Paul McCartney with an Olson guitar

[Wade Hampton]

I don’t know how many of you all have looked at Lyrics, by Paul McCartney, but if you’re any kind of Beatles/Wings/McCartney fan it’s worth a glance.

When I heard that a book collecting his song lyrics was coming out I was unenthused, because his lyrics often don’t do much for me. But this book is a collection of stories about the songs themselves and what was going on when he wrote them.

On page 61 of volume one there’s a picture of McCartney playing a left handed Olson small jumbo with a cutaway. The same guitar appears elsewhere in volume one; I haven’t seen volume two yet so I don’t know whether it shows up there.

The caption in volume one says “East Hampton, 1991”

Anyway, I thought some of you might find it interesting that he’s got an Olson.


whm

[Brucebubs]

[HogsNRoses]

Thanks for the heads up. It looks like he had to sell his pants to buy the Olson!

I read somewhere that Paul said he was too cheap to buy gear, so when Rickenbacker gave him a bass in about ‘66 he used it until Yamaha gave him one in the 70’s. Probably just tall tales, though. Would Olson give him a guitar?

Wade - on lyrics - most lyrics are “buffa” anyway so I wouldn’t be interested in them either. But Paul was master of the “silly little love song.” I appreciate that there was almost never a negative or chauvinist thought. Compare that to all the breakup songs that somehow get played at weddings .

[Portland Bill]

The guitar was a gift to him from Jim Olson according to the Olson website, he has a reputation for being tight fisted, how true that is I couldn’t say

[Bob Womack]

That guitar was delivered to him by Phil Keaggy. Phil was asked by Laura Eastman, Paul's sister-in-law, to play for her wedding. Phil was a friend from media appearances. She knew Paul was one of his heroes and thought it would be fun for Phil to play for and meet Paul. Along the way, Jim Olson asked Phil to deliver Paul's new guitar to Paul. The picture on the right above is from a jam session Phil and Paul enjoyed before the wedding. You can see Paul's boutonniere. Laura knew I played guitar and told me about this little event when she returned from her honeymoon. That is Laura: thoughtful.



A few years later I saw the guitar Phil is playing above at its last public appearance before he retired it. The cedar top had darkened to a deep chocolate brown and was covered in bangs and scratches. It was a real road warrior.

Bob

[gmel555]

I guess Paul's full of surprises. First the Taylor Richie Sambora Koa model (in British GQ) and now an Olson. What's next?

[KenL]

Ironic- it's always the guys who can afford to buy them that get "gifted" the expensive guitars.

[Bob from Brooklyn]

According to lore when Rickenbacker first tried to deliver his bass to him in '64 he rejected it because either:

1. It was right-handed
2. They wanted him to pay for it

[Puddleglum]

I've heard that Olson story in some Phil Keaggy interviews over the years.

I find it interesting that some of the most gifted musicians aren't gear-heads.

[hubcapsc]

But this book is a collection of stories about the songs themselves and what was going on when he wrote them.

I was surprised once to read that, with Blackbird, McCartney was
writing about black women and the civil rights movement... I wonder
if there's anything about that in the book?

-Mike

[rgregg48]

I didn't know McCartney could afford an Olson

[000Guy]

A few years ago, Paul said something to the effect that bought the Hofner bass because it looked good upside down and it was cheap. He said that his upbringing taught him money was hard to come by and that even though he could probably could buy the Fender company, he still thought of Fender basses as too expensive for him.

[619TF]

Originally Posted by gmel555

I guess Paul's full of surprises. First the Taylor Richie Sambora Koa model (in British GQ) and now an Olson. What's next?

Whatever guitar someone gives to him apparently.

[Portland Bill]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...ght-money.html

[digman52]

When I picked up my 40th Anniversary Olson in 2017, there was a picture of McCartney on Jim's Wall of Fame. Tons of others as well who either play n Olson, many of whom have visited Jim's shop in Minnesota.

He and Sue are amazingly humble people, living simply in their longtime home, and rarely going out to dinner. His one new love is golf, and they have a home at Desert Mountain in Arizona they use during the cold winters up north.