The old Höfner bass belonging to Paul McCartney has been found after over 50 years. It is considered the most important bass in history as it was used to create and record dozens of Beatles classics.
In 2018, the Lost Bass Project campaign was launched to discover what had happened to the instrument. And it was the Lost Bass Project itself that announced the rediscovery of the 1961 Höfner 500/1. McCartney confirmed in a statement that he has regained possession of it. According to the musician’s official website, McCartney himself authenticated it and is “incredibly grateful to all the people involved.”
The instrument was stolen from a van on October 10, 1972, in the Notting Hill area of London. Ensuring anonymity, the folks at the Lost Bass Project tracked down both the thief and the owner of the pub in Notting Hill to whom the bass had been sold. “We managed to establish what happened afterward, who had the bass, and what became of it,” writes the Lost Bass Project.
After the publication of an article in September 2023, “someone living on the south coast of England remembered an old bass they had in the attic. They pulled it out and realized what they had. Within a few days, the instrument was back in Paul McCartney’s hands.”
The Höfner 500/1 was found to be in good condition. McCartney bought it in 1961 in Hamburg and used it on the first two Beatles albums, recording tracks like “Love Me Do” and “She Loves You.” “It still has the original case,” notes the Lost Bass Project. “It will need some repairs to be playable again, but nothing that a team of professionals can’t handle.”
All about that bass.
