One of Paul McCartney’s most recognized bass guitars has been found 54 Years Later!
Paul's violin-shaped Höfner 500/1 bass was bought by the Beatle in Germany in 1961 for £30. He fell in love with it, and kept the bass throughout the Beatles’ years, but it was last seen a few days before their famous rooftop concert that became the Beatles’ last live performance.
McCartney asked Höfner exec Nick Wass about finding the bass, and last fall, the company launched The Lost Bass Project, as it came to be known as the “Holy Grail of Rock and Roll”. The company circulated the hashtag #tracingthebass, and luckily enough a 21-year-old British film student named Ruaidhri Guest posted photos of the bass on Twitter/X with the message, “To my friends and family I inherited this item which has been returned to Paul McCartney. Share the news.”
McCartney’s website confirmed it when they posted, “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.”