Paul McCartney’s bass guitar, stolen more than 50 years ago, was returned – News

Höfner’s Nick Wass inspects the instrument.

The Lost Bass Project/Nick Wass

Ex-member of the Beatles Paul McCartney has returned his bass guitar, stolen 51 years ago from the trunk of a van in London. Its authenticity was confirmed by the manufacturer.

“Paul is incredibly grateful to everyone involved in the search,” – says the message on the musician’s website.

The Höfner 500/1 guitar is a treasured part of Beatles history. She can be heard on recordings of hits, including Love Me Do, She Loves You and Twist and Shout, writes The New York Times.

McCartney bought the guitar in 1961 in a music store in Hamburg, Germany.

“And as soon as I bought it, I fell in love with it. For a light, graceful little bass, it had a very rich sound.” – said the musician in an interview with Guitar Magazine in 1993.

McCartney played the Höfner at hundreds of concerts, as well as on the band’s first two albums.

The bass guitar disappeared in 1972 in London. According to one of the versions, she was stolen from the van of the band.

In 2023, several journalists and a guitar expert started a campaign to find the instrument. They put out a call to the public to see if anyone has any information on the whereabouts of the famous bass guitar.

At the end of September, a family from the town of Hastings, in the southeast of England, turned to McCartney’s studio with the question, could the guitar they found in their attic be the missing bass?

Höfner consultant Nick Wass, who worked with Mr. McCartney, traveled to England to help confirm that it was indeed the instrument.

“It took me no more than 10 seconds to realize it was him”,” Wass said, pointing to the characteristic parts and color of the left-handed guitar.

According to him, the guitar has suffered some damage and needs to be repaired.

We will remind, recently a picture of The Beatles with autographs was sold for 1.7 million dollars.

Also, 47 years after the abduction, a sign with the name of the street sung by The Beatles was returned to Liverpool.