Aeijtzsche's Annual Assortment of potentially unsolvable BB mysteries.

[Ebb and Flow]

Also, this fellow seems to know what he's talking about...
http://uniqueguitar.blogspot.com/2010/08/to-study-barney-kessels-personal-guitar.html
 Listen to the opening lines of the Beach Boys song, "Woudn't It Be Nice."  The first four bars sound sort of like a calyopy (sic), but it is actually Kessel and another player both on 12 string guitars.  The instrument Kessel played on that track was unusual. It had a mandolin body and a short 12 string neck.

He seems to have based that info on my "Behind The Sounds" video, which was based on the book for The PS Sessions set...which may end up being incorrect.  I did attempt to be ambiguous in my notes at the time.  If guitarfool can verify what exact make and model Kessel has in that photo I can add a note clarifying what exactly he's holding in that photograph.

How did we arrive at the conclusion of who -played-what in the first place? Was it based on that photo of Barney?

I'm not sure it's possible to fully verify this, even by close examination of the session tape since both guitars were DI'd.  I think people have just assumed that if a track featured an esoteric guitar part it must have been Kessel playing it.

[ghost]

Angels with space harps appeared for the intro. It's a Mystery.

[guitarfool2002]

Also, this fellow seems to know what he's talking about...
http://uniqueguitar.blogspot.com/2010/08/to-study-barney-kessels-personal-guitar.html
 Listen to the opening lines of the Beach Boys song, "Woudn't It Be Nice."  The first four bars sound sort of like a calyopy (sic), but it is actually Kessel and another player both on 12 string guitars.  The instrument Kessel played on that track was unusual. It had a mandolin body and a short 12 string neck.

He seems to have based that info on my "Behind The Sounds" video, which was based on the book for The PS Sessions set...which may end up being incorrect.  I did attempt to be ambiguous in my notes at the time.  If guitarfool can verify what exact make and model Kessel has in that photo I can add a note clarifying what exactly he's holding in that photograph.

How did we arrive at the conclusion of who -played-what in the first place? Was it based on that photo of Barney?

I'm not sure it's possible to fully verify this, even by close examination of the session tape since both guitars were DI'd.  I think people have just assumed that if a track featured an esoteric guitar part it must have been Kessel playing it.

I'm currently in the process and waiting for answers on Kessel's Gibson from the photo, and will definitely update as info comes in. At least we may be able to ID that mandolin once and for all, whether or not that can answer the ultimate question about what's on the track.

P.S. Your "Behind The Sounds" videos are stunning, I watch them often and find them very inspiring and even emotional at times when the music blends in with the photos just right. I'm looking forward to more, they're great!

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

I do hear the high octave on what would be the G-string of a standard tuned guitar.  I hope this doesn't steal any of your thunder, Craig, but here is what I hear with tab.  I would do it in 4/4 if I were serious and make tuplets, but it's too late for that now.




I have heard both Barney and Jerry be given credit.  Jerry claims it for himself in Granata's book.

I have always noted that, whoever plays the lower part has some pretty impressive chops; during some of the noodling he rips of some very impressive little jazzy runs that would suggest Barney.  Still, Brian himself said when Barney died that "he did a great job on Wouldn't It Be Nice."  But then, it is Brian speaking.  I think Barney sort of gets the nod based on that photo and others attributing it to him, like Brian.  And to be fair, Bill Pitman and Ray Pohlman are also on the sheet, both of whom could play guitar, but I've always put Pitman on Dano or Jazz Box guitar, and likewise Pohlman.  But it could be Barney on the acoustic guitar and Bill Pitman in the booth-seems unlikely but the session offers few clues.

[c-man]

I think I mentioned this sometime back, but in the premier issue of "Break Away with Brian Wilson" (Summer 1996), which was the BW fan club newsletter, there was an "Ask Brian" corner.  Someone wrote and asked "What is the instrument that starts 'Wouldn't It Be Nice'?".  Brian's reply was "It's two guitars - one played high up on the neck and the other one played regular".  In issue No. 4 (Fall 1997), he wrote little notes to many of the musicians who played on "Pet Sounds".  For Barney Kessel, he wrote "Thank you for your happy guitar on 'Wouldn't It Be Nice'.  It brought a kind of ring-a-ding sound.  It gives people a boost, a real good boost".  Barney was still alive at the time.  Based on this, I would be inclined to credit Barney with the dominate guitar part in the intro...whatever kind of guitar it may have been!

