rock ‘n’ roll strings as they were called on the label.

dang you went all out with this one! incredible effort

The amount of effort and dedication that you put into this is remarkable Paul! People need to share this video around! Spread the word! Very well done

Great investigative reporting , I recall watching the Beatles tuning their instruments , they were just cranking it like they had to get the job done. When I was a little boy I remembered that people would replace just the string they broke , I recall going to the store to buy only the one string... stating that they were expensive.

Thank you for this deep dive and correcting the myth! The flatwounds on the 12-string are important, for the rest we’ve been leaning towards halfwounds. This is confirmation to use rounds!

I cannot think of anything more nerdy...Or more enjoyable! Thank you for this deep dive. Now...I just need to give my head a wobble.

The Reason the strings were mixed at times, Read ‘Living The Beatles Life..The Story Of Mal Evens’.. it was Mal who used to buy all the strings and Pics, he would go to the nearest Guitar shop they were appearing and just buy a bulk load each, Mal was also the string changer and a very good quick one.. he would re-string and tune the strings before every performance and only change them when they broke, this was also the case in the studio.. it’s a very good book and a recommended read.

Shortly after the Beatles came to the US I bought my first guitar I believe in 1965, everyone wanted to be a Beatle. When I changed my strings I used Black Diamond flat wound pure nickel 9 gauge. Loved the tone and feel of them on that guitar. That brand does not make those any longer and I haven’t found anyone that does, sure wish someone did. I still have that guitar today. Thanks for a great job with this video I to have always wondered what strings the Beatles used.

Really good research here but George and John would be howling with laughter if they could see us today pouring over these small details! Strings were just strings then,we bought whatever was on sale! Also no guitarists knew about truss rods,action,tension etc etc- it was all unknown mystic magic!

This is a fantastically informative video on string history. In 1960 when I was four I took to my older brothers Gibson ES 125 TC guitar. By 1966 or 67 I had formed my first band in grade school called "What". By this time I thought I should replace the strings. I went to Wally Kings music store in Glencoe IL and asked for a set of strings. He asked if my guitar was a hollow body or if it was electric. Well of course it's a hollow body electric, but I think old Wally decided that it must an old folk guitar and sold me a set of acoustic strings. That weekend my group What played for a party and the new strings caused a complete disaster for me. In the following years leading up to now that I'm 68, I have run a guitar repair business for most of my adult life and after a few thousand string changes under my belt it is a bit more routine than my first traumatic experience. But, this video made me think back and wonder, what strings did I use in the 60s, and for that matter the what about the history of strings and what people have used over the last 100 years and before. So I'm just saying thank you, this video is so informative and I look forward to learning more on the subject.

I got to say, These Beatles Docs made by KZfaq creators can be so rewarding. This definitley one that is a worthwhile investment of my time. Cheers🎉

Paul.....this is simply incredible work my friend.

Great video man. I’d like to add that George starting on the white album switched to using light gauge Fender “Rock n Roll” strings 10-38. Eric Clapton starting using those strings with Cream and they would have been on the Les Paul he gave to George. John and Paul on the other hand did not switch to light gauge strings until after the Beatles. John however on She’s So Heavy replaced the wound G with a B string. If you listen to that song and play along you’ll notice he only really bends the G string. Also, Fender’s stock set I believe was their 13-55 No.10 set until the mid sixties when the “Smooth Roundwound” set 12-52 became the stock string set. So they likely used the No.10 set on their strats. After this video I hope to see more people using historic string gauges when playing Beatles music. 10s just don’t have enough tension, sustain, or midrange to sound right. Hollow body guitars like the Gretschs and Casinos also sound much better when used with the heavier strings they were designed for.

I’ve been waiting for this video for a while now. It didn’t disappoint at all. Great vid, Paul!

I'm 70 and started playing, age 10 in 1964. Here in England I remember Gibson Sonomatics. Please be aware that no one would change sets, only individual strings. Loose strings were often flat wound, and mixed on the guitar, and obtained from record shops. Because they tended to be heavier than today, they didn't go off as quickly. I also used Black Diamond strings. There were no luthiers, and no one new anything about set ups. I hope this gives an insight to those early years.

