Paul McCartney’s favourite electric bass guitar found after more than 50 years
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney's missing guitar has been found! After more than half a century of search, the iconic guitar has been reunited with its master, Sir Paul.
The guitar that McCartney played during his early days with the Beatles was stolen in 1972 from a van in London. However, the guitar has been recovered from the family's attic after the months-long global search that was launched in 2023.
In the statement released on McCartney's website, they said: “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.”
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In September 2023, a global search was launched for the missing instrument that McCartney bought for £30 ($37) in Hamburg’s Steinway Musikhaus and carried during his early period with The Beatles.
Höfner, the German manufacturer of the instrument,launched a search, naming it The Lost Bass Project.
In the press release, the German manufacturer noted that the search was launched in 2018, but things started to speed up in 2023, and with the help of the worldwide coverage on the lost bass, the team got information about the actual theft and how later it was soldto the landlord of a pub in the Notting Hill area.
As a result of worldwide coverage, ''someone living in the South of England'' remembered an old bass guitar lying in their attic. The person checked it and realised that it was the same guitar.
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The guitar was damaged, but it will be repaired and made playable again.
The legendary singer previously said that he fell in love with it ''because its shape meant that it looked more symmetrical as he played left-handed.'' The guitar is now valued at at least £10 million ($1,25,88,000) or even more.
Recalling the time when he bought the guitar, Paulsaid, "I got my violin bass at the Steinway shop in the town centre. I remember going along and there was this bass which was quite cheap. So for about £30, I found this Höfner violin bass. And to me, because I was left-handed, it looked less daft because it was symmetrical. I got into that. And once I bought it, I fell in love with it."
The veteran singer played the guitar when he rose to stardom and in his hit songs like ''Love Me Do'', ''Twist'' and ''Shout'', and ''She Loves You''.
The guitar was stolen just a year before the Beatles split up.
