The Hofner bass that Paul McCartney used to play countless live shows in the ‘60s and record The Beatles‘ first two albums was stolen out of the back of a van in 1972. Now, over half a century later, the legendary four-string has been located and returned to McCartney.
The bass was located by The Lost Bass Project, a grassroots campaign focused on recovering the instrument. A statement posted to McCartney’s website read: “Following the launch of last year’s Lost Bass project, Paul’s 1961 Höfner 500/1 bass guitar, which was stolen in 1972, has been returned. The guitar has been authenticated by Höfner and Paul is incredibly grateful to all those involved.”
First purchased by McCartney in Hamburg, Germany, in 1961, the bass was used at The Beatles’ residencies in the city, as well as their performances at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England. It can also be heard on many classic Beatles recordings, such as “Love Me Do,” “Twist and Shout,” “All My Loving,” “She Loves You,” and more.
The bass became a back-up for McCartney in 1963, but he continued to play it for the rest of the time it was in his possession, with it even appearing in the archival footage later used for Peter Jackson’s Get Back documentary.
According to The Lost Bass Project, the search began in 2018, and after receiving over a hundred leads, the organization was able to ascertain that the bass was sold to the landlord of a Notting Hill pub. This revelation led to the story getting picked up by several news outlets, which brought it to the attention of someone living on the south coast of England who had “an old bass guitar in their attic.” Taking it out of storage, they realized what they had, and “within days it was back with Paul McCartney!”
Read the full story of the bass’ recovery on The Lost Bass Project’s website.
Last year, McCartney teamed up with his former Beatles bandmates — living and dead — for the “final” Beatles song: “Now and Then,” made using an old John Lennon demo enhanced with AI. The tune was named Song of the Week by Consequence.
Up next, McCartney is set to make a guest appearance in the upcoming Spin̈al Tap sequel alongside Elton John, Garth Brooks, and more.