Absolutely amazing work here Paul!! This was well worth the wait, I need to get my hands on some Chet Atkins yellow furs, or even some Sonomatics ahaha!! Thank you so much for including the pictures of my Gent by the way! I feel honoured to have been part of this, and hope I can help more in the future! :)

Legendary job Paul! I admit I didn't have much info about strings the Beatles had on their guitars, other than mentions that they used flats wound strings. However that changed when I saw your instagram stories about the rounds actually being on their guitars, and have since been anticipating this video. Gotta say it didn't disappoint and really appreciate the time and effort you put into this video researching the strings and comparing them, especially track down the particular strings.

Aw hell yeah been waiting for this! You’re doing stellar work Paul.

Just an awesome video! Thanks so much for all your effort in researching this very important and mysterious subject!

Excellent job. The best most comprehensive video on The Beatles strings, and something that was definitely needed.

The legends are more interested in creating than what they create on

This is a beautifully produced video! Loved it!

Cant wait to see what strings Paul used on his basses, from the Höfners, to his Rickenbacker, to his Jazz Bass

A most thorough and complete look into the subject of the Beatles guitar strings. Well done!! and thank you for sharing this info!!

Great job on this! It settles allot of discussions amongst us over the years. Thanks for the research!

One of the most fascinating Beatle videos I've seen in ages, and I've seen a lot at this point. Well done, excellent work!

22:11 a very rare photo of a Beatle changing own guitar's string(s); usually (always) it was roadie Mal to do that job for them; as well as purchasing them when there were none in the studio. 26:51 i thought THAT was Eric Clapton's "technique" (I used to do it too !!!)

Amazing eye for detail. A really interesting watch! Thanks for your excellent work.

This is an incredible accomplishment in Guitarchaeology. Thanks for your investment in all those old strings, and for all the detailed close ups! Its clear they don't make 'em like they used to! That can be a good or bad thing, new strings are certainly made to finer tolerances and higher standards, but a lot of the old styles of strings are simply no longer made. Even your photos of new strings are super handy, its crazy how different modern flatwounds are from each other. I hadn't heard the term "compression wound" before but thats a great new search term for me, I have an old Danelectro UB-2 six string bass, and I've heard the original strings on them were "polished round wound" which was described to me as something close to half-rounds, compression wound might just be what they are!

Thanks for a well researched and documented look inside music history.

Man, that is incredible research! Kudos, man! TYFP!

After all these years we're still learning things about this band! Amazing stuff...

I've always wondered what they've used myself so this was definitely a cool one to watch, thanks and great work with all the research

Thanks for all your hard work on this

Pretty interesting. Never knew Fenders originally came with flats! Or the Beatles leaving the factory strings on until one broke.

Amazing research here. Very well done!

Truly impressive research here !!! Thanks for all the work that went into this. You have more info about strings (and not just the Beatles strings) than I have found anywhere else and I have certainly done some searching on the internet in the last few years.

Paul this video is the only one I've ever seen with such convincing and abundant evidence . I learned so much about the strings available and used , and will definitely come back to this video to remember stuff. I probably am going to literally take notes on some of this info. I've always felt the rounds were used on the J-160e too after trying flats years ago and not feeling I was getting the sound on the record. Really excellent video and research! Fantastic presentation of the info too! Congratulations!.

Excellent material!!! Thank you ❤❤❤

Excellent research. This kind of tedious, dedicated and comprehensive research is what many of us are looking for. You knocked it out of the ballpark sir. This is important. Scrutinizing the photos like you did, surmising their probable responses and laying out a time line regarding string breakage was impressive. Very thorough and very scholarly and lawyerly. You've impressed the f___ out of me. No easy feat. A+5

This is excellent work! Congratulations!

Very important detective work! I LOVE this video. Thank you and Congratulations!