[Jay]

All the speculation about the WIBN intro: To those folks thinking it's a nylon-string guitar, a "custom" 12-string, etc...I'll take a few minutes and tab out the intro for mandolin, then post it up. If possible, try to play it on a mandolin, if you don't own one take a trip to your local music store, printed tab in hand, and try it out on one of their mandolins. It may or may not be a revelation when you hear it in person, but it's worth a try. Again, I'm sold on mandolin or MandoGuitar style instrument until further info is revealed.

As far as the idea of custom instruments, I'd advise not thinking too far beyond the obvious answers in this case. Most of these players played the same kind of instruments in the studio. Some had huge collections of exotic instruments, including Hal, Tommy, Mike Deasy, etc. but for the most part in 1966 at least they stuck to the standards: Primarily Fender, Gibson, and Danelectro for most pop sessions. That's from film and photographic evidence.

The modifications might include swapping pickups, putting a more stable bridge on a Danelectro to replace the poor wooden bridge from the factory, changing little elements of the guitar...but nothing too radical in the way of customizing something into a new instrument.

I have looked at that photo of Barney many times, and at this point I think it was  indeed a Gibson version of a 12-string mandolin, like the Vox Mandoguitar. There were some custom 12-string and 10-string mandolins from Gibson through the years, but they're very rare and hard to find.

The idea of them was to get a mandolin sound while playing familiar guitar tuning. It's basically an upper-register 12-string, nothing too exotic. It's the same idea as those 6-string banjos which are played like a guitar, but you get the banjo sound.

Here's the photo we're focusing on with Barney:


And here is a great photo of a Vox Mandoguitar to compare:


And if you play the intro on a standard mandolin, it works just as well. Fascinating stuff, all of this...

If you look closely at the picture of Barny with the guitar, the body seems to be round. But if you look at the picture of the Mandoguitar, the body dips and then curves...it doesn't seem to be totally round like the instrument Barny is holding. Are there any other models of the Mandoguitar that have a round body?
Don't mind me, I'm just thinking(well, typing lol) out loud. 

[guitarfool2002]

If you look closely at the picture of Barny with the guitar, the body seems to be round. But if you look at the picture of the Mandoguitar, the body dips and then curves...it doesn't seem to be totally round like the instrument Barny is holding. Are there any other models of the Mandoguitar that have a round body?
Don't mind me, I'm just thinking(well, typing lol) out loud.  

Look at page 3, I posted a more full shot of Barney holding what is clearly a Gibson 12-string neck and a Gibson style body for a mandolin, mandola, whatever it may be: I'm still researching that answer. The Mandoguitar photo was just to compare and show what one of them looked like for anyone who hadn't seen one - notice the layout of the pegs and also the configuration of the strings probably matches the instrument Barney is holding, but that's where the similarity ends.

The closest thing to that Vox body shape might be a Fender electric mandolin, they were close to each other in design as a solidbody electric mandolin.

[guitarfool2002]

I think I mentioned this sometime back, but in the premier issue of "Break Away with Brian Wilson" (Summer 1996), which was the BW fan club newsletter, there was an "Ask Brian" corner.  Someone wrote and asked "What is the instrument that starts 'Wouldn't It Be Nice'?".  Brian's reply was "It's two guitars - one played high up on the neck and the other one played regular".  In issue No. 4 (Fall 1997), he wrote little notes to many of the musicians who played on "Pet Sounds".  For Barney Kessel, he wrote "Thank you for your happy guitar on 'Wouldn't It Be Nice'.  It brought a kind of ring-a-ding sound.  It gives people a boost, a real good boost".  Barney was still alive at the time.  Based on this, I would be inclined to credit Barney with the dominate guitar part in the intro...whatever kind of guitar it may have been!

I've seen that! Other articles too where Brian says something similar. I've also heard from several sources that a lot of the pop sessions Barney played at this time were strictly rhythm played on archtop acoustic, where he'd be strumming a style on something like WIBN with a shuffle/swing bounce that could very well be called a "ring a ding sound". That's a great Brian description for a rhythm, isn't it? I also think Tommy Tedesco, where he did play on Pet Sounds, did archtop rhythm more than anything else.

