Back in 2018, a grassroots campaign called The Loss Bass Project launched with a mission: to find Paul McCartney's long-lost Höfner bass guitar that was stolen in 1972 and hasn't been seen since.
The search seemed futile, but renewed interest in the past year eventually led the sleuths to the instrument, and now, McCartney has been reunited with the Beatles relic.
A post on Sir Paul’s official website read: “Following the launch of last year’s Lost Bass project, Paul’s 1961 Hofner 500/1 bass guitar, which was stolen in 1972, has been returned.
“The guitar has been authenticated by Hofner and Paul is incredibly grateful to all those involved.”
McCartney first purchased the instrument for £30 in Hamburg, Germany, in 1961 and was used during his time with The Beatles.
A spokesperson for the former Beatle said he is “incredibly grateful” for those who were involved in helping to locate the instrument, which he hadn’t seen since 1972.
"The guitar has been authenticated by Höfner and Paul is incredibly grateful to all those involved."
The bass guitar isn't just an instrument that McCartney once owned; it's a part of music history. He used it to play on many famous Beatles tracks, leading some to hail it as the most important bass guitar in the world.
The Lost Bass Project first learned that it was stolen from the back of a fan on Oct. 10, 1972 in the Notting Hill area of London. They were able to track down the thief and find out who they sold it to, leading the team to the landlord of a pub in Notting Hill. "Looking into old records we established who that was and then gained further information about what happened next, who had the bass and what was done with it. We were able to trace the bass over the years," the Project described the search.
In September 2023, the Project published an article in the British press outlining the search and what they'd discovered so far. While they didn't expect it to lead to much, they ended up getting the tip that would change everything.
"As a result of the publicity someone living in a terraced house on the south coast of England remembered an old bass guitar that was in their attic," the team said. "They got this out and realized just what they had. Within days it was back with Paul McCartney!"
The 1961 Höfner 500/1 bass guitar was purchased that same year in Hamburg and was used in the Beatles' early recordings. This was the bass that powered Beatlemania. He used it in Hamburg for several residencies, he played it over 250 times at The Caven Club. It was used to record The Beatle’s first two albums – Please Please Me and With The Beatles.
This means it can be heard on hits like "She Loves You," "Love Me Do," and "Twist and Shout." Despite being missing for more than 50 years, the instrument remarkably only had some wear-and-tear and can be restored to its former glory. "The bass is complete and still with its original case," the Lost Bass Project noted. "It will need some repairs to make it playable again, but a team of professionals can easily carry these out."
The team, which included Nick Wass from Höfner and husband and wife team Scott and Naomi Jones, received more than 100 leads which they used to help track down the missing guitar.
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