You’ve laid down the law here, my man! Keep up the excellent work.

The best video on YT. I always wanted to know what strings the Beatles used!

Impressive investigative work you've done here, and very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Great stuff 👍🎶Thanks for all the info

That was a fantastic video! Well done sir. You've got a new fan.

I used to love flat wound strings on my first guitar in 1972 (a Futurama 3), I didn’t know what I was doing, but I liked the smoother sound as your fingers move along the strings.

How incredibly interesting. Love the background music...❤

Seriously impressive work-subbed. 👏

DEFINITIVE. Amazing job!

Dude, thank you. Been struggling with my own investigation into this matter for years!

Great research and great effort. It's nice to see someone who understands you gotta have the goods to back up the claims.

This is a great video I often wondered what types of strings, picks, and guitars my favorite musicians played. at first glance I couldn't see how you could devote so much time to this subject. But, once I started watching this video I couldn't stop! Your investigative skills are unparalleled! 👏👏👏👏👏

Holly crap, I've been completely outnerded! My anorak zip & hood draw strings have snapped! I salute you! Some Liverpool reminiscing/rambling triggered by this impressive video: In the late 80s & early 90s, as a teenager, I used to buy my guitar strings from Hessey's, there was a quick picture in your video, I'd never seen it before. Several new to me pictures, thank you. Nobody I knew, even pro jobbing players changed their strings more than when they broke one back in the 90s even, it was too expensive! You couldn't buy a decent, inexpensive guitar or bass then, even the almost attainable, 'medium priced' guitars were crap compared with relatively cheap, very decent by comparison guitars available today. Hessey's music shop was very near to Mathew St. where the Cavern had been, The Cavern was raised to the ground at the time. Idiots had knocked it down & was almost a car park that also wasn't being used, it was just waste ground. Liverpool really was being run badly then, still makes me sad & angry. The 'Cavern' that exists there now cost a fortune to build & is a relatively poor 'replica' of the original Cavern. Curly Music was next door to Hessey's, it became renowned for accepting stolen gear. I used to play in pubs & clubs in Liverpool, had an amp stolen &, sure enough, it ended up in Curly Music, I told them it was mine but they just laughed & said "what ye gonna do about it?"! Dirty f*ckers. Hessey's & Rushworth's, a big music shop/store over the road, seemed legit though, although I mostly only window shopped. Apart from a second hand analogue echo pedal from Rushworth's that I still have, I bought all my gear though the back pages of the papers, Liverpool Echo & Loot. That really was a different era, let alone the 60s! Great video, Thank you.

Fantastic comprehensive review of Beatles guitar shtrings! Excellent research.🎸

Thanks for the video. Very informative.

Thank you for your research, it will help me get the sound I'm looking for,great video❤

Also at the end of the video you did address the Unwound G situation. I believe that is what we're actually seeing on George's Tennessean from the Shea Stadium where he's probably using an E string for a b string and a b string for a g-string which is why those two strings stand out

WOW! what a FANTASTIC video!!! This has always been a huge question mark for me and it's great to know that the Fabs sometimes used flats. I've played Ric 360's (6-string) and Ric 325/V63 in a couple of different bands. Even though I've been a Beatlemaniac since 1964 my bands were never intentionally trying to capture any Beatle sound. However, once I tried Pyramid Flats, that was IT.... I never went back. They are THE BEST.

Thanks! Nice video and interesting subject.

Thank you, I really enjoyed this video!

Amazing content!

Great video Paul & you’re right on the money. Used to play in a Beatles band & could best get ‘that sound’ with roundwounds that were very worn in. Tried flats… made the guitar sound dead, muddy & cheap.

I must say your dedication to this subject, and your quality of research, is quite remarkable. You have done an outstanding job with this video. This is sort of the string equivalent to Lewisohn's "Recording Sessions" book as far as being a great resource. I find it amazing that they just changed things as they broke. My number one is a '93 Strat, and I play a lot of Beatles, but I'm not like obsessed with getting the same tone as George did on X, or John did on Y, or I'd have bought a Ricky or Gretch. I'm currently partial to Dave Gilmour signature strings, those always get changed out as a set, but i've always swapped out sets unless playing a gig and taking time to swap out a full set would take too long. I always assumed it was like a lot of people are today...go into each show with a new set. This has been a real eye opener. Fabulous work!