It was either Barney, Tommy, or someone else who called those rhythm parts "easy money" or something similar. Probably Tommy.

[guitarfool2002]

I do hear the high octave on what would be the G-string of a standard tuned guitar.  I hope this doesn't steal any of your thunder, Craig, but here is what I hear with tab.  I would do it in 4/4 if I were serious and make tuplets, but it's too late for that now.




I have heard both Barney and Jerry be given credit.  Jerry claims it for himself in Granata's book.

I have always noted that, whoever plays the lower part has some pretty impressive chops; during some of the noodling he rips of some very impressive little jazzy runs that would suggest Barney.  Still, Brian himself said when Barney died that "he did a great job on Wouldn't It Be Nice."  But then, it is Brian speaking.  I think Barney sort of gets the nod based on that photo and others attributing it to him, like Brian.  And to be fair, Bill Pitman and Ray Pohlman are also on the sheet, both of whom could play guitar, but I've always put Pitman on Dano or Jazz Box guitar, and likewise Pohlman.  But it could be Barney on the acoustic guitar and Bill Pitman in the booth-seems unlikely but the session offers few clues.

Barney on acoustic archtop rhythm could be a possibility, a definite possibility. So you're hearing that high octave on the G string? Could very well be. I took a shot at playing it today in the middle of the discussions and that high octave G sounded out of place to my ears, almost too high pitched for that part. I tried it in the position you tabbed, then the next higher position where all four initial notes can be held as a chord shape - that's tough.

Kudos writing the shuffle in 12/8 - I took an easy jazz way out and wrote "swing" above the 8th notes. 

[GuyOnTheBeach]

I was thinking, re: the WIBN intro, could one of the instruments be a Dulcimer or Zither?

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

OK, here's a wild idea:


What if Barney DID play that Mandola on WIBN but NOT in the intro?  That would explain a lot.  In fact, that photo then, might even be from the WIBN session-some of the very few photos of Brian at a tracking session (the ones where he's in a blazer and the thick glasses) and I always leaned towards that being IJWMFTT, figuring Brian was dressed up for Valentine's day.  But, since those photos are from Gold Star, it could also be WIBN.  Sadly, there's not enough of the studio on view to make any determinations, but if there was a camera there, perhaps it captured Barney as well, who, out on the floor, could be playing those chords that I had previously attributed to a Jazz Box.  If that instrument is tuned at the same octave as a guitar, it's possible.  I really have no idea what that would sound like, though there are some interesting demonstrations of octave mandolins, mandolas, and mandocelli, on youtube.

Now, that would free up Jerry Cole to play the intro as he claims, Brian to be correct in thanking Barney (though wrong about the intro part), and moves Bill Pitman or Ray Pohlman into the booth to play the lower guitar and leaves one of them out there to play Dano.  Heck, based on that ebay auction of Barney's guitars I posted earlier on the thread, Barney could be playing Dano bass himself!

Just one more possibility, there.

[c-man]

OK, here's a wild idea:


What if Barney DID play that Mandola on WIBN but NOT in the intro?  That would explain a lot.  In fact, that photo then, might even be from the WIBN session-some of the very few photos of Brian at a tracking session (the ones where he's in a blazer and the thick glasses) and I always leaned towards that being IJWMFTT, figuring Brian was dressed up for Valentine's day.  But, since those photos are from Gold Star, it could also be WIBN.  Sadly, there's not enough of the studio on view to make any determinations, but if there was a camera there, perhaps it captured Barney as well, who, out on the floor, could be playing those chords that I had previously attributed to a Jazz Box.  If that instrument is tuned at the same octave as a guitar, it's possible.  I really have no idea what that would sound like, though there are some interesting demonstrations of octave mandolins, mandolas, and mandocelli, on youtube.

Now, that would free up Jerry Cole to play the intro as he claims, Brian to be correct in thanking Barney (though wrong about the intro part), and moves Bill Pitman or Ray Pohlman into the booth to play the lower guitar and leaves one of them out there to play Dano.  Heck, based on that ebay auction of Barney's guitars I posted earlier on the thread, Barney could be playing Dano bass himself!

Just one more possibility, there.

