The Lost Bass Project: Global search launched for Paul McCartney’s favourite Höfner electric bass guitar

Over the years, there have been a lot of theories about Paul McCartney's missing Hofner bass guitar. However, now a global search has been launched for the missing instrument. McCartney bought the musical instrument for £30 ($37) in Hamburg’s Steinway Musikhaus and carried it with him to every gig until the day in 1963 when it got stolen.

However, Hofner, the German manufacturer of the instrument, has now decided to launch a search. The company's marketing manager, Nick Wass, is heading the search project, which has been named The Lost Bass Project.

Nick told the Sunday Telegraph: "I’ve worked closely with Paul McCartney’s team over the years, and when I’ve met Paul we’ve talked about his first Höfner bass and where it could be today. Paul said to me, ‘Heh, because you’re from Höfner, couldn’t you help find my bass?’ And that’s what sparked this great hunt. Sitting there, seeing what the lost bass means to Paul, I was determined to solve the mystery."


The legendary singer, who bought the guitar for a very minimal amount of £30 ($37), 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 least £10 million ($1,25,88,000) or even more.

Wass said: "The lost bass needs to be valued more like a Van Gogh or a Picasso than just an instrument. Other than Beethoven’s piano, no instrument on earth can be compared to McCartney’s original Höfner. But the true value is in its history. This is the bass Paul played in Hamburg, at the Cavern Club, and at Abbey Road. That’s why we need to get this bass back. I know, because I have talked with him about it, that Paul would be so happy, thrilled, if this bass could get back to him."

McCartney has played the guitar on ''Love Me Do'', ''Twist'' and ''Shout'', and ''She Loves You''. The bass can be seen in Peter Jackson's documentary, Get Back. The guitar disappeared just a year before the Beatles split up.

Over the years, Sir Paul, 81, has owned many Hofner guitars, but the ancient one was his favourite. Recalling the time when he bought the guitar, he said, "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."

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