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12.54pm
9 March 2017
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There are a total of 6 guitar parts in this song, John’s Gibson acoustic, George’s 12 string acoustic, Paul’s Hofner, John’s Fender, and 2 other parts by George that we will be talking about now.
The way George did the lead parts on his Gretsch Tennessean is like so, the 1st part is him playing the riff and the 2nd part is him with a capo on the 5th fret playing the open G string while wiggling his whammy bar back and forth to the pattern of the riff. Since he only does this during the chorus, we can only hear the 1st guitar during the verses and it also explains why the lead guitar sounds cleaner and quieter during the verse.
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7.30pm
Reviewers
14 April 2010
Offline vonbontee said
Wonder how this woulda sounded with a harmony or two on the chorus…Any dark overlords out there know how that wavery guitar was done? I’ve assumed it was a tremelo knob on the amp, but recently I read something suggesting that it was a wang bar being wiggled rapidly, and that seems possible too. I’m pretty sure it’s NOT the Leslie as has been suggested elsewhere, but I’ve been wrong before.
From Joe’s article on the song:
Lennon double-tracked his vocals onto take six, and five guitars were recorded: two acoustic, including a 12-string; and three electric guitars, with a tremolo effect applied to Harrison’s 12-string Rickenbacker.
To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
7.32pm
9 March 2017
Offline I’m not so sure about that, Joe’s articles occasionally have mistakes in them and the guitar in It’s Only Love doesn’t sound like a 12 string Rickenbacker. Also, it sounds fake to me when someone tries to recreate this effect with tremolo as opposed to a tremolo arm.
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3.10am
19 January 2017
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It doesn’t sound like the tremolo arm to me, the tremolo speed of the guitar line sounds too fast and precise. Plus it just sounds like an artificial effect. So yes, I think it was either an amp setting or effects pedal. I could be wrong of course 
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Zig, Beatlebug"And life flows on within you and without you" - George Harrison
6.56am
Reviewers
14 April 2010
Offline According to Babiuk’s Beatles Gear…, (pg. 286) George did a lot of experimenting with guitar volume swells using a volume pedal months earlier while they were recording songs to be used in the movie – ‘Another Girl ‘, ‘I Need You ‘ on 15 February. The book says he used it the next day on ‘Yes It Is ‘. It wouldn’t be the dumbest suggestion to say that pedal could have been used in this song when they recorded it on 15 June.
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Flyingbrians, sir walter raleighTo the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
3.57pm
27 February 2017
Offline SgtPeppersBulldog said
I’m in love with this song!Bit disappointed to read that John disliked the song in later years, but I personally think the lyrics are brilliant and the melody itself beautifly done.
Yes! I totally agree with you: this song is beautiful, it’s one of my favourite Beatles songs at the moment!
What I really love is that the song has a lot of drive and raw power (mainly John’s vocals) and at the same time sounds very transparent and filigree. Take for example the rhythm guitar part: they play unremittingly with a lot of energy but they still sound very fair – I always have to think of fairies which fly around excitedly when I listen to those rhythm guitars although butterflies would probably be the better association, oh well. It’s the same with Ringo’s drumming – the drum part perfectly well integrates into the guitars as it sounds so bright and clear ( …and there are rim shots!
).
Contrasting the graceful and light accompaniment of acoustic guitars and drums there is John’s powerful and sometimes even raw voice (especially at the very beginning), this is such a great mixture in my opinion because it emphasises the complication and trouble which accompany the positive sides of being in love. And the best thing is, that this ambivalence of love is not only apparent in the music but also covered in the lyrics (Is it right that you and I should fight -every night?- Just the sight of you makes night time bright – Very bright) so there is a strong connection between lyrics and music ( another aspect where this can be seen is the frequent usage of the vocal ‘i’ which gives the song a very bright feeling – exactly the way rhythm guitars and drums sound like too.) My Oh My, I seem to love this song very much!
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Ahhh Girl, never wears a mac, Beatlebug, vonbontee, WeepingAtlasCedarsNot once does the diversity seem forced -- the genius of the record is how the vaudevillian "When I'm 64" seems like a logical extension of "Within You Without You" and how it provides a gateway to the chiming guitars of "Lovely Rita. - Stephen T. Erlewine on Sgt Pepper's
7.58am
Moderators
15 February 2015
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I love you @Martha. 
I haven’t played this in god knows how long, but the Forum Revival of this thread prompted me to do so yesterday evening… I forgot how good it was… 
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12.18pm
1 December 2009
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Zig said
According to Babiuk’s Beatles Gear…, (pg. 286) George did a lot of experimenting with guitar volume swells using a volume pedal months earlier while they were recording songs to be used in the movie – ‘Another Girl ‘, ‘I Need You ‘ on 15 February. The book says he used it the next day on ‘Yes It Is ‘. It wouldn’t be the dumbest suggestion to say that pedal could have been used in this song when they recorded it on 15 June.
Pretty sure it’s not a volume pedal – that’d have to be rocked back and forth pretty fast!
The article is ambiguous, since it’s unclear whether “tremelo effect” refers to an actual electronic effect or the effect produced by waggling the T-bar rapidly. Could George physically achieve that with the heel of his hand while simultaneously picking/strumming with the same hand?
GEORGE: In fact, The Detroit Sound. JOHN: In fact, yes. GEORGE: In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miracles. JOHN: We like Marvin Gaye. GEORGE: The Impressions PAUL & GEORGE: Mary Wells. GEORGE: The Exciters. RINGO: Chuck Jackson. JOHN: To name but eighty.
12.43pm
9 March 2017
Offline Like i said before, he’s using 2 separate guitars to get that effect, one playing the normal riff and the other one playing an open G string with the capo on the 5th fret while rocking the whammy bar, or at least that’s how i think it was done as the effect sounds more vibrato then tremolo.
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2.46pm
1 December 2009
Offline Ah, so the capo and the open strings meant that George woulda had his left hand free, gotcha.
GEORGE: In fact, The Detroit Sound. JOHN: In fact, yes. GEORGE: In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miracles. JOHN: We like Marvin Gaye. GEORGE: The Impressions PAUL & GEORGE: Mary Wells. GEORGE: The Exciters. RINGO: Chuck Jackson. JOHN: To name but eighty.
2.50pm
9 March 2017
Offline It’s a very weird way to get that wobble effect but it works well if you have 2 guitars.
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11.16pm
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1 May 2011
Offline I wonder if John was inspired to write this based entirely on Dylan’s ‘I get High’ misheard lyric for ‘I WTHYH’.
It’s strange how these thread posts are completely in the order, presumably it’s from moves and merges but normally any such are labelled by notes.
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12.20pm
14 June 2016
Offline “But it’s so hard, loving you, loving yoooooooooouu” – the ending is an amazing part of the song. Makes me feel sad but happy at the time time. And I keep coming back for more.
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10.35am
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline Ever since ‘A2’ was released, take 2 of ‘IOL’ has always sounded very different to the released take to me, almost like a remake. I’m therefore very surprised to hear the unadulterated released take 6 and discover they are more similar than I presumed, it’s all the overdubbing after the fact which changed the sound and feel of the song. #Maybe this is obvious to everyone else but I got there in the end.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
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