Yeah, but I'm inclined to think that Brian specifically mentioning that one song in relation to Barney indicates Barney played a PROMINENT role on it.  The acoustic or arch-top semi-hollowbody rhythm part best heard immediately prior to the "mentally handicapped person" section on "WIBN" doesn't strike me as prominent.  As for Jerry Cole, all Brian wrote was "Thank you for your wonderful guitar playing".    For Billy Strange, he specifically mentioned one song where HIS guitar playing was prominent:  "Sloop John B.".  What he wrote about Ray Pohlman concerned his bass playing, and he didn't mention Bill Pitman at all (elsewhere, in the "Pet Sounds" box set book, Brian DOES mention Pitman, but only in terms of his Dano bass-playing, but he says of Barney Kessel: "Whew, he was dynamite.  Just a really amazing guitar player; that guy was dynamite.  He played the introduction on 'Wouldn't It Be Nice'.  Whew!  Jazz guitar, any kind of guitar you want, he could play!'...sounds like Brian had plenty of exposure to Barney's playing beyond just simple rhythm-playing!).  AND...in regards to what various guitar players have said in interviews about their own playing on Brian's sessions, I read an online Bill Pitman interview a few years back, where he spoke in the same nonchalant terms, downplaying the supposed-complexity of the music and basically saying it was easy money for simple rhythm-playing on his Gibson ES-335 semi-hollowbody and Telecaster (this from someone who played almost all of the great Dano fuzz-bass lines on the "GV" and "SMiLE" sessions!...guess those sessions didn't have much impact on Mr. Pitman's memory!).. Oh, and Barney Kessel plays the main guitar part on LOOK (12-string electric lead).

[MookieZ]

Basically, I'm waiting for someone to tell me it's a good idea to email Dan Kessel...  I need encouragement.

Do it! The worst that can happen is that you'll be ignored.

[guitarfool2002]

So it was Bill Pitman too who made an "easy money" comment about those rhythm gigs? It had to have been Tommy as well, and someone - can't recall which guitarist - said the same thing about Barney Kessel taking those dates where he'd play the archtop acoustic rhythm. I have a great screen shot of Barney doing just that with an old Gibson archtop on the classicstudiosessions blog.

I listened to the sessions last night, and can post specific dates and takes for examples, but there are at least 4 guitars audible, clearly defined, on that session...I'm just clarifying what's already been posted with one correction. Four definites:

1. 12 string electric
2. Acoustic rhythm - it can be heard strumming chords between takes
3. our "mystery" guitar-mandolin-whatever instrument, although I'm now changing my mind a bit and leaning toward a standard 12 string electric after hearing this musician tuning the thing between takes
4. Regular 6 string electric doubling the bass. This part sounds like a Telecaster to me simply doubling the bass, similar to what Don Peake did later on J5's "I Want You Back" with his Tele. Same tone. It's best heard on the arpeggios right near the line "but let's talk about it" just before the drum fill back into the regular groove for the ending.

Is there a Danelectro 6-string bass doubling on top of that? If so point it out and I'll do the same with these because I hear a standard 6-string filling that role clearly on that build-up near the end.

With the audible acoustic rhythm - I'm now thinking Barney was mic'ed up on the studio floor if that was him, and I'm inclined to think that was him for some reason.

Update on that mandolin photo - some early opinions that it was an instrument custom made by Gibson. More to come...

[c-man]

So it was Bill Pitman too who made an "easy money" comment about those rhythm gigs? It had to have been Tommy as well, and someone - can't recall which guitarist - said the same thing about Barney Kessel taking those dates where he'd play the archtop acoustic rhythm. I have a great screen shot of Barney doing just that with an old Gibson archtop on the classicstudiosessions blog.

I listened to the sessions last night, and can post specific dates and takes for examples, but there are at least 4 guitars audible, clearly defined, on that session...I'm just clarifying what's already been posted with one correction. Four definites:

1. 12 string electric
2. Acoustic rhythm - it can be heard strumming chords between takes
3. our "mystery" guitar-mandolin-whatever instrument, although I'm now changing my mind a bit and leaning toward a standard 12 string electric after hearing this musician tuning the thing between takes
4. Regular 6 string electric doubling the bass. This part sounds like a Telecaster to me simply doubling the bass, similar to what Don Peake did later on J5's "I Want You Back" with his Tele. Same tone. It's best heard on the arpeggios right near the line "but let's talk about it" just before the drum fill back into the regular groove for the ending.

