The much sought after Höfner bass guitar of Paul McCartney has been returned to the musician after having been stolen from him in 1972. Known as the most important bass guitar in history, the guitar played a vital role in recording a number of the Beatles’ most iconic songs. Höfner authenticated the instrument following its discovery through the Lost Bass campaign. McCartney had purchased the Höfner bass when he was in Hamburg for £30 ($38) before The Beatles became a global sensation.
The Lost Bass project began in 2018 but only materialised significant progress last year, with Höfner’s Nick Wass leading the charge alongside husband and wife team Scott and Naomi Jones, both of whom are journalists and producers. Despite rumours that the guitar had disappeared during the Get Back/Let It Be recording sessions in London in 1969, investigations by the Lost Bass Project team in 2020 revealed that the guitar had actually been stolen three years later. The investigation found the guitar was stolen from the back of a 3 tonne truck parked overnight in the Notting Hill area of London on 10th October 1972.
McCartney expressed his gratitude, with the statement from his official website reading, “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.” The Höfner bass is notable in that it can be heard on huge hit songs like ‘Love Me Do’, ‘She Loves You’, and ‘Twist and Shout’ in their original recordings.
After 50 long years, the return of the bass guitar is sure to be an exciting moment for Paul McCartney, as well as millions of Beatles fans across the globe.
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