Paul McCartney is reunited with his lost Höfner bass that was stolen in 1972

16 February 2024, 12:38

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After more than 50 years, Paul's violin bass is finally home.

As well as his singing and songwriting, Paul McCartney is one of the most innovative bass players in rock.

Even with the sound off he sticks out a mile with his left-hand playing and distinctive violin bass guitar.

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After taking over from Stuart Sutcliffe on the instrument, McCartney bought his first bass – a Höfner 500/1 model –  in Hamburg in 1961.

That was the bass he played in those all-important Hamburg and then Cavern Club residencies. McCartney also used it on the first two Beatles albums Please Please Me and With The Beatles, as well as all their early singles.

While it was replaced as his main instrument by the start of 1964, you could still see him play it on occasion – even as late as the Get Back sessions – he continued to keep it in his arsenal all the way through to October 1972, when it was stolen from a van while Wings were on tour.

The bass was believed lost forever, but after a worldwide search it was found last September and returned to its rightful owner.

"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," read a post on Paul McCartney's official website.

"The guitar has been authenticated by Höfner and Paul is incredibly grateful to all those involved."

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The Lost Bass Project has confirmed that the instrument is complete and even still has its original case.

While it's a bit damaged and in need of repairs – the bridge doesn't seem to be in the right place for starters– the project has assured fans that the pros will have it in playable condition pretty easily.

The Lost Bass Project revealed that things picked up last year when they were told details about the theft, which took place on the night of October 10, 1972, from a three-tonne van in Notting Hill.

They revealed that they knew who had stolen the bass, and that it had been sold on to a pub landlord in the nearby area.

The Lost Bass Project followed a paper trail to find out where the bass had gone over the years, and after a massive media campaign, it jogged the memory of "someone living in a terraced house on the south coast of England" who had "remembered an old bass guitar that was in their attic".

It's a story that still certainly leaves open quite a few questions, but whatever the full truth about where it's been and how it was found that remarkable pop artefact has got back to where it once belonged.