Is there a Danelectro 6-string bass doubling on top of that? If so point it out and I'll do the same with these because I hear a standard 6-string filling that role clearly on that build-up near the end.

With the audible acoustic rhythm - I'm now thinking Barney was mic'ed up on the studio floor if that was him, and I'm inclined to think that was him for some reason.

Update on that mandolin photo - some early opinions that it was an instrument custom made by Gibson. More to come...

Yeah, I think it was in the '93 Guitar Player article on the BBs where Tommy T. made that comment...said he usually played rhythm on his acoustic or his Tele.  But I still think it's Barney on the main 12-string or mando, probably Pitman on the acoustic.  If there is a Dano, it's Pohlman.

[guitarfool2002]

So it was Bill Pitman too who made an "easy money" comment about those rhythm gigs? It had to have been Tommy as well, and someone - can't recall which guitarist - said the same thing about Barney Kessel taking those dates where he'd play the archtop acoustic rhythm. I have a great screen shot of Barney doing just that with an old Gibson archtop on the classicstudiosessions blog.

I listened to the sessions last night, and can post specific dates and takes for examples, but there are at least 4 guitars audible, clearly defined, on that session...I'm just clarifying what's already been posted with one correction. Four definites:

1. 12 string electric
2. Acoustic rhythm - it can be heard strumming chords between takes
3. our "mystery" guitar-mandolin-whatever instrument, although I'm now changing my mind a bit and leaning toward a standard 12 string electric after hearing this musician tuning the thing between takes
4. Regular 6 string electric doubling the bass. This part sounds like a Telecaster to me simply doubling the bass, similar to what Don Peake did later on J5's "I Want You Back" with his Tele. Same tone. It's best heard on the arpeggios right near the line "but let's talk about it" just before the drum fill back into the regular groove for the ending.

Is there a Danelectro 6-string bass doubling on top of that? If so point it out and I'll do the same with these because I hear a standard 6-string filling that role clearly on that build-up near the end.

With the audible acoustic rhythm - I'm now thinking Barney was mic'ed up on the studio floor if that was him, and I'm inclined to think that was him for some reason.

Update on that mandolin photo - some early opinions that it was an instrument custom made by Gibson. More to come...

Yeah, I think it was in the '93 Guitar Player article on the BBs where Tommy T. made that comment...said he usually played rhythm on his acoustic or his Tele.  But I still think it's Barney on the main 12-string or mando, probably Pitman on the acoustic.  If there is a Dano, it's Pohlman.

Does the AFM sheet for this session give any clues other than who played bass and who played guitar? I don't think I've ever seen that particular sheet, I'm very curious.

[guitarfool2002]

Check this out, from a previous PS stereo/mono reissue package:

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice
Gold Star Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA
January 22, 1966, 7pm to 11:30pm
Engineer: Larry Levine

Drums: Hal Blaine
Bells, Tympani, Percussion: Frank Capp
String Bass: Lyle Ritz
Electric Bass: Carole Kaye
Guitars: Jerry Cole, Bill Pittman
Mandolins: Barney Kessel, Ray Pohlman
Piano: Al de Lory
Organ: Larry Knechtal
Accordions: Carl Fortina, Frank Marocco
Saxophones: Steve Douglas, Plas Johnson, Jay Migliori
Trumpet: Roy Caton


Barney and Ray Pohlman credited with mandolin! Where did this session info come from?

[Andreas]

Check this out, from a previous PS stereo/mono reissue package:

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice
Gold Star Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA
January 22, 1966, 7pm to 11:30pm
Engineer: Larry Levine

Drums: Hal Blaine
Bells, Tympani, Percussion: Frank Capp
String Bass: Lyle Ritz
Electric Bass: Carole Kaye
Guitars: Jerry Cole, Bill Pittman
Mandolins: Barney Kessel, Ray Pohlman
Piano: Al de Lory
Organ: Larry Knechtal
Accordions: Carl Fortina, Frank Marocco
Saxophones: Steve Douglas, Plas Johnson, Jay Migliori
Trumpet: Roy Caton


Barney and Ray Pohlman credited with mandolin! Where did this session info come from?

