Paul McCartney’s first Höfner bass, which disappeared in 1972, was found thanks to a popular campaign.
Paul McCartney’s Höfner bass, nicknamed ” the most important in history » for his role in creating and recording dozens of Beatles classics, was found more than 50 years after his disappearance.
The Lost Bass Project, a grassroots campaign to find out what happened to the instrument, announced Wednesday that the 1961 Höfner 500/1 bass had been rediscovered, and Paul McCartney himself confirmed in a statement that ‘it was in his possession again.
“ Following the launch of the Lost Bass Project last year, Paul’s 1961 Höfner 500/1 bass, which was stolen in 1972, has been returnedannounced McCartney’s official website. The guitar has been authenticated by Höfner and Paul is incredibly grateful to everyone involved. »
The Lost Bass Project was launched in 2018, but didn’t gain prominence until 2023, when global media coverage reignited the research. Early evidence revealed that the bass hadn’t just disappeared: it was stolen from the back of a van on October 10, 1972, in the Notting Hill area of London.
Without naming names, the Lost Bass Project managed to track down the perpetrator of the theft, then the person to whom the thief sold the bass, the owner of a pub in Notting Hill. “By looking at old files, we established who was responsible for the theft, then we got more information about what happened next, who owned the bass and what they did with it . We were able to trace the bass over the years,” the Lost Bass Project wrote of the research.
An article in the British press in September 2023 drew attention to the research, including the most important lead.
“ Following this advert, a resident of a terraced house on the south coast of England remembered an old bass guitar lying in his atticwrote The Lost Bass Project on Wednesday. They took it out and realized what they had. A few days later, she was back at Paul McCartney’s house! »
McCartney’s 1961 Höfner 500/1 bass, which he bought that year in Hamburg and used on the Beatles’ first two albums, including the hits ” Love Me Do ” And ” She Loves You ”, fortunately only had a few signs of wear.
“ The bass is complete and still in its original caseadds the Lost Bass Project. It will require some repairs to be playable again, but a team of professionals can easily carry them out. »