Fantastic video! Great job! Waiting for Paul's bass string video.

Worth it for the photos!

Big Kudos on your Beatle strings research! 👍🏼🎸😊

Great work!

There were also half round guitar strings on the market!

Excellent research!

The Mal Evans diaries will be coming out next year, from Ken Womak. Evans was both an extensive diary-keeper, and their tech. Fingers crossed.

This certainly opens up the debate. To this day, Rotosound (UK string manufacturer) say the Beatles used Rotosound strings (not exclusively, though).

Awesome GGC《☆》Good Job Brother👍🏾🔔🤳It's cool to know that I'm like the Beatles in that I've always been lazy about changing strings. I have a 2001 Squire Fat Strat that still has the original Fender Bullet strings on it. It still sounds pretty good amplified but I'm thinking about going with heavier gauges on the wound strings for better drop D results✌🏼😎☯️

Man i love your video. You really did your homework and it shows with all the info you painstakingly gathered, kudos. Out of all the pix, one that stood out was the one at 24:43 that shows the Gibson j160-e with a 2nd pickup installed in the bottom of the sound hole, doesn’t look like the P90 it comes with, wonder which one it is. Keep up the good work and rock on 🤘

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! GREAT INFORMATIVE VIDEO!!

What a great video! Never seen some of the pictures! I've always kind of wondered about this, as I have a couple of the fab 4 guitars. This is on the same information level as Andy Babiuk's 'Beatles Gear'! No nonsense and placed in an easy to understand order. We all have been forced into trying new strings here and there, and some guitars are very temperamental! My Gretsch 5422T is having a fit with the D'addario NYXL 10 guage, while the Casino loves them! Round always if I can, for while the flats have a darker sound they lose the high end. No pull up bends there! Your work is greatly appreciated! Keep up the great work!🎸

Subscribed- this channel is my jam dude!! 40 year professional musician and musicologist 😊

Excellent job! Very rigorous.

Great work Loved it,

Great job!

I though in the 1960's in England . . ."Roto-Sound Strings" was the go-to company.

Thank you for posting this informative video. I have been trying to find out what picks / plectrums they used but without any success.

Fascinating video! Thank you for doing all this research. You have a new subscriber.

Great video!

Wow this is incredible

Direct Quote: "Long, Shiny Ones".

Congratulations on your J160e 🥳

Great work

Enjoyed this video. The right strings can change any guitar for the better, even a guitar that you once wrote off as not sounding good!

Great documentary. 🎸✌🏽🎶

Excellent production. Being a boomer from these years and even worked in my neighbor's music store from 1970 to 73, I saw a lot of Sonomatics and Gretsch strings back then. But also a lot of Black Diamond as well. Later in life I was friends with Mark Dronge owner of DR Strings and learned a lot from him. Namely, the few companies that actually made the music wire cores aka piano wire. I was a trained Metallurgist besides a musician and learned a tremendous amount of techniques for drawing wire through dies. There is so much more to this subject, the "core" of these strings you have researched is yet to be determined. Still gigging in Nashville I love the tonal possibilities of different strings. My mind is exploding with even more stimulation thanks to your hard "core" efforts to research this info. I wonder if you can contact Sir Paul with his answers to some of your interesting questions. Thank you for your commitment to this subject. By the way for your info, I believe the Mona strings you referred to were made from the Superalloy named MONEL 400. 67% Ni/ 23% Cu.

Nice Detective work Sherlock!

Thanks my teacher❤

That was Great - thank you !

Love flats on my basses, never would have thought flats on the 6 string guitar

Asombroso! Que buena investigacion!

You are to be commended for all the research you did for this Video. It must have taken alot of Hunting and Searching for sure!!