That's from Brad Elliott's liner notes. I guess he is not available for answering questions...

[c-man]

So it was Bill Pitman too who made an "easy money" comment about those rhythm gigs? It had to have been Tommy as well, and someone - can't recall which guitarist - said the same thing about Barney Kessel taking those dates where he'd play the archtop acoustic rhythm. I have a great screen shot of Barney doing just that with an old Gibson archtop on the classicstudiosessions blog.

I listened to the sessions last night, and can post specific dates and takes for examples, but there are at least 4 guitars audible, clearly defined, on that session...I'm just clarifying what's already been posted with one correction. Four definites:

1. 12 string electric
2. Acoustic rhythm - it can be heard strumming chords between takes
3. our "mystery" guitar-mandolin-whatever instrument, although I'm now changing my mind a bit and leaning toward a standard 12 string electric after hearing this musician tuning the thing between takes
4. Regular 6 string electric doubling the bass. This part sounds like a Telecaster to me simply doubling the bass, similar to what Don Peake did later on J5's "I Want You Back" with his Tele. Same tone. It's best heard on the arpeggios right near the line "but let's talk about it" just before the drum fill back into the regular groove for the ending.

Is there a Danelectro 6-string bass doubling on top of that? If so point it out and I'll do the same with these because I hear a standard 6-string filling that role clearly on that build-up near the end.

With the audible acoustic rhythm - I'm now thinking Barney was mic'ed up on the studio floor if that was him, and I'm inclined to think that was him for some reason.

Update on that mandolin photo - some early opinions that it was an instrument custom made by Gibson. More to come...

Yeah, I think it was in the '93 Guitar Player article on the BBs where Tommy T. made that comment...said he usually played rhythm on his acoustic or his Tele.  But I still think it's Barney on the main 12-string or mando, probably Pitman on the acoustic.  If there is a Dano, it's Pohlman.

Does the AFM sheet for this session give any clues other than who played bass and who played guitar? I don't think I've ever seen that particular sheet, I'm very curious.

I have a copy of it (and all the other "Pet Sounds" AFMs).  No indication as to what sorts of instruments were played, other than the doubles assigned to Frank Capp ("bells, tympani, percussion").  But interesting to note that on all the other "Pet Sounds" tracks where the same sort of "ringy-ding" guitar is heard ("You Still Believe In Me", "I Know There's An Answer", "Caroline No", "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times", "Trombone Dixie"), Barney Kessel is one of the guitarists...in fact, he's the only guitarist who's on all of those titles AND "WIBN".   

[bgas]

Check this out, from a previous PS stereo/mono reissue package:

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice
Gold Star Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA
January 22, 1966, 7pm to 11:30pm
Engineer: Larry Levine

Drums: Hal Blaine
Bells, Tympani, Percussion: Frank Capp
String Bass: Lyle Ritz
Electric Bass: Carole Kaye
Guitars: Jerry Cole, Bill Pittman
Mandolins: Barney Kessel, Ray Pohlman
Piano: Al de Lory
Organ: Larry Knechtal
Accordions: Carl Fortina, Frank Marocco
Saxophones: Steve Douglas, Plas Johnson, Jay Migliori
Trumpet: Roy Caton


Barney and Ray Pohlman credited with mandolin! Where did this session info come from?

That's from Brad Elliott's liner notes. I guess he is not available for answering questions...

He does tend to stay away from open windows...

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

I think that the info in the liner notes assigning the two mandolins is actually because of Carol Kaye mishearing the accordion triple-bellow shake as Mandolins for her song-by-song commentary.  They took her input very seriously.

As for this:

4. Regular 6 string electric doubling the bass. This part sounds like a Telecaster to me simply doubling the bass, similar to what Don Peake did later on J5's "I Want You Back" with his Tele. Same tone. It's best heard on the arpeggios right near the line "but let's talk about it" just before the drum fill back into the regular groove for the ending.

I believe that this is the Dano bass.  My reason for thinking there's a dano bass on the track at all is based on a very short moment near the end of the session where the player rolls down the open strings, e-b-g-d-a- down to low, bass e.  After I heard that, I wondered what it was doing, and figured that it is the bass that plays the arpeggios.  Then I noticed that the bridge bassline actually really fattens up, so I believe the dano doubles the bassline exactly there, playing exactly what presumably Carol and Lyle are playing.

[c-man]

I think that the info in the liner notes assigning the two mandolins is actually because of Carol Kaye mishearing the accordion triple-bellow shake as Mandolins for her song-by-song commentary.  They took her input very seriously.

As for this:

4. Regular 6 string electric doubling the bass. This part sounds like a Telecaster to me simply doubling the bass, similar to what Don Peake did later on J5's "I Want You Back" with his Tele. Same tone. It's best heard on the arpeggios right near the line "but let's talk about it" just before the drum fill back into the regular groove for the ending.

I believe that this is the Dano bass.  My reason for thinking there's a dano bass on the track at all is based on a very short moment near the end of the session where the player rolls down the open strings, e-b-g-d-a- down to low, bass e.  After I heard that, I wondered what it was doing, and figured that it is the bass that plays the arpeggios.  Then I noticed that the bridge bassline actually really fattens up, so I believe the dano doubles the bassline exactly there, playing exactly what presumably Carol and Lyle are playing.

My guess:  Kessel on high intro & bridge part, Cole on low intro & bridge part, Pitman on acoustic, and Pohlman on Dano bass.  

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

I think that the info in the liner notes assigning the two mandolins is actually because of Carol Kaye mishearing the accordion triple-bellow shake as Mandolins for her song-by-song commentary.  They took her input very seriously.

As for this:

4. Regular 6 string electric doubling the bass. This part sounds like a Telecaster to me simply doubling the bass, similar to what Don Peake did later on J5's "I Want You Back" with his Tele. Same tone. It's best heard on the arpeggios right near the line "but let's talk about it" just before the drum fill back into the regular groove for the ending.

I believe that this is the Dano bass.  My reason for thinking there's a dano bass on the track at all is based on a very short moment near the end of the session where the player rolls down the open strings, e-b-g-d-a- down to low, bass e.  After I heard that, I wondered what it was doing, and figured that it is the bass that plays the arpeggios.  Then I noticed that the bridge bassline actually really fattens up, so I believe the dano doubles the bassline exactly there, playing exactly what presumably Carol and Lyle are playing.

My guess:  Kessel on high intro & bridge part, Cole on low intro & bridge part, Pitman on acoustic, and Pohlman on Dano bass.  

Seems as good as anything.  Pitman was known as a Dano man, as you mentioned he played on those Smile cuts, but between Ray and Bill, you'd give the bass nod to Ray, wouldn't you?

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Another interesting side note--and perhaps it could be instructive and proper to invite Adam Marsland to this thread because he was there, but if you go to:

http://www.myspace.com/shawnbryantmusic

And scroll down you can play "Wouldn't it be Nice" a cover recently recorded featuring Jerry Cole shortly before he died.  Notice the alteration of a note here and there and that once again it doesn't evoke the original.  Which it needn't, but it would be interesting to know if Jerry had any comments, though I suspect I've asked Adam about this before...

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

But interesting to note that on all the other "Pet Sounds" tracks where the same sort of "ringy-ding" guitar is heard ("You Still Believe In Me", "I Know There's An Answer", "Caroline No", "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times", "Trombone Dixie"), Barney Kessel is one of the guitarists...in fact, he's the only guitarist who's on all of those titles AND "WIBN".   

This is actually a pretty interesting thing to look at.  Barney was really quite a presence on Pet Sounds.  And it's true, there is a very similar sort of deal of several cuts.  Brian was definitely into a the high sound there, whether these were small-scale instruments or not.  YSBIN has both 12-strings up above the 12th fret, I Know There's an Answer's session tape is not terribly revealing but those guitars could have played the WIBN intro and sounded very similar, even in a different studio.  The one is a little meatier than the other, as well.  Sloop doesn't have Barney but similar idea--high 12-string coupled with lower.

Certainly, Barney appears playing 12-string electric guitar all over PS.  It does make one lean on the idea that it might just be an electric 12.  Nonetheless, the mando-guitar remains a remote possibility and a curiosity per se.  And perhaps with some luck we can track down whant electric 12 Barney favored at that time and somebody can get one, plug it into a UA 610 preamp, slap some old UA compressor on there, send that to an the finest echo chamber ever designed, and see if that's in the